Deployment Personal Gear

[Surgicalcric]

Originally Posted by ccrn

...Our unit actually told us if we were killed wearing non-issue armor that our SGLI would be revoked...

The reason such was started is because PFC-CSM Joe Snuffy has no idea what level of protection he needs for a given threat. It is easier to deny guys buying armor from ebay, LE gear shops, etc - which in more cases than not doesnt meet the same standard as that which is issued - simple because its lighter than it is trying to evaluate each piece of armor every guy wants to buy.

Crip

[Aoresteen]

Birthday & aniversary cards.

This trip I brought all the greeting cards I would need while I'm gone. The PX never has any cards that you need. If your Uncle's step-son is graduating from chef's school they will have a card for it but a birthday card for your wife, never.

Just put them in a 1 gal zip-lock bag.

[badshot]

The Suunto's are nice tools but aren't as strong as they could be...with that said some things not mentioned:

1) a couple of small tubes of JB Weld
2) Roll or two of high quality electrical tape.
3) Cloth tape
4) Sewing kit - Kevlar or Nylon thread

I put back together a Suunto 9i using JB Weld and electrical tape, the tape held everything in place until the JB Weld dried. Used a Leatherman file to round off any edges. Its stronger than the original was. Good cloth tape is hard to find but is good for sound reduction on stuff, getting a better grip, or can be used as patch material. If you tear stuff up like me, especially gloves, a good compact Sewing kit will double their life.

[MDB]

Here's my shortlist. Much has been discussed alredy....

Must haves:
- Good personal flashlight. My Surefire 6P (LED upgrade) lasted two tours. LED upgrade pushes usable battery life to 12+ hours at 80 lumens.
- Ipod, a no-brainer. How I survived on CD's in 2004 is beyond me. Buy good headphones.
- A mini-laptop. I bought a cheap $350 Acer netbook from Amazon and it was small enough to tote everywhere.
- A digital camera.
- Thorlo's, 8 pairs have lasted me over a year and still going strong. Opinions will vary on these but I've loved them.
- Danner TFX's. Best boots I've worn, hands down. Like the thorlo's, your mileage may vary.
- A good sling. 3-pointers seem clumsy. I've used a VTAC 2-point and an SKD single point. Both have their uses.
- Good eye pro. I wish I'd bought a pair FlakJackets earlier. The issue ESS glasses never fit my head just right.

Good to haves:
- A good notebook. Green book cover by AITES (no longer in production) is great. Keeps the pens, protractors, quicky cards, rosters etc easily organized. I like to be organized; and it fits in a SAW pouch perfect.
- A pistol lanyard for your NVG's. Get a bungee lanyard and tie it off to your NVG's. Get an S-ring from the PX and connect them. You never have to worry about silly dummy cord in your face during night missions, the bungee lanyard is always held taught and out of your way on the back of your ACH.
- Mini-D-rings or PX S-rings to tie your stuff down, take extras.
- Mini-lights from the PX, attach them to everything, makes life so much easier.
- Casio Pathfinder. I cannot compare to other 'tactical' watches, but this pre-deployment gift from my wife continues to serve me well.
- Markers, pens, paint-pens, pencils, protractors, 550 cord, 100mph tape; all by the pallet.
- A printer. I had to beg and borrow to print documents many times. I wish I'd bought a cheapo printer. Even as 11B I was surprised how much stuff I had to print while deployed (the second time, first time we had no power).

Back to reading and learning.....

[ixo]

Some stuff I always bring:
AM/FM Transmitter for IPOD (with cig charger)
extra pt gear (they always sold out)
Moleskin, lots of it
1 Bottle of Aloe for sunburns
some twin size sheets
Baby whipes
extra DEET
Zip ties and an extra Poncho


It's great during sandstorms to zip tie the poncho to your each hand and both your feet and attempt to fly. Always great entertainer.

[bosljeff]

If your personal laptop is a Mac, you can subscribe to the MobileMe feature and just store your personal stuff out there in the mobileme "cloud". It also has an option to copy that cloud to your hard drive in case you lose or don't have access online for whatever reason. It will sync later when you get back online.

[D6Romeo]

When I deployed we got 3 issued duffel bags to fill with our gear and whatever extra room we had thats for personal use. And an assault pack. But then you can throw a few things in the tough boxes that are shipped out before you leave if your lucky.

[Snaquebite]

D6Romeo,

Do not post again until you have complied with the instructions you recieved when you signed up at PS.com.

[khy3eb]

Originally Posted by Aoresteen

If your Uncle's step-son is graduating from chef's school they will have a card for it but a birthday card for your wife, never.

