Juggling the bedside gear...

[Siderite]

Thinking over my bedside setup, I think I have all the gear I need:
gun
spare mag
flashlight
cell phone

but lacking 4 hands, there's no good way to keep all of that with me if I have to get up for whatever reason (I'm not talking about house clearing, but rather answering a knock at the door type situation).

I was wondering what other THR members use to keep things together and easy to grab. I've read about some people using tactical vests but it seems like that would be overkill (unless it turns out there are other things I should have on hand that I'm lacking, in which case feel free to point that out). I'd ideally like something that can be grabbed as a unit and worn, which seems to favor the vest again, but wanted to know if there were any other options that I was overlooking.

So, what do you use to bundle things together? Recommendations on specific brands/models would be helpful too.

 

[jlbraun]

Safepacker with shoulder strap. Pistol with rail. Streamlight TLR-1. Spare mag. Cell phone in cellphone holster clipped to strap. Pepper spray in Safepacker's pocket.

Most important item: Training.

 

[DragonRider]

Simple, my previous days pants/shorts are on the floor at my feet. Everything but the pistol is attached, its in a different holster on my nightstand. Just pull up the pants and do the belt and go, that way I also have my wallet, knife and keys, which you should also have on you.....

Just some thoughts,

John

 

[Kevin108]

No spare mag for me, 17+1 in the gun, flashlight and cell phone. I always sleep in jersey type shorts that have pockets.

 

[RubenZ]

Why do you have to have a Wallet, CellPhone, Flashlight, etc to answer a knock at the Door?

Some of you guys go so overboard its probably a negative and not a plus.

 

[the naked prophet]

Just get a Wal-Mart fishing vest - you can drop the cell phone in the pocket at night, keep a spare mag and flashlight in it, and carry the gun with you or sew a pocket or cheap holster onto the vest. Faster than putting on pants.

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

You should probably consider sleeping with you weapon on you, as well as fully dressed with pants and boots. Make your weapon an AR as well. And don't forget to strap a pro-mask to your leg. You never know when you will encounter and NBC environment.

 

[TallPine]

gun
spare mag
flashlight
cell phone

An AK with a 30 round mag (who needs spares?), barrel mounted light, and a cellphone in the stock should serve your needs quite well.

Seriously, I probably wouldn't even answer a knock late at night, but rather just holler out an upstairs window to see who it was.

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Hmmm . . .

Something to think about.

No spare mag, but flashlight, pistol, phone.

By the time I need to think about the flashlight, we're already past "answering the door." By that time, we're in "check out the back yard" mode, or possibly "see what's going on out in the street." And of course there's always "stop intruder in bedroom" mode, but the flashlight isn't going to be involved in that.

The scenario requiring the most hands is the one with the least threat.

Go to check ruckus at front door, determine it's friendlies needing help, quickly secure the gear so as not to appear loony or frighten random family. I have an end table that just happens to be near the door, so I have a place to stash hardware in the event that it's friends/family.

I guess it's easy to choreograph the HD scenarios, harder to account for all the silly "oops" type things -- the ones that ACTUALLY happen.

Daughter shows up late at night, arms full of stuff, can't find her key, rings doorbell repeatedly, has friend who really has to use the bathroom -- "Here, hold this, and this, close your bathrobe, you trying to give Julie a free shot? Damn, Dad, what's with the flashlight?"​

* Sigh *

 

[ready4shtf]

Why even go answer the door if you are already in bed?

But with that being said, I have a IIIA vest with a holster and pouch sewn into the carrier. 45 has light attached.

But before that, I had one of these.
http://www.blackhawk.com/product1.asp?P=37CL81&C=C1515

 

[RubenZ]

Seriously man. If you have to answer the door dressed like in the Image above please move to another location

Man people on these gunboards make fun of the Sheeople but some of you guys are exactly the same just on opposite spectrums walking around way too paranoid.

 

[pax]

You should probably consider sleeping with you weapon on you, as well as fully dressed with pants and boots. Make your weapon an AR as well. And don't forget to strap a pro-mask to your leg. You never know when you will encounter and NBC environment.

Cute.

Might want to save the sarcasm for someone who is so paranoid that they (gasp!) puts a smoke alarm and a fire extinguisher in their kitchen. Can you imagine being SOOO paranoid, living in such constant fear of a fire, that you keep fire-extinguishing equipment ready to go ... in your own home??!! Sheesh, if I were that afraid of a fire, I'd move.



Now that we have the snide sarcastic stuff out of the way (thanks taurusowner for posting such good stuff to riff on) ...

Guys, I was lying in bed reading a book a couple nights ago when I heard a loud screech around the corner in front of my house. Followed by a THUD as the car went into the ditch.

My 15 year old son threw a pair of jeans on over his jammies, grabbed the phone and called the cops.

I pulled on my clothes, grabbed a light, and my son and I went out to see how bad the crash was. Our (adult male) renter was right behind me, happily for me since I get tired of dealing with the drunks in the ditch all by myself. Unfortunately, our renter broke his arm last week and so he's not the most convincing backup I could have had, but still it was better than me alone or me plus the kids.

