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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Deleted. (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 5/20/2010 11:47:06 AM EDT
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+1 on the DO NOT put tape, zip ties, or anything else on grenades. Frags ( G881 ) have 3 safetys already on them. Safety clip ( that metal wire that holds the spoon on ), the pull pin, and the spoon. If your frags are issued to you without the safety clip then someone at the ASP were you drew the ammo from or the supply section is not doing there job.
Tape in extreme cold or hot weather, or even just over time will come loose and leave a sticky residue on the grenade. Do you really want to be using grenades that are covered in sticky sh*!. How fast can you cut that zip tie off when you need that smoke/ frag/ flashbang right now. If your unit has it as there SOP, then possible get a couple boxes of heavy duty rubber bands to put around the spoon and body. Check them at least once a week and change them out to prevent dry rot or just from wearing out. Just an idea! Could you all give me your thoughts on this. 
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Quoted:
Blacktide I don't agree with it %100 but still, good write up.
Then post the ones your don't agree with and why... It's a discussion board... lets discuss it...  we all might learn something we all did not know...
No one has a lock on everything... And seriously, it's not a challenge made so we can make fun of you. Tweeter's post is an example of the very best use of this board. Any experience you can add only makes it better, even if it's contrary. |
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Quoted:
Blacktide I don't agree with it %100 but still, good write up.
Then post the ones your don't agree with and why... It's a discussion board... lets discuss it... we all might learn something we all did not know...
No one has a lock on everything... And seriously, it's not a challenge made so we can make fun of you. Tweeter's post is an example of the very best use of this board. Any experience you can add only makes it better, even if it's contrary. Well as far as boresnakes go I think they're a valuable piece of equipment. They're compact and can clean up a bore real quick. I've seen them bind up too, when some dumbass tries to put a 762 snake through a 556 bore. The grim lok carabiners or whatever they're called are very nice for a tie down. The screw gate ones are just a pain. And the loop of 550 on the nods plate shouldn't be necessary if you have a helmet band. Oh yeah, and your helmet isn't going to stop an AK round, sometimes it's OK not to wear it. BUT, most guys don't have the option. |
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Blacktide
Well as far as boresnakes go I think they're a valuable piece of equipment. They're compact and can clean up a bore real quick. I've seen them bind up too, when some dumbass tries to put a 762 snake through a 556 bore.
The grim lok carabiners or whatever they're called are very nice for a tie down. The screw gate ones are just a pain. And the loop of 550 on the nods plate shouldn't be necessary if you have a helmet band. Oh yeah, and your helmet isn't going to stop an AK round, sometimes it's OK not to wear it. BUT, most guys don't have the option. Ok, now were cooking.. I know a lot of guys like the boresnake, I personally don't find them that useful as I rarely clean my bore and don't find it a critical piece to keep a gun running, even a dirty one. Never liked the Otis either.. overrated hype.. I would never be caught out in the field without a GI cleaning kit (Modified) nothing clears a stuck case better. I like the grimlocks, there a handy piece of kit... never a big fan of "dummy" cording everything either... but I know how Joes can be with gear also... and you may not know this, but there is a "Fritz" helmet as they called the Kevlar helmets in 1983 sitting in the 82nd Division Museum on Bragg with a AK rd stuck in it... it saved the life of a trooper who was shot by one in Grenada... while not designed to stop Level 3 & 4 threats, I think any time projectiles are flying in the air, it's good to have one on.... just my opinions.... good discussion by the way... |
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Quoted:
Blacktide Well as far as boresnakes go I think they're a valuable piece of equipment. They're compact and can clean up a bore real quick. I've seen them bind up too, when some dumbass tries to put a 762 snake through a 556 bore.
