Well it looks like my time has come.  My unit is gonna SRP next month, and they say it doesn't mean anything for sure but you know how that goes.  I have read all the posts on what to bring, etc. but I haven't really seen much on simple tips/tricks/advice.  If we go to Iraq/Afganistan, all I know right now is that the climate sucks ass, it's sandy, and we are going to get shot at.  I am guessing my unit will get (I hope to God) a bunch of new gear.  We just got A2 rifles 2 years ago, still have M60's that don't work, NOD's are from Vietnam, etc.  

What pisses me off is we don't even have sleep systems and we are light infantry, when the trans units around here got them a long time ago.  And by light, I mean it, we don't even have any trans in our unit, only 1 duece and it's from battalion.

Anyway, I have no idea what we will do if we go, but we are light infantry, I'm a team leader and carry an A2 w/ 203.  I don't even know what they use to carry 203 rounds, we only get them at AT and they are TP at that.

Are you National Guard or Reserve?

Contact the CIF issue place where you got your field gear. They can get either the Vietnam era M79 vests or the new Tacical Assault vest for M203 rounds.

Everyone here is sleeping on cots in tents/containerized housing units/ or hardend buildings. The older cotton sleeping bags will do just fine. You do not need the new Gortex sleeping system to survive here. You will not be sleeping outside the wire.

Everyone will at least get the new IBA with SAPI plates before they leave Kuwait for Iraq or Afganistan.

The National Guard guys here on my base got better equipment than we do.

You might want to buy your own chest harness. Something like the Wasatch. SKD, Wasatch

Then you can place 40mm pouches on the front of the rig and you still have full mag capacity. I'm not infantry so don't flame me. Just trying to help.

We are a National Guard unit.  We don't have a "CIF" so to speak, since all our gear comes from the unit itself.  We will go through a CIF to get theater specific clothing, gear, etc, but I guess if I want a vest to carry 40mm I'll probably have to end up buying it myself since everything they hand out will be the same for everyone.

JoshD: Man, I've never been in the USA military, but man I can't believe that you have to buy so much of your equipment out of own pockets. That stuff isn't cheap and really adds up in a hurry for the good stuff. The next thing they're going to ask you to bring is your own rifle, like in the Revolutionary War days, you supply your own gun.

Quoted: JoshD: Man, I've never been the USA military, but man I can't believe that you have to buy so much of your equipment out of own pockets.

Sadly, buying what should be issued to you is the norm rather than the exception. For almost a decade now NG and Reserve troops have had bare minimum training with old, outdated equipment. The vast majority of the funds go to the A/D side of the house. The rationale for this was simply the fact that NG and Reserve troops don't deploy anywhere. Unfortunately, now that they have gone from never deploying to making up over 40% of the deployed troops overseas, everybody is scrambling to try and make up for over a decade of ill training and outdated equipment.........

JoshD,

Check out the following thread in this forum for some info on Iraq.....

www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=77&t=265272&page=1

Safe tour, Chris

Yes, it is true that we do buy a lot of our own gear.  Also, if you loose a piece of gear or it is stolen, which is very easy to do, you will be charged for it.  Not to mention any alterations/sewing on your uniforms.  So far, between just drills, AT, and a deployment to Germany I haven't bought a whole lot of stuff other than:

jungle boots
jump boots (required)
tshirts
socks
pacecounter
flight gloves
rank
cat eyes
buttpack
weapons cleaning gear
lots of starch (required)

All told it is probably less than $300 and most of it is to make your life easier or help you accomplish the missions.  If we get thrown into the box, however, i figure I will probably be dropping several hundred, mostly to make day to day living easier, and upgrading field gear.

my unit a ng unit was mobilized in may and we are in kuwiat now waiting to go over the berm. much to my suprise we got issued a rapid fielding initiative set of gear that rounded out our stuff pretty good. the new sleep system,cold weather gear,tentage,sunglasses and goggles, new pistol thigh rigs molle web gear and interceptor armor. about the only things still short are weapons cleaning gear(had some sent from home) and if you are to be issued a full length rifle invest in a good tactical sling like those from eagle, spec ops or similar companies- carrying an m16a4 with the conventional sling is an absolute pain.
remember all the stuff you bring and all the stuff they give you will be at some point carried by you so travel light and send back home  for styuff later

Quoted: my unit a ng unit was mobilized in may and we are in kuwiat now waiting to go over the berm. much to my suprise we got issued a rapid fielding initiative set of gear that rounded out our stuff pretty good. the new sleep system,cold weather gear,tentage,sunglasses and goggles, new pistol thigh rigs molle web gear and interceptor armor. about the only things still short are weapons cleaning gear(had some sent from home) and if you are to be issued a full length rifle invest in a good tactical sling like those from eagle, spec ops or similar companies- carrying an m16a4 with the conventional sling is an absolute pain. remember all the stuff you bring and all the stuff they give you will be at some point carried by you so travel light and send back home  for styuff later

Yep thats what I had heard , that when you get there they suit you up with most of the gear u need.

Good luck and thanks for serving. Make sure u tell our boys over there that we support them100%

Quoted: JoshD: Man, I've never been in the USA military, but man I can't believe that you have to buy so much of your equipment out of own pockets. That stuff isn't cheap and really adds up in a hurry for the good stuff. The next thing they're going to ask you to bring is your own rifle, like in the Revolutionary War days, you supply your own gun.

Hang on, now - you don't have to buy anything - there's nothing that the military makes you buy that costs more than a couple bucks (like rank, name tapes).  You can get by with what they issue you.  Now it may not be the most convenient piece of gear or be in the best shape, which is why so many people go out and buy their own stuff.  I've seen plenty of people that don't want to spend money who just truck along with what they're issued.

If you want the piece of gear that you're most comfortable with, or the newest, "high-speed" equipment, yes, you'll end up buying it yourself.  But no one says you have to go buy a completely new chest rig, thigh holster, civilian GPS, $100 sunglasses, and tactical sling.  If you want that stuff, it's on you.  I'm one of those people that buys a ton of equipment for myself (like desert MOLLE gear instead of using the green stuff), but I understand that it's my decision to buy it.

Now, as a grenadier, your unit should definitely issue you a vest of some sort - they are kept in our unit supply.  Depended on whether you get any MOLLE gear before you leave, you might get the 40mm pouches that attach directly to your IBA, or you might end up with the old mesh Vietnam-era vest.  A vest is something that's supposed to be issued right along with your M203.

I can't say this about the Reserves, but from what I've seen, the National Guard guys that were over in theater had a wide variety of gear depending on what their state purchased for them, with some help from the Army.  The guys from the Pacific Northwest had an unbelievable amount of the newest equipment - the ACH Kevlars, MOLLE gear, M4s with all the neat attachments, etc.  Some of the other folks had pretty standard stuff, but everyone had at least a couple pieces of non-CIF gear that their units had bought for them.  It's amazing how the money starts to flow in when a deployment comes up.

Dave

3ACR_Scout: Sorry, I stand corrected,... a 2nd time, you're correct. Someone else brought up the same point on another thread that I commented that many of the USA soldiers buy their own gear.

But...Uncle Sam spends millions on equipment for our soldiers, they  could at least get them some useful gear rather than gear that will just do. If something is more comfortable, more convenient etc, the chances a soldier will using it will be much better

Here is a passage from:
Operation Iraqi Freedom
PEO Soldier Lessons Learned
LTC Jim Smith
15 May 2003

• Sustainment:  Soldiers still spend too much of their own money to purchase the quality packs, pouches, belts, underwear, socks and gloves they believe they need for mission success and comfort.