I've done a couple of posts on camouflage that I use as well as tests on different kinds of patterns that are useful in a number of environments. For the past couple of years, I've been religiously using MARPAT in both it's Desert and Woodland form for outdoor games. MARPAT, if you didn't already know, is short for Marine Pattern and is used by the United States Marine Corps. It's a digital camouflage pattern unique to the USMC and they use two forms of it, depending on the area they are deployed. A Desert MARPAT is obviously used in arid regions. I use my Desert MARPAT in late autumn until things start growing again in the spring. The rest of the time I use Woodland MARPAT, which is much better for deep wooded areas with lots of growth. There are "civillian" versions of both Desert and Woodland MARPAT that I have compared before, but I'm a bit stingy with my stuff and only field genuine USMC-issue MARPAT.
It's never really let me down when either pattern is in season. The only trouble I tend to have is in those "Transitional" periods. In Spring and Fall when the colors are turning, it's tough deciding if I want more greens/dark colors or lighter tans and browns to match my surroundings. This is where I almost wonder if investing in a third set of camouflage might help cover my bases a little more. The best candidate that I've seen that is a bit of a mix of both is called MultiCam. Currently fielded by the US Army, MultiCam has been often cited as a good middle-ground camouflage that works well in many different environments. I've seen it work especially well in the seasons where my camouflage gap tends to be.The hangup that I have about MultiCam is that I'm worried that I won't use it frequently enough to warrant pursuing a set of it. I COULD use it year-round, but for the types of games that we normally play, Woodland MARPAT over the summer is likely going to be the best choice. We play fewer off-season games where I would potentially use MultiCam and the Desert MARPAT can handle most of that. In that same vein, my Desert MARPAT doesn't get used that frequently because we don't often play in the winter to begin with. I'm almost wondering if I should replace the Desert MARPAT with MultiCam for our off-season games.
I'm open to suggestions, so chime in if you've got an idea on how to tackle this Tactical Nitpick of mine!
Pocket over at Urban Taggers was kind enough to send me an N-Strike Elite Stockade to review! It's especially neat for me since this is the International Spec version with a silver/gray trigger instead of the orange triggered versions. While it denotes a lower-power blaster, I just like finally having a silver trigger without it having to be repainted or metal or anything like that. I'm also stoked because the stock on this has quickly become my favorite one to use ever... of all time. It trumps the Retaliator's Stock size any day of the week if you ask me.
On my YouTube channel, I've made a playlist for all the "Amped!" videos we've made. It's just me, my buddy Sundawg, and a DC Regulated Power Supply hooked up to electronically-driven Nerf Blasters. It's been a fun series to do so every time Nerf comes out with a new electronic blaster, we put it through it's paces in an "Amped!" test. 
For the past 7 years I've been running Laser Tag games with the MLTA, "Phenomenon" has been right there helping out, shooting up n00bs, and been an excellent supporter of what we do. Not only that, but he's a long-time friend of mine. So when it was getting close to read through all the resolutions that readers submitted for the January contest and he told me he wanted to finally build a blaster instead of keep borrowing my friend's Phoenix LTX, it only made sense to award him with the LTAR for the contest. I was very impressed with all your aspirations and goals for the new year, but I had to be a bit biased in this one, save myself the shipping costs, and award Phenomenon with the LTAR. Hope that doesn't make anyone too upset! 
For the next contest, you'll have to be sneaky. Like, really sneaky. Check the new contest rules up on the updated "Monthly Contest" tab above.
Photos by Gina Weathersby of 513{eats}, cake by Sugar Realm, catering from Two Chicks Who Cater, vintage china plates from Oma's Vintage Plates, styling, set design & ephemera by Margot Madison Creative.