The grim lok carabiners or whatever they're called are very nice for a tie down. The screw gate ones are just a pain. And the loop of 550 on the nods plate shouldn't be necessary if you have a helmet band. Oh yeah, and your helmet isn't going to stop an AK round, sometimes it's OK not to wear it. BUT, most guys don't have the option. Ok, now were cooking.. I know a lot of guys like the boresnake, I personally don't find them that useful as I rarely clean my bore and don't find it a critical piece to keep a gun running, even a dirty one. Never liked the Otis either.. overrated hype.. I would never be caught out in the field without a GI cleaning kit (Modified) nothing clears a stuck case better. I like the grimlocks, there a handy piece of kit... never a big fan of "dummy" cording everything either... but I know how Joes can be with gear also... and you may not know this, but there is a "Fritz" helmet as they called the Kevlar helmets in 1983 sitting in the 82nd Division Museum on Bragg with a AK rd stuck in it... it saved the life of a trooper who was shot by one in Grenada... while not designed to stop Level 3 & 4 threats, I think any time projectiles are flying in the air, it's good to have one on.... just my opinions.... good discussion by the way... I think helmets are great and can prevent a lot of preventable injuries, not just gun shot wounds. Keeping the bore clean is just one of my OCD requirements. |
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Tweeter great post..... as said before by somebody a heck of a lot smart than me "Knowledge not shared is knowledge wasted."
Bunch of things: - Lithium batteries for sure - they are LIGHTER and last much LONGER! - Small alternate/ weak side blow-out kit or bleeder pouch. not as comprehensive as your Primary Med-kit but has enough gear to stop bleeding if your injury prevents you from reaching your primary med kit. -Gramin's go great on the butt stock. Just cant the weapon, get your reading and drive on. Same with the wrist compass. both of these let you get a reading w/o stopping and pulling something out of a pouch. -If you can't do a full PMCS - check the TIRES - I went through more tires in 2 months in Afghanistan than I did in a full tour in Iraq. -Grenades, make sure you guys get to throw them with bodyarmor on! I may be a little old school b/c we never wore armor for anything until I got deployed. Learning that you can't throw with your plates in during a fire fight is not the place to figure it out. Thanks for the post.... I kept notes on the side and I'll be trying some new things.... who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks! Oh and thanks for the NSN's!! Stay Safe, SOS |
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Just my .02, here.
Buy good boots!!! I just bought some commercially available and they're awesome (compared to issue, won't make a recommendation b/c they're my first pair). Get them from some place with a good return policy (like USCAV) so if they suck or you got the wrong size you can get something else. Do PT! Whether it's Iraq, the 'Stan or SHTF you are going to need to be able to carry those plates, ammo, everything else. I know this seems like a no-brainer but I recently saw a bunch of infantry who had trouble with a 6 mile ruck march. You do more than that in Basic! Even if you're just walking from the CHU to the office with your IOTV it's going to suck. Think about running for the bunker when the 107mm rockets are coming in. IMHO the OTIS is a good cleaning kit. Comes with lots of stuff and most times it won't be a turn-in item so toss the stuff you don't need, or just put that stuff in a bag in your tough-box. The bore snake is a coated wire, too, so it won't pick up dirt and won't mess up your bore. Even if the dust from FOB Delta is sticking to it you can wipe it off, first. You keep a cleaning rod in your truck or somewhere easy to find in your gear. Only Natty-Guard REMF's will carry M-16s (I know, I did it once) so you won't be keeping your cleaning kit in the butt. When it comes to anything that uses batteries, think about something analog that can replace it, like your watch. Digital is easy to read but everyone learned how to read a clock face in second grade. One of those things where you wake up in the morning and wind it. If you're worried about the mechanism and the dust you're buying cheap shit. Personally, I have a swiss watch that was bought in a PX in Vietnam that still runs like a champ if I take it to the jeweler to get serviced every other year. Oh, it's self winding. I thought that was really cool when I was 17 and bought it (Dad laughed when I showed him) but about 100 years ago they invented a way for your watch to wind itself while you move around. Just don't buy a 14K gold Omega. Could not agree more with putting your gear on and getting into as many positions as possible. Our Brigade HQ sent us a set up for how to attach stuff to our IOTV. I went ahead and set it up. We went out to the range to qualify and I was so uncomfortable with everything digging into the soft tissues and my ribs I could barely concentrate on my front sight post. After zeroing (usually I'm a 6-9 