[m102404]

Starting out in airsoft is the most enjoyable phase of things. There's just sooooo much stuff to be had. Every game should smack a big smile on your face or you're doing it wrong. You will be scared shitless about how much money you're dumping into this "let's play war with toys" hobby. Just get out, meet the local guys and play!!! (budget $2000 for everything...spread it out over the first couple of seasons to ease the pain)

The next phase is when you start to fine tune your stuff, your "needs" and what type of games you prefer. This phase gets very expensive too....lots of "keeping up with the Jones" and chasing that last FPS or meter of range. You spend A LOT of time reading/posting to the forum. Keeping a level head is key.

The 3rd phase is when you're really picky about what type of games you want to play...you tend to think the new guys are idiots, the older guys that came before you were right and you wonder why-the-f*ck you have so many bins of gear/guns. You tend to be very selective about buying only this or that piece of kit...and you really have to justify/rationalize why this particular jacket is so necessary and better than the other 7 jackets you have (which are in very good shape since they haven't been worn much....LOL).

There's 2 camps in the fourth phase. One camp where guys go mental and continue to buy room fulls of gear, guns...they spend endless hours chasing one specific combat smock that has a certain make/brand of a buckle placed in the same spot as that Navy SEAL who was in that picture standing on that rock (and similar guys in that same camp will know exactly what picture and what rock he's talking about). The other camp is where guys sell off pretty much everything and keep a minimum of stuff specifically setup for its purpose. One/two guns, 1 CQB setup, 1 green setup, etc... Need a SAW or a bolt action gun + gear for the next OP/mission/game?...they'll just buy what they need and then sell it afterwards.