Wearing Less Actually Made Me Play Better

I remember the weekend I first decided to leave my plate carrier at home. I’d been playing airsoft for about six months, always wearing a JPC replica loaded with triple mag pouches on the front, a radio pouch and canteen on the side, and a utility pack on the back. It looked great in photos, but after two or three hours my shoulders were killing me, and every time I tried to duck behind a low barrier the gear on my chest got in the way. Then a teammate handed me his chest rig to try. I loaded three rifle magazines, pulled the shoulder straps tight, buckled the waist strap, and stood up. My first thought was — “That’s it?”