Lines of Gear and Go Bags/ Assault Packs/ Get Home Bags

Alexander Wolfe wrote an excellent post today discussing Go Bags and Bug Out Bags. I am going to talk about my thoughts on 'lines' of gear. In doing so we will talk about go bags/ assault packs/ get home bags and such. 

First line gear is the most basic survival and defensive gear. You really shouldn't be leaving home without it.
Military- Survival gear (knife, fire, etc) and weapon with reload. For most deployed personnel the weapon is an M4 variant but that doesn't really matter.
Civilian- EDC/ Survival gear and potentially CCW pistol with reload. You can see mine here and also a lot of other peoples.

Second line gear is your 'fighting load'. It stores ammo, water, basic first aid stuff, a small radio, maybe a more substantial knife, etc all.
Military- Old school would be your LBE or whatever and a rifle if your first line gun was a pistol. The contemporary equivalent would be body armor, a chest rig if your pouches aren't mounted strait to the vest.
Civilian- There are a lot more options but the basics are the same. Ammo, medical, maybe a more substantial knife, water, etc. This could be a direct or linear descendant of some military system of a smaller lighter setup designed to more closely suit civilian needs. War belts and Active Shooter kits fall into this category.

Third line gear is for sustainment over a longer period. Depending on how your stuff is set up and the conditions the second line is good for a short operation or up to a day or so.The third line is for sustainment beyond that time frame.
Military- Ruck Sack with food, water, warm clothes, hygiene stuff, batteries, maybe ammo, etc all. Set up to sustain an individual within their current environment for a reasonable amount of time.
Civilian- Large bag with food, water, warm clothes, hygiene stuff, batteries, maybe ammo, etc all. Set up to sustain an individual within their current environment for a reasonable amount of time. This is where the BOB AKA 'Bug Out Bag or INCH "I'm Never Coming Home Again" type systems fall.

We could quibble about what exactly should go where and other minutia. However it's basically the way our military operates these days so I do not think many folks would disagree with the general concept.

So now we are back to the Go Bags/ Assault Packs/ Get Home Bags. I will briefly discuss my thoughts on them then move forward.

The 'Go Bag' is pretty much set up to supplement your fighting load. More mags, medical stuff, food, batteries, etc all. It typically stays in a vehicle and is grabbed to resupply or if you need to bail out on foot.

The 'Assault Pack' is used to carry equipment beyond your fighting load needed for a particular mission. Potentially that could include bino's/ spotting scopes, batteries, clothes, food, additional ammo, explosives, breaching gear, land mines, signaling equipment, etc all.

The 'Get Home Bag' is a bag designed to have sufficient stuff to get a person from where they are to back home. Generally set up smaller and lighter than the 'bug out bag' though one mans BOB might be another's GHB.

So where do the Go Bag/ Assault Pack/ Get Home Bag fall into this general system?

We could analyze the exact composition of every single kit or just make it simple and call them level 2.5. That is sort of awkward but since these kits are typically a split between supplemental fighting load and short term sustainment I think it's the best fit. This is further made awkward because many civilians do not have a 'fighting load' in their general commonly carried systems. They may have a hodge podge of stuff floating around their vehicle or a few spare mags in their level 2.5 system. Also I find the conceptual level 2.5 useful because the level of sustainment is generally for a shorter period of time than the more traditional Ruck/ BOB 3rd level of sustainment.

Yes I categorize these systems in the same range. Furthermore I would go as far as to say they are just variations of the same kit adjusted to different circumstances. A soldier or contractor operating out of a vehicle will probably have a go bag. Inevitably some chow and supplemental clothing plus life's random junk (paperback book, MP-3 player, gum, flashlight, etc) can slip in there. Really while the bag might vary that isn't any different than an Assault Pack. These kits exact composition varies in part based on your fighting load. I've seen contractors who wore 2-3 spare mags for their rifle and 1-2 for the pistol (often in a ghetto made war belt from some pouches and a spare rigger belt) then carried a bag with more of each plus smoke/ grenades/ etc. If for whatever (IMO foolhardy) reason a person in a highly kinetic situation goes with way their  2.5 line is going to have a lot of ordinance in it. On the other hand a guy carrying 8-12 mags on his body has more room for a spare sweater in the 2.5 line.

