The idf thread made me want to post something I've always wondered. I see pics of .mil types doing their patrol hikes while wearing their packs. I see it in real life documentaries, I see it in the movies and I see it here. Besides the grenades and bombs, what are or did you carry when you were out in the field?

I got out in 92. Light infantry.
You pretty much carried your life.
Figure everything you'd need for a 10-14 camping trip, it's in there. Food, clothes, chem gear, sleeping gear, snivel gear, any comfort items, hygiene, etc
Times are different now, that's why there are assault bags instead or ALICE packs.

Elaborate? Less gear needed? 3 day pack designs are more comfortable? Gays in military don't like Alice? Or what??

^ what he said. Snivel gear, radio, extra batteries, nods, ammo.
I carried a lot of things in my buttsack for quick trips

Mission drives your gear first and foremost. Direct action - short duration,  usually a specific goal and target. Light loads with ability to move fast and hard is priority. If it does not go bang or boom shit can. Maybe a little water, if any food it's a Power Gel or Clif Shot. Biggest type pack is maybe a EI Yote or S.O. Tech Mission Go bag for SSE supplies with TL or breacher with some extra demo or medical. Shit turns bad you have some kick bags in helo for resupply.
Long range patrol / recon is different. Resupply may not happen or happen quickly - you carry a lot of shit. More ammo, batteries, food and water. Extra snivel gear and med. supplies for medic. Then there is every mission in between.  
Bottom line is your role and mission defines what you carry in your pack. Three day mission - misc. patrol generic load may include H20 3 -5 liters, MREs x 2 some power bars, POGE bate, batteries, NODs if not wearing, more batteries, extra ammo in mags, extra frags or demo (if applicable), extra socks (more socks if wet weather), some minimal hygiene items (foot powder,  baby wipes, chap stick, sun screen, bug spray), compass (back up to gps), extra chem lights, weather specific outerwear, extra weather specific base layers (as needed), any cross loaded medical items (smart medics will cross load with entire team so they don't have to hump all above and medical supplies too, medics still often carry more anyway.
These would be basic examples, different units and teams have different load outs and SOPs. Also ability to resupply plays a roll. Better the resupply less shit to carry. I hate being overloaded,  esp. as I have got older.

My vest alone in 2013 was 26 lbs alone without helmet and ammo. Add an M4 and 210 rounds and your about at 40 lbs. If you add food, water (8 lbs/gal), comms it gets heavy. Just walking 800 meters up a hill at 6500 feet was getting tiring.

Well if you're less than 42 and have a clean record then join the Army or USMC Infantry and find out first hand .

Umm...missed the cut-off and close to 20 years LEO...I'm doing my part. The only humping I want do is recreational.

Hells no!

<--- REMF

Extra socks, extra underwear fo sure...
Extra BDU set, mre's, shit /shave kit, amenities... i always had black berry brandy and gun along with smokes. Extra mags etc.. flashlight,  extra batteries, rain gear, maps,

You are not getting in the Marines at 42

Yes, this, because asking a reasonable question on a public forum designed for that purpose is, just, so, uncalled for.

To answer the question OP...

I was light infantry in the late 80s.  We would carry the gear that would make us survivable through the weather.... appropriate snivel gear.  A basic load of ammo was 7 mags.  Unit/mission equipment took up the rest of our rucks- radios, batteries, claymores, spare MG ammo.  I often carried a Dragon and it was a big bitch.  We would typically have about 3 MREs, no stove or tent or the things that make camping kinda fun.  We would get resupplied about every three days- where we would get a hot meal and more MREs.  Back then we didn't wear armor unless we were riding a vehicle.

This is pretty much what I saw overseas... (I'm not armed forces, but was there with them).

Missions today are typically quick, direct-action. They are going in for a specific mission, hitting a specific target with numerous resources available if things turn sour. Small/light is fast, fast is effective, and effective is not dead. The guys I worked with were always wanting smaller/light ways of carrying XYZ item that is perfectly tuned to what they are carrying. No one pack fit all of them. The guy with the Carl G rounds wanted a pack that held his rounds in as small and light as possible package to still be safe; that pack is different from the guy that was carrying the 60mm rounds, and that was different from the medic. There were many different packs that we developed/made in the field to custom tailor to the needs of each individual. Some of the stuff you would find in every pack though is water (several bottles), food (MRE, FSR, their own preferred brand of freeze-dried meal, or clif-shots etc), batteries (spares for comms equip., lights, nods etc), cover from the sun (for middle-eastern oversight missions when accompanying domestic forces like ANA this is crucial bc you'll spend a lot of time sitting still under the sun), and any other mission-driven, role-specific equipment they needed.

