Canteen cup and a pair of mid-90s Canadian military issue wool socks. Those things were like boots in their own right. Super warm, really thick, came upto my knee, had ties to hold them up. There wouldn't fit in my regular boots so I used them as camp slippers. Unfortunately the famly dog chewed them up. I've been on the hunt for another pair ever since.

Looking at my gear, the only thing I actually use nowadays that is a true military surplus type item, is 550 paracord. Everything else is a commercial based item.

With that said, many items owe their lineage to lessons learned through military gear. Some are obvious (like AR-style sporting rifles), while others, (like Nylon), aren't as evident.

A lot of innovations and practices we use today have a military history. Just to name a few, plastic surgery was developed in WWI to treat soldiers who were shot in the face. Sanitary napkins were developed by nurses in the field in WWI. Modern dentistry was first used by American soldiers in WWII.

Jeanette Isabelle

My military kit in Iraq was a water source connected to my body that was always full (I drank out of a camel back that was attached to my vehicle seat) and every signal/commo device I could fit on my vest/body. Every fiber of my being was going to be focused on re-establishing contact with friendly forces. I actually didn’t have very many interesting items. Just PLB, signal mirror, whistle, smoke grenades, pen flares, buzz saw (chemlight with 550 cord attached to swing around for a larger signature) strobe (with IR capability) and a VS-17 panel. I did carry some water purification tabs, but I figured that even if I did find a water source, I wasn’t hanging around long enough to filter it with anything but a bandanna, drop in some tabs and keep moving. There were a lot of other little things I carried, but those stand out as being the most critical. I also tried to always keep a MRE main course in my cargo pocket, but otherwise I don’t think I had any food or food procurement items, just electrolyte mixes.

Not trying to hijack the thread or anything, but I would say that one of the most important items in my kit was a picture of my family, some religious psalms embroidered on a handkerchief and the ranger creed (I’m not a Ranger, but it’s a great creed). I looked to these items daily for inspiration/motivation and I’m sure they would have come in just as handy in a survival situation.

Another interesting item for discussion is the blood chit. Their these documents that are written in several languages that basically say that I’m an American Soldier, circumstances beyond my control have led me to ask you for help and that if you aid me you will be compensated by the US govt. I’m not suggesting that the ETS community is in need of evasion aids, but it just occurred to me that having some basic “this is who I am and I need your help” documentation in a few languages could come in helpful if you were going to be traveling in an area that spoke a language you did not know.

Before WWII, manila climbing rope was state of the art. Nylon rope, developed because of the unavailability of manila during the conflict, superseded natural fibers after the war with startling improvements in strength, utility, and safety.

The U.S. Air Force aircrew helmet bag - two external pockets, two internal pockets and the main compartment.

Two OD wool blankets and a couple of full-sized OD canvas duffel bags

How do they size those boot bags? I like them and would like to get a pair.

I still think my favorite is the good ole fashion triangle bandage. I had one from my dad as a kid as far back as I can remember. Pulls duty as scarf, headband, "do-rag," dust filter, pot holder, bandage compress, tie-down strap, snot rag ...

All the same one! It's amazing how durable it is. It's actually fraying at the edges finally, but that thing has probably been camping with me at least 150 nights and probably close to 1,000 miles.

Yes, I wash it!

I have a few bits which I like, but something not metioned is a FRED. Australian Army Issue. Its like a p31,but much better

It fits very nicely in a wallet too!

Here's a picture incase you don't know: