Review/Comparison - rustysniper's replica CADPAT TW FPV (Fragmentation Protective Vest) (does anyone still use dial-up?)

[CanuckKwan]

Never really done a review before, but I thought you should all know what a great piece of airsoft kit you all originally interested in missed out on.


Left - Canadian Forces issued Fragmentation Protective Vest (FPV), size Small-Regular (hereby designated Issued)
Right - rustysniper's replica FPV, size S/M (hereby designated Replica)

As you can see right off the bat, for a "small" the Replica is more on the side of medium. My combat shirts are 6736 and 7036 (first two numbers are height in inches, last two are chest size - I am 5' 7.5"), and the Issued fits snugly at the adjusted length of straps. The Replica is cinched all the way down and is still a little big/loose.

The Replica's material looks a lot like the combat cloth used for the uniforms, but has a stronger feel to it, but not as tough as the Issued vest's (1000D?) material. The underside seems to have a water-repelling liner.


Top - Replica
Bottom - Issued

The back of the front panel opens to allow placement of soft armour and plates. Great attention to detail with the stitching. Replica's grommets are gold (instead of black) and a little smaller, but still good.


Top - Replica
Bottom - Issued

The Replica has a lightweight foam throughout to simulate the bulk of the soft armour. The Replica is very light, roughly measured at 2.5lbs, versus the Issued at ~6lbs.


Replica - inside front panel

You can see here, the pocket can hold a plate in the front. There are two different patterns of material that resemble the 1000D fake CADPAT made in USA and commonly used on paintball gear. I like that he used that here because it will provide a stronger hold for anyone adding weight to their plates and doesn't waste hard-to-find CADPAT material on something no one else will see.


Left - Issued
Right - Replica

Emphasizing the stitching of the front plate on the inside.


Right - Replica
Left - Issued

There are no tags on the Replica, but you can see again his attention to detail where he stitched velcro to hold the soft armour in place on the inside.


Left - Replica
Right - Issued
The straps used on the Replica are a bit of a cheaper material, but more than does the job.


Left - Replica
Right - Issued
Now this really impressed me. rusty was able to get the actual moisture-wicking material that the Issued vest uses on the collar and inside of the Goretex combat jacket.


Top - Issued
Bottom - Replica
You can see the Replica shoulder pads are noticeably larger than my Issued ones (size small). But I assume this is only because rusty did a generic one-size-fits-all for the majority of the others who needed M/L vests.


Left - Issued
Right - Replica

The moisture-wicking material is used on the underside of the Replica. The opening to access the soft armour is also on the wrong side. But no one would notice unless they were looking for it (which I was).


Replica

You can see that rusty even included the stretchy material inside of the shoulder pad straps to allow for a better fit.


Left - Issued (note the fold due to the stretchy strap inside the shoulder pads)
Right - Replica

Unfortunately, due to the generic sizing of the shoulder pads, the stretchy straps don't pull down on the shoulder pads as snugly as the Issued ones, and you tend to get a more of a "free float" when the Replica is donned.


Replica - the shoulder pad sort of "floats" above the vest


Top - Issued
Bottom - Replica

The pocket for the rear plate on the Replica is noticeably bigger than the Issued pocket. The Replica also lacks grommets.



Left - Issued
Right - Replica

The black on the sholder strap of the Issued is a rubbery material intended to grip the butt of the weapon. Although the black on the Replica provides no grip, it replicates the Issued well, including the CADPAT material underneath it.


rustysniper's Replica Fragmentation Protective Vest (without shoulder pads) with my DZT ModCan vest

Final thoughts
AMAZING replica! Some small items in terms of material and size/placement (e.g. plate pocket), but that's just me having great attention to detail and being a reservist/university student with nothing else better to do before classes start. Overall, I'd rate this a 9.5/10.

Suggestion for further project
I know Parklands has a decent quality replica of the issued tac-vest in CADPAT TW, but rusty, I think you should do an interest-check to see if anyone would be interested in a replica of the issued tac-vest in CADPAT AR/desert. I know I'd definitely be interested in that, or at least a DZT ModCan-type vest in AR to allow for MOLLE pouches.

[rustysniper]

Hey ...great review CK. Some of the detail ommissions are due to materials/hardware availabilty (like the brass grommets vs the black one which I have been able to now find).
Some of your other detail comments I am unsure of (such as the pocket insertion for the soft armour shoulder pads being on the wrong side....as they were on the same side as the issue vest I used as a model). Also, material differences can be attributed to how controlled Cadpat fabrics are by the DND. The outer fabric I used is DND surplus D500 fabric. I did find some Arid D1000 fabric but it is incredibly hard tow work with. I have made a couple of vests with it...but won't be doing anymore as D1000 is overkill. recent issue vests I have seen in Cadpat TW are actually only sewn with D500.....so this is the weight of material I will try to source for future vests.

A final comment on sizes....as I only had a large regular issue vest to use as sample....I will try to shrink the S/M vest and shoulder pads. CK....if you can send me a tracing of your kevlar inserts for your vest and the size as issued n the DND/PSP tag....I will try to adjust accordingly.

Thanks for the great review!
Rusty

[rustysniper]

Here is an Arid version. This is sewn in lightweight ripstop with the breathable nylon liner.

[CanuckKwan]

Originally Posted by rustysniper

Some of your other detail comments I am unsure of (such as the pocket insertion for the soft armour shoulder pads being on the wrong side....as they were on the same side as the issue vest I used as a model)

I noticed the opening to remove the soft armour in the shoulder pads was on the opposite side of the Issued. but it could just be size/date of production differences.

Originally Posted by rustysniper

Also, material differences can be attributed to how controlled Cadpat fabrics are by the DND. The outer fabric I used is DND surplus D500 fabric. I have made a couple of vests with it...but won't be doing anymore as D1000 is overkill.

yeah, I figured it was something along those lines.

any thoughts on checking if anyone else would be interested in an AR Tac-Vest?

[Masterless]

If such a thing ever came to be ... my money and I would be interested in an AR Tac-Vest. Just saying : )

[PrIeSt]

It was. U missed out. His machine broke

[CanuckKwan]

Originally Posted by takagari

It was. U missed out. His machine broke

I don't think rusty ever did an AR Tac-Vest, only an AR FPV.

[PrIeSt]

Gotcha. Misread my mistake. I do t know why youd want a tac vest. They are horribly designed. Something custom would be cool in arid. Hard pattern ti find anything in

[J.Martel]

are these still kicking around? im looking for one in TW

[Larocque88]

I would also be interested in one.

[keruru]

Hi. Any idea where can I buy this replica armor?thx

[Creoden]

DAMN, wish I had seen this a couple years ago, those truly look awesome. Wish someone was making replica frag vests still.

[J.Martel]

I have a contact down in Southern Ontario that just started building these!
He is new in his work and has started Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ModernKnightsTacticalGear

Pics the the vest in the works
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.n...b0d7001ab8faa4

[Creoden]

Cool! make sure you keep us posted on how his progress is going and a cost

[J.Martel]

Pictures of his work. (Not Complete) more to come soon