Aoresteen,

This particular company is issuing us a Beretta 92 F'd up and an M-4 for "personal defense".

I haven't heard of the CVS and I'm calling my recruiter first thing in the morning about it. The folks going to Iraq are doing CRC at Benning but we're doing something else in Virginia and truth be told we haven't gotten a lot of detail about what it is beyond some form of basic schooling.

I've already got a load of junk that the family's shipping off once I get settled but the bedding's a great idea.

Knowing how much I can bring helps me plan a little more because the organization factor, while not horrible, could be better with this company.

Snow spikes is something I had only given a fleeting thought to, any particular brands/types favored over another?

Just something that will last and is easy to take off.

Cool, I'll do a little research and pick up somethin'.

I truly appreciate all the advice and pointers from you folks. Honestly, I feel a little more prepared already.

A heart felt thanks fellas...

Frankly, I really doubt that anyone is going to send you anywhere you will need crampons.

TR

I had the same thoughts in regards to spikes. A good pair of boots with tread should do the job fine. If you are assigned an M-9 you may want to look into a thigh holster, a cord (lanyard) that attachs your pistol to your body, a nice sling for your rifle (I like the Momba), cap covers for the muzzle of your rifle, and some quality magazines for your pistol. Issued or knock offs M-9 pistol mags have a high tendancy to jam your weapon. Not really a lesson you want to learn on a two way range!

I would only recommend the muzzle cap if you plan on living on a FOB like Camp Liberty in Iraq and never plan to go outside of the wire. Just my .02.

More good stuff. Got a thigh rig (I've worn an Uncle Mikes triple retention for years) and I've got a nice one point sling already that I'm really comfortable with but my agency took my lanyard when I resigned, bastards. Not my uniforms or my spare pistol and rifle mags, my lanyard. :rolleyes:

I did pick up some of those cheap, shoot off, muzzle caps but I dont know much about the M9. I'm a glock and 1911 guy. I've spent quite a bit of time shooting one lately, not sure which mags perform better than others but I'm doing my homework. I've got some useful down time this coming month. Just runnin', shootin' shoppin' and spendin' time with the family...

Actually you'll need them if you do a lot of convoys on roads in the mountains during the winter. Otherwise you'll end up falling on your ass due to the black ice. You can't afford to slip and fall while in contact. The key word is mountains. If he's not going to drive in high altitude than he probably wont need them.

Besides what do I know. I only spent 8 months there in 02/03.

To the guys that have the experience, would something like Yak Trax be a better alternative for PepperDog than actual crampons?

A little mission analysis might be in order.

For all I have read, he might be running security at the DFAC.

pepperdog, how much time you really going to be spending humping in the mountains?

TR

TR, good question. I'll be advising and mentoring the local police. So to be honest, I don't really know. I'll either be in the school house or on the road. They can't get anymore mission specific with me until the folks in country find out what I'm qualified to do.

Some folks find themselves on the road, some at the range, some at the airport, some at an outpost somewhere. Nothing terribly exiciting but it beats hell outta writing speeding tickets...

I think a muzzle cap is a good idea whether outside the wire or not. I spent almost everyday "outside the wire" and we used them on our M4s and SAWs. I can tell you from expience that if doodoo hits the fan theyll blow right off so not to worry. On the240s, M2s and Mk19s we had the tailors make us muzzle caps of cloth and elastic.

It might be expensive to buy new magazines for your M9 but an alternative we used was Wolf springs. They can be purchased fairly cheap online.

A product I thought look promising is Microspikes. They slip on and off like Yaktrax only thy have actual spikes rather than just springs that I found to not have the best traction (but wont dull or catch when walking on metal or hardball).

Consider a pillow cover as bedbugs can be a problem on some of the RON areas or FOBS. When we were on the road a lot of us carried our own pillow in a ruck as well as a woobie or twin bed fitted sheet.

A good pair of winter boots is a must (gortex lined)-

CCRN,

Thanx for the advice, Been talking to some prior mission folks and they agree with the micro spikes. I already picked up some mags and all the other good stuff. Gettin' ready to ship shortly and my bags are already over-packed...:)

Heh, sounds like a paintball barrel cover.

I've used the microspikes out in Grafenwhor during a Feb. gunnery. I was curious how they worked so I picked up a pair. They worked well but I only used them a few times to 1)see if they worked, and 2) to pull off some shenanigans that required running on ice.

The muzzle covers...not so much IMO. No piece of plastic or cloth is going to take the place of my muzzle awareness or weapon cleaning discipline. We don't use em.