Now, picture this please. I'm a middle-aged female, whose husband works long and irregular hours. Our children are getting into the teenage years, making them slightly more useful for exciting events, but also making them less likely to be around. Generally speaking if anything happens I will be the only adult around to deal with it.

What should I have carried out to the scene of the drunk-driving crash with me?

And how long should I take gathering that stuff up, when I hear the middle of the night crash?

Or should I just sit tight, call 911, and wait anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours for our rural patrol officers to arrive, while an agitated drunk guy looks for a nearby door to pound upon?

Answer those questions to your own satisfaction, and you'll understand the nature of the question that started this thread.

pax

 

[RubenZ]

What should I have carried out to the scene of the drunk-driving crash with me?

Nothing. You should just call 911, report the accident and wait for Police and Paramedics to arrive.

And how long should I take gathering that stuff up, when I hear the middle of the night crash?

Honestly, how long could it possibly take to gather a few things. Flashlight, Gun, Phone, Glasses are all kept in a nightstand by the bend. It wouldn't even take 1 MINUTE to put on a shirt, pants and grab those things.

Or should I just sit tight, call 911, and wait anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours for our rural patrol officers to arrive, while an agitated drunk guy looks for a nearby door to pound upon?

Well first of all if you know the guy is agitated and drunk. Why would you do anything anyway? Obviously you'd stay in your home, lock the door and don't open it. Just sit tight and wait for patrol to get there.

 

[pax]

Okay, Reuben, so your suggestion is that I should sit tight and allow the passenger(s) in his car to bleed to death in my driveway, rather than going out to help them?

And you think I'm paranoid ...?

pax

 

[TallPine]

What should I have carried out to the scene of the drunk-driving crash with me?

Minimum of a sidearm, good flashlight, and some sort of mobile communication if you have it. Maybe some "first aid" supplies too, even if it's just a handful of clean rags for compression bandages.

And how long should I take gathering that stuff up, when I hear the middle of the night crash?

As long as it takes. I'd assume all of the above are immediately at hand, except for the first aid stuff. If this is a regular occurence, you might want to make up your own little "EMT" bag.

Or should I just sit tight, call 911, and wait anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours for our rural patrol officers to arrive, while an agitated drunk guy looks for a nearby door to pound upon?

Well, it just depends - if you're home alone with young children, you might just should do that. Now me, I'm a volunteer wildland f/f so I tend to run towards incidents. I also have the advantage of keeping a portable radio at home, so I could talk directly to dispatch and/or any of the responding sheriff, ambulance, and city fire (wildland depts don't do vehicles, except for collateral grass fires) units.

 

[pax]

Well first of all if you know the guy is agitated and drunk. Why would you do anything anyway? Obviously you'd stay in your home, lock the door and don't open it. Just sit tight and wait for patrol to get there.

Hmmm, actually, now that I've gotten the snark out of the way, it occurs to me that we're right back to the same question. If I am going to "sit tight and wait for the cops..." (which is the plan of choice if an agitated drunk is pounding on my door, but I'd rather avoid that happenstance by being a bit more pro-active).

Where was I?

If I'm sitting tight, I'm going to do it with a few things within reach at all times.

• Gun
• Spare magazine
• Flashlight
• Phone and/or cell phone

If I have to move through the house (to get to my children, for example), I'm going to want to take all four of those things with me. And I'm going to want to keep my hands free while I do it, in case I need to use my hands to open doors or carry children.

If I have to leave the house for any sensible reason, I'm going to want to carry those items with me, again with my hands free.

Regardless of which tactic the situation requires, I'll want to be able to grab all those things as quickly as possible, of course. I shouldn't have to scavenge through the nightstand, the closet, under the bed (is that where the flashlight ended up ...?), my car (where'd that cell phone get left last night ...?), etcetera etcetera. These basic items should be immediately to hand, all together, and in an easy-to-carry format.

That means it only makes sense to keep those items ready to go at a moment's notice, preferably in some sort of a pack or bag that can be strapped to my body over my robe or sweat pants.

Oohhhh, but it's "just paranoid" and "too tactical" to think of keeping this stuff where you can grab it at the very moment you need it, inside something you can carry with you while keeping your hands free!~

Siderite: my solution is a fanny pack, which is small enough to fit in the (mostly-closed but unlocked) bedside safe, with the cell phone charging on top of it. Bedroom door locked at night. If the kids need me, I either lock the safe or put on the fanny pack before unlocking the bedroom door.

pax

 

[TallPine]

If I'm sitting tight, I'm going to do it with a few things close at hand.

Gun
Flashlight
Phone and/or cell phone

How odd ... we both came up with the same list

 

[jfdavis58]

My home; one item

Late night knock at the door, at my house, my home: take the gun!

I know where all the light switches are located, where the flashlights are pre-positioned. There are phones in all major rooms and five of five of us have cellphones. Besides, there are enough power-on or power-standby lights on appliances, computers, audio equipment, clocks, etc to provide a nice 'glow' in every room. There are porch and driveway lights outside as well as street lights in all but the most widespread disaster conditions. Take the gun!