round, that day it was 15) I took everything off and set it back up, tried it, adjusted some things, and the way I had it set up to qual is pretty much how I've had it ever since. MOLLE is supposed to be modular and everyone gets issued it. Remember leaders, dress-right-dress is for parades, not for the field. Maybe it's okay to say the IFAK is always on the right side and grenades are always on the left, just don't say exactly where. And you shouldn't be trying to get gear off your wounded buddy or treating him while in the line of fire, anyway. Drag his ass to cover where you'll have half a second to find what you need, that's all it will take. Agree: Mark your shit, Joe will steal your dirty underwear. Happened to me. Agree: Wash your nasty ass. I was the guy on the radio taking the 9-line medevac requests from the guys pounding the sand. The most common medevac from the small COPs everywhere (with limited water supply) was "testicular torsion." It was basically a euphemism for guys who's balls or ass were infected with something because they never washed. Found out from the Doc that actual testicular torsion cases were very rare. Try making generic shells for stuff you'll need to write, like 9-line medevacs, UXO reports, OPORDS, etc. Just fill in the blank stuff. Then cover them with contact plastic, tape, whatever you've got, and use permanent markers to write on them. When you're done with them, copy to paper if you need records and use an alcohol wipe or eraser pen to clean it off. Never done this but I knew a guy who swore by it and I'm going to give it a try and even if it doesn't work for me it might work for you. Okay, turned out to be a bit more than $0.02 but I got a lot off my chest. |
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Quoted:
Blacktide Well as far as boresnakes go I think they're a valuable piece of equipment. They're compact and can clean up a bore real quick. I've seen them bind up too, when some dumbass tries to put a 762 snake through a 556 bore.
The grim lok carabiners or whatever they're called are very nice for a tie down. The screw gate ones are just a pain. And the loop of 550 on the nods plate shouldn't be necessary if you have a helmet band. Oh yeah, and your helmet isn't going to stop an AK round, sometimes it's OK not to wear it. BUT, most guys don't have the option. Ok, now were cooking.. I know a lot of guys like the boresnake, I personally don't find them that useful as I rarely clean my bore and don't find it a critical piece to keep a gun running, even a dirty one. Never liked the Otis either.. overrated hype.. I would never be caught out in the field without a GI cleaning kit (Modified) nothing clears a stuck case better. I like the grimlocks, there a handy piece of kit... never a big fan of "dummy" cording everything either... but I know how Joes can be with gear also... and you may not know this, but there is a "Fritz" helmet as they called the Kevlar helmets in 1983 sitting in the 82nd Division Museum on Bragg with a AK rd stuck in it... it saved the life of a trooper who was shot by one in Grenada... while not designed to stop Level 3 & 4 threats, I think any time projectiles are flying in the air, it's good to have one on.... just my opinions.... good discussion by the way... I remember hearing that was the same guy who took a 7.62x39 to his ACH in Afghanistan and it was also stopped. Was that true? |
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I might have missed it (I was skimming) but tampons can also be used to plug bullet holes. It's quick and gets you back into the fight, Doc will laugh at you but it'll work until you can get to him. It's great if you don't have any clotting agents or gauze to stop exsanguination. But if you don't and you have tampons, sure. But if you don't have proper stuff first, you came really unprepared. |
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I might have missed it (I was skimming) but tampons can also be used to plug bullet holes. It's quick and gets you back into the fight, Doc will laugh at you but it'll work until you can get to him. This is one of those questions... If you have room for tampons in your kit, you have room for propper supplies. If you're in your own bathroom treating casualties, first of all you did something wrong, secondly your kit should be nearby with propper supplies. If you happen across a woman on the street who's been shot, make sure you rifle through her purse for the tampons. They could save her life. |
| Are you Army? If so, then we had more than a few Connex's filled with the damn things (I was in charge of unloading them!). I took a crap-ton of extra shit so I had a big black toughbox, a green footlocker, one of those old Army field desks and a mid/small locker on wheels. Other services/unit types may not have so much room. One time before the last all I got was a ruck and a duffel, but different time / different unit type / different mission. |
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One thing about Surefire helmet lights, it wouldn't be a bad idea to secure them to your helmet as the mount is poorly designed. They get knocked off during hard use.
