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Thread: Gear check please! Day/Night PC, belt and Night Recon

  1. #1
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    Gear check please! Day/Night PC, belt and Night Recon

    Daytime patrol setup

    My first line belt is:
    ESSTAC belt
    ESSTAC KIWIS
    Gerber fixed blade
    Compact Mesh Dump pouch
    TQ
    Blue force gear micro IFAK
    Safariland low ride thigh holster for G19 and M&P 2.0

    PC
    OP Tactical Mayflower
    Spiritus Mk2 placard
    GPS pouch
    Hand held flashlight pouch
    Blue force gear large IFAK
    Tactical Tailor GP pouch (2 smoke grenades, 3 nut bars
    Baofeng UV9R 8w Radio with tac antenna

    The PC can be converted to a chest rig, Spiritus straps in the rear GP pouch

    QRF Home Defense PC
    Grey Ghost Gear minimalist PC
    3 mag front pouch
    Back GP pouch

    Night Recon setup

    First line belt
    ESSTAC BELT
    ESSTAC KIWIS
    Mesh compact dump pouch
    Blue force gear micro IFAK
    TQ
    T-Rex Ragnarok mid ride
    Safariland UBL

    Haley Strategic Black Friday special black multicam and med dangler

    Pots

    Crye Mich high cut
    Crye Airframe black multicam bump

    10 years in the Outback and out of focus with new products...bear with me.
    Last edited by Rrotz; 10-01-20 at 07:05.

  2. #2
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    What exactly is your mission?
    AQ planned for years and sent their A team to carry out the attacks, and on Flight 93 they were thwarted by a pick-up team made up of United Frequent Fliers. Many people look at 9/11 and wonder how we can stop an enemy like that. I look at FL93 and wonder, "How can we lose?". -- FromMyColdDeadHand

  3. #3
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    Why do you need different sets for day and night? That doesn’t make sense.


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  4. #4
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    ^^^ mission set will dictate your set up. Without knowing that can't really make a valid assessment.

    First issues I notice (in general from a lot of people wearing PCs for work)-

    I see way too many people think they need everything on their carrier. More stuff to get in the way and hang up on a sling. If your mission truly dictates it, figure out optimal placement.

    Stuff on your back sucks if you spend any time in a vehicle. It's also highly impractical to access if not operating as a team. I'm a fairly flexible athletic dude with long arms and struggle to reach my back in full kit. I only keep flex cuffs run through the molle.

    Ideally med gear should be accessible with both hands.

    Overall, figure out what gear is a must have on your person, and everything else should be in a duty bag or gear bag. I like to keep my gear as streamlined as possible

    Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk
    Last edited by maxpetros; 10-02-20 at 04:11.

  5. #5
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    The Mayflower is a heavy patrol loadout, side steel plates, large medkit, large gp pouch, GPS, handheld flashlight, and radio. I will get my Hesco L210's this week...3 sets.

    The Spiritus harness is in the back lower pouch with just a poncho, fire starters and the top pouch has fruit and nut bars that I'm able to reach back and grab some snacks without having to doff the PC. I may remove the back pouches and go with my 3 day ruck.

    My 3 day ruck has my black 511 Apex pants and black multicam combat top. And a pair of grey Sketchers, plus the Haley Strategic chest rig.

    The minimalist PC is for home defense or QRF.

    The mission in case of SHTF, riots, violence or looting in my AO is to either shelter in place or link up with my neighborhood team with their families and my family and we know where the Island WW2 bunkers and the abandoned NIKE missile sites are.


    10 years in the Outback and out of focus with new products...bear with me.
    Last edited by Rrotz; 10-02-20 at 00:59.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by maxpetros View Post
    ^^^ mission set will dictate your set up. Without knowing that can't really make a valid assessment.

    First issues I notice (in general from a lot of people wearing PCs for work)-

    I see way too many people think they need everything on their carrier. More shit to get in the way and hang up on a sling. If your mission truly dictates it, figure out optimal placement.

    Stuff on your back sucks if you spend any time in a vehicle. It's also highly impractical to access if not operating as a team. I'm a fairly flexible athletic dude with long arms and struggle to reach my back in full kit. I only keep flex cuffs run through the molle.

    Ideally med gear should be accessible with both hands.

    Overall, figure out what gear is a must have on your person, and everything else should be in a duty bag or gear bag. I like to keep my gear as streamlined as possible

    Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk
    Thanks, good remarks. I'll remove the rear pouches but it it will be front heavy.

    10 years in the Outback and out of focus with new products...bear with me.

  7. #7
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    The belt line seems to be a belt line like any other; only gripe is, I don't know your waistline, but maybe watch those shears don't jab you in the back if sitting in a vehicle or falling on your ass, which I can only assume in a wet, vegetated environment like yours is a matter of "when" not "if".
    #ouch.

    You mention "patrol" and "recon" missions.
    Timeframe? Do you need a ruck, or just a day/assault pack?
    Also where's the water? You live in Hawaii and you want to patrol, like...

    Random back-mounted GP pouches are...meh; cool kids with cool friends use back panels (or at least a std/small Haley Flatpack), plus also Max's points above about personal access. I really don't understand how you can reach either of those current GP pouches without help, or doffing the PC. Is your middle name Monkey D. ?
    Also, trying to wear a ruck/daypack over backpanels/random GP pockets doesn't play well... As I don't know the duration of mission you're planning for, I'll leave it at that.
    The Haley pack *may* be an interesting idea as it can direct-molle to your PC like a back panel, and can zip flat to hold only a water bladder, or expand pockets to hold more 'stuff'.
    For your worries of an unbalanced rig, if not wearing a daypack, I've found a 2 or 3Liter bladder balances things out nicely. You'd still have to remove it to wear a pack, but for shorter duration events...maybe worthwhile?

    Not to mention, all the GP space in the world, and a whopping 4 mags, like those are rookie numbers mate, you gotta pump those up!

    At some point you will come to loathe and despise that antenna. Maybe it can be re-routed elsewhere? Are you going to be running a PTT with it?

    I don't know what's in the left-rear big-ass clamshell GP, but if it's only 2 smokes, like daym....
    Also, IMHO, and after an exasperating level of experience trying to fit too much gear onto too small of a space, I've rarely found single-use pouches (flashlight, GPS, Multitool, etc) to be worth it (outside of a belt-line). Sort of an inefficient use of space.
    Get yourself a less-massive GP with a little bit of internal organization, or ability to add some (like a Crye/other 3x3 GP w/ velcro interior for elastic org cards), yeet those single-use pouches, pop on that organizer GP up front there instead, and stick all your lights, GPS, batteries, and nut bars in that, which you are NOT going to need 'RTFN', but still require easy access to. You've got your pistol on a drop-platform and bumping some normal-sized pouches forward shouldn't interfere with it, as long as they don't hang below the bottom of your c-bund.

    Then, find some proper smoke pouches with a buckle (assuming you have large-size smokes?), turn them upside down, and now you can mount them to a more rearward spot (either both on one side, or one on each, molle space dependent) while retaining reasonably quick one-hand access.
    Given your stated "patrol" mission, sorting through a GP with random 'other' stuff in it (not to mention half behind your back AND a clamshell) seems no beuno in a break-contact situation.

    Then get literally any decent double-mag pouch and stick it on your C-bund right behind that right-front organizer GP, or in front of it; doesn't really matter as long as both of those pouches are within the "critical first 5 columns" of Molle space on your side, and you can work the zipper on the GP one-handed without contortions.
    ALTERNATIVELY, forget the front-side GP, and get a Zipper Top insert for the front pocket of your Spiritus panel and toss all those goodies in there.

    Finally take your IFAK, swap sides, and bump it up right behind your radio so hopefully now you can get at it with either hand.
    That being said, I can also appreciate how a very tall and fat IFAK like the BFG-NOW that drops below the 'bund could potentially block your belt-line mag-draw. You may want to experiment with a 4x3 Horizontal pouch that doesn't fall below the C-bund, but should still hold the same a amount of stuff. Literally any pouch can work for this if it fits what you want; just put everything in a ziploc, and voila! Poor-man's "pull-out" IFAK.

    TL/DR, PC Re-org:
    PC Front> Spiritus Panel + Zip front pocket insert (if needed)
    Left C-bund, front to rear> Radio > IFAK > Smoke/s[?]
    Right C-bund, front to rear> 2x M4 mag pouch > 3x3/other GP > Smoke/s[?]
    PC Rear> Slick for day/assault/ruck/vehicle use [OR] Standalone water bladder/Haley Small Flatpack/ Zip Panel (pick one)

    YMMV. But that should get you a pretty good "general use" setup that balances your loadout, while keeping it all still "trim enough".

    The Spiritus harness is in the back lower pouch with just a poncho, fire starters.....
    All that goes in/on your daypack.
    Or if you really want to get hardcore, some of the survival stuff goes in your pants/shirt pockets.
    Your PC/CR is your 'fighting load', not your 'sustainment equipment'. Or as someone here put it well in a past gear thread, "things that sneak up on you; darkness and hunger don't sneak up on you."
    Sure, there can/will be a little overlap; but I've seen people do the 'kitchen sink on a PC' loadout (tried it myself). It always ends up very heavy, bulky, and inevitably frustrating. My big takeaway from the last several years of gear experimentation is that, if you're going to do serious shit, there's really no getting away from carrying some sort of daypack/assault pack/med bag/ruck, no matter how much I hate it.
    Trying to fit it ALL on your CR/PC is just going to drive you crazy...
    "Once we get some iron in our souls, we'll get some iron in our hands..."

    "...A rapid, aggressive response will let you get away with some pretty audacious things if you are willing to be mean, fast, and naked."-Failure2Stop

    "The Right can meme; the Left can organize. I guess now we know which one is important." - Random internet comment

  8. #8
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    Two big thumbs up for a really well written post.
    Forgot to mention
    1. The importance of a ruck/quality bag with sustainment gear if you really plan to do any type of recon/bug out/overland movement. With that comes a significant other skillset far outside of shooting and firearms.

    2. Plate carriers don't always play nice with packs over distance. Especially with a ton of stuff on your back. Take time to tweak your set up and pack for long term comfort. Mystery ranch makes some great gear that integrates nicely with armor.


    Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

  9. #9
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    If you don’t practice patrolling, don’t have a “heavy patrol load out.”
    AQ planned for years and sent their A team to carry out the attacks, and on Flight 93 they were thwarted by a pick-up team made up of United Frequent Fliers. Many people look at 9/11 and wonder how we can stop an enemy like that. I look at FL93 and wonder, "How can we lose?". -- FromMyColdDeadHand

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by ggammell View Post
    If you don’t practice patrolling, don’t have a “heavy patrol load out.”
    This.

    Patrolling is a perishable skill and equipment needs are determined by the length and mission of the patrol.


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