Category: Field Gear

Gear System: Philosophy, Set Up, Use, Fitness & Mindset- Part 2, by Max

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Today, we are concluding this article, which is a follow-up to the recent “The Practical Application of Tactical Gear, Load, and Weight Considerations”. Part 1 disclosed the basics of the gear system and began detailing them. We are continuing with the details, and then covering the practical use of our gear and the importance of physical conditioning. THE DETAIL (continued) Chest Rig / Plate Carrier: You must avoid the temptation to “go large” with this item. With the available huge admin pouches and the like, this is particularly something you want to avoid below your armpits or right on the …


Guest Article: Gear System- Philosophy, Set Up, Use, Fitness & Mindset- Part 1, by Max

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This article is a follow-up to the recent “The Practical Application of Tactical Gear, Load, and Weight Considerations”. Questions I get many questions about gear setup. It is also a perennial topic on the MVT Forum, and of course across the Internet. It’s an important subject. Many people ask me specific questions about my gear setup and make/brand of equipment items. And so here I will attempt to give some guidance, but not in terms of specific brands of gear. This is what I am trying to do when I set up my equipment. It is also important to note that …


Protecting Electronics in Metal Military Surplus Ammunition Cans- Part 4, by J.T.

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In this article series, I am sharing a better solution for protecting sensitive electronics stored in a Faraday cage made from metal military surplus ammunition cans. Parts 1, 2, 3 provided instructions on how to build the cans. Today, I will share more about how I use my cans and also offer some enhancements that can be added. Using These Cans Inside each can are silica gel dry packets to keep the inside dry and to prevent corrosion. A florescent paint symbol discreetly marks each of the cans. A label on painters’ tape for eases identification. Only the trickle charger …


Protecting Electronics in Metal Military Surplus Ammunition Cans- Part 3, by J.T.

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I am sharing a better solution for protecting sensitive electronics stored in metal military surplus ammunition cans made into a Faraday cage. In the Part 1, I talked about the ammunition cans that can be used and began the instructions for building ammunition can gaskets by listing the materials and tools required. Part 2 of this series consisted of the bulk of the instructions of how to make and assemble the RF and EMP shielding gasket, and we are continuing with these today, in Part 3. The following instructions are for a 20mm M548 ammunition can. 16. If you want …


Protecting Electronics in Metal Military Surplus Ammunition Cans- Part 2, by J.T.

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I am sharing a better solution for protecting sensitive electronics stored in metal military surplus ammunition cans made into a Faraday cage. In the Part 1, I talked about the ammunition cans that can be used. We then began the instructions for building ammunition can gaskets by listing the materials and tools required. Now, let’s move on. Making and Assembling the RF and EMP Shielding Gasket The following instructions are for a 20mm M548 ammunition can, which is my preferred can size. If using another ammunition can, you will need to make adjustments in measurements within these directions to adjust …


Preparing for a Flood– Part 2, by S.G.

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Yesterday, as we look at preparing for a flood, we started discussing risk response strategies for floods. Today, we pick up on the fourth risk response strategy. Strategy 4: Mitigate. Mitigation is when you make deliberate actions to reduce the severity or likeliness of an uncertain event. We are going to spend a lot of time here, in four sections. These will focus on what to do in four timeframe scenarios. Scenario 1- A flood may happen sometime. The best time to prepare for a flood or any emergency is well before it happens. Most people, when it comes to flooding, …


Letter Re: The Practical Application of Tactical Gear, Load and Weight Considerations

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Hugh, I’ve been reading the MAX V articles about practical application of tactical gear, et cetera. This spurred me to add my .02 cents. During a 2014 deployment to Kandahar with the Air Force Reserve, I had an ankle injury that wasn’t serious enough to send me home but serious enough to slow me down for my entire tour. I had brought with me a Tactical Tailor H-harness and belt set, which I set up to wear under my armor. (Once the armor was on, I never felt it.) I kept one magazine pouch and a small admin pouch, used …


Guest Article: The Practical Application of Tactical Gear, Load and Weight Considerations- Part 2, by Max

