I've seen this on a few other forums (think it was on the ol LnL forum), some good stuff in it, even for us civvies.
Your gear should assist you. No exceptions.
Good rack system - Some use velcro, some use bungee cords, short answer... you need to find what works
best for you.
Consider a modular set-up, you can adjust it as your duty position changes. Some times you want to have your
pouches on your vest, sometimes on your rack... it's best to keep your options open.
Don't go cheap on this either... it's important that you find one that works and will put up with some serious
abuse.
NOTE: If you have a releasable armor system, you might not want to use a rack system over it, your armor
won?t drop free as quickly, might get tangled up in your rack system and not come off at all (and then what?s
the point of having a quick-release armor set?). If you have a releasable armor system, you might want to
put your pouches on your armor.
Good cleaning kit - Most units can provide you with one, but I've found that they're either overkill or out-dated.
An Otis kit is good, but you don't use all the parts. If you want a Bore-Snake... try getting by with a piece of 550
cord, I don't like them because metal particles and sand can get stuck in the fabric strands.
I've heard stories of them getting bound-up and stuck in the chambers of weapons too.
If I can't clear a binding bore snake out of my weapon on an OP in the middle of a city... I'm fucked.
It's your shit. Me? I say fuck that noise.
If you need a scraper tool, don't use a surgical steel dental pick... it has more potential in harming your receiver
and barrel extension than good that can come from it. Use a piece of coat hangar wire that's been bent, cut,
flattened and filed a little to make a softer metal scraper tool... it's a heck of lot easier to get and cheaper.
You can do the same thing with a piece of brass rod stock from Home Depot and a file.
Oh yeah, put a bottle of gun lube on your rack... you'll need to re-lube every 300 rounds or so.
Carabiners ? You probably don?t need a full-size climbing carabiner. Get one of those little screw-gate links at
the hardware store that cost sixty cents. You can use it to secure your NODS/ GCP/ MBITR without having to
re-tie the 550 cord every time you move it. Put some 550 on your NODS plate and stay out of the spider web of
550 that tie-downs usually create.
Lights - You need a couple of different lights, one is a weaponlight (which your unit might already have) and
the others are personal lights.
For a personal light, I'd use a headlamp that is red-light capable... you can use it hands-free to treat a
casualty (a mixture of blue and red light is best for finding blood), set a charge, work on a gun, program a
radio, flip it over to white light for walking around the FOB , reading mail in the shitter or searching a building.
The Petzl TacTikka is pretty much king of the jungle with this one. The French finally got something right, go
figure.
You really shouldn't use the high-output lights on your weapon to do in-depth searches.
Here?s why: most incandescent weaponlights are meant to be used for short bursts, not extended periods... the
bulbs are usually halogen or xenon and they get hot quick too, this leads to premature failure.
Another reason is that your head will go to where your light goes... and some places where you need to look
are really hard to put a weaponlight on.
Weaponlight - Whatever light you choose for your gun, make sure it's shock-proof or uses an LED. LED lights
are great because they're very shock-resistant and don't need to be replaced like bulbs do.
The bad thing about LED lights is the brightness of most of them don't throw a very bright light beam for a very
long distance. The LED lights that can do this are usually expensive.
My opinion? cry once and fork out the cash for a quality light. The industry standard is around 65 lumens
minimum for a good weaponlight.
I use a Surefire L4 Lumamax on a Viking Tactics mount or a Surefire X300 on a LaRue mount, either is a solid
choice. If you use an L4, think about protecting the tailswitch from accidental discharge. A Z68 tailcap switch is
a great answer to this problem, there?s a guard around the switch.
Keychain lights - Other places to put a light are easy, where do you use light at?
I keep a keychain LED squeezie light in all the big bags I use? and even some small pouches that I use often.
Here?s why: I can?t see inside the fucking bag.
My headlamp can?t look straight down into my accessories pouch on my chest. Put a light on a piece of 550
cord and safety pin that fucker in there. It?s a solution, but not the only one.
Spare batteries - Make a list of all the electrically-powered shit that you carry with you and bring spares for
all of it.
Hell, I even had a watch battery (you know, for my watch) taped inside my helmet. Good thing too, I needed
it.
If you're smart, you'll have most of your shit set up so that it uses the same types of batteries.
Have a place to put them, there are folks out there that make plastic organizers for batteries. Tip: Leave
rechargeable batteries for non-mission-critical shit like your mp3 player. Cold will deplete the charge on a
rechargeable battery like a fat chick sucking down chocolate pudding.
Lithium batteries aren?t too adversely affected by cold and have a longer storage life than alkaline batteries.
They?re more expensive, but if I?m going to bet my life on a battery, it?s probably going to be a lithium.