Also, the battery cap can open during use and the battery will be lost. Next, J arms. I keep a spare J arm in my vest or assault pack because the damn things can break. I've personally had one snap during a night air assault. (The J arm is the plastic arm that attaches your PVS-14 to your rhino mount). Also keep a set of spare batteries for everything in your vest. |
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Quoted:
Try making generic shells for stuff you'll need to write, like 9-line medevacs, UXO reports, OPORDS, etc. Just fill in the blank stuff. Then cover them with contact plastic, tape, whatever you've got, and use permanent markers to write on them. When you're done with them, copy to paper if you need records and use an alcohol wipe or eraser pen to clean it off. Never done this but I knew a guy who swore by it and I'm going to give it a try and even if it doesn't work for me it might work for you. Rite in the Rain actually sells 9-line medevac, UXO reports, and a lot of other standard forms on their paper. They come on their planner sized paper. Quoted:
One thing about Surefire helmet lights, it wouldn't be a bad idea to secure them to your helmet as the mount is poorly designed. They get knocked off during hard use. Also, the battery cap can open during use and the battery will be lost. Next, J arms. I keep a spare J arm in my vest or assault pack because the damn things can break. I've personally had one snap during a night air assault. (The J arm is the plastic arm that attaches your PVS-14 to your rhino mount). Also keep a set of spare batteries for everything in your vest. I totally agree about the Surefire helmet light. Mine constantly falls off if I knock it right. It can also come in handy as a IR illuminator if you get the type that comes with the IR LEDs. Though, I would suggest looking at some of the newer lights that have come out. Unlike the Surefire, you can rotate them to shine where you want and most come with the capability to mount right onto your MOLLE if you want. To do that with the Surefire, you have to spend that extra money to buy their mount. These side mount helmet lights are nice for using the open space on your helmet, but the elastic band headlights are much nicer and more versatile, IMO. And with your NODs, I've seen guys crack apart the mounting plate on their helmet too many times. I don't know if they've fixed that, but when we RFIed to our MOLLE and ACHs, we probably had a 25%-30% failure rate on them from Joes just dropping their helmet on the floor; the plate would just snap in half or the support brackets on the bottom would break off. You don't have to carry an extra one, but I'd make sure your supply knows the NSN and has spares. And if you don't have the newer tan ones, spray paint the damn thing foliage green or something. Just think about it: light gray and light green background with a big black square directly over you forehead. Hadji isn't a marksman, but I'd rather not give a sniper a quick reference point for my brain bucket. I always wear eyepro. I like my all black Oakley sunglasses since they're ANSI qualified and fit close to my head so they don't interfere with my helmet or headset. But just because you have cool sunglasses, don't try and imitate your favorite song. You can't wear those things are night and probably shouldn't at dusk or dawn as it's still dark. Make sure you have a spare set that are just clear lenses. That way your peepers are protected all the time. I think it's Wiley X that sells are set of tinted and non-tinted glasses with a decent carrying case for around $50. And don't attach your dogtags to your boots like a Marine. Either wear them on your neck or tie them off to your pants and shove them in a pocket. You can't use them as a go/no-go gauge for your .50 cal if it's stuck to your boot and you don't happen to have the gauging tool. But, hopefully you made sure Joe did that before you left the FOB. |
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I might have missed it (I was skimming) but tampons can also be used to plug bullet holes. It's quick and gets you back into the fight, Doc will laugh at you but it'll work until you can get to him. Unless you have a vagina, I wouldn't recommend tampons. I do when I can't "Embrace the Suck". So maybe 80% of the time??? I have had some miserable nights at FT drum that are far worse memories than crappy conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan. My Team motto was always "Well, it's better than FT Drum." SOS Edit - J-arms should be made out of some sort of metal.... I can't tell you how many guys couldn't mount NOD's b/c that $20 piece was broken. Normally they over engineer things (IE The DAGR, MBITR, etc and make them 3x the weight they need to be). |
