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Thread: Need some Gear! Thoughts on belts, holsters, rigs…

  1. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lowdown3 View Post

    *You don't want a bunch of extraneous crap hanging off your gear. Don't "stack" mag pouches, nothing hanging loose to catch on stuff, etc.

    *Tie down anything your serious about keeping. "But it's Molle"- use black zip ties as a backup to that. Doesn't really add weight but does add insurance.
    1 million percent, yes. I zip tie everything, once i figure out it's exactly where i want/need it to stay. And I work very hard to get all of it TIGHT to my body, as best I can. GREAT advice, sir!!!

    also, carry some extra zip ties, just in case. 2 is 1, 1 is none.
    "It is only the warrior who chooses pacifism. All others are condemned to it."

    "Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem."
    Dangerous Freedom over Peaceful Slavery.

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lowdown3 View Post
    So get all your gear on, unloaded rifle in hand and check some stuff- move your rifle from shoulder to shoulder, when your on your "off" side check can you access mags. Kneel down and do the same from both sides. Now go prone. This part may be enlightening- how low can you go with your gear? Anything not accessible now? Move around, see what needs to happen in order to access: mags, TQ, pistol, knives, etc. What about supine? Then move around in the gear a bit. This will give you a decent idea of what may be knocking, what may need tightening, etc.

    The biggest thing is just get out to some classes, spend some time in the field with your gear, etc. Good luck.
    Totally agree, and thanks for whoever said the QLS fork
    Dr. Carter G. Woodson, “History shows that it does not matter who is in power or what revolutionary forces take over the government, those who have not learned to do for themselves and have to depend solely on others never obtain any more rights or privileges in the end than they had in the beginning.”

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lowdown3 View Post
    If your getting out there regularly you will find that your gear will change a lot over time and as you gain experience with it.

    My load out from 1987 was nothing like my load out from 1997 which is nothing like my load out from today.

    Also my load out from when I was young and dumb and we challenged each other to carry 80+ lbs. on 20 mile rucks is much different than my 35 lb 'ish rucks now with slightly less ammo but more "old man" comforts like better cold weather gear. But I've also done 2 mile run/hike/hills challenges with that weight in a ruck and done well, so for me it's better than 40 more lbs. of crap I can't move fast with.

    Experience factors in there also- I had hypothermia twice in the field when I was young. Now certain cold weather gear stays in my rucks year round, does not get switched out for "summer vs. winter."

    As far as "training gear" and "fighting gear" you mentioned- IMO there really shouldn't be a difference. If you have plates you should train in your plates. I've run up many a mountainside with plates and chest rig on, and I'm a thousand years old- you can too.

    You'll never know if your "fighting gear" is adequate if you don't at least train regularly in it.


    Some GENERAL considerations re: gear-

    *Avoid large solid black pieces of gear. It does not blend well in the field.

    *Set your gear up so you can use your rifle both right and left handed. This begs the question can you access at least some of your mags while shooting left handed?

    *You don't want a bunch of extraneous crap hanging off your gear. Don't "stack" mag pouches, nothing hanging loose to catch on stuff, etc.

    *Tie down anything your serious about keeping. "But it's Molle"- use black zip ties as a backup to that. Doesn't really add weight but does add insurance.

    *Differentiate between square range fun times and actual field use- How about that pack of Lifesavers look? What am I talking about?? The electrical tape on mags so you can find them easier. Some guys put the tape too low and then you see red, yellow, green, etc. sticking out across the front of their chest rig- looks like a dang pack of Lifesavers candy....

    *Same as above goes for the "morale" patches with bright colors, etc. I've seen guys put more into their morale patches than their functional gear... and it showed...

    So get all your gear on, unloaded rifle in hand and check some stuff- move your rifle from shoulder to shoulder, when your on your "off" side check can you access mags. Kneel down and do the same from both sides. Now go prone. This part may be enlightening- how low can you go with your gear? Anything not accessible now? Move around, see what needs to happen in order to access: mags, TQ, pistol, knives, etc. What about supine? Then move around in the gear a bit. This will give you a decent idea of what may be knocking, what may need tightening, etc.

    The biggest thing is just get out to some classes, spend some time in the field with your gear, etc. Good luck.
    Quote Originally Posted by Hank6046 View Post
    Totally agree, and thanks for whoever said the QLS fork

    What a solid post!! Thank you for the advice!

  4. #14
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    Instead of thinking about multiple sets of gear for different scenarios, have one layered set that scales up seamlessly.

    My everyday carry is a G19 on a Blue Alpha Gear belt with two spare mags. It's stiff enough to carry some weight, but not overtly tactical. I can add AR mags on Crye Magclips to scale it up. No having to switch belts, add or remove pouches, etc. Just grab and go. Same with scaling back down. Simply take the AR mags off and it's back to everyday carry mode.