To me the 'Get Home Bag' is a civilian equivalent of the same kit. It is a fairly small purpose built kit designed to help you with a specific mission, in this case getting home. They tend to be far lighter on ordinance than a soldier or contractor's Go Bag/ Assault Pack. The reason for this is simple. Despite some folks Red Dawn or whatever militia porn fantasies the odds Joe Everyday is going to need a first aid kit, some chow, a coat and a flashlight are a whole lot higher than that he will need an AR with a dozen magazines. Now if you want to carry a dedicated fighting load plus a 'Get Home Bag' type setup good for you but as a survivalist do not carry the ammo instead of the sustainment stuff.

So anyway those are my thoughts on that. I am eager to hear yours.

 

Solo Pot, Perfect to go With Your Solo Stove

The good folks at Solo Stove have got a pot to go with it called the  Solo Pot. They look like a solid piece of kit which is to be expected considering the source. Aside from being stainless steel and generally well made another big plus is that the Solo Pot can nest with the stove inside it. The capacity is 900 ml AKA just a bit less than a liter. Right about perfect for 1-2 person cooking of simple dishes. The pour spout and volume markings in ounces and liters are also nice touches.

I really enjoy using my solo stove and am looking forward to testing the companion pot in the near future. Maybe I will use it test some more survival food. Likely the pot will go right alongside the stove in my bug out bag. Anyway I figured you all would want to know about this cool product.

Body Armor: A Tale of Two Vests

Well my rifle plates finally arrived yesterday from Spectre. From  making the order to my doorstep took a day short of 7 weeks. The plates are covered in this thick foamy stuff which isn't a bad thing.

In the meantime I kinda stumbled into a nice set of soft body armor.

I was going to write a post about body armor but realized I have already done that. We will hit some new points and rehash the older ones.

Some folks folks argue that armor slows them down. Sure there are some situations where you are best off with a rifle, camelback, 2 spare mags and an IFAK but those are few and far between. Long fast movements with a very low probability of contact like say an old school foot messenger in a pretty safe area would be a good example. To put it into perspective a PC with a set of plates weighs about 20 pounds. Assuming you are of a healthy weight and in shape it is pretty doable for most situations.  Everyone makes different choices but there are few situations where I would choose not to wear armor.

It is true that body armor will not stop everything. It is not a magical talisman that prevents being shot in the pelvis, face or extremities. That being said it is the best compromise between protection and mobility for most scenarios.

A plate carrier with rifle plates is a good option for a rather crazy scenario. They probably would have sold really well during the LA Riots or Katrina. Max Velocity said something worthwhile on the subject "Overall, I feel that anytime I am going to be carrying my battle rifle, for whatever reason, I want to be wearing at least a plate carrier with load out to carry my first line ammo scales plus IFAK and ancillaries. I could be wearing that in the low profile way I described, or openly in a tactical way."

 Anyway here is the Shellback Banshee PC with plates. To put the cost issue into perspective I am into this PC and plates for somewhere between $450 and $475. Not cheap by any means but doable with a bit of planning or by selling a gun that has been collecting dust in the back of the safe.

I think the reason body armor gets no love from a lot of the survivalist community is that it isn't sexy. Folks have no problem spending 300-500 dollars on a gun. Heck some folks do not have a problem spending that much on accessories for a gun or even on a new knife.  A blog friend of mine who no joke has well over 50 grand in guns described body armor as "ruinously expensive". He would be infinitely better off selling a couple guns and getting a PC for every family member.

As shown it is currently wearing a Condor double Kangaroo pouch because the cost was less than half the price of a set of HSGI double taco's. This is set up for home defense. (Yeah my load out is 3x rifle and 3x pistol mags. If I can't handle the job with that it's not getting done.) Not shown are a pair of pants with a holster and an IFAK stuffed in the cargo pocket. It is easy to take off that pouch and I am still kinda fiddling with whether the mags are best suited on the PC or belt.

You aren't going to conceal a PC with a bunch of pouches on it though a slick one is relatively doable. Worn under a sweatshirt or wind breaker (obviously in appropriate weather) somebody would have to be looking for body armor to see it. Keeping your mags and such in a chest rig lets you go slick PC, only mags/ kit or both which are options that suit a lot of scenarios.

