Deployment Personal Gear
 

What non-issue gear are you guys taking on deployment to make your life better?

What are you laying out your money for to take with you?

Looking for both tac gear and creature comfort lists.

I am sure that IPODs, laptops, radios, etc. are popular, as are flashlights, knives, tools, and so forth.

What are the items that you consider to be indispensable or "must have"?

Looking forward to seeing your lists. You may help somebody take something important that they missed, or they may help you.

Thoughts?

TR

Lately for me its been a lot of North Face warmies!!!!!! I've been loving the cold weather so that I can put on my Hot Gear, kinda stupid I guess, but its one of those inevitabilities that comes around every year.

Hammock.

As long as I'm going somewhere warm-ish, that is....

Must have:

X-box with lots of games
Small pillow with bed sheets (every place I've been to had mattresses) except Kuwait
Laptop
Webcam
Digital Camera
IPOD
External hard drive with movies (250gig)
Multiple outlets (UK, Italian, European)
Step down converter at least 300 watts.
Civilian clothes
Cell phone (buy one in country)
Pelican or Otter cases for Laptop, IPOD, Webcam, External hard drive, etc.
Cash or Eagle card to use at the PX, etc.
Multiple sunglasses (in case they break)
Battery Razor

If you're going to be spending time rolling around in trucks, I'd recommend a power converter that can be hooked up to your truck battery.

We used them to charge our radios, razors, and other electronic goods.

Self inflating miniature air mattress that is the size of an Isomat.
Water resistant digital camera. I've had problems with sand getting in to the regular type and breaking it.
LED headlamp that has both red and white light settings.

1.) Baby wipes... a lot of 'em.
2.) North Face Denali.

Other than that, every mom under the sun, sent all sorts of HSLD trash to the FOB. 50% was redundancy, the other 50% was unusable for one reason or another.

Graet answers so far guys, thanks!

Please keep them coming.

TR

Boric Acid powder dissolved in rubbing alcohol and placed in a medium/small squirt top plastic container. Squeeze a little bit into the palm of the hand and then rub it on the feet. Thwarts any potential athlete’s foot and kills the bugs causing foot odor. Good stuff when you are limited on water for bathing.

Great list. Coupled with Pete's air matress, that's about all I can think I took (or wish I had). I'd add a few footballs or soccer balls with a pump and needle.

Also, can't be an American Soldier and go abroad without a baseball mitt. Who knows, maybe Iraq is the next bastion of middle infielders. :D

Edit: I had an Ipaq HP 1940 Pocket PC palm pilot that I could throw maps on and use as the C or E of my PACE plan. Plus it has a record capability, note taking capability, and Microsoft Office capable.

Something I forgot was the rechargeable AA batteries and charger. I had 2 sets of batteries. So one set would be in use while I was out, and one set constantly charging. When I got back I would switch the sets. I also still made sure I had plenty of the non-rechageable type in my pack in case of emergencies.

I'm surprised no one has listed thumb drives yet. Those things are absolutely vital for moving files around (especially big ones with graphics and the like). I recommend three if possible: one for unclassified/personal use, one for SIPR, and one for TS/SCI. Also, its probably stating the obvious, but I find it best to keep them on a lanyard around the neck so that you don't lose them.

Per the advice on another thread, I recently acquired a 4 Gig Ironkey - and it's great! The Firefox browser and password feature are especially nice for use on shared computers. I scanned all of my personal docs and store them on the Ironkey, and have a smaller, less expensive file for swapping files with others.

You don't just put them in your pocket protector? ;)

My question is what do you pack the electronics in? Link the game boxes? When you deploy how much are you allowed to take?

I ended up buying a 2GIG thumb drive around the middle of my last deployment just for the purpose of being able to download pictures and files sent to me when I wasn't using a personal computer. As far as the TS/SCI stuff, we were issued one by our company that would get locked up if we weren't using them. I'm not sure on the rules, but if I remember correctly we weren't allowed to plug anything personal into any computer that contained anything Secret or higher.

My last deployment we were allowed two "tough boxes" of stuff to be loaded into a cargo container that would ride the ship. Most people just placed extra hygene stuff, books, or anything else that wouldn't get damaged by the temp changes.

The electronics like laptops, cameras, MP3 players were carried on board the plane. The bigger stuff like xbox or whatever were either shipped by family/friends through the mail when we were in country, or bought online through Amazon.com or through a PX (if you were lucky enough to be close to one or have a mission where you'd be on a camp with one). Sometimes you could get lucky and buy one off a soldier who was leaving.

#

Machetes and kukris = news to me.

I never saw anything that would mandate, "carrying" either of those items, when I was there. Neither of those items would be beneficial to me with regards to COIN ops; mounted/dismounted patrols, raids, combat outspots, checkpoints, or at the FOB.

Some other guys, who wanted to "get some" but weren't in an MOS to do so, might have had those sorts of things; RAMBO-esque, taking pics next to their racks for mom and dad and all, while seldom venturing outside the wire.