    My armor is a Crye low vis MBAV. With just the soft armor it's very concealable. Easily concealed under a shirt. Even with the hard plates it can be concealed under a jacket or hoody. The cummerbund can carry four AR mags, a radio and two mags, a radio and a first aid kit, a first aid kit and two mags, etc.

    For night vision, I have a PVS14 on a Crye Nightcap. Broken down, it all fits in my pockets. Vs. duals on a helmet that takes up an entire backpack all by itself.

    Then for the full on nobody gives a **** anymore overt mode, I have a simple chest rig and a ballistic helmet.

    For comms, the Surefire Sonic Defenders are pretty nice. You can integrate them with a PTT and they look pretty normal if you're just wearing the one with the wire. People would just assume it's some janky earbud off wish or something. And they do a pretty good job of protecting you from very loud noises without totally ruining your awareness. I wouldn't wear them at the range, at least not by themselves, but in a life and death kind of situation they're plenty good. For a radio, the Yaesu FT65 is a really good value. They're super easy to unlock to get GMRS/FRS and MURS. Baofengs are great to hand out, but they suck pretty hard and are unreliable as a primary.

    For clothing, backpacking gear in neutral colors is good, or if like me you live in a region where hunters camo is considered fashionable those work really well. I can walk around Walmart in hunters camo and it's as normal as Levi's around here.

  5. #15
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    Great topic. I myself need guidance here, as I am focusing more on training and battle belts are mostly required for classes. I have no experience with them but have browsed online a bit. I think I prefer the belt that velcros to the under belt.

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cips View Post
    Great topic. I myself need guidance here, as I am focusing more on training and battle belts are mostly required for classes. I have no experience with them but have browsed online a bit. I think I prefer the belt that velcros to the under belt.
    for a "battle belt"... i like a padded belt with molle and suspenders.
    Last edited by Entryteam; 08-06-21 at 11:44.
    "It is only the warrior who chooses pacifism. All others are condemned to it."

    "Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem."
    Dangerous Freedom over Peaceful Slavery.

  7. #17
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    dbltap
    "It is only the warrior who chooses pacifism. All others are condemned to it."

    "Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem."
    Dangerous Freedom over Peaceful Slavery.

  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by cundiff5535 View Post
    What a solid post!! Thank you for the advice!
    The only thing I would say is, if you don't go 'to the field,' then color really doesn't matter. If it'd for classes, range time, and home defense, then pick whatever color you choose.

    But everything else in that post you quoted (post #10), yeah.....
    Last edited by chuckman; 08-06-21 at 12:56.

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cips View Post
    Great topic. I myself need guidance here, as I am focusing more on training and battle belts are mostly required for classes. I have no experience with them but have browsed online a bit. I think I prefer the belt that velcros to the under belt.
    There are a lot of these, Blue Alpha Gear, Ferro Concepts, HSGI, Ronin Tactics, etc. They all are intended for that purpose and they are pretty highly recommended as far as I know. I used to use the AWS version, and I still have it. The draw back is that for living in Wisconsin and taking classes here, I tend to start out with a hoodie or jacket in the mornings, go to a tshirt mid-day and then back to another layer in the evenings. Because of that I have gone to a hybrid the Grey Ghost Gear belt, where the interior belt is heavily padded for internal use but can also be drawn through belt loops. The only drawback is that in a tshirt with belt loops it is bulkier then others, and then over a hoodie or jacket, it moves around on your slightly because there is less material to grab on to you (hoping that makes sense).

    I do sort of miss my old viking tactics belt which was just a fat padded over the top belt, and as @Entryteam stated with suspenders fully loaded it makes a lot of sense. I look at it this way, are you clearing rooms or patrolling. Each can roll into whatever you want, but certain application are better served by different setups.

    https://www.highspeedgear.com/belts?p=2
    https://ferroconcepts.com/products/the-bison-belt
    https://www.ronintactics.com/store/p...F%29_Belt.html
    https://awsin.com/assault-belt-system/
    https://www.bluealphabelts.com/produ...nd-duty-belts/
    https://greyghostgear.com/products/u...h-padded-inner
    https://www.vikingtactics.com/product-p/vtac-bb.htm
    Last edited by Hank6046; 08-06-21 at 13:22. Reason: Links!!!
    Dr. Carter G. Woodson, “History shows that it does not matter who is in power or what revolutionary forces take over the government, those who have not learned to do for themselves and have to depend solely on others never obtain any more rights or privileges in the end than they had in the beginning.”

  10. #20
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    The Safariland 6004 is outdated at this juncture; the SLS only retention isn't terrible, but there's absolutely no reason to not go with an ALS holster, which most folks find easier to draw from, and also automatically locks upon holstering, short of Safariland not offering a holster to fit what you need for ALS. Look to the 63xx series from Safariland, IMO, over the 6004.
    Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

    老僧三十年前未參禪時、見山是山、見水是水、及至後夾親見知識、有箇入處、見山不是山、見水不是水、而今得箇體歇處、依然見山秪是山、見水秪是水。

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