I would first like to thank all of the fellow military members, past and present, on this Veteran's Day....

I will be going back into the military later this week, and although there are no plans for me to go back to the sandbox, I have been thinking about adapting a kit just for military purposes. I would like to include things that are already issued or are military specific, i.e., OD green, tan items instead of bright orange etc. I would really appreciate ideas from others that have made such kits as well as ideas that others that have not been in the military have tried or heard about. Thanks.

To adapt a kit just for military purposes sounds more like what you would have on a deployment, but perhaps trying to build something smaller. Is this a kit which you can carry around on Post?

I am a Vietnam-era veteran and was on a Mobility Team twice during my eight years of service. So I always leaned toward gear in surplus stores.

Before I became educated about titanium gear, improved BOB contents and lightweight Arc'teryx backpacks, I used mostly surplus gear, such as a BOB and general hiking setup; put together in a large Alice pack with metal packframe. I packed a stainless mess kit, steel canteen cup and standard GI canteens, Nesbit stove, FAK, FSK, food and surplus BDUs. After a couple of years of backpacking this stuff, I realized that the weight of this sturdy, durable and dependable gear did little for my middle aged back. If I were in my twenties, it wouldn't be so bad. So I upgraded everything from outdoor and alpine shops.

My general backpacking items are similar to what you will see on many posts regarding BOB contents, so I won't be redundant and create another list.

I am looking for kit to take to the field. For garrison use, I plan on carrying my normal EDC. With the new uniforms, I might be able to fit even more. I already have the canteen cup which, although a bit heavy, is a great small pot. (Does anyone know where you can get one of the old stoves?) I also have my poncho, poncho liner, and casualty blanket, but I am looking for any new stuff that might have come out in the last 2-3 years.

kitup.com might be worth a look?

CBTENGR:

My personal philosophy, and the one I live and work by is this: your LBE is your survival kit. Mission may dicate that you have to drop your rucksack for a while, but your rifle and LBE should always be on you - it should never leave your body whether sleeping, eating, or taking care of bodily functions.

Although your unit SOP may vary, your personal SOP should dictate that you always carry a minimum of 1. weapon and ammunition, 2. water, 3. a knife, 4. a map and compass, 5. a firestarting tool, and 5. blowout/first aid kit.

For greenside (woods/desert) patrolling, I use a chest rig equipped with the following, in no particular order:
8x - M4 magazines
2x - Nalgene bottles w/ stainless steel cup (far superior to military issue canteens, but be mindful of color)
1x - IR strobe
1x - Air Panel
1x - Silva Ranger Compass
1x - Blowout/F.A. Kit
1x - Map Kit, including map, map pens, protractor, and red-lense flashlight
1x - Gerber Multi-tool
1x - Surefire G2
1x - Small Altoids Tin-style survival kit containing
a. small Bic lighter
b. Magnesium fire starter
c. 10' 550 cord
d. Small Gerber Knife (can't remember model)
e. small fishing kit
f. snare-wire (from military trip-wire kit)
g. button compass
h. other items I can't remember off the top of my head...but you get the idea
1x - "Rite-in-the-Rain" tablet and pencil

In addition I have my standard pocket items including:
1x - Emerson CQC-7BW
1x - ID card
1x - Chapstick (absolute necessity for me in arid desert environments)
1x - Luminox watch with Suunto M6 watchband compass


If you get caught with your ruck off, or have to drop it in order to get out of Dodge, you will have what you need to fight and stay alive for a while. Military survival differs from civilian survival on a few specific points, like keeping fires concealed, being EXTREMELY selective about who you signal, etc. I don't know your background or level of training, but with adequate equipment, some knowledge, and a cargo pocket full of common sense you should be okay.

If you are a small unit leader, implement this philosophy among your men. Make sure they are never without the minimum. Train like you fight. In the heat of battle you will NOT rise to the occasion - you will default to your level of training.

I'll try to get a pic or two on here this afternoon. Hope this helps.

Hi CBTENGR

You would probably be best making up your own Personal Survival Kit from commercially available sources. If your looking for lightweight insulation clothing and sleeping bags in OD then Snugpak code green military products are available from http://www.snugpak.com/30_codegreen/index.htm

You might also want to have a look at the Jetboil system as your MRE heating system.



www.jetboil.com


Personal Survival Kit

PSK Container.

1 BCB mini-mess tin (Aluminium Roll Closure Lid) 300ml volume.

Tools Kit.

1 Fallkniven U2 Folder.
1 Hacksaw Blade cut to fit Box.
2 Cutting Razor Blades.
1 BCB - MoD finger wire saw.

Fire lighting Section.

1 Small Candle (UHO Citronella cut to size).
1 Firesteel Rod with Striker (Cadet Model with Plastic holder removed).
1 Ultimate Survival Wet Fire Tinder.
5 Cotton/Wax Balls Tinder.
8 NATO Lifeboat Matches in Waxed Cardboard.
1 Striker pad (for NATO matches).

Water Purifying Kit.

2 Alcosak Resealable 400ml Polythene Bags.
10 Lifeventure Water Puritabs. or Katadyn MP1 Puritabs
10 Lifeventure Water Aftertaste tablets.

Signalling Kit.

1 Ultimate Survival Polycarbonate Signal Mirror.
1 Fenix LOP-SE AAA powered Torch (with SOS function) with Spare AAA lithium Cell.
1 Exped Solar LED.
1 Liveventure Mountain Whistle.

Cooking Kit.

1 Esbit Wing Titanium folding Stove.
3 Esbit Hexamine Fuel Tablets.
2 Small Stock Drink Sachets.

Medical Kit.

1 Miniture Lip Salve.
4 Ibuprofen Tablets.
2 Aspirin Tablets.
4 Antihistamine Tablets.
2 Waterproof Plasters.
2 Compeed Gel Foot Plaster.
1 Small vial of Potassium Permanganate.

Navigation Kit.

1 Miniature Luminous Silva SERE compass.
1 Space Pen Refill Fine Black with 30cm of Duct Tape Wrapped.
1 Navigation Aid card.
4 Sheets of A6 Waterproof Paper.

Fishing and Snare Kit.

2 Metres of 20 gauge Stainless Steel Wire.
4 Small fish hooks.
2 Medium hooks
2 Snap Swivels.
6 Split Lead Weights.
15 Metres Monofilament Fishing Line. 5Kg Breaking Strain.

Miscellaneous.

1 A4 sheet of Aluminium Foil Folded.
1 Set of Survival Instructions. (DRs is a good starting point but lacks navigational instructions for self extraction)
3 Assorted Needles and 5 metres of wrapped high strength cotton.

I cruise by this site everyday to see if there is anything new.

There are things that I have added to my edc that were posted on kit-up.com. There is not alot of items there but they are invaluable.

I think it is probably worth doing an extensive scenario plan. Obviously you'll need field kit for regular use, you may also want to pack a small amount of survival kit on person as a backup. Whether you want that to focus on tactical/e&e scenarios or on regular survival is up to you.
FWIW in an e&e scenario, a compass (run in the right direction), water carrier/purification (stay hydrated so you can keep running) and shelter (space blanket or similar in OD so you can rest and stay dry when you stop running) are the only things some colleagues of mine in the services feel they need. Most of the other stuff is seen as ballast if you are genuinely under pressure.

I'm having trouble finding the site.

http://kitup.military.com/

I found it in December of 2006. As I said before I look at it at least 5 days a week. It's worth going back to the first month and reviewing the posts for each month.

As I recall I linked to kitup from another article about the silly string being used for trip wire detection.