The soft armor's role to me is for a variety of more mundane scenarios. Stuff like buying/ selling things or otherwise carrying around large amounts of cash. Maybe a trip to a stop and rob to get a few things when the situation is a bit iffy. There are a variety of scenarios that fall short of running around with an M4 and a full OEF style load out but aren't quite normal either. A glock, soft armor and a couple 33rd Glock mags in the cargo pocket or murse would be about as ready as you can be and still look fairly normal/ fit into normal society.

A line I wrote that Commander Zero quoted is worthwhile in terms of where body armor falls in the grand priority list. "There is a time for everything. If somebody asked me whether they should get a couple hundred rounds of buckshot and pistol ammo for guns they have less than a hundred rounds for and put the remaining bucks into a currently empty pantry or get a plate carrier I would say food and bullets. On the other hand if they were looking at getting a 4th handgun/rifle/whatever or a new optic vs body armor I would say to get the armor for sure. That 4th handgun/ rifle could certainly be useful but a plate carrier could save your life.

Finally to close I will paraphrase John Mosby aka Mountain Guerilla “If you have 6 AR’s in the safe but not body armor and night vision you’re screwing your friends and buddies."
 
Where does body armor fit into your defensive setup?

Are you one of those guys we talked about with a safe full of guns but no body armor? If so why?

Gear Updates and Random Thoughts

The LED Lenser has been living in my pocket for awhile now. I did an initial review awhile ago and need to add to it. I have to change one thing. The feature where the beam is adjusted by the front piece is in addition to a normal lefty loosy righty tights (AKA wide to narrow beam) style. It allows you to easily go from a big beam to a small one which is pretty nice. On the downside this thing sucks through batteries like crazy. I have changed them twice and rarely use this light and only then for short periods. Not a huge deal as we have some AAA rechargeable batteries but if it was going to be used for a long term emergency that would be a consideration.

I am really liking the Benchmade Griptillian. It is a great design and still really sharp after cutting up dozens of boxes during the move as well as just about everything else that has crossed my path. The only problem with this knife is it has got me having some knife lust. I was jonesing for an Emerson pretty hard back in July and told myself if I still wanted it in a year then maybe.

Almost pulled the trigger on a war belt awhile back. For reasons I cannot recall it didn't happen. Since then I put together some stuff that was already here and have done a lot of thinking. I am probably going to run a generic rigger belt with a kydex holster, the RAT 3 and some mags. It also occurred to me that I used a battle belt (albeit an older model) years ago and ditched it for various reasons. This stuff could either be held in place with zip ties (I suspect) or as I am doing right now just keep it on a pair of pants. An IFAK could go in a cargo pocket and that's about it. A light would be nice so I need to pick up a spare one to live there. The mag pouch I am using right now is a Condor Double Kangaroo. It isn't entirely ideal but the price was such it could be tagged onto another order.

Fiddling around watching Hoss USMC's youtube channel I saw a pretty cool leg rig that is an HSGI/ Chris Costa collaboration.

This setup looks pretty awesome. The way I see using it is very high more like a belt pouch attached by some clips than low like a leg panel. The advantage I see of that setup is it could go off or on as needed. I see this sort of setup functioning like a war belt but without a whole lot of MOLLE I will not need. Also being able to use a holster I already have and upgrade a piece at a time appeals to me. It is something I could see myself actually using on my normal belt with a kydex holster in a Katrina like scenario or in conjunction with a plate carrier and chest rig as a full on crazy time load out. I went to pick up one of those Costa leg rigs but they are sold out so that will have to wait awhile. That is just as well because it's been an expensive week anyway.

 For a home defense or anything short of a full on mad max type scenario carrying 2 spare pistol and rifle mags seems like plenty to me. That is 3x15 round pistol mags and 3x30 round rifle mags AKA a lot of ammo. One way or another a home defense type fight will be over way before then.

Still waiting on the rifle plates. Apparently they have a 4ish week delay which could have been made more clear at the time of sale but otherwise is not a huge deal. Well it isn't an issue unless I need them now at which point I'm hosed but that is unlikely.

Anyway that is where my gear situation is right now. I am pretty happy with how things are coming together.

