Do you train in full kit? Why or why not?

[StrikeFace]

I don't post often here at M4C because I'm usually too busy learning all sorts of useful stuff from you guys.

Anyway, this thread doesn't deal specifically with any type of weapon or equipment, so I put it in fieldcraft. Fieldcraft threads are rare for some reason. Suppose it could go under fitness, but that’s not really it either.

I apologize in advance if this topic has been covered somewhere else but the search terms "full kit" and "battle rattle" didn't come back with anything I felt like necroposting. Mods have mercy.

Just for clarification: I’m a do-nothing nobody that was military and now does the contractor thing.

Back to the topic: It's a silly question on the surface, but I'd still like to explore it since it seems like there are a ton of, well, hypocritical dudes (military and contractor) out there when it comes to doing training in full kit. “Train like you fight” is beaten into our heads over and over by the military and has been shown to be useful. If you only train in comfy clothes on sunny days, you’ll never “suffer to conform” (learn the limitations of your gear) nor will you be able to modify your rig for actual real world applications instead of what you think you need. If I didn’t put the gear on and go roll around in it, climb things, operate vehicles, etc. I would have never learned that I really don’t need to carry as much crap as I see a lot of tattooed geardos posting on Facebook.

I was doing battle drills out on the gravel with my Joes earlier and got to thinking that I'm probably the only guy in my particular outfit that trains in full battle rattle. When I attend schools back in the States (both local legends and Big Name Guys), I got noticing that many students and instructors today train in a t-shirt with a Batman gadget belt despite having been deployed a million times, getting a confirmed kill with a homemade tomahawk, general badassery, etc.

Couple of things came up:

- What’s up with the 3 day carbine course in t-shirt and jeans w/ battle belt? Is that good training? I’m totally on the battle belt wagon, just not as a solo piece of kit. My battle belt is 1st line gear, not for rifle mags. I always run a chest rig or plate carrier as my main platform since I'll always have one on when I'm doing my job.

- Do you feel that training without your gear makes sense when you’ll always be wearing it "at work?" Focusing on shooting fundamentals or land nav might not require gear. What situations do you think gear is inappropriate? I know I’d look a little off to the crowd if I was wearing full kit at the local range to practice slow fire pistol shots next to the typical NRA grandpa.

…

We all get it: wearing gear sucks. It’s heavy, hot and awkward to move around in but it is designed to carry the things you’ll need (ammo, commo, pyro, tools) and protect you (those annoying ceramic plates). All of life isn’t a dress rehearsal—I get that—but I feel like we don’t use the things we own enough to justify owning them.

Thoughts? Stories? Jokes?

[SOW_0331]

From another nobody...

Keep on keepin' on! I suppose in their defense, people go to those courses for different things. Nothing wrong with it, but for some, the focus of the training is to learn new things for the range, others for three gun, and yet some for combat.

Anyone training for combat, who is NOT wearing what they are going to wear out the wire, is cheating themselves. It's on them, but you are doing what I would do, for what that is worth.

[LRS RGR]

I'm a big believer in the concept of "crawl, walk, run".

If we are doing something new, start off fairly "clean" for lack of a better word. Then pickup the pace and add kit to the exercise. Doesn't matter if its shooting, IAD's, SOP's or full-blown re-hersal for operations.

Just my .02

[Apricotshot]

In my case, I wear a belt in classes. It's all situational I guess. In my day to day life I won't be able to get to plate carriers or vests. The belt has everything I need on it that I can just grab and go. So that's what I take to classes and use.

[BushmasterFanBoy]

In my daily life, I'm not going to be humping ANY kit, so when I train, I train for what I'll grab in an emergency, which is my belt. Now, if I were mil, I'd definitely be training in the kit that I'd wear daily (ALL of it), and quite frankly, I think you'd be stupid not to.

[Ironman8]

Just a civilian, but when I train (at classes) the purpose of that training is to learn how to defend my life in whatever situation that presents itself. Now I realize that, as a civ, I may not always have my full kit, but my theory is that:

A) I want to be comfortable with my "battle loadout" and know that I can physically carry the extra weight and still be effective.

B) If you can do it with your full load-out, then you can do it even better with just pants and a t-shirt.

I used to have a Rhodesian chest rig set up that had 4 M4 mags on the front, 2 pistol mags, holster with sidearm, and a miscellaneous pouch on the bib. I didn't do the whole battle belt thing until recently, so I had no choice but to train in that rig

Now, I've moved to a battle belt and plate carrier. The last class I went to, I trained half the class with the full loadout, and half with just the battle belt. As I become more used to the extra weight, I will train more of the class in the full loadout...not to mention I need to get in better cardio shape too...

[markm]

I'm somewhat the opposite. I'm not a professional Soldier, so training in a bunch of gear I'm not likely to have in a real shooting isn't doing me any favors. I don't even have a batman belt for classes because I'd never deploy that thing in any other situation.

I go to class with cargo pants, boots, and a long sleeve shirt or BDU coat.... and jam mags in pockets and such.

[QuietShootr]

I do, but I'm also beginning to organize a boycott and social ostracism of the word "kit".

[markm]

I do, but I'm also beginning to organize a boycott and social ostracism of the word "kit".

What about in the KNIGHT RIDER context?

[Abraxas]

This does not apply to those who actually deploy, but many taking classes these days are average joes who dress in jeans and a t-shirt. So likely IF they ever need to engage they are not going to be in full battle rattle.