I know all the neighbors by sight and name; many of their relatives and friends as well. Except for the most dire of circumstances they don't come a-knocking after dark. It's 99% certain the knock on the door will be from a stranger. Take the gun!

If I'm about to be accosted, if the knock is a prelude to home invasion or assault, keys, flashlight and phone are not first choices or normal choices for self defense. The knife is a quaint idea, it's sharp and in the right hands to be deployed with some lethality. Take the gun!

 

[USMC Tanker]

I had the same problem...pistol, flashlight, and extra magazines. I wanted to be able to strap up and go, and not take 5 minutes to find a leather belt, loop it through my magazine pouches, holster, etc.

So I went with this simple rig...

With the exception of the Blackhawk CQC Serpa holster and the Maxpedition Rollypolly, the web belt and pouches are all made by Tactical Assault Gear (TAG-fantastic quality). My tan Surefire G2 Nitrolon is in the pouch behind my M9, however I've since moved the flashlight behind the 4th magazine pouch.

I use it at the range, hang it on my desk chair at night, and I'll take it with me on my second Iraq tour (though then I'll more than likely switch to a drop holster).

 

[Clipper]

My solution is called PANTS...! I'm just gonna slip 'em on and see what's goin' on. In my pockets and on the belt are all the goodies I need for all but an invasion or a vehicle on fire. I have my cell phone in its pouch, my P3AT in one pocket, pen, pocket knife, and nitro pills (in case I get too excited, eh?) in another, Ziplock bag with some wet baby wipe-type towels and mini maglight in one cargo pocket, keys in the other, and my wallet is actually a pocket size planner with secure zippered pouches and notepad...Not to mention the fact that since I sleep au naturale and I hate robes, putting 'em on before answering the door is probably a kindness...

 

[RubenZ]

Look, I'm not dissing your plan. Your just making it harder than it really is. Next we'll see post like "Hey!! in case of an emergency in what order should I put everything on?"


Seriously, just keep those important things in a nightstand by your bed. If you want those belt solutions posted above are good ideas.

 

[pax]

I really don't think that keeping all my stuff together in one fanny pack next to the bed is making things too complicated.

YMMV, of course.

pax

 

[sm]

I get the occasional doorbell b/t 1am and 5am and last time they were looking for Kathy as "Johnnie sent us and said you had the good stuff".

I'm 52, white male and I got 4 black folks , 2 gals and 2 guys staggering and weaving, dressed in party clothes from a club just down the way.
The two girls were "sorta dressed" and they did not start with a whole lot to begin with.

I sleep with nothing or a briefs and T shirt.

Yeah I got the "good stuff" , flat Dr. Pepper, 4 chocolate chip cookies and leftover Pizza.

*ding-dong* <sounds of loud music, my bedroom floor is thumping to the beat>
So I look out a blind with the lights off.

Mr. Minimal Practical here has a $9 Coast LED light about the size of a Mag-Lite Solitaire, the $2 two D cell plastic flashlight, a H&R Topper 20 gauge Single Shot shotgun with slugs, Kel-Tec P-11 with 124gr standard pressure JHPs, spare mag of Fiocchi 115 grain hardball in the bedroom.

Denny will never have me pose for SWAT magazine I assure you, especially not with any clothes on, or in my Fruit of the Loom's.

Cell Phone? Are you kidding? That is a bit "modern" for me don't you think?

Front Motion lights have the "visitors" looking for Kathy illuminated.

I snag my jeans, slip feets into tennis shoes, toss a shirt on...sorta hoping they will quit ringing the damn doorbell and yelling "say <expletive> Johnnie Sent us"...Keltec in waistband at 4:30 position , grab the shotgun, leave bedroom , snag portable phone in den leading to front door and under the light that stays on dial all but the last digit of a direct line to Police.

Mr. Minimal Practical here yells through door, standing in the dim lit, front room, off to side of door - "The <expletive> is down at Joey's crib, you know the dude showing off the low pro's and 29's at the <club name here> tonight !".

They leave, I go back to bed.

*shrug*

 

[peacemaker45]

+1 on yesterday's britches. Everything I'd need is already attatched. My major stumbling block is footgear. My boots don't really fit the bill as quick or convenient, but I've not really found anything that does work.

~~~Mat

 

[Siderite]

Thanks!

Thanks for the ideas everyone.

I'm probably going to go with some sort of fannypack/belt+pouches setup. I'd originally nixed the fannypack idea since they seem to be regarded as a dead giveaway that someone is carrying, but I realized that for this situation, it doesn't matter as much, since it would just be used within my place for the most part.

The pants idea is a good one too, I'd probably go with that if it wasn't for the fact that I generally sleep in sweatpants/sweatshorts that would have to be removed prior to putting on the pants. I don't expect speed to be an issue, but I just want to minimize steps.

As for the reason for this, sm hit the nail on the head. I live in a college town, and it seems that forgetting to give out one's apartment number is the trend, so partygoers tend to just knock on every door in the complex.

Thanks again!
-Siderite