What is "snivel gear"?  Is it an acronym, or what does it refer to?  

Thanks

To snivel = to whine or complain

snivel gear is stuff that you use while you are sniveling (about the environment) poncho, poncho liner, sleep shirt etc

Infantry has done short patrols without their full approach load since the dawn of time.  Even the 1980s "ambush, raid, movement to contact, we'll never fight in cities again" training paradigm allowed for ORPs and/or release points to drop rucks.

Nowadays it means cold weather gear.  Polypros and ECWCS.


I generally carry water, explosives, and specific tools in my bag.  A few constants I carry as well are plastic bags, a small snugpak bivvy, extra pair of socks, extra batteries, extra headlamp, marker, rubber gloves, neck gaiter, etc.

Don't forget 3-4 rounds of 60mm mortar for the CO mortar section (if you're a leg like I was)....

In a small pack I carried;

Extra batteries for lights and NOD's
Extra socks
Water bladder
Foot powder
Bandolier of 5.56
Cleaning kit
Eyewear set in case (got to switch out tinted lenses at night)
Easy to eat on the move snacks
Fleece watch cap
Plastic baggies
550 cord
Hard shell rain jacket (PCU type)

On me was everything else either in uniform pockets, belt or on my vest. All my time outside the confines of a camp were spent in trucks so I packed as if I was going to have to hoof it for at least two miles or more or hole up in a defensive position if we got stuck somewhere.

I was Armor/Cav.  Each tank normally carried: 1 large ice chest, 1 BBQ grill (24”), 4 bags of charcoal, 4 duffle/B29 bags of food.  The TC carried the Army pump 12 gauge shotgun and a box of field shot to supplement the food with fresh meat (jack rabbits at Ft. Carson, cottontails and squirrels at Ft. Knox).  And we’d probably throw a couple of cases of MREs on board.  We also had a cassette recorder wired into the intrarvehicular commo system (intercom) so we could have some cool tunes.  Some had a 12v coffee pot wired into one battery.

Kandahar ourpatrols ranged from a few hours to a max emergency duration of about 24 hours, all of it on foot within a few kilometers of our police station in the city or just outside it.  I carried plenty of ammo, batteries, and specialty crap, and at least 3 liters of water, and a fresh pair of socks.  Baby wipes and some type of food (Otis Spunkmeyer muffins, beef jerky, or some cereal usually.  Plus local money, and I would just buy food.  Once it started cooling off I added a beanie, a neck gaiter, and a wind breaker, then a smoking jacket once it got really cold.

First priority is MISSION ESSENTIAL- meaning whatever you and your unit must have to complete the mission- explosives, ammo, crew served weapons components (tripods, T&Es, etc.) radios, medical gear, night vision, other optics, water, socks, etc. Then "special equipment"- mission enhancing, but not absolutely essential- things like camo netting, e-tools and the like, range finders- the list potentially goes on. Of course, all this stuff is divided up (more or less) among the unit. After that, it just depends on things like the duration of the mission and the environment. Food- 24-36 hours, I would bring a jar of peanut butter, some haji bread, some random snacks. Longer than that, 1.5 MRE's daily, or 2 MREs daily in cold weather, all stripped down to bare essentials. Last comes comfort items like clothing, bivvy bags, poncho liners, etc., but in an extreme cold weather environment, this stuff could be mission essential- cold weather injuries are casualties and just as much a risk to mission success as a gunshot wound. The short answer is that it depends on everything, including what the individual is capable of effectively carrying while still being able to perform before, during, and after the mission. 100 pounds of lightweight equipment is still 100 pounds. This is why weaklings and snivelers won't cut it- they literally can't pull their own weight, and are a liability rather than an asset.Travel light- freeze at night!

What's a ruck?

Tracker here...walking isn't for me

Ruck is short for rucksack or slang term for backpack.....or sometimes used as in like "we are going for a ruck".

Don't forget TOBACCO.

You didn't get it. He was armor and didn't ruck. If you are a tanker and are rucking something seriously bad happened.

I went from Airborne Infantry active duty  to NG Armor (after a short stint in NG SF ,which was a joke) .
I recall  one of my first drills , assigned as a loader to a M60A3 (took a two grade drop to stay in )
We briefed a 2 hr roadmarch , got on the tanks and moved out. I had my large alice ruck all packed, LBE squared away , ect
We rode around for a couple hours then parked in a 360. I asked the TC when we were going to "do" the roadmarch?
He replied , " We just did"  I knew then I was going to love tanks !!
That's till the first time we hit the "bird bath"     MUD JUST SUCKS!!

Water, batteries, chem lights maby a MRE and extra ammo.