Sure, you have the guns and the magazines...

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KriegHund

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But what about the gear? This might sound a little "Mall ninja"ish, but i beleive its an important question.

Alot of people have tons of ammo and guns and all the goodies, but what i want to know is, do you have the gear for that equipment?

ie/ do you have something to carry magazines in? what about your pistol? and other important gear, flashlights, cell phones, radios, backups, light sticks, medic gear, explosives (in extreme sitautions)

Im hoping this will alert some of you. If the STHF- as unlikely as it is, i see myself buying duct tape and czech medic bags ;) just in case. Along with other crap, but you get the point.

So, it really doesnt matter how many magazines you have, as if you only have a pair of jeans you dont exactly have a convient way of carrying them. Its a life changing factor.


Suggestions-
Get an alice belt and according pouches that you need, the cheapest and easiest way to go. Limited gear though.

Another option is web gear.

More expensive-
Buy a vest, They run from 30$ (old surplus) too 150$ (MOLLE). Find out what works for you. BEWARE- there are a lot of waayyy overpriced vests out there. If you can spend the cash, get a molle vest and whatever pouches you need. If you can afford it, i guarentee you will not regret it. The molle system
is excellent and customizable.

A cheaper but customized way to go is make your own vest- sow on neccesary pouches and holder onto a canvas vest. Simple and customizable- to an extent.

Consider your options and make what best fits you.
 
I prefer to go under the radar and be low profile. Why look like a "mall ninja" or something along those lines and attract unwanted attention should society collapse or something? I'm stashing my stuff in a day pack like you see high school and college students using for their books or in a brief case.

My weapons are for defensive use, I'm not going to be assaulting platoons of aliens, foreign invaders, "blue helmets" or whatever scenario you are envisioning. Relatively untrained civilians (or civilians who are years removed from their military training) won't do well going up against a bunch of trained soldiers, even of the second rate variety. Add in the ability to call in artillery or airstrikes and forget about it. You think the "insurgents" in Iraq are doing ok against our military, look at their casualty rates v. ours. While you and I may do a little better against the Communist Chinese or whatever lesser military you expect to see simply because they aren't as well trained or equipped as the US military, but our outcome wouldn't be much better.

Against rioters or other civil disturbance/social collapse type of scenarios you have all the more reason to be thinking defensive and not offensive.
 
i have a medium ALICE pack, GI issue Load bearing suspenders and belt (canteen and ammo pouches), and a chinese sks chest rig for ammo. They sit together in a corner in my room, next to my gun locker. Its the easiest and quickest SHTF gear. Dont bother yourself with the unecessary, the point of Bug Out Bag is to have the minimal things needed to survive on the run. So I have an SKS or mossberg, whichever suits me at the moment, ammo, medic kit in my bag along with camping and survival supplies. and thats it. Wouldnt reccommend attacking aliens or blue helmet convoys, but Im more prepared than 90% of the people in my suburban town.
 
$1.99 Swiss bread bags from Fleet Farm. Cheap, durable. Gym bags. Hey, it worked for Dfens. ;) I buy 'em for a quarter at garage sales. My old issue butt pack is my main med bag. I do have my ALICE gear yet, so I have options. These things are all packed up and ready to go at a moment's notice, although I beleve chaim is correct, low profile and defensive is a better way to look at it. SERE would be a last option only.
 
Check out USMC_03 's thread on the topic of load bearing equipment.

Then look at the discussion I opened on what and how much to carry.

That should get you started.
 
Chaim hit the nail on the head. In a defensive situation like a riot, you will want to blend in. If you are planning a raid on Blue Helmets, a head on attack would be suicide, so blending in would be your best bet. A book bag, loaded with all kinds of goodies is in order.
Mauserguy
 
Like Chaim and others, I don't plan on looking like a soldier if SHTF.

I do have German G3 mag pouches that fit on a regular or pistol belt, each hold 3 mags, and I figure I can have 3-4 on a time. I have about 20 of them, 10 in good condition, 10 in not so good condition.

Other than that, regular back packs, either day packs or large hiking backpack will be what I use to carry my gear.

I used to (half) joke that my bug out bag was a sierra club backpack, so that I would look as much like a liberal sheep as possible.

I.G.B.
 
Do a search o bug out bags. or BOBs.
You will see that many of us have already thought this out.

There have been quite a few good threads that will add to the info and responses you're about to get here
 
Hmm...

The way I see it (and yes I do wear glasses)... if it is simply civil unrest of the type where you might wish to stay put, I agree with the thought that you want to blend in.

If it is truely SHTF, the type where you want to BO, then I want my equipment ready to hand... weapons, ammo, etc. Not so I can take on the world, but so I can protect myself. Remember in a truely SHTF situation, law wont be a deterrant to the 2 legged predators.

Therefore, I have my BOB etc. configured for easy access of weapons.

Just my $.02
 
I have a chest pouch for the SKS loaded with 200 rounds on stripper clips. I'd really like a cartridge belt for my GP-100 that would let me hold some rounds for it and the 1894C, but no luck so far there.
 