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The intent of this continued post is to tie in the related, practical application concepts of tactical gear, fitness, teamwork, logistics, and tactical loading, in order to present a realistic and logical way to approach the subject. There are a number of related factors at play here. Part 1 covered the mission, logistics, tactical load, physical conditioning, transport, and ballistic plates along with a note urging people to avoid heavy steel plates. Team In order to be able to conduct any sort of patrolling/security operation, you are going to need a team. This means numbers of trained personnel. You cannot …


Guest Article: The Practical Application of Tactical Gear, Load and Weight Considerations- Part 1, by Max

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The intent of this post is to tie in the related, practical application concepts of tactical gear, fitness, teamwork, logistics, and tactical loading, in order to present a realistic and logical way to approach the subject. There are a number of related factors at play here. Mission We often utilize the military terminology of “METT-TC” in order to analyze our mission and thus apply it to the gear that we may carry. Factors such as weather, duration, and the specific mission that you are conducting play into considerations of what to carry. We must be realistic in what we plan and …


Letter Re: Night Vision Gear and Infrared

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Hugh, I’ve read JWR’s books and have been reading your site for a year now. I am a big fan. However, I’ve seen little or no verbiage on where to buy reasonably priced NVG or IR. Obviously your books and those of other good writers, like Joe Nobody, talk constantly about using them, and yet, it seems none are priced less than $1500. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. – J HJL’s Comment: As an entry level device, you can get a first generation device (usually Russian made) at nearly any sporting goods store that carries hunting/camping equipment …


USMC Mountain Survival Course- Part 5, by E.T.

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Casualty Exercise A few hours later, after dawn, we began our death march back to the USMC Mountain Survival Course base. To add excitement to our return, the instructors gave us several “casualties” that had to be carried out. We cut poles and ran them through our buttoned blouse sleeves to make stretchers. We soon realized that even with the casualty holding on, they would need to be tied onto the litter. As we carried it over rocks and up and down inclines, they would slide around and fall out. We almost made them into a real casualty several times. …


USMC Mountain Survival Course- Part 4, by E.T.

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Phase 3 – Group Survival (continued) Relocation and Warmth We had been in the field on our USMC Mountain Survival Course for four days in Phase 1 and five days for Phase 2. Phase 3 was just beginning. We had taken in roughly 1500 calories over nine days. After everyone had arrived from our isolation locations, the group went for a hump. We moved about five klicks up and down a couple of mountains and posed at the top in some snow for a couple group pictures. Then we humped back down into a large, mostly barren valley, which had …


USMC Mountain Survival Course- Part 3, by E.T.

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Second Phase – Individual Survival in the USMC Mountain Survival Course (continued) I was on the third day of my individual isolation survival of the USMC Mountain Survival course. By mid-afternoon I had improved my fuel (wood) situation, improved my shelter and signaling for rescue, and boiled enough water to fill my plastic bladder and two Nalgene bottles. So I went scrounging for food. Food for Day Three I was five yards from a small running stream that provided just enough running water to scoop some out with a metal cup. Another 50 yards downhill from my shelter, the stream …


USMC Mountain Survival Course- Part 2, by E.T.

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Rabbits On the evening of the first night of being in the instructional phase of our USMC Mountain Survival Course, we were handed a pet shop rabbit. The Marine Corps had bought a batch of larger farm raised rabbits, only to find out they carried the nasty Tularemia (rabbit fever). They discovered the disease after looking at the first rabbit’s liver, which was spotted white/yellow and/or swollen. They weren’t willing to accept the risk of disease transmission. So, they searched all the nearby pet shops and bought up all the pet bunnies they could find. Those bunnies were small and …


USMC Mountain Survival Course- Part 1, by E.T.

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Preparations For Mountain Survival I spent June of 2014 in Bridgeport, California at the USMC’s School of Mountain Warfare undergoing the grand reopening of their Mountain Survival Course. Over the span of 13 days, I lost 31 pounds while in training. Here’s my story and lessons learned. I left an elevation of 3,300 feet in the mountains of North Carolina for Bridgeport, which is at 6,500 feet. The first morning we ran our PFT with less than 12 hours of acclimation to the new elevation. We were required to score a First Class PFT before continuing the course. We had …