Last game I wanted to test something that you should do also if you like to go to longer games. I played the whole day with the stuff I had on me without going back to the car for reloads, water or food.
I tested my setup to see if it was sustainable for those 6-7 hours during a day game, which usually is a bit more action packed and it worked great. So I will go over what I had with me during that day. I will go over each layer, step by step.
On my website you can also find the gear that I’m using in a more detailed form. A lot of parts have their own videos explaining why I chose a piece of kit.
Layer 1, Clothing
From bottom to the top,
My waterproof Lowa boots, it’s a swampy area so the focus was on waterproof. Above that I have my gaiters that keep the moisture out of my shoes while walking through wet bushes. A pair of Safety Jogger socks and an extra pair in my backpack, just in case.
My M81 woodland pants from Shadow tactical with gloves in one pocket and a deadrag in the other. The 2 cargo pockets are free to add stuff if needed. An Invader gear M81 combat-shirt with red and blue armbands in the arm pockets. I rolled up the sleeves because it was not cold when I started moving.
A face mask to protect the money maker, WileyX glasses and a boonie hat on my head.
Oh and I have a watch with stopwatch to keep track of all different things.
Layer 2, Combat Gear
I have a Tasmanian Tiger battle belt with pistol, mag, medical stuff, admin stuff, a multi-tool and 0,5l of minerals. The Velcro on the inside is connected to a Velcro belt in my pants.
As a chestrig I used my Warrior Assault Falcon rig with 8 mags and 1 for the rifle. In the front pockets I have a compass and medic bandage for the game. On the right side I have my radio and PTT and left side my phone for easy access because the game used Ares Alpha.
I’ll add my rifle and pistol in this category too. I used the ICS Dagger with Eshooter tracer/flasher and ICS BL9 as pistol. I did forgot my sling which I regretted from the first minutes as I was supposed to keep the gear on the whole day. Which was from 0830 till 1700.
Layer 3, Backpack
As a backpack I used my trusty Condor Fuel Hydration pack. I just love that pack. In the pack I have
- 2,5L of water
- 2 snacks, I ate 1
- Lunch, sandwiches with cheese and salami, inexpensive and yummy
- Extra pair of socks, just in case
- 1000 BBs in a plastic bag + speedloader, which I did not need
- Spare batteries for phone, rifle and radio + the needed cables
- Case for extra lenses for my glasses, to switch if needed
- A jacket for when I’m not moving. The jacket is a good thing but takes a lot of space so I might look into a smaller jacket that also keeps me work or find a way to compress it better.
I like to keep all the stuff inside of my backpack because I know how I play. This creates a streamlined thing and I will not loose things by going through thicker forest.
Layer 4, Sleeping + Accessorizes
Here I only have to add my phone because it was a one day game.
I had 2 items in the car that I brought, just in case.
- A poncho, because you never know in Sweden. I could have added it in my backpack but didn’t
- Extra rifle, always good to bring a backup.
That’s all the stuff that I had on me from start till finish. I used 6 of the 9 mags and did not need to reload while I did had a lot of action during the day. The fact that it was a single shot game helped to reserve BBs.
I made a full list of all the gear and specifications for you to download on the blog post. It felt weird to go to a game with so little gear and so little time to get ready. I packed everything at home and in 5min I was ready to go.
This is not only a test for the gear but also how to get ready to go for a mission on a bigger game. Get your stuff ready in a box or pile and it will only take you 5min to be combat ready. Especially on games where things change every hour, get your stuff ready before you take a break.
I hope this test is as useful to you as it was to me. I learned a lot, mostly that my gear is ready, now I have to work on the details.