All those goodies for five bucks!! Great find!!

I use my LBE anytime/everytime I use my ALICE pack for camping/backpacking. I use the LBE for dayhiking and hunting.

If you don't have it (EDC) with you when you need it, it does you no good and my PSK and other equipment are kept in my harness and it's attached accoutrements.

I can do an unexpected overnight with my LBE and be fairly comfortable.

This seems to be a constant theme on this forum. Why would this be suspicious? If you get reported to the police, who cares? You're not doing anything wrong at all.

On the other side of the coin, let's say you get reported to the police several times, and they check you out several times, and everything is fine. After a while, the person reporting you will be the "nutcase", and they won't even respond to another false alarm.

I still have my LBE and Alice pack from 25 years ago, and they're still in great shape, and they work well.

Hmmm...

*dusts off an old story*

When I'm assembling a kit that is going to be worn, I build it and take it for a walk. Two or three miles will tell you if there is anything massively wrong with it.

When I first starting working with chest harnesses for my ditch kit, I had a bunch of pouches on it. If it had been loaded with carbine mags, 34 would have fit nicely on there. Walking down the road, I get passed by a cop. Who stops. And asks questions. Now, this is in a rural area, in the day time, on a nice day, so it just turned into a minor pain in the butt. It also went to college like that for a while, and every one who was in the Guard who came in my room stopped and looked at it for a long second, even if they were someone who was more likely to be in my room than theirs.

Move that kit to the city. Everyone is keyed up becuase it is time to get out of dodge. Cop sees it, they aren't as likely to politely ask questions. If the Guard gets called in, you have people who are more aware of what military-type LBE looks like, and who are out of their element. They see a combat harness, what do you think their first reaction is going to be? My money is on they will consider you a threat. Particularly the more urbanized you get. Ooops.

By contrast, I've worn my current ditch kit with a few large pouches on it while hiking some fairly well built up trails. Some people have commented on my fishing vest, but they seem to like the idea of having water and compass and map and the like up front. And these aren't Vermonters- the parking lot at the trail head was full of "flatlander" plates. By contrast, no one would get near my friend who uses a modified LBV-88, nor would they make eye contact with him. These are people from one of those "more urbanized areas" I was talking about.

Packs, chest rigs that can look like fishing gear, ok. Wearing cammies, chest rigs that look like chest rigs, drop legs, those are something that can get classed as threat display too easily. Camouflage is blending in with your environment, and a pistol belt and H-harness doesn't that do that if there are people around. Personally, I don't like it, but that is the reality. Sticking out isn't wise, particularly when people (particularly those with badges and guns) are keyed up. I'd much rather wear a kilt in the summer, and a sword and pistol on my belt year round, but it isn't viable in this society. *shrugs*

I hate to quote Mao, or even paraphrase him, but it is better to be as one fish among many.

Iron raven is spot on.

Doesn't matter if we think it is fine, if you are not up to anything - other peoples perceptions (including LEO) are what matters.

Yes, we can try to change their view, but that won't happen quickly, and is a PITA you can live without in a crisis

Although it's really a shame, Iron Raven is correct. I love my military kit as much as the next guy, moreso perhaps. It's perfectly set up to my preferences, and all those ammo pouches will hold a lot of neat gear. But it doesn't get worn outside the military. Aside from the potential for undesired identification as an insurgent or terrorist during a disaster scenario, military stuff also tends to draw a lot of everyday unwanted attention (crazy looks, curious looks, questions, etc.). I try, in most everything I do, to remain inconspicious. Wearing "urban camoflage" helps keep me off the skyline.

Excellent point...when compiling kits we often think of how long we can survive, but we also need to think where we can take that kit in order to survive. I don't know how many of you have been on a college campus lately, but a lot of the kids are wearing camo pants while carrying chairman mao messenger bags. For my BOB I have worn looking camo pants, a sweater and a baseball cap. All of my gear is in a bookbag. I could pass as any other college kid, or grad student, since undergrad was a while ago. This helps since I have 3 colleges in walking distance. I have a map of my area with circles drawn on it to indicate how far and how long on can go on foot using different parts of my kit.

It is an excellent point. My current BOB, SAR 'Ready Pack', and backpacking pack are one in the same. A 60L hiking pack (which I leave space in for the unexpected, 'wife gear' or group search and rescue equipment)...though I tweak the contents and layout for each task a bit.

In some posts I've made recently I've been trying to find tactical gear in yellow for SAR...but putting in perspective what Iron Raven points out, this is bad for the same reasons. If you have to bug out you want to blend in and bright yellow gear head to toe is just as bad as camo. If you're trying to get out of Dodge and every 2 blocks you get stopped and asked if you're an EMT or disaster relief...or mugged for medical supplies, you're no better off.

My pack might be a bit big but where I live downtown you see people walking around with heavy packs all the time...travelers staying in hostels, the homeless, etc. However right now my pack has a Gerber LMF II and a Gerber Brush Thinner Machete strapped to the outside...there's no way I would leave it like that to walk around in the urban jungle.

I wasn't thinking of the Mao bags, I was thinking of a passage in the "Little Red Book" in which he speaks of a guerrilla having to be able to become just another fish in the teaming schools of the populace. I hate to credit that pervert with a good point, but for surviving around people, the same lesson can apply.

The other ways of looking at it is just as old "don't stick out- it attracts snipers". "The nail that sticks out gets pounded first." " The squeeky wheel gets greased." Etc.

Sorry for the leave of absence, been on mission. The pointy talkie web address is actually exactly what we use.

On another note, I see the discussion heading to the civilian side of the house. I have some thoughts on this. First, the reason that we wear everything on us at all times is because we need our implements of destruction/survival on us at all times when we are actually on mission. In this case, that means leaving the vehicle or rucksack behind to actually fight, or escape and evade. As a civilian, I would think this would mean leaving your vehicle or camp sight to get help. No if this is some kind of end times thing of violent situation then it doesn’t matter, but I would think that all of your needs would be met by a rucksack or backpack. It will always be on you and I can’t really think of too many reasons you would have to cut away and move out quickly without it (i.e. Ambush, attack, or indirect fire).

What I am trying to say is that for training and practical purposed, I don’t really think it is worth it to wear a tactical vest or LBE vs. the hassle it is going to create with local law enforcement. Is it the way it should be? No, but people can talk big about not caring, but you do care. Why get the hassle to prove the point. Anytime law enforcement is involved, you run the risk of a misunderstanding that could lead to you either getting arrested or shot. Quick Story: A few years ago, I was training for Bataan Death March in South Texas (very pro military and use to camouflage and tactical clothing). Well, I know better now, but I was wearing full BDU (with rank, US Army, and Unit Patch sown in) and a issue rucksack with no weapon. The police showed up at about mile 7 saying that someone had called in a report of a terrorist on the road. I showed him my military ID, explained what I was doing, and he made sure I was walking on the proper side of the road and then he left with a smile. The whole think probably took about 4 minuets, but it was still uncomfortable as hell. The moral of the story is that it just isn’t worth risking your life or possible jail (in my opinion) for something that could be accomplished on the track or rode on post, or by wearing civilian clothing that matches your military clothing (pants, long sleeve shirt). The important thing is the boots anyway.

This is just my opinion of course. I'm new to posting, and I don't want to rock the boat or start something negative, but I would advise against training in your gear around civilians.