discussing what's needed and not, I think of it as a layering approach determined by finances. first thing, get a good weapon with fixed sights and plenty of spare mags. lots of ammo and training is a good thing and should be in the budget but sometimes it is what it is...
any rifle needs a sling. sling is to rifle as holster is to pistol. if you can seriously say your gun will never need to be fired in low light conditions, forego the light but think long and hard about that question...
an optic of some kind makes hitting easier but I would sooner use irons sights than some crappy $100 turd just to say I got one. and quad rails are a good idea when lasers and other ancillary equipment needs to be mounted but if all your putting out there is a light and maybe a VFG of some kind, there's other ways to do that...
next is your carry gear - if you can afford the best, get it, you won't regret it. but if you can't, I don't see it as shameful to get what you can afford and upgrade when you can. some of the cheap stuff works because it is a copy of good gear and the sacrifice is durability. and some doesn't. at all. in my mind, this is part of what training is for - to wring out my gear, adjusting, rearranging, dumping what doesn't work and keeping what does.
training comes in different flavors. carrying mags in pockets is fine as some people have stated but some situations and training require more than that. for a carbine class at any level beyond Fundamental, I like using a good belt and chest rig. I also have a PC for training when it's required. for CCW or urban carry classes, I use my IWB holster and normal everyday gear and mags in pockets works well here.
no doubt, running with minimal gear is more comfortable. what I don't want to do is train exclusively the lightest or slickest I can go every time as I don't get any training on the gear I have. I actually want training to test me and if this means carrying more weight, then I put this down to conditioning and readiness with gear necessary for more involved applications. it's important to make the distinction between those situations and dress accordingly though...


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