Boots - Issued stuff works fine, Belleville 390 desert boots are my personal favorite issued boots. Sure, I have
a pair of Hanwag Mountain GTX boots, but there isn't a Big Army Sergeant Major alive that would let me wear
them.
Socks - I like WigWam Ultramax merino wool hikers... awesome socks. Smartwool is touted as being pretty
good, if you like them try the copies that REI puts out... they're the very same thing and cheaper.
GPS - Small, easy-to-read, back-lit, uses readily-available batteries. I like the Garmin Foretrex 101, 301 or
401. It can strap to your wrist, uses AAA batteries, has a backlight, 500 storable waypoints... stay away from
the 201 though, it's a rechargeable unit made for sailing. Whatever you choose, make sure everyone on
your patrol knows how to use it.
The more GPS units, the merrier.
Buy one at the PX, it's the new compass.
Wrist compass ? The GPS may trick you, but a compass and map never lie.
Never assume your patrol will run you through known areas and back to base. What if you have to be quick
reaction for another patrol or contractors or a downed UAV? The compass is more reliable than a GPS.
I can always tell my buddy on the radio "I'm on the north side of the house" or to that effect if I can easily
reference a compass.
Leave the digital bullshit alone for this tool; they're slow, they need to be calibrated a lot and they take
batteries. Fuck that.
The Army has an issued wrist compass for aviator survival kits (compass, magnetic, unmounted: wrist, NSN:
6605-00-809-5252, made by Marathon Watch) but it?s photoluminous, which you have to charge with a
flashlight to get it to glow.
NOTE: Photo-luminous shit is inconvenient and I think the fucking designers that use it are borderline insane.
It doesn?t last that long, so to get the glow-in-the-dark-shit to work, you shine a bright light on it.
It fades quickly however, so you have to periodically re-charge it. It basically comes down to you using your
light to see in the dark, rather than reading your watch or compass via some glow-in-the-dark bullshit.
Long story short, use tritium, it glows for about ten years? not five minutes.
Suunto makes a really good compass, but it?s also photo-luminous and doesn?t clip onto wide watchbands.
In my opinion Cammenga makes the best one, the same folks that make the issued luminous compass. The
dial is tritium-lit and tracks very well, isn?t liquid-filled (bubbles in a compass are bad) and goes for about forty
bucks. My only gripe is the band, I'd recommend you replace it as soon as possible.
Water bottles/ canteens - Some prefer the old-fashioned canteens, but I like the Nalgene bottle because I
can cook in it, see what the contents are, it doesn't hold bad tastes, it's easily cleaned and I can measure
and mix stuff in it.
Canteens have a narrow mouth, can?t accept ice cubes and will warp or melt when holding very hot water.
The cons are: wide-mouth bottles spill easier while drinking, especially in vehicles. There are solutions for
this, but they cost extra. My favorite ?cost extra? is called a Capcap, funny name? fucking ingenious.
Also; Nalgene bottles aren't free or NBC-mask compatible. Canteen or water bottle, get a metal cup for it?
cold food sucks.
Cup - Whether you're on a combat outpost or pulling shifts on an OP, being able to heat what you eat is a
fucking huge morale boost. Hot coffee or ramen on a COP shift can really assist in keeping your head straight.
Get a metal cup for whatever water bottle you use and grab a fistful of heat tablets before you head out the
door. Olicamp and Vargo make cups that fit perfectly under a Nalgene bottle, the Olicamp cup is stainless and
goes for like... six bucks.
The Vargo cup is titanium and goes for about thirty bucks, I own both and hafta say that I honestly don't give a
shit if it's made out of titanium or not. I like the fact that the Vargo holds about ten fluid ounces more than the
Olicamp cup. The only part I don't like is the fucking lid, so I leave it at the house.
Paper/ Pen/ Pencil - You?ll need to write, the shit you write in combat is usually a little more important than
normal shit. Keep in mind that sweat and water will destroy regular paper. Use waterproof paper or index
cards. Rite-In-The-Rain waterproof index cards are available in tan and green. Ordering info for them: NSN:
7530-01-536-2359. The tan ones are NSN: 7530-01-536-2360.
Ink will run, so consider your favorite brand of mechanical pencil as well, I like the .7mm ones, they tear
paper less and break lead less.
If you need to reference prowords, battle roster numbers, sketches, UNS', GRGs, radio frequencies,
callsigns, whatever. Put it on a fucking index card and punch a hole in it then tie it off with some 550 cord.
You really don?t want to lose shit like that on an operation. Reinforce it with some clear packing tape so it
doesn?t tear off accidentally, regular duct tape works in a pinch too.