What have you tried lately that is working well? What have you tried lately that is not working for you?

Gun/ Gear Buying Time- An Informal Poll

Finally got my computer back today which is pretty cool. Well except it took almost 2 weeks and cost a couple hundred bucks. On the bright side they were able to save everything important.

This month's purchases will be gear/ defensive stuff. Not specifically related to this discussion but along these general lines it looks like rifle plates and some additional PMAGs should be sufficiently funded. Just waiting for me to figure out a few things and pull the trigger on both. Of course I will be happy when both are finalized and delivered. Also I had previously planned to get some more Glock mags and after reviewing my mental inventory I could pick up another gun and still stay under my mag ratio which is good enough for now.   So that can go down a few notches on the list.

I  have been kicking around a few ideas but really need to think about it. I need some  various small gun stuff, a couple random mags, another Glock holster, 2-3 sets of night sights, a pistol light and a rifle light. Also another nice pack to act as a special use/ get home bag would be sweet. Additionally I have just plain been gear lusting after almost everything Hill People Gear make. Particularly the Highlander pack, Mountain Serape and runners kit bag catch my eye. The kit bags are on sale right now but that is more something I will need down the road when the kid(s) grow up some and I start spending time under a ruck as a civilian.  As to the other two items they are on the short side of my gear list.

Part of me says I should get a good OC type (for outdoor activity, etc) holster for the Glock, night sights and some other little odds and ends. That fairly reasonable idea is solid but there are enough things moving around that I might just be able to take care of all that little stuff in one shot a little bit down the road. Along the gun line of effort I am jonesing to upgrade a bunch of parts on my all around AR. Pretty much I plan to get everything except a new lower from either BCM or Spikes Tactical (the old stuff may get sold but will probably go into inventory). The practical side says to finish up a bunch of this little gun stuff, get a .22 conversion kit, pick up some more gear and then upgrade. (On the other hand project upgrade AR is the last part of my now pretty short list of realistic things I want to get done before election time. I don't believe in going crazy because something might happen with a ban or whatever but filling whatever gaps happen to be present is just smart. Holsters and high end nylon gear aren't going anywhere for awhile.)

Also the warbelt project is still in the pipeline awaiting funding.

So there are 3 options:

A) Buy various small gun stuff now. Deal with additional revenue from gun sales (if anything pans out) later, probably towards project upgrade AR.

B) Get something cool from Hill People Gear or otherwise put money into gear.

C) Build a warbelt. I have a perfectly serviceable setup now, just not exactly what I would like.

There is always D) Do something else.

Before somebody asks the usual (relevant) questions about various other stuff like food or whatever please remember that the purchasing plan I am using allocates given amounts of money to different categories. It is not like I am shorting food to buy gear or medical to buy something else or whatever. Also what might be the biggest benefit of this plan is that I am no longer worried about if I should be spending money elsewhere. It is fairly easy for me to know what are the next logical options in a given category while it is pretty hard to compare totally unlike items. When it is time to buy gear I buy gear, ditto for food/ water or medical/ communications. I will revisit the categories maybe 1-2x a year to reshuffle if needed. This just takes out all that worry (and my tendency to gravitate to the tactical side which I know best) out of the equation.

I am still working through my own thoughts on this. Honestly I hadn't planned to write this post, it just sort of came together spontaneously. Anyway please let me know what you think. Cannot guarantee I will go with the consensus/ or most compelling point but I will sure take it into consideration.

Mo Molle, Mo Problems

They are airsoft guys which I don't get and is not my thing but the video is hilarious and makes a good point. Just because you can attach a pouch does not mean you should. Every piece of MOLLE webbing does not need to be filled with a pouch.

You need ammo, some basic survival stuff like a knife, fire starter and whatnot, water to last until you get back to camp/ your ruck and that is about it. Figure out what fits your situation and put it all together then use the thing. Shoot and move in the kit you plan to fight with. You may find out that it gets heavy fast which means you should cut out some unnecessary stuff and or do more PT.

Anyway I hope you enjoyed the video.

Initial Impressions on the Blackhawk Enhanced Commando Recon Harness

My recent gear order showed up which was pretty fast for over here. Today I am going to talk about the Blackhawk STRIKE Commando Recon Harness. Since I just got the thing a full up review would be a bit premature but I do have some thoughts.

