Other than your weapon, optics and ammo, what is the most essential item you have used in you're hide, or would use? I would have to say Copenhagen and a well worn woobie would tie for first for me.
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Most important piece of kit
- Thread starter Delta4-3
- Start date
Haha! I had to google that, thanks, now all my google pop up adds will not be gun stuff!
One deployment my wife sent me a pocket....well a toy. Anyway, one of my guys thought it would be a good idea to fill it with hot sauce while we were in the middle of a 5 day overwatch ( in the 4 story white building in the SW corner of Sadr city for any of you that were there between Jan 07-April 08)
I had a really hard time concentrating for the next 12 hours or so. Baby wipes just didn't cut it.
I guess one wasn't complete back in the day without a couple of "FM's".
That hot sauce gag there cracked me up. That would have been priceless, but playing fuck fuck games like that would have warranted an ass beating.
That hot sauce gag there cracked me up. That would have been priceless, but playing fuck fuck games like that would have warranted an ass beating.
I didn't beat his ass, but he had a hell of a time getting the zip tie off his nuts.
I'm sure you already know this, but for those that don't, the poncho liner is what we call a woobie. Best single issued piece of gear, ever....period.
A good toque (I think you yanks call them knit hats).
With 6 months of winter where much of it is below freezing this is my most important gear.
I've arrived at the range to realize I forgot my Kestrel, or my data book (or a myriad other things) and still have a good shooting session.
There have been a few times where I forgot my toque or my gloves and it was below zero and after about 20 minutes was so uncomfortable that I headed home.
With 6 months of winter where much of it is below freezing this is my most important gear.
I've arrived at the range to realize I forgot my Kestrel, or my data book (or a myriad other things) and still have a good shooting session.
There have been a few times where I forgot my toque or my gloves and it was below zero and after about 20 minutes was so uncomfortable that I headed home.
On the seventh day, god created the poncho liner... And the infantry was grateful. Many a freezing nights I spent underneath one of those, freezing my ass off. How can a place be 120+ during the day and freezing at night?!? Damn...
April 10th 2007 we had an insane firefight that lasted16 hours. Three choppers shot up, Winchester on ammo twice, 16 US casualties, and an estimated 500 insurgents killed. After that day, Colonel Flynn, our bc, told all of the snipers that if anyone with a tan so much as dared to wear flip flops in his AO, incapacitate them with extreme pejudice. By the end of the year, I think we had killed damn near every insurgent in the city (not just the snipers, but all the troops and aviators combined) My last three months there were fairly quiet.
There's a decent writeup on Wikipedia on the firefight. I lost 8 of the best friends a man could ever have in that hell hole, and another who tried to drown it out with heroin once we came back.
Interesting fact, the longest recorded 5.56 kill was made from that very building at 837 meters.
If we ever meet up, I'll by you a brew. Anyway....about that gear...
There's a decent writeup on Wikipedia on the firefight. I lost 8 of the best friends a man could ever have in that hell hole, and another who tried to drown it out with heroin once we came back.
Interesting fact, the longest recorded 5.56 kill was made from that very building at 837 meters.
If we ever meet up, I'll by you a brew. Anyway....about that gear...
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I will say you are welcome from them, as for me, I did nothing but get paid to do what I love, with the people I love. Id still be doing it if I didn't have a forced medical retirement after 3-1/2 years of service.
Butt wipes, ECWS jacket, gloves that are tactile, heavy mittens for when you need more, decent boots, decent boots, decent boots.
Another grat piece of kit for an urban hide, where you and the security boys can move around some, is a hobo stove. Shove a roll of moon floss into a coffee can and soak it in rubbing alcohol. It burns clear with no smoke and an invisible flame. It works great for warming your hands, or clam baking under your woobie, as well as heating food or making coffe. Obviously if you are getting to the hide via a ten click treck, it's not worth the extra bulk and weight.
It is truly amazing how awesome the poncho liner is/was, especially given what a total piece of shit the poncho was.
The poncho liner is indeed an amazing piece of kit. I've been more than grateful on a few nights that I had mine with me.
Most definatly, but it's not too much of an issue when hunting Baghdad savages. On home turf in Murica should the tides turn, I'd use the toilet paper for wiping with.
Sunglasses are a must. A sock also. There are the obvious uses for sure, but you can also make sock water. Place the sock over a bottle of water, soak it with more water, then set it on a window sill. The water in the sock evaporates so quickly, that it pulls the heat out of the water bottle. It will take a bottle of water from burn your throat hot, to fridge cold in 15 min.
In an urban hide, where the rooms are smallish, peltors, or ear pro of some kind is a must.
In an urban hide, where the rooms are smallish, peltors, or ear pro of some kind is a must.
I probably cleared the building you had your hot sauce pecker pump debacle in in the summer of '04, we cleared everything in Sadr south of route gold while some cav fellers cleared everything north.
Oh and there is a fleshlight zip tied to my assault pack at all times never leave home without it
Though I'd argue that aside from the woobie the single most important thing would be a good multi tool, make/model being personal preference
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Woobie is boss. I managed to get two article 15's in that building. Once I get set up with Imgur.com I'll upload a pic of my FFP in that building and listen to everyone tell me how crappy of a job it was, and how my form is off.
And I'd have have to argue that you are correct, except SOG is the only multi tool worthy of being held by a grunt. The rest should be labeled "Pouge use only". J/k...well, sort of.
That sock water idea is brilliant, I need to try that. Do you put the sock all the way around the bottle or just over the top?
Seems that when I'm hunting the most important thing that I need at the time sitting in a tree or a blind is whatever I've forgotten. Shit tickets, Thermacell, extra water, Kindle to kill boredom, etc. If I happened to forget it that's the thing that I trouble getting my mind off of wanting.
In reality, having a solid red-light LED penlight and a multi-tool that has a wood-saw in it are the things that I use most.
The hot sauce trick and subsequent ziptie retaliation... That's one of the funniest things I've heard in a long time.
Seems that when I'm hunting the most important thing that I need at the time sitting in a tree or a blind is whatever I've forgotten. Shit tickets, Thermacell, extra water, Kindle to kill boredom, etc. If I happened to forget it that's the thing that I trouble getting my mind off of wanting.
In reality, having a solid red-light LED penlight and a multi-tool that has a wood-saw in it are the things that I use most.
The hot sauce trick and subsequent ziptie retaliation... That's one of the funniest things I've heard in a long time.
I'll post a pick of sock water in a real life hide. Just leave the cap exposed. What's funny is all the guys in on the hot sauce ordeal were also the guys that held him down so I could ut a heavy duty zip tie around his berries.
A very long time ago, when I took my turn, I had Moma-san sew a foot-long button hole in the center of my poncho liner so I could wear my poncho with the liner lashed inside. My poncho was an earlier, heavier, rubberized canvas type not the newer light nylon jobs. (This was long before Gortex was invented.)
I would “cop-a- squat” and light a candle under my poncho or just run my Zippo and be reasonably warm in a short while even while the rain poured down all around. I was seldom dry but being warm once in a while was nice.
Any packing list that doesn’t start with toilet paper, bug juice and dry socks was written by some guy that’s never been to the field.
I would “cop-a- squat” and light a candle under my poncho or just run my Zippo and be reasonably warm in a short while even while the rain poured down all around. I was seldom dry but being warm once in a while was nice.
Any packing list that doesn’t start with toilet paper, bug juice and dry socks was written by some guy that’s never been to the field.
i'd be interested in a hooded poncho liner, so you could really wear it while you sit around (for hunting). I found some companies, but they seem to charge 80+. It would be notably cheaper to get an issued one and give it to a seamstress and have the hood added ...
