Paintball

[GratefulWood]

Anyone break out the DBD pants yet ?

Ive bene playing paintball since 1994 and can remember being a bright eyed 13 year old out on the field with his old Tippmanns , balled up behind a rock thinking to myself not about how some character was raining paint about 4 inches above my head with his cocker. Instead I was focused about how uncomfortable I was in this position because of my pants. Alot of the time while playing , I would wear a pair of sweats under the BDUs in hopes of getting some bounces. Countless times the BDUs came off in favor of the bright red sweat pants underneath.

The problem ? Restrictiveness. Especially in my "manhood" area. I like and still do (although today its a bit scary hearing the noises coming from my knees) to duckwalk. Duck behind a bunker and squat down feet flat but rear end hitting the ground. On occasion , I still curl up into a little ball behind a structure. Both of these position are terrible wearing spec BDUs. For me at least. Too much pressure and a rigid seam applying pressure in all the wrong places. Ouch.

Playing woodsball almost exclusively and preferring some type of camoflauge pant , options were pretty limited. Being a teen I never liked to spend alot on quality BDUs. Grab a pair at the local surplus and you're off. When early sets of real tactical paintball pants were marketed to players , they were tinny and cheap. I stuck with my BDU/Spec belt and attachable pod holder. You could tell by the materials used (and still used) that their product will fall apart. That and they didnt solve the problem at hand. When the tournament pants started making their debut for players , alot of the first issues resolved were the stretchiness in the junk region. I was all for it however I really hate wearing a pant with a giant conspicuous and flagrant logo. Alot of them producing the pants were companies I didn't support on top of their flagrant logo and color usage. Not to mention they're a plague on the sport.

About 3 months ago , I put all of these issues to rest. Finally , after 14 years , I can battle on the field and not even feel like ive been wearing pants.

When I first opened up the parcel Mar sent down and pulled the pants out , my first reaction was in response to the weight. Aside from the metal buttons and seatbelt style velcro straps , there is no weight. The pants are big/puffy , but weight nothing. The padding in the knees also weighs next to nothing (not that it would) yet gives enough protection to bang around a little bit and not feel much.

The selling points of these pants are what make it so incredible. Someone definitely thought out the design of these. If you look at other pants in the similar price range , they appear to be a BDU with a drawstring and some plastic knee caps. Neat design features for the DBD/APX , aside from the padded knees ive mentioned are a padded "cod piece" if you will (no more using the brim of your hat as a homemade cup) , the extra stretchy materials used in the rear end and knees , the breathable soft material immediately on the inside , multiple metal buttons and zipper , generous amount of fabric reinforcing and double stitching , flawless velcro belt design. The belt design is great because its so wide you tend to not notice it. You can add weight and because its not a small width belt or drawstring , it doesn't bunch up and/or become awkward. Hell , to be honest , you don't even know its there. I thought that because of the light weight of the pants and the velcro system , with some weight and a belt , it would 'slide' down instead of bunching. It doesn't. That was the first test and it passed with flying colors. Even with it out on the field running with a pack attached isnt an issue.

The fabric on them is nice. The camo material is nice and thick. I bought a pair in Multicam and although its not the multicam with the black , the black accents make it great for people like me who prefer some black mixed in with their camo. Another great thing about the pants I noticed , is how they clean up. After two outings of beating on the pants , they were cleaned and only some little dirt and scuff marks on the knee pads remain.

All in all , great pants. Would buy these again in a heartbeat. At some point im sure ill have them in Tigerstripe too.

I have a 40" waste (size 36 dockers) and the Large fits me liberally.





Stitching on the velcro belt and belt loop -



Buttons front view -



Stretchy material by the crotchal/groinal regions -





Stretchiness above the kneepads -



Stretchiness in the Arse -



Inside breathable material -



Really like how the bottoms of the pant legs were done -

[ForeverSpyder]

I've had alot of trouble with all the paintball pants I've tried, so I've stuck with my trusty old ravens. These look pretty good though...

`Fs

[Bob T Guy]

Great review, very well written!

[Epic_Scotsman]

very nice

[squee!]

The design and materials look very similar to the XSV pants I have. When they eventually become to worn to use any longer, i'll likely turn to these.

[DanDaMan]

Originally Posted by squee!

The design and materials look very similar to the XSV pants I have. When they eventually become to worn to use any longer, i'll likely turn to these.

That's because XSV pants were made by APX and these pants are stitched together by APX.

[JKR]

Nicely done review...

How would you rate the Multicam material in thickness and perceived durability to say...the old 65/35 NYCO material (non-ripstop) used in heavy weight BDUs?

I am seriously considering getting a pair after Christmas - they look really nicely made.

[havokrooster]

awesome review.

[J.Browne]

I bought a set of these pants based on GratefulWoods review and I have to say he was right on the money.

Good ventilation, padding where you need it and surprisingly light to wear. Very comfy and a solid product.

DBD.

[Wrathbringer]

Seconded, this review is spot on. These pants are fantastic, very comfy, very roomy, and definitely well ventilated almost to a fault. If it's cold out then it'll be a little chilly in between games since the pants are so well vented, but it's a worthwhile trade-off for when you're playing in the summer.