I recently bought myself my first magfed paintball gun – the EMF100 from Planet Eclipse. 

It didn’t take me long, however, until I realized that I would either need to buy a tactical vest or a tactical belt to carry all of my extra magazines. 

I went with a tactical belt, but only because I prefer to play the sniper role. And as a paintball sniper (click here to learn best paintball sniper rifles), I like to avoid having anything on my front side that could interfere with me crawling or lying prone. 

Now I do plan on getting myself a tactical vest eventually, as I would love to be able to switch roles and provide myself with some extra firepower when needed. I also wouldn’t mind being able to carry a couple of smoke grenades and a walkie talkie when I go to play scenario games as well.  

But what kind of vest would I buy?

These are what I consider to be the best tactical vests for magfed paintball, all of which I would be happy to own.

Top 5 Tactical Vests for Magfed Paintball

When buying a tactical vest for magfed paintball, you’re typically better off starting with a plain molle vest. This way you can add your own molle accessories such as magazine pouches, grenade pouches, radio pouches, and any other type of pouch you would like to buy.  

Even though some vests do come with magazine pouches, grenade pouches, etc, you could buy a vest with magazine pouches that don’t fit your magazines. I had it happen to a team member who was upset he wasted his hard-earned money. 

I’m also going to show you different styles of tactical vests, so you can choose the style that fits you best. 

Condor MCR6 Rapid Assault Chest Rig

If you’re looking for an affordable chest rig for magfed paintball then the Condor MCR6 Rapid Assault Chest Rig may just be the perfect fit for you.

Equipped with 6 open-top M4 mag pouches with a bungee release system, a cross-back shoulder strap with webbing and D-rings, heavy-duty molle webbing for modular attachments, and a hidden interior mesh pocket with map pocket, the MCR6 Chest Rig has everything a beginner or minimalistic player could ask for.

My favorite feature of the MCR6 Rapid Assault Chest Rig is its padded cross-back shoulder straps that are both comfortable and great for evenly distributing the weight across your back and shoulders. Making the MCR6 Chest Rig a great magfed vest for players who are interested in playing scenario games that’s 24 hours or longer. 

I would mostly recommend the MCR6 chest rig for players who are either new to magfed paintball or simply looking for something affordable that you can lend off to friends. This paintball vest is light, breathable, and keeps all of your magazines firmly attached to the front of your body. And while the MCR6 paintball vest could use some better quality stitching, it’s certainly not a bad option for players who are on a budget. 

BT Static Paintball Vest

Another affordable vest that’s perfect for magfed paintball is the BT Static Paintball Vest. The main difference between the BT Static vest and the MCR6 chest rig is that the majority of the molle webbing is on the back of the BT Static vest instead of on the front side like the MCR6 chest rig.

The BT Static Vest also has a lot more space for molle attachments than the Condor Rapid Assault Chest Rig does. All of that extra space can be used to add magazine pouches, dump pouches, air tank pouches, and whatever other molle accessories you can think of. There’s a small amount of molle webbing on the front straps of the vest as well, which could be used for small accessories such as radio pouches, grenade pouches, I.D. pouches, and even a small zipper or velcro pouch.

Other cool features that come included with the BT Static Paintball Vest is a drag handle for those extreme milsim players, a velcro nameplate for players who want to showcase their name (or nickname), and a hydration sleeve for when you get thirsty mid-game. 

The BT Static paintball vest also fits extremely well thanks to the 4-strap tournament-style velcro strap, the rubberized back panel on the inside of the vest, and the chest strap to help hold everything in place. Not to mention it comes in three different sizes (Small/Medium, Large/X-Large, and XX-Large/XXX-Large) so you won’t have to worry about the vest not fitting correctly like other “One Size Fits All” type vests.

The last feature worth mentioning on the BT Static Paintball Vest is that it’s made out of mesh so it’s both lightweight and breathable. Making this tactical vest another great option for magfed players who are interested in playing 24+ hour-long scenario games. 