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If you don't like the wristband that came with the device, there are companies that make wristband holders for the Foretrex series of GPS devices, some are sized to fit on either a SOPMOD stock or your wrist. Anybody know what these companies are? A google search for me just turned up Garmin replacements or clones, and those damn weak pins are why I currently can't wear mine. |
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Are you Army? If so, then we had more than a few Connex's filled with the damn things (I was in charge of unloading them!). I took a crap-ton of extra shit so I had a big black toughbox, a green footlocker, one of those old Army field desks and a mid/small locker on wheels. Other services/unit types may not have so much room. One time before the last all I got was a ruck and a duffel, but different time / different unit type / different mission. Yep, I'm going civilian Army and my pre-deployment package specifically states no wheeled bags or lockers. However, I talked to the guy I'm replacing over in A-Stan and he said buy two or three, they'll ship them no problem. I'd hate to fork over the dough, then have to shitcan them at Benning. |
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Dual dovetail adapters? Is that the piece to connect two PVS-14's together to make the binos? If so I have seen that piece but it was too heavy for my purposes. My ACH is so nice and light that when wearing NOD's I miss my old Kevlar (but that is the ONLY part of the old Kevlar I miss). The Low-pro NOD's mount is the way to go. Plus when you fall wearing NOD's (yes it happens to the best of us) you aren't guaranteed to break your nose.
As for the need for tampons comment...... We have all been there where we had a little too much sand in our .....clits..... if you haven't then maybe you could give Chuck Norris a run for his money but I sure can't. I once threw up so violently, while crapping my pants for two hours straight, until they shot me full of Phenergan to knock me out, that I wanted my Mom. Within a week everyone else got the same "crud" and stopped making fun of me for being such a baby. SOS |
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Quoted: Quoted: If you don't like the wristband that came with the device, there are companies that make wristband holders for the Foretrex series of GPS devices, some are sized to fit on either a SOPMOD stock or your wrist. Anybody know what these companies are? A google search for me just turned up Garmin replacements or clones, and those damn weak pins are why I currently can't wear mine. Eagle, 215 Gear, London Bridge, TAG, like that. I ain't much for the 215 Gear model, gave it to some pogue for some other shit I needed. Got a recommendation on one you like or why you didn't like the 215? |
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One thing about Surefire helmet lights, it wouldn't be a bad idea to secure them to your helmet as the mount is poorly designed. They get knocked off during hard use. Also, the battery cap can open during use and the battery will be lost. Next, J arms. I keep a spare J arm in my vest or assault pack because the damn things can break. I've personally had one snap during a night air assault. (The J arm is the plastic arm that attaches your PVS-14 to your rhino mount). Also keep a set of spare batteries for everything in your vest. My thoughts on Surefire Helmet Lights, ditch them and buy something else, something better. I don't know what it is but something must exist, maybe those energizer hard case ones. I have 3 broken Surefire helmet lights sitting in my bag (one didn't even last 24 hours) and Surefire won't respond to a single friggin email I send about them so screw em. If they can ever get that mount fixed, it will be a good system, especially with the IR feature on it, however untill then I'd leave it on a vest mount and certainly won't ever waste my own money buying them again. |
| Also, the NOD mount. We were issued tan ones at RFI before we MOB'd, some guys even have those high speed octogan shaped no snag ones. The new tan ones appear to be machined and not MIM like the old shitty black ones. We haven't had a single tan one break while we've had multiple black ones fail. |
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I know tons of others have already said it...but BRAVO! Great read...almost checklist-like for PCIs on your own gear. I've done 4 deployments now (2 in Special Ops) and I gained some valuable insights from reading your input. Thanks to all for sharing!
