To start, I didn’t know if switching to a vest from a pod pack would be the right thing for me. After weeks upon weeks of deliberation, I decided the best thing to do would be to pick up a used vest and then proceed from there. Here is my review of the SpecOps Sabre Vest that I picked up.

If you’ve ever read a review on this vest, you more than likely read about how sturdy this vest is. You read about how it feels like it would never fall apart. And you’ve read about how once it is adjusted; there is no movement or shifting of the vest. We’ll go over the same info, only with my opinions added.

I pulled the vest out of the box it was sent to me in. It had to weigh every bit of 9 pounds. I could see it wasn’t just some fabric sewn together to make a vest. It looked to me like something you could make a tarpaulin out of. That explained the weight of the vest for me. I immediately began to locate all the adjustment straps and the belt that secured it to my waist (I had to wait to get home before I could put on though). I checked the sewing; it looked good, much in the way of loose threads. I checked the Velcro; it wasn’t matted down, and worked properly. I continued my overview of the by checking the MOLLE straps, the tank holder, the pod holders and the inner belt. The only problem I saw was that part of the inner belt had separated from the vest. I’ll take a look at maybe putting this on the sewing machine.

Once I got the vest to the “Bat Cave” (basement), I draped it over my shoulders to see where the adjustments needed to be made. At first I thought, “This thing is way too big”, and I began to work with the harness to bring it to my size. Wrong idea, I eliminated all of the MOLLE straps but two on each side and put it back on. “Fat man in a little coat” comes to mind. The pockets were resting comfortably on the top of my stomach; they looked more like shirt pockets. Here’s a tip for the future: load the vest with your gear before you adjust it to fit you. Once I did that, I could feel (and see) where everything was going to sit on me. I readjusted the straps, this time I only lost 2 loops on each side. The side straps I pulled in all the way, and the front belt was tightened to its extent. The vest fits now. After just a little over an hour too!

Fully loaded with 6 pods and 68/3000 tank, the only weight I felt was the pods. I didn’t use the plus 2 pod holders because they seemed stretched, and the pods did shake around on them. Maybe if I am desperate for more paint I will, but I doubt it. I had no trouble getting to my pods. I pulled them out, and then put them back in to make sure. I jumped around a little; I didn’t feel any movement from the vest. So all in all, the reviews that have been written ahead of this, I can confirm and agree with what was written.

To this end, I can say that this is a very good vest. It is not easy to adjust, so when it’s done, leave it alone.

Next post will be my review of the vest after a weekend of play… stay tuned.    

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Played today, everything was as expected. The vest was stable and sturdy. My shoulders are a little tired, but not being used to the vest can cause that.