If you’re interested in buying this paintball vest you have two color options to choose from (tan or olive).

Valken V-Tac Tango II

If you’re looking to pack on as many Molle accessories as possible then the Valken V-Tac Tango II may just be the right paintball vest for you. 

The V-Tac Tango II comes with a large amount of nylon MOLLE webbing on both the front and back of the vest, as well as belt straps on the bottom for the attachment of a duty belt. A duty belt such as the Valken Duty Belt can be used for securing your vest to your body and for attaching small items such as a flashlight, grenade pouch, or pistol holster (click to find out best paintball pistols) to your waistline. 

The next feature that attracts me to the Valken V-Tac Tango II is the three quick-release buckles on the front and the two on each side of the vest. These quick-release buckles allow you to perfectly adjust the vest to the dimensions of your body and eliminate the need for zippers that can often bind, break, or jam. Just make sure to get the correct size vest when making a purchase, as the sizes can vastly vary from one to the other. The three different sizes you can choose from are X-Small-Medium, Large-XXX-Large, and 4X-Large-5X-Large.

Another reason that I consider the V-Tac Tango II to be one of the best tactical vests for magfed paintball is that it’s extremely comfortable to wear. The reason the V-Tac Tango II is so comfortable is because of its heavy-duty mesh design and adjustable padded shoulders. You also have a giant hydration pouch on the inside of your vest to keep you from getting thirsty or dehydrated during long scenario games.

Some other nifty features on the V-Tac Tango II is a carry handle for when you need to be dragged to safety, D-rings on the shoulder to attach a 1-point sling or other small accessories, and a velcro name-plate on the front and back of the vest. The V-Tac Tango II from Valken also comes in a variety of colors/camouflage patterns such as black, tan, olive, and ACU.

And if you would rather have the zippers instead of buckles for aesthetics reasons, then you can still purchase the Valken V-Tac Tango I for the time being. You may want to act fast though as they may not be around for much longer.

GFIRE Modular Vest

While the GFIRE Modular Vest was designed to be used by military personnel and police officers, it can also be used for paintball if you prefer the look of a plate carrier vest. I personally love the look of plate carrier vests because they give off that Navy Seal type vibe, which is pretty cool if you ask me.

However, I wouldn’t recommend placing any protective plates in your vest if you plan on only using it for paintball. Anything other than foam plates will add unnecessary weight that could weigh you down over a long period of time. The only plate I would recommend placing in your backplate carrier is a hydration pack plate such as this model on Amazon.com.

Now my favorite benefit of wearing the GFIRE Modular Vest is that it comes with a large 10 x 12-inch pouch on the front side of the vest with MOLLE webbing on top of it. This means you can install multiple magazine pouches on the front of your vest and still have a large pouch to use underneath. Whereas with other MOLLE-based vests you would have to install a large kangaroo pouch on top of your magazine pouches. 

Another great feature that attracts players to the GFIRE Modular Vest is the MOLLE webbing on the side of the vest. While most tactical vests only have MOLLE webbing on either the front, back, or on both the front and the backside of the vest, the GFIRE Modular Vest can accept modular attachments on the side of the vest as well thanks to its cummerbund design. Having a cummerbund on your vest gives you the perfect place to add a modular attachment such as a dump pouch.

The last few features worth mentioning are the emergency drag handle, the removable anti-slip padded shoulder pads with hook and loop guides, and the side release buckles on shoulders and internal waist strap. The GFIRE Modular Vest also comes in three sizes (Medium, Large, and X-Large), three colors (Black, Tan, and Green), and is made out of 1000D polyester so you know it’s built to last. Unlike those other popular paintball vests on the market that are made out of cheap 600D polyester. 

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OneTigris DOOM Tactical Vest

One of the best plate carrier vests for magfed paintball is the OneTigris DOOM Tactical Vest. This tactical vest is extremely high quality for a paintball vest and should last you many years of abuse on the field. Plus it just looks plain awesome.

