When we as Armed Prepared Citizens (survivalists, preppers, militia, etc…) go about selecting our fighting/support gear, there is often a strong inclination to follow certain trends, trends that are honestly not the most appropriate ones to be following. Now, let me preface the rest of this by saying up front, I own a gear business and make gear for a living. So take that for what it’s worth.
It’s an oft followed trend for the Armed Prepared Citizen, to follow and mimic current military and law enforcement in selecting their gear. This is honestly a trap that many fall into, and one that people should really try to resist the urge to do. We need to be selecting gear that will work for OUR purposes, and ours alone. Just because the military uses something, or LE, or 3 gun competitors, etc… use something, doesn’t mean that it’s the best or even the appropriate items for us. The trend that I’ve seen for quite some years now, is for guys to copy what they see the cool guys doing and using. There is a flaw in this though that many seem to not realize. The way those guys operate, from their direct mission all the way up to and including their support chain, is vastly different than what ours are now, and ESPECIALLY if/once things go bad. We do not, and will not, have their same support structure and logistical train.
One specific example of this, is the trend to always use a plate carrier. Outside of a static defense role, this is a potentially fatal thing. How so you ask? I mean, after-all, armor stops bullets and that’s what we want right? Well, yes and no. Here are the negatives. For everything outside of the aforementioned static defense (think security/watch) we will want to be as absolutely mobile as possible. Even with the newer lightweight plates, you still won’t be as light and mobile as you will with a simple chest rig. Mobility is key for us. We have to be able to get out of a fight as quick as we got into it, and/or outmaneuver a threat. Like it or not, mobility and heavy infantry assault loads and/or plate carriers do not coincide. Another issue is heat. In all but the absolute coldest months, with any kind of movement, you will get hot. Very hot. For the military (and LE) this isn’t an issue, as they have a constant supply train to keep them stocked on things such as water. You an I however, be it patrolling our neighbor hood, our rural retreat, or whatever, water will be an issue. Go out in the mid-late summer months (especially in the deep south) and wear your plate carrier and all related gear, and do a realistic (distance/time wise) patrol and see how quickly you burn through your water. At my place, we can’t physically carry enough water to do a simple perimeter walk of the property wearing a plate carrier. Becoming a heat casualty will take you out just about as quickly as a bullet.
Our role’s as Armed Prepared Citizens, will most likely be much more akin to the LRRP teams of old (think Vietnam era) than of a modern day infantry platoon, SWAT team, or CAG/SEAL team. We’ll need to do security patrols inside of and around our neighborhoods/property, but not with the goal of getting into a fight. Our goal should be intelligence/information gathering, IE – know what’s going on immediately around us, and getting an early warning before someone who is a threat gets right on our door step. We want to be unseen, and, wait for it……, mobile. If we do end up in a fight, more times than not, our best course of action will probably be to get away from it, as opposed to fighting it out. Most of us (if we’re honest) just don’t/won’t have the manpower to field large teams, especially on a constant basis. Our gear should reflect this. A simple chest rig with 4-6 mags, and some spares in our pack, is probably a far better choice than our plate carrier with 8 mags on it, or a 10 mag chest rig that can double as a self worn TV tray.
Keep it light and simple. Palmetto State Armory AR pistol, UW Gear Mini-Swamp Fox and Smock-Lite by 0241 Tactical.
There are reasons why I make my gear the way I do. I’ve tried a lot of different load carrying setups over the years, starting with Vietnam era gear as a kid, my issue ALICE gear, up to and including current systems and plate carriers. I’ve also talked to many folks, who’ve worn it a lot longer and in a lot more places than I ever have, most of who had people shooting back at them, and I’ve taken a lot of input from them. Now, I’m not saying my gear is the way YOU should go. There may be someone else who makes something that fits your requirements better. The point is, look very hard at how you choose your gear and how you are setting it up. Keep mobility in the forefront of your mind.
Being light and mobile is key.
Gray Man
Hawkeye
Holy Serf
JC Dodge
Jesse James
johnyMac
Matt Bracken
NC Scout
Patriotman
Sam Culper
Thank you for your post, it makes a lot of sense, especially the ‘keeping it lightweight and mobile’ thoughts. I live waaay down south, (south of San Antonio Texas for reference) so have no idea what winter clime patrolling is like in real cold conditions Here, snow fall is extremely rare and when is hardly covers the ground at all. In the summer, water makes up most of the carried weight if we are far from the vehicles. Hardly any wild sources of water (if you don’t count windmills which are far away from cities any way) so knowing where… Read more »
It’s desirable to give up a little armor in exchange for extra mobility when you’re part of a group who’s bread and butter IS mobility.