I work with our local boy scout troop, and have a decent "REI-style" backpack setup. Its "tactical" enough for me.

And my church advises its members to have a "72-hour kit." Food, clothing and shelter for 72 hours. Basically, its a bug-out-bag. So yes, I've given it a lot of thought and the family is pretty prepared for a bug-out situation.
 
two bags

I've got my dive bag (moved to Ohio, not much scuba opportunity) loaded with goodies for a bug out, snack'ums, shelter, small ammo, etc. I consider that my "regular" bag, the one I take with me and the family during summer power outages, flooding, etc., on the way to the Old Man's place.
My other bag is a SHTF rig. All my 782 gear from Uncle Sam.
 
Go camping.

And not RV or set-up-the-tent-next-to-the-car camping.

Go on a 5, 10, 20+ mile hike for several days with all your gear. You'll quickly learn what works and what doesn't; what you need and what you don't.
 
Also, try shooting IPSC/IDPA matches with your first line of gear. See if your holster and mag holders work well. Some clubs have rifle-only and/or shotgun-only matches, which give you the opportunity to try out that equipment.

Attending a formal shooting school is another great way to get your geaqr in working order, and improve your shooting skills as well.
 
I have a little backpack that holds everything. I havent found any webgear that holds 40 rd AK mags.

Since we are the subject of SHTF gear, what do you guys feel about body armor? IIIA enough, or trauma plates too? And wont body armor be super uncomfortable in hot weather?
 
Attending a formal shooting school is another great way to get your geaqr in working order, and improve your shooting skills as well.
Click to expand...

Training is undeniably a great way to identify deficiencies with your equipment. Having attended more than one shooting school where others in the class had new, poorly configured or unfamiliar equipment, I would recommend having your gear in working order before you go. You will get more out of the class and the other students and instructors will appreciate it.
 
Since we are the subject of SHTF gear, what do you guys feel about body armor? IIIA enough, or trauma plates too? And wont body armor be super uncomfortable in hot weather?
Click to expand...

Yup, sure will. But I'll take the ability to stop a 7.62x39 round over comfort just about any day of the week.

As for my SHTF gear, I have an HSGI Wasatch (no plates yet) that can carry 12 AR mags, plus a few miscellaneous pouches for various stuff, and a Web-Tex Recon Pack for food, smokes, flares, etc. I still need more pistol mag pouches for my Kimber, though.

What can I say, I'm a Gear Queer. :evil:
 
Go camping.

And not RV or set-up-the-tent-next-to-the-car camping.

Go on a 5, 10, 20+ mile hike for several days with all your gear. You'll quickly learn what works and what doesn't; what you need and what you don't.
Click to expand...

A short 20 mile hike will give you a general idea of what your short term capabilities are. However, how far do you intend to bug out? Being able to hump a ruck 20 miles is good, don't get me wrong, but if you have to hump 150 miles to your bug out location... Might want to look into alternative transportation.

Another guy here, Khaotic, is a small engine mechanic. Interesting mopeds and such. Sure, they don't look pretty, but they'd get the job done better than most other vehicles in an urban or suburbian environment. To use the example of EMP... replace a couple of parts, crank it up, and zip off before anyone else can figure out they were hit by EMP.

My plan is a lot simpler. Toss on my uniform. Put my pistol in my webgear, strap my Tikka to a backpack and keep my SAR-1 in my hands, and walk down the street to the local Guard armory. 5, 10 minute walk. Probably stop and hit the 24 hour market on the way to pick up more tobacco and Mtn Dew. That's it. I can accomplish it within a maximum of 20 minutes. Simple plans are better than complex ones.


Since we are the subject of SHTF gear, what do you guys feel about body armor? IIIA enough, or trauma plates too? And wont body armor be super uncomfortable in hot weather?
Click to expand...

Yea, it would be uncomfy. And I suggest if you do buy body armor, wear it for a couple days to see how it affects you. It will slow you down somewhat, and make you drink more water. The weight will make you carry less other stuff. It's a major trade-off.
 
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the option of suspending a SHTF pack to the underside of an orange weather balloon tied to one's belt for a true "hands free" SHTF kit, that would also allow you to jump over obstacles like explosion craters and mass graves.

In addition, getting 4 mastiff dogs and fitting them with dog backpacks filled with spare magazines and urine-rehydratable sandwiches would seem ideal.


.
 
That is very clever, but I think it would telegraph the location of your food and ammo to anyone who wanted to take it.

I am still somewhat of the mind that if someone is shooting at you, you advertised your position too well or did something else stupid. Remember that you wont have access to a multimillion dollar medical facility if you get shot. Getting a hit to the leg could prove just as fatal as a hit to the head if you dont get antibiotics.

I am still kind of confused as to what sort of bugging out will be necessitated by any SHTF I can think of. Most scenarios I can think of involve me camping out at home and eating trail snacks and water until things blow over. If trouble comes looking for me, it will get what it has coming. If trouble is 20 miles a way in Tampa, I'm not inclined to give it something to shoot at.
 
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