The main difference between the OneTigris DOOM Tactical Vest and the GFIRE Modular Vest is that the OneTigris vest is made from 500D Cordura Nylon. Cordura Nylon is overall a stronger material than polyester, but 1000D polyester is actually around the same strength as 500D Cordura Nylon.

Another big difference between these two plate carrier vests is that the OneTigris DOOM Tactical Vest comes with a built-in kangaroo pouch that can fit three 5.56 sized magazines. Whereas the GFIRE Modular Vest only has a large map pouch.

The OneTigris Tactical Vest also comes with a removable rear bungee system that will allow you to better adjust the vest to fit the width of your body. You can even remove the bungee system completely and just use the velcro underneath if you want to further increase the width of the vest.

You can purchase this tactical vest in three colors (Black, Coyote Brown, or Multicam), but unfortunately the vest only comes in one size. However, both the shoulder straps and cummerbund are highly adjustable so it should fit most players fine.

Tips for Buying a Magfed Vest

Before you go ahead and purchase a tactical vest for magfed paintball, there are a few tips I want you to know that will help you choose the best-magfed vest possible. Listed below are the most important tips.

1. Plan out what accessories you want to add to your vest beforehand so you can ensure you purchase a vest with enough MOLLE webbing.
2. Consider the weight of the vest you’re buying when all of the MOLLE accessories are attached and your vest is full of gear/paint.
3. If purchasing a vest with magazine pouches already installed, then you‘ll need to make sure your magazines will properly fit. Don’t simply guess either, take the time the time to make sure the size of your magazines fit the dimensions of the magazine pouches you intend on purchasing. This goes for other MOLLE accessories such as a dump pouch too.
4. If you plan on doing a lot of crawling around on your stomach then you may want to consider getting a vest that has most of the MOLLE webbing on the back.
5. Make sure to buy the right size vest. The last thing you want is to have your vest flying all over the place when you’re running around with all your heavy paintball gear.

Should You Buy a Tactical Vest or Belt?

While most players would be better suited to wearing a tactical vest for magfed paintball, some players would benefit more from using a tactical belt with MOLLE webbing.

The players that would benefit most from using a MOLLE belt instead of a vest are players like myself who like to belly crawl and shoot from the prone position. And while you can get away with using a vest like the BT Static and still be able to belly crawl, I like to be as minimalistic as possible and just wear a MOLLE belt.

This is the particular Valken MOLLE belt that I use.

Best Molle Accessories for Magfed Paintball 

If you plan on buying a plain MOLLE vest then you’re going to have to buy your fair share of MOLLE based accessories. Just make sure to buy a vest that’s going to fit all of your MOLLE accessories, or else you’re either going to have to drop off an accessory or two, or bite the bullet and buy a whole new vest.

Now if you’re unsure what type of MOLLE based accessories to buy, here’s a list of the most popular MOLLE accessories for magfed paintball.

• Magazine pouch
• Dump pouch
• Kangaroo pouch
• I.D. pouch
• Map pouch
• Grenade pouch
• Tank holder
• Pistol holster

And while there are many other kinds of MOLLE accessories out there, the MOLLE attachments that I have listed above are just what I consider to be the most widely used for magfed paintball.

My favorite accessory for a magfed vest, however, isn’t a MOLLE accessory at all. Nor is it a hydration bladder (although they’re very useful). My favorite accessory for a magfed paintball vest is a magazine pouch insert. What a magazine pouch insert allows you to do is to be able to insert a magazine back into your magazine pouch quickly without having to wiggle your mag in place and waste a bunch of time.

And sure, you can use a dump pouch like I do and place your empty mags in there, but what do you do if you’re carrying 4+ magazines and not all of them will fit in a single dump pouch? This is the dilemma many magfed players face and it’s the reason the magazine pouch insert is one of the most important accessories for a magfed paintball vest.

Last update on 2024-04-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API