Quality of material and manufacture seem very good. I am pleased that the webbing and MOLLE straps are also multicam instead of green or tan like some I have seen. No complaints at all there which isn't suprising. The company has a good reputation and I know folks who wore this (or a very similar) setup over multiple deployments.

As to the design and layout. This setup holds 8 mags in pouches built into the rig itself. I like this type of setup because it lets you carry a good amount of mags but is still relatively compact and balanced. The downside is that getting some mags into play (the ones towards your strong side) would be slower than if they are all on the weak side. However A) the ratio of carrying to shooting is aweful high and this is a comfortable setup and B) If I burn through half the mags this thing carries at some point I will be under cover and can move mags towards the weak side. Reasonable folks can go either way I suppose.

The mags are secured in place (though they sit deep enough it shouldn't be a real issue) by elastic straps with big reinforced tabs on top to let you get them out. The elastic is adjustable via the inside pouch of the rig with nice little fasteners. I know this setup is designed for AR mags but it can probably fit a reasonable variety of fairly similar mags.

Built into the main part of the rig is a nice pouch running the whole length of the inside. I especially like that the back the this inner pouch has MOLLE webbing. In my TAP Pannel (a fairly similar setup) the stuff in the pouch floated around willy nilly. You could easily stick pens, knives, lights or anything with clips to the webbing and it would presumably stay in place. The webbing would make dummy cording super easy if you arre so inclined. Also you could put a small pouch in there to hold stuff like ear plugs or whatever. This is a really nice touch I have to give them credit for.

The shoulder straps are wide and padded but not excessively bulky. They come in an X (the strap that goes over your left shoulder connects under your right and visa versa) configuration but can easily be put in an H (both straps to strait over the shoulder and connect under it) with the aid of a velco doohickey that connects the straps together across the back. The straps have a single row of webbing across the back half and a couple small D rings on the front for wolf hooks or whatever. The front and back of the shoulder straps have fastex buckles which lets you switch configurations easy. This would also be nice if you want to ditch the straps and attach the rig strait to body armor.

That brings us to an interesting part of this chest rig. It is capable of holding a front rifle plate. There is an optional attachment to put on a back plate and turn this thing into a full on plate carrier. I didn't buy it for this purpose and in fact picked up a plate carrier on the same order but that doesn't really relate to this discussion. You could choose to put a plate in it, or just keep the panel in place to mound some stuff on. That is the area where people typically mount holsters if so inclined.

The price is around a hundred bucks. Not cheap but not crazy expensive either considering it is a quality chest rig made by a well known brand. One nice thing about this sort of setup is that you do not need to buy a bunch of mag pouches to have it work. (It holds 8 mags, another in the gun and maybe a couple on a war belt and you are good for about anything but Roukes Drift). Also the little stuff fits just fine into the big pouch in the rig. Just add an IFAK and you are good to go. Though if you want to carry a NOD or like to have a ton of various stuff an admin pouch or two may be needed.

Anyway while it is too soon to know for sure I am pretty happy with this purchase.

Saturday Randomness

Today was a pretty good day. Our weather finally snapped out of early spring nastiness if just for the day. We went out to a you pick field which was pretty fun. Kiddo had a good time. He didn't quite get putting them into the bucket but ate it all instead. The fruit we picked was pretty cheap which was cool. Far cheaper (healthier and fresher) than we could get in a store. This was definitely a reminder that we want to be close to our food. Producing some of our food would be ideal but with my job that can be problematic. Certainly we can buy from farmers markets (did it in the South) and if possible look into coop and group buy type stuff.

Went through and layed out my purchasing priorities for the next few months using my Intentional Purchasing Plan. Using this as a forcing function to put more money into medical stuff, alternative energy and food will probably make things much better balanced. Incidentally I planned to buy a bunch of medical stuff to put together a few IFAK's tonight but the Chinook Medical website, or at least my connection to it, is on the fritz. Sure it will be up tomorrow or the next day.

