Hi friends!
Welcome back to the blog! In this post, we’re going to be taking a look at my recent trip to Houston, Texas USA where I attended evike.com's Airsoft Palooza 2023 at Evike Outpost Houston!
First, let me give you some background information on Evike Outpost Houston. Evike Outpost Houston is the largest airsoft store in Texas, located in Cypress near Houston. The Outpost shares space with High Ground Airsoft (to bring airsofters and an all-in-one experience). The premises is a whopping 42,000 sq feet with 8,000 sq feet of retail space - and this space is used well!
The storefront is clean, well-presented and organised, so it is easy to navigate even if you aren’t quite sure what you are looking for. It has literally everything you could need and even things you didn’t think you’d need. The walls are lined from top to bottom with airsoft replicas, and they’re two/three rifles deep - bar evike.com's headquarters in Alhambra, California, I’ve never seen so many airsoft guns in one store. As well as airsoft replicas, you can find racks of gear, BDUs and outdoor clothing, eye pro, face pro, helmets, ear protection, patches, upgrade parts and even grenade-shaped USB sticks. It’s crazy the number of products that Evike has in their store and it’s impossible to name all of the brands they carry. It would probably be easier to name the brands that they don’t! There is also a shooting range in the store that has some insane targets!
The staff are all experts in their fields, knowledgeable and always happy to help with anything from kit advice to how to improve the performance of your gun. They are friendly, approachable and there is always a relaxed atmosphere in the store which makes for a positive shopping experience. There is an in-store teching service which is super affordable so there’s always help on hand for any technical issues you may have (or for a cheeky upgrade).
I have been to a fair few Airsoft shops in the time I’ve been airsofting, some very good and some not so good. Evike Outpost Houston’s location makes the store a reachable location for a large proportion of Airsofters in the Southern States, and any potential customers that are out of reach can get most of the items they stock in-store through the evike.com website. The range of products that they stock is fantastic and they only stock brands that you can trust so you know you can be confident in your purchase. Their after-sales care and support are second to none so never be afraid to pop in with any queries or dilemmas you have – you will always be greeted by a smiling face behind the counter. The staff are my favourite element of the store, as they are a great bunch of people who always make you feel welcome. They are always happy to help and are knowledgeable, offering sound advice to their customers on a range of subjects. It is clear from watching them interact with their customers in-store that they are passionate about Airsoft. All these elements make the store a great place to shop.
Now you’ve got some background on Evike Outpost Houston, let us talk about Airsoft Palooza! Airsoft Palooza is an airsoft event that happens every year at Evike Outpost Houston, this year it took place on the 20th of May 2023. It is a free-to-attend event and there is so much to do so you can definitely make a day of it. As the store/field location was previously a Walmart, there is plenty of free car parking. Upon arriving you’ll see an entrance gate right outside of the store's entrance where you can collect your wristband and your sack of Palooza if you ordered one! Once inside the gates, you can take advantage of everything Palooza has to offer!
The store always has a huge sale during this event which is good news for players who are looking to pick up kit and guns for a fraction of their usual cost - the sale is announced on the evike.com socials shortly before the event so it’s well worth following and keeping up to date. The store also hosts a shooting competition by KWA which is always a fun endeavour. Separately to the store, High Ground Airsoft runs all-day play and this has to be booked in advance via the Evike website (and can be purchased with your sack of palooza! The gameplay on Palooza Day is really chill and has a great vibe!
This year there was a great selection of exhibitors in attendance including Krytac, G&G Armament, ASG, Dye Paintball, Body Armour Vent, PTS Syndicate, KWA, Elite Force and a few others. Players can chat and meet their favourite manufacturers and check out new and exciting products. The exhibitors are outside under branded gazebos which makes it easy to find each of them. This year the US Coastguard was also in attendance and they brought one of their boats with them which you could go on and have a look around (I of course took the opportunity to do this!). Alongside the exhibitors are a number of food trucks.
This year, at 2pm, an exciting change was introduced to the event schedule. Rather than a traditional Q&A session, a meet and greet with well-known players from the airsoft community took place. The opportunity to personally interact with players such as Jet Desertfox, Unicorn Leah, Scott from US Airsoft, and myself. The meet and greet provided a unique chance to engage in conversations, capture memorable photographs, and get signatures from your favourite YouTubers. It was an incredibly enjoyable and heartwarming experience, as enthusiasts had the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals.
At 3pm, the highly anticipated raffle takes place, adding an extra layer of excitement to the event. Every attendee is presented with a wristband, which proudly displays a unique raffle number. Armed with this ticket participants must make their way to the EMG/Evike booth, to deposit their ticket in the raffle chest to be in with a chance of winning one of the many prizes. Collectively the prizes are worth thousands of dollars. The atmosphere brims with anticipation as the raffle winners are called because the prizes include everything from vouchers to tactical kit and even airsoft guns.
Overall, was an unforgettable experience that left me filled with joy. The event brought together passionate airsoft enthusiasts, showcased incredible products, and offered a wide array of engaging activities. I am immensely grateful to evike.com for extending the invitation and allowing me to be a part of the day. The opportunity to connect with fellow players, share my insights, and contribute to the airsoft community was truly an honour. I extend my heartfelt thanks to evike.com for their hospitality and for creating a truly wonderful event.
Post sponsored by Evike.com
Originally posted Wednesday 7 June 2023
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