Knife - Something you can use to cut with that you can get to easily. Leave the Rambo III Special Ninja Edition
bullshit at home. A locking folder with a pocket clip works. Don?t forget a sharpening stone, you don?t need
fancy honing oils for the stone, your gun lube or some water should work fine.
Multitool - What do you need a multitool for? I guarantee someone makes a tool that does what you need.
Find one that fits your needs, a good pouch for it on your rack is invaluable as well.
Adjustable nylon pistol magazine pouches work great for this purpose, just place your tool or knife away from
your reloads.
It's funny to watch a guy trying to reload with a Gerber during drills, not so much in real life.
Camelbak - Get one, use it. But if you're on a vehicle and you need water, drink bottled water from the truck
first. This way, if you need to get off the truck you're still topped-off on water.
You can get rid of that "new" plastic taste with hot water and lemon juice (which is better than hot water and
vinegar or bleach). Duct tape works fine for fixing most small leaks.
Eye Protection - Whatever it is, make sure it's on the APEL (Approved Protective Eyewear List) that list is
put out for eyewear that is authorized for protective use by military personnel.
Pissed-off that you don't get wear your Limited Edition LiveStrong Oakley Half Jackets? Fuck you, I don't get
to wear my favorite hiking boots.
Eyepro sucks? Start saving up for that seeing-eye dog.
Zip-ties - A handy place to put zip ties is behind pouches or woven into PALS webbing. Check to make sure it
doesn?t interfere with your kit or shooting. If you can't figure out a use for zip-ties then you just need to off
yourself.
Blow-out kit - Most of these are unit-mandated i.e. they have a certain packing list. That doesn't mean that
you can't pack more though. Add some penny-cutter scissors, some extra CATs, Remember to add a Sharpie
marker or something like it. I attached my blow-out kit to a Velcro tear-away panel with an elastic pig-tail cord
to keep it attached to me. It?ll be easier to get to and access what?s inside.
Make sure you know how to use it and that it?s not out-dated.
You can also shove medical shit into pockets on your uniform. The calf pockets on your ACU pants hold a
Bloodstopper bandage perfectly. In fact, go ahead and do that anyway.
Mark the outside with something permanent, distinctive and visible. A red cross sewn to it is pretty good, but a
little red sharpie marker (touched up every once in a while) would work too.
Bungee Cords ? If I had enough bungee cords I could probably conquer Asia.
Sling - Two-point. Keep as much of the plastic snaps and buckles and shit to a minimum, it breaks. If you need
to replace a plastic slide adjustment, find an old M16 sling and use the sling keepers at the ends of it... they're
metal. Don?t use plastic when ever possible. You?ll figure this out when your plastic buckles crack from getting
smashed between a seat-back and some body armor for five months.
Worse comes to worse, use a piece of 1-inch OD webbing and tie it off at the ends. Don?t start off with it
though, there are better options out there? don?t begin in a disadvantaged position.
Signal panel - A bright piece of orange or pink all-weather cloth used for signaling, get a piece... keep it
handy. Maybe think about sewing some ScotchBrite reflective cloth to it as well. Whatever you use, try not to
put call-signs and other stupid shit on it.
The best issued item for this is an aviator signal panel, NSN 8345-00-140-4232 (comes in packages of 4).
Keep a rubber band handy so you can attach it to shit or keep a rock in it (for lifting/shifting fires or keeping it
from blowing away in strong winds).
Shooting gloves ? Most of the time, they?re mandated.
Use gloves, don't use gloves... do what you want, they're your hands.
Just keep in mind that Haj is smelly and dirty and that you'll be handling everything from flash-bangs (with
some hot fuses) all the way down to hanging out with broken glass, jagged metal, industrial adhesives,
solvents, shit like that.
Like I said, they're your hands.
Bandanna - Handkerchief, bandanna, rag, same thing... lots of uses. Carry a few. Dust mask, sling, t-kit, blow
your nose, clean your lenses, stuff a bullet hole, whatever.
Lighter - Cheap pressurized butane ones are best. My favorites are Scriptos, no child-safety shit, adjustable
and they're translucent so I can see if it's almost empty.
Electrical tape ? you can?t fit a roll of 100MPH tape into your kit, but this stuff works well in a pinch. Roll it
around an cleaned section of chemlight tubing, a Sharpie, chapstick tube, whatever.
Sunscreen - My favorite is this shit called Banana Boat, it looks like an oversized tube of chapstick and it
works just like one too. The unscented stuff is made for babies and comes in a pink and white tube. Go ahead
and laugh.
Shit paper - Sound funny? You try finding shit tickets on a new COP or Iraqi compound. Bring a short roll of
the good stuff from home and fold it down flat. If you wanna prevent Klingons, put some individually-packaged
handi-wipes into the cardboard tube. I just keep mine in a squad bag in my vehicle.