I stumbled onto the Hillpeoplegear site. Their recon kit bags are probably the best way to carry concealed on your body with a ruck on your back that I have seen. The stuff isn't cheap but I have heard good things about it. Don't need anything they make but some of their stuff would be aweful nice and make the outdoors more comfortable. In a couple years when, having squared up more basic stuff, I can afford some luxuries they will get some money from me.

A big highlight in our recent lives is getting hulu plus running through the Wii. We get a lot of TV for $7 a month which is pretty cool. We are enjoying watching Lost. As we have been over here for almost 3 years we are pretty behind the TV power curve. Some new entertainment opportunities are surely enjoyed in our house.

We had a pretty good Saturday here. Tomorrow will be a pretty quiet day as we take care of a lot of household stuff like grocery shopping and laundry on Sunday's. Anyway I hope you all are having a good weekend.

Warbelt Fun

As I set up the personal gear I want the topic of pistol belt/ war belt's has come up. Got to love the name these things got. Probably some marketing genuis, the old give it a cool CDI Rambo sounding name so folks will buy one plan. Basically the war belt is a padded, molle type belt or belt sleeve one which stuff like a holster, mag pouches, etc can be mounted. Anyway the ability to mount all manner of MOLLE stuff onto a belt easily would be nice.

Thanks to the joy of the internet I got to look at a lot of other people's setups. One of the more comprehensive and interesting threads is the Ultimate Battle/Scout Belt Thread; formerly Sigboy Scout Belt  over at Zombie Squad. Folks seem to go in two directions. Some basically do a modern version of the old school LBE. These folks are running 4+ rifle mags, 2+ pistol mags, a holster, a knife, some admin pouches, maybe a canteen or two. These folks definitely run suspenders, often big padded H type ones we remember from the LBE era. Other folks use it more as a beefed up pistol belt with some mags, a holster, etc. Depending on their body type and how many mags they are running these folks may go with a thin set of suspenders or not. These folks will typically use a chest rig or run additional pouches on a plate carrier if needed.


So I have been thinking this could be a good way to go. I am definitely going to fall into the second group. I will rock the gear but I am not so sure about the big ole MOLLE belt. I have seen setups like this on a normal rigger belt. Just a pistol, 1-2 spare mags each rifle and pistol and maybe a knife. To me the idea of having what basically amounts to a pistol belt set up for the range, home defense and times where I want a gun but don't need a full load out is appealing. Also something that would work as part of my overall setup instead of a whole nother rig appeals to my cheap side. 

I still have to do some thinking on the matter but this is my plan. An ATS or HSGI war belt, two double taco mag pouches (though the cheaper condor rig I just bought may fill the role in the short term due to cost), a holster probably from Safariland, a knife, maybe a small admin pouch to hold a compass, etc to fill out the level 1 kit, and possibly a minimalist trauma kit.

Are you running a warbelt? If so what type and how do you like it over just a pistol/ duty belt?

I Can Haz Plate Carrier

On the advice of a reader I ended up looking into then getting a TAG Banshee plate carrier. The reviews were favorable and it looks like a lot of kit for the money (including when compared to the Condor equivalent). I also ordered a chest rig to go with it. Plates will be ordered shortly after we go back to the states. I am uncomfortable ordering then without having my hands on the carrier they will go in AND being able to personally take delivery of them. If I order a package and something is wrong getting on the phone the next day is a lot more likely to lead to a positive end then if it is months down the road.

My vision is to keep the plate carrier set up in a sort of home defense load out. Probably 3 rifle mags, 2-3 pistol mags, an IFAK and a holster. I generally do not like holsters on body armor but for a throw on at 3am setup it seems to be the way to go. Toss on plate carrier, stuff handgun in holster, grab long gun and go. Doesn't get much simpler. I will have a chest rig (got a couple options here with another on the way) in case there is the need to rapidly reconfigure for a different purpose. Taking off some MOLLE stuff only takes a few minutes. It would obviously be set up how I want it and loaded mags could be kept in there if the situation called for it.

Up to now most of what I've got in terms of tactical type gear is stuff that has been picked up for work. I am pretty psyched about getting a start on the setup of personal gear that I want to have. Once I get some plates this will be a solid start. Likely I will pick up the few various pouches I will need and a warbelt of some sort in the next couple months.

Have you been looking at your gear situation and filling the gaps?