PS...damn I need to get my kit back together...I hate being a staff weenie in a conventional unit...being told what I have to wear, etc. I miss my Maritime CIRAS kit...or some of the new stuff that's coming out. All I know is that my preferred kit didn't work worth a shit over the IOTV!!! |
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I know tons of others have already said it...but BRAVO! Great read...almost checklist-like for PCIs on your own gear. I've done 4 deployments now (2 in Special Ops) and I gained some valuable insights from reading your input. Thanks to all for sharing! PS...damn I need to get my kit back together...I hate being a staff weenie in a conventional unit...being told what I have to wear, etc. I miss my Maritime CIRAS kit...or some of the new stuff that's coming out. All I know is that my preferred kit didn't work worth a shit over the IOTV!!! All I can say is that last line sounds painful...... Hope you have a speedy recovery. Good luck and Godspeed. SOS |
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Quoted: Quoted: One thing about Surefire helmet lights, it wouldn't be a bad idea to secure them to your helmet as the mount is poorly designed. They get knocked off during hard use. Also, the battery cap can open during use and the battery will be lost. Next, J arms. I keep a spare J arm in my vest or assault pack because the damn things can break. I've personally had one snap during a night air assault. (The J arm is the plastic arm that attaches your PVS-14 to your rhino mount). Also keep a set of spare batteries for everything in your vest. My thoughts on Surefire Helmet Lights, ditch them and buy something else, something better. I don't know what it is but something must exist, maybe those energizer hard case ones. I have 3 broken Surefire helmet lights sitting in my bag (one didn't even last 24 hours) and Surefire won't respond to a single friggin email I send about them so screw em. If they can ever get that mount fixed, it will be a good system, especially with the IR feature on it, however untill then I'd leave it on a vest mount and certainly won't ever waste my own money buying them again. I emailed Surefire about the Helmet Light Mount Plate during the weekend and they mailed one out to me on Tuesday, free of charge. |
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One thing about Surefire helmet lights, it wouldn't be a bad idea to secure them to your helmet as the mount is poorly designed. They get knocked off during hard use. Also, the battery cap can open during use and the battery will be lost. Next, J arms. I keep a spare J arm in my vest or assault pack because the damn things can break. I've personally had one snap during a night air assault. (The J arm is the plastic arm that attaches your PVS-14 to your rhino mount). Also keep a set of spare batteries for everything in your vest. My thoughts on Surefire Helmet Lights, ditch them and buy something else, something better. I don't know what it is but something must exist, maybe those energizer hard case ones. I have 3 broken Surefire helmet lights sitting in my bag (one didn't even last 24 hours) and Surefire won't respond to a single friggin email I send about them so screw em. If they can ever get that mount fixed, it will be a good system, especially with the IR feature on it, however untill then I'd leave it on a vest mount and certainly won't ever waste my own money buying them again. I emailed Surefire about the Helmet Light Mount Plate during the weekend and they mailed one out to me on Tuesday, free of charge. Got an POC for them? I used the one provided on their website and have never heard back, not once. I know lots of guys in my unit have the same problem and would like it addressed. |
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Harv24,
You wrote this a while back...and it occurred to me that I'd like to know what "modified" means in terms of the cleaning kit you carry. Quoted:
Ok, now were cooking.. I know a lot of guys like the boresnake, I personally don't find them that useful as I rarely clean my bore and don't find it a critical piece to keep a gun running, even a dirty one. Never liked the Otis either.. overrated hype.. I would never be caught out in the field without a GI cleaning kit (Modified) nothing clears a stuck case better. Here's a question for Harv 24 or anybody else out there....would you care to provide a contents list and/or pics of the cleaning kit you carry either in your pack or on your rack/belt (and please specify where you carry it if you would). I'm familiar with the little round Otis kits and I know Otis makes much larger kits....I agree they are overpriced, but they are pretty handy. I see why you'd want a rigid cleaning rod as opposed to a flexible one. When I got into shooting more and started doing more pistol shooting and even black powder shooting, I bought myself a tackle box with lots of dividers, etc as a big cleaning kit. But it's definitely not going in an assault pack. So a question to Harv 24 and the masses...what do you carry as a personal cleaning kit, where, and why? |