True enough, I've gotten by this deployment just sending random cards and then writing a little note apologizing for the card having nothing to do with the event that I'm sending it for. My family thinks is kinda funny and understands that the PX doesn't always have what I need it to.

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned here are those little plastic water-tight containers for keeping your ID cards in. My CAC, Eagle Cash card, and calling cards all sit in one right now. That or one of those bloody armband ID holders.

[Guy]

"Concealable" holster for pistol & mags.

Civilian clothing, not "all" 5-11s and colors other than tan.

Sports jacket.

A real belt not the A7-A strap.

Shoes other than hiking boots.

[kawika]

They make shoes other than hikers? I bet next your going to tell me some craziness like theres watches other than suuntos and hats other than tan ones with american flags on them.

But seriously I always bring a GPS running watch. It combats the old team philosphy of "we ran for 30 minutes so thats a minimum 4 miles." A fat grip to put on a workout bar is nice ( similiar to this Fat Grip)

Phone cards, you never know. Extra weapons cleaning stuff the bravos don't have (synthetic lube, bronze non marring picks, extra patches). I definately second the concealable holster, its hilarious when you see senior e-7's using their belt loops as a holster.

Your own sights is always nice such as a magnifer for your EOTECH or personal preference. Same goes with small things like slings and buttstocks.

Coming up in the rear is microfiber towels and a stove system(jetboil).

[18B30P]

-Non-standard uniforms (BDU/DCU/MARPAT)

-Sewing kit

-550 Cord

[kgoerz]

Originally Posted by MDB

Here's my shortlist. Much has been discussed alredy....

Must haves:
- Good personal flashlight. My Surefire 6P (LED upgrade) lasted two tours. LED upgrade pushes usable battery life to 12+ hours at 80 lumens.
- Ipod, a no-brainer. How I survived on CD's in 2004 is beyond me. Buy good headphones.
- A mini-laptop. I bought a cheap $350 Acer netbook from Amazon and it was small enough to tote everywhere.
- A digital camera.
- Thorlo's, 8 pairs have lasted me over a year and still going strong. Opinions will vary on these but I've loved them.
- Danner TFX's. Best boots I've worn, hands down. Like the thorlo's, your mileage may vary.
- A good sling. 3-pointers seem clumsy. I've used a VTAC 2-point and an SKD single point. Both have their uses.
- Good eye pro. I wish I'd bought a pair FlakJackets earlier. The issue ESS glasses never fit my head just right.

Good to haves:
- A good notebook. Green book cover by AITES (no longer in production) is great. Keeps the pens, protractors, quicky cards, rosters etc easily organized. I like to be organized; and it fits in a SAW pouch perfect.
- A pistol lanyard for your NVG's. Get a bungee lanyard and tie it off to your NVG's. Get an S-ring from the PX and connect them. You never have to worry about silly dummy cord in your face during night missions, the bungee lanyard is always held taught and out of your way on the back of your ACH.
- Mini-D-rings or PX S-rings to tie your stuff down, take extras.
- Mini-lights from the PX, attach them to everything, makes life so much easier.
- Casio Pathfinder. I cannot compare to other 'tactical' watches, but this pre-deployment gift from my wife continues to serve me well.
- Markers, pens, paint-pens, pencils, protractors, 550 cord, 100mph tape; all by the pallet.
- A printer. I had to beg and borrow to print documents many times. I wish I'd bought a cheapo printer. Even as 11B I was surprised how much stuff I had to print while deployed (the second time, first time we had no power).

Back to reading and learning.....

We all did it when we were in. Buying gear out of our pockets. In a perfect world our unit would get it. But not all units have impact cards readily available to the guys with boots on the ground.
I always tell the students that sometimes spending money out of your pocket comes with the territory. Especially weapons accessories, slings, lights....etc. I don't like it, but nothing is more important then your life sustaining first line gear.

[perdurabo]

Originally Posted by bosljeff

If your personal laptop is a Mac, you can subscribe to the MobileMe feature and just store your personal stuff out there in the mobileme "cloud". It also has an option to copy that cloud to your hard drive in case you lose or don't have access online for whatever reason. It will sync later when you get back online.

Or, if you have limited space requirements, you can get a free 2GB Dropbox.com account, which is accessible natively on virtually every desktop and mobile platform, or via a web browser on multi-user computers in the mess area or wherever.

[BryanK]

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who posted on this thread. This is my first deployment, and several things mentioned here I bought before MOB. I don't know how I'd keep my sanity without them! Although I had to kick out a good bit of money, it was well worth it. To those deploying/deployed, good luck and may God be with you all. Take care!