This is a common discussion and the peer pressure antics are what lead most to their chosen gear. The vast majority do not actually use it. The same brain cells of mine that buy fishing lures are the ones that buy gear. It looked good in the store but now that it’s wet… Even if they were this or that once upon a time here or there that setup may not be the best. In other words I see a lot of desert stuff running around getting hung up on brush and sticking out like a sore thumb now. I… Read more »
As someone who was in .mil in the mid 80’s, we were issued the old fashioned ALICE LBE rig..Y or H harnesses, 2-4 mag pouches, 2 canteens, and a butt pack, pretty much handled everything we needed..We used the med or large ALICE ruck with or without the frame and called it a day. My go to rig today is the modern MOLLE version with a nice riggers belt inside a war belt, H harness, 2 mag pouches, two h20 rigs, IFAK, and admin pouch..If i need to hump something, small 3 day pack and i’m gtg… Damn near zero… Read more »
Hawkeye,side note comment.I after review you wrote did some more reading and bought a pair of the TruSpec pants you had written about.I will say they are user friendly in that digging/hiking/every day wear about very comfy and non binding no matter what position I find myself in doing chores.I was a little put off initially by pockets(plenty of em)being so laid out to the side leg but sure enough had em stuffed with stuff,found meself crawling under a home on piers and suddenly the side pockets seems very nice as had em jammed with small tools ect and yet… Read more »
I have no combat experience. I’ve seen this advice (skip the armor), yet I’ve heard the opposite from Mosby and other people I’ve taken classes from (wear the armor). Some guys split the middle and say “It depends.” Duh. If you ask Mosby, his response (roughly) is “Get stronger – you’ll live longer.” If I were in “intelligence collecting” and “break contact” mode (rather than Protracted Firefight Mode), wouldn’t it be somewhat better to keep 9lbs. of plates on and skip: a) 3 x 30 round mags (maybe total of 4), 1L of water (1.5L instead of 2.5L), and 1… Read more »
I’m going to take a different track here and approach this from a slightly different perspective by asking a few questions… How many of you have a fire extinguisher near by, just in case? How about jumper cables and a tool set in your vehicle, just in case? How many of you pay for car insurance, just in case? Home insurance, health insurance, you get the idea… How many of you, in this preparedness category, have food insurance? Armor is just one more form of insurance. It is not an absolute, but it is definitely a consideration. If you ask… Read more »
JohnyMac – I appreciate your time and your response. Thanks a bunch.
“…the trend to always use a plate carrier. Outside of a static defense role, this is a potentially fatal thing…..For everything outside of the aforementioned static defense (think security/watch) we will want to be as absolutely mobile as possible….Mobility is key for us. We have to be able to get out of a fight as quick as we got into it, and/or outmaneuver a threat….If we do end up in a fight, more times than not, our best course of action will probably be to get away from it, as opposed to fighting it out.” Point after point after point… Read more »
Good stuff as always. You always end up fighting the next war the way you fought the last one. People are copying mil gear for police actions, kicking in doors or riding in a truck till you get to your location, do the job, get back in the truck and go back to the FOB. If we got involved in a more green war with woods, swamps, jungles you would slowly see the gear change again back to 80s set ups. Slowly being the key word. Even those in great shape and young while wearing armor may not get prone… Read more »
For another perspective, read Joe Nobody’s book “The teotwawki tuxedo”.
Counter intuitive but crucial point of view on blending in. It may cause you to rethink everything in a more critical sense and remove your biases.
YMMV.
$0.02
100% true.
Plate carriers are bulky. And nothing will protect you from a barrage of 30 rounds of High Velocity Rifle ammo.
Any round to any part of the body is fatal.
Body armor is designed to make a soldier feel invincible. Which is why the charge straight towards the enemy.
What they don’t tell you is that nobody is aiming for your armor.
They aim for your face and your legs.
You could, In theory, take the plates out of your rig. But heat mitigation is still an issue.
As always, the correct answer is…it depends. I know people who will use a wrench as a hammer. Every-single-time: it is appropriate to use the correct tool for the task at hand. Unfortunately, we don’t always know up front what the task at hand is. Only you know what your AO is, what support you have is, and what your capabilities are. At 60, I’m not planning on doing the same amount of humping that I did when I played with Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children. I also don’t know what I will be faced with in the future. It’s best… Read more »
What’s camo in one place may stick out like turd in a punchbowl elsewhere.
Good write up, I feel like if most people would test their gear out in conditions other than a flat range they would learn so much so fast. Walking through the woods helps you figure out real quick that anything without retention while nice for fast access tends to fall out or get snagged and pulled out, hell I even had a cleaning rod under my AK disappear without me seeing it come out. On the range though at a minimum get down in prone, try some less than ideal positions working around barriers and this will also tell you… Read more »
I never served. But I’m deep into weapons being a manufacturer of aluminum modular weapons. I run into a lot of Prepper/Militia types really concerned about their KIT. It always seems to involve armor and a heavy pack. They live where I live. In the burbs man. I don’t think we will have adequate warning when the shit starts. Grab as many mags as you can stuff in your pants and start trying to survive might be the real shit. And if you want cammo, paint yourself up as a house or a fence. It’ll be a chore to get… Read more »
Having a hard time finding the Smock Lite from 0241. Do you, or anyone else, have a good link?
Great article and follows exactly the way I approach my gear, both as a professional and as an armed citizen. Lighter, faster, smarter is my mantra when it comes to this.