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Sorry about the multiple posts...but as I was copy / pasting this thread into a word document and editing some for my future use and reference this morning, I saw a few things that I wanted to add/share based on my experiences:
Boots: There wasn't much discussion on this topic so I wanted to pontificate some. I won't recommend a particular brand or make here. But I do want to point out that there are different types of boots and they have different uses. Issue boots are generally a multi-use, light to medium duty boot. They tend to be a bit on the heavy side compared to many lightweight assault boots and don't have the best ankle stability for carrying heavier loads. As with your other gear, you should tailor your boots to your mission requirements. If you'll be hiking rugged terrain with a pack on your back, you should be looking for a fairly rigid mountaineering / medium-heavy duty hiking boot. I've recently acquired a pair of OTB Bootistan boots that I've been very impressed with thus far (in terms of design, weight, comfort). If your mission is more along the lines of daily patrols in cities, kinetic strikes against HVTs, etc, then you probably want to be looking for a lighter-weight assault type boot that feels more like a sneaker than a boot. Several other things to consider regarding boots:
Tape: I dislike electrical tape...it's too stretchy and gets really gummy and nasty in hot environments. Stick to the duct tape type 100mph tape. The best way to carry a bunch of tape on your kit for emergency use I've ever seen, and something I do religiously, is to wrap 1" wide 100mph tape around the base of every magazine I carry. Only about 2-3ft. per mag so that you don't significantly alter the thickness of the mag. The added bonus is that it keeps metal mags from slapping together and making that annoying metal on metal noise. You'll always have tape if you need it. Knives: I agree with the OP that your most used knife will probably be a lock blade pocket folder...but one knife is insufficient IMHO. TWO IS ONE, ONE IS NONE!! I would recommend a fixed blade combat knife somewhere on your kit. Agree that it shouldn't be a 9" blade Rambo bowie knife. 5-7" blade is optimal...I've started to feel that a 5" blade is more useful and easier to control when using it as a tool than a 7" blade. Personal preference here I guess. Get a knife with a sturdy blade and good balance. 3/16" thick is minimum blade thickness here...several companies make them with 1/4" thick...great for rugged survival type uses...but added weight. Check out ESEE knives if you aren't familiar with them...I don't own one, but they have very fair prices and get rave reviews...I'm considering getting one. Multitools: The RFI-issued GERBER is a P.O.S...get yourself something better. The MOLLE type ACU Gerber sheath is good kit though!! I have a Leatherman with various interchangeable screwdriver bits that has come in handy well over a handful of times. I highly recommend you look into them...I got mine issued, but would gladly shell out the cash for another if I had to! Zip-ties: Yes they are incredibly useful!! Especially the little thin ones for attaching radio cables to your kit or cable/cord management in your truck, etc. BE WARY OF EVER USING ZIP-TIES ON A LOCAL NATIONAL / BAD GUY. Make sure you know the ROE regarding detaining people or you could get yourself in a lot of hot water. As always...do what you need to for the safety of your unit and yourself...but in general ISAF forces are prohibited from detaining people in Afghanistan...not sure what the rules are in Iraq these days, but I'd guess the same. Let you Afghan partners do the detaining, etc!! Eye-pro: Again...Two is One, One is None! Recommend that you get two identical sets if possible...keep one with tinted lenses and one with clear...so you don't have to keep swapping out lenses at night, etc. I, personally, prefer amber colored lenses...but I know some units prohibit them. I've found amber is superb for differentiating people from vegetation and terrain and also brightens what you are looking at...so it prevents you from squinting, but doesn't darken like smoke colored lenses. The CIED people said that amber is bad because you can't see copper wire leading to an IED...I got news for them...the wire is going to be buried anyways!!! I don't buy it. Camelbaks: The current Army-issued hydration system is not a camelbak and is not the same quality. The lids leak on many unless you remove the plastic ring that holds the cap to the camelbak so you can tighten it properly. Recommend that you in vest in one or two Camelbak brand systems. The new Armor-Bak system looks to be a great option for attaching to your armor...quick detach so that you can remove if you want to carry a pack instead. There's my input...hope somebody finds it useful!! |
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