Man, I hate venturing outside of GD. I'm either going crazy, or I had a thread deleted from the tactical rifle training forum.    I must have rubbed someone the wrong way or never hit submit, so rather than risk reposting something deemed inappropriate, I'll just ask here and play it safe.





I'm working on clearing my schedule so I can do a 3-day tactical carbine class in October. This will be my first formal carbine class. I've seen various "what to bring" lists out there, and most of it makes sense to me. Where I get a bit confused is on the more tactical/tacticool type gear. Handgun stuff is a lot more straightforward. Holster, concealment garment, spare mag carrier that goes on belt. I'm not some HSLD-type, and I don't want to be "that guy" who shows up overdressed looking like some wannabe. On the other end, I don't want to be that guy who drags the pace of everything down because he's got pmags stuffed in pockets and his pants are falling down. I just don't know what to expect and want to get the most out of it. If that means "dress up", then by all means I can dress up, I just don't know what the expectations are at classes like that.





What's "appropriate" tactical gear for a class like that? Please be specific with any suggestions and recommendations. I'm not that familiar with the stuff. I just want to be as on the ball as I can be, because I don't get chances to do this very often.

 

I'd ask the instructor.  Or go over to 10-8 forums, there are lots of threads on this subject.  And you'd get responses from guys like Pat Rogers who actually run the courses.

I'd recommend long pants, good boots, and some sort of gear that will let you carry mags on your chest/waist.

Bring it all and then ask advice from more experienced class mates? You don't have to wear it in the car.

Well, I don't have much for rifle/tactical gear. The majority of my shooting gear is for hunting, and then for USPSA pistol league/competitions, and they explicitly avoid tactical type stuff.



I'm gonna have to do some buying, but I don't really know what to buy, and it would be real easy to dump several hundred dollars and show up in the equivalent of a powder blue tuxedo, if you know what I mean.



 

I did an EAG Tactical class a couple of years ago. I used an inexpensive SKD tactical vest to carry my mags and a Maxpedition dump pouch on my belt for the emptys. It was good enough to get me through the class and on par with the gear others were using. I recommend listening to the instructor and carrying only as many magazines in the vest as is required for the class..and little else. You will have plenty of time to reload mags and hydrate when you take breaks. I'd also wear good , comfortable boots, take sun screen & a hat and a bottle of Alleve or Motrin. I found that, even though I have a reasonably active job, carrying a carbine and mags and running around caused me some back pain. By the end of the first day I was a sore. I had been carrying as many mags as the vest would hold (8) as well as pistol mags (4) and a knife and some other stuff. I went back to the hotel that night and stripped off everything except 4 AR mags and 2 pistol mags. That helped, but by the middle of the second day, I was in so much pain I couldn't see straight. By that time it's too late to start taking the meds to have the effect you need.  When you get up in the morning, premedicate with a couple of the pain meds. Take more every 4 hours or as needed. I did this on day three and had a much less painful day.

As an alternative to the vest, some of the guys were running belt mounted mag carriers on padded duty belts. Next time I take a class, I'm going to try a duty type belt with 2 Comp Tac AR mag holders and 2 extra AR mags in a cargo pocket. I feel that this would be more representative of the type of gear I would have if I went hog hunting or hiking with my carbine or if I ever need it in a "social situation" to protect my home or business.
SKD Vest

Go to Light Fighter

Long pants (I've seen everything from BDU pants to jeans to 5.11 cargo pants)
Whatever t shirt/sweatshirt/long-armed shirt you want to wear that's comfortable
Boots (make sure they're broken in and bring extra socks)
Hat
Shooting Glasses/earplugs
Belt w/ holster or drop leg holster (this is your 1 allowed tacticool item)
Pistol mags on either your chest rig or belt - however you prefer it
Chest rig with the amount of mags required by the course (no need for a full on plate carrier and integrated hydration setup)
Dump pouch on either side of chest rig or belt
Extra BCG/Cleaning Kit/broken shell extractor in the car. Don't be 'that guy'.

If anything extra is needed, make sure you ask ahead of time (i.e. the coarse is run at various ranges that you keep moving to and a hydration pouch/canteen is suggested, etc). This should be it and will suffice for pretty much any coarse I have seen or read about.

Don't read all the damn "lists". You'll end up with a ton of gear, 3/4s of which you'll ditch after the first day.
Buy BASIC items.  Enough to carry your water, however many mags the class requires, and your sidearm.  Check with whoever is hosting the class and see if they have specific recommendations.
You'll have plenty of time during the class to figure out what works and doesn't. Hell a good portion of the first day will be people gawking at each other's gear. Ask people about what they are using and ask how it has worked out. Is this the first class they have run with it? Then ask again on the last day.You'll get a feel fast for what works and what's "tacticool".



 

Thanks guys.

Bring guns that work.

1) Your rifle and pistol should be well broken in. At a minimum bring a spare extractor, extractor spring, firing pin, LPK and spare bolt. If you got it bring a back up pistol and rifle.

2) Good Ammo and proven mags.

3) Some way to carry mags for drills.

4) good eye and ear pro.

- ability to carry at least 3 extra mags on your body.
- hat, ear and eye pro
- holster for pistol and maybe 2 mags assuming it's part of the class
- knee pads might not be a bad idea if you're not used to doing a lot of kneeling. They don't need to be supertactical, you can get a cheap pair at home depot
- a camelbak. you might end up working pretty hard and keeping hyrdated will be key to maximizing preformance. Doesn't need to be an ubertactical tier one with molle straps, you can probably pick up the base runners/biker's model at sports authority.

Keep it simple.

this thread has lots of good info and learning has occurred

It's been said already but I'll say it again- sunscreen, preferably the non-oily type.  It's always funny to see how many folks are "red as a lobster" at the end of the day and that makes for a misearble night's sleep and a worse second day.  

I try to keep everything as simple as possible since I rarely use any of that gear- not like most of us can walk around in our gear on anything approaching a daily basis.  My last class I had a holster, pistol mag pouch, carbine mag pouch and a Rolly Polly on  my belt and that was it.  A pair of suspenders to help hold up your pants helps a ton and helps prevent back pain.  Wear whatever you're comfortable wearing.  It's a technique learning exercise not a fashion show.

I wear good clothing like 5.11's and run a reasonable setup with 3-5 rifle mags + 2 handgun. Usually a thigh rig for my pistol. Definitely knee pads. I also run with armor as I've caught numerous ricochet rounds in the past & when training with newbies you can't be too careful.

Here's a link to the class I took.  Check out the photos and watch the video.  You'll get an idea of what some people are using.  


link

You won't feel as bad about your gear.  Most people aren't gear snobs.

Spare mags, lots of ammo, spare weapon if possible. hydration, sunscreen, eye pro, knee pads, headgear
The instructor may include a list in the course packet.

Wear what you're going to be wearing if you ever have to use your carbine for self-defense/insert scenario here.

I try to get out to several classes each year. When I take a carbine course, I have no problem running with either a Bauer Bag and/or kydex CCW-style rifle mag pouches. Spent mags get dumped into my cargo pocket.

Train how you fight.

Bring as many loaded spare mags as possible. Time spent loading magazines at the bench/tent is time you could be spending getting extra iterations in on the firing line, talking to instructors/classmates, etc.

Find out if water is available on-site at the range. Hydrate. 1/2-3/4 canteen per hour, not to exceed 10-12 canteens per day. Gatorade powder rocks.

Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen.

Rain gear.

Spend all that saved "tactical gear" coin on spare parts for your rifle. Bring said spare parts.