Some things flew on deployment, some things didn't. What flies for a Marine may not fly for you... vice versa.

I see no use for them, with regards to my operations, or overall relevance, honestly. I guess it depends on where you might be in counttry, exactly. I know in the Haditha "Triad", those items would be dead weight and worthless. Besides, I don't even know how to use a Kukris... do you? What the heck are you gonna need to cut and clear?!?

Leave the kukri at home. Save that space for something you may "pick up" over there.

My .02

P.S. Dublin...? Camp Parks?

Your bio states "Marines".... so were you a cook or truck driver?
As small as the Marines are it's still a fairly large unit.

Yeah, it makes a difference as to your point of view.

I carried a machete just about everywhere after jungle school...

Team Sergeant

RL - Only on this board of uber-guys could I be considered "the geeky one." :D

Hence my recommendation on one for personal and one for work use. I should probably issue the disclaimer to consult your computer security folks about the proper procedures.

I kept a decent size folding knife in my pocket at all times, I also carried a Gerber multi tool (issued item) on my belt, and a small Leatherman on my vest. I also carried a straight blade on my vest slightly hidden incase I ever needed it in a hurry and can't reach my folder.

As far as the big blades I did see some walking around with them, only a few of the people were combat arms folks.

I think you should evaluate your mission and pack accordingly, but make sure to check with your chain of command first. For example, the CSM for one unit I worked with my last time over there came down with a policy forbiding anyone from having anything with a "namebrand" displayed on their vest.

Neither. I was a DM with L/3/7.

About the biggest tool I carried in our AO, outside of my primary wpn, was a key to doors... i.e.; bolt cutters, sledgehamer, benelli, or an AT-4.:D

+1 on the Leatherman tool.

I would have liked to have had, one of those Reeve/Harsey "Pacific" pieces, while I was there.

I saw Marines over there who carried "tactical" swords attached to their packs. :rolleyes: You would also see the occational person with a hatchet on their belt in the chow hall.
For the AO a machete isn't really needed. A sharp E-Tool is about the most you will need.

+2 on the multi tool, the uses are endless. I used mine as a ruptured cartridge extractor, scraper tool, front sight adjustment and general disassembly tool.

I'm glad to see others think highly of the multi-tool. I honestly think it's the one piece of personal gear I used the most while in the Army and overseas. I prefered the Leatherman over the Gerber due to the needle nose on the pliers and the size of the other tools in the set. The Gerber I was issued felt like a cheap knockoff, but I carried because it's better to have two in my opinion.

I used my leatherman from everything from quick truck maintence, to cutting 550 cord, to taking apart my M2 (which is where the Leatherman outshined the Gerber).

Another item I just thought of is more for anyone that's going to be in a gunner position or at least a position exposed to the elements. That's good face protection. The issued Neck Gaiter was great, but would eventually stretch out. I'd recommend either buying extras or investing in some quality gear available in stores. I had a bunch of different kinds from a full face mask that looked like Hannibal Lecter, to oversized neck gaiters. Definately something good to have if you're standing in a gun turret of a M1114 hauling butt down the road at 50mph.

I haven't mentioned thumbdrives, type of sunglasses, eyepro, mulit purpose knives, flashlights, watches etc since I'm fortunate to be in a unit where opfund, team fund or DSOR funds are used to purchase those items.


I have pelican boxes, or otter box for my electronics. I use an otter box for my IPOD since I can acuatlly use it inside the otter box.

The X-box and Playstation are team gear and stays in the team room. We pack a MWR box which has games, dvds, and the game systems.

As for deployment stuff, I have 4 conticos, one SFAUCC kit bag, and one carry on luggage. It pays to be the Charlie doing the load out:D Seriously, every man on my team is authorized all that stuff since it takes at least 2 conticos for the gear that we're issued.

Well feel free to elaborate in more detail if you have the time and inclination.

Thanks everyone for your input. I hope that this thread may be of use to members getting ready to deploy. Never hurts to run the checklist one last time, and see if you have forgotten anything.

TR

After reading a few of the QPs posts here, I realize there is a big difference between what us "Big Army" folks bring and use and what Quiet Professionals bring and use. (No surprise)

Here's what I would recommend you bring with youfrom a "Big Army" soldier perspective:

1) Laptop
2) digital camera
3) mp3 player
4) thumbdrive
5) good pair of sunglasses
6) at least one Flashlight
7) at least one multi tool
8) gloves
9) external hard drive with movies


The other stuff like TVs, Xboxes, and the like can be either bought in country or shipped to you once you get settled in. Packages from places like Amazon.com take about 2 weeks to arrive and most of the PXs in country are well stocked, if they don't have what you want/need they can special order it and it'll take about the same time.

If you can ship stuff in your unit cargo containers, don't place anything mission specific or anything you'll need right away because you won't see the containers for somewhere between a month to 4 months after you get to your FOB.

Also, when you first get in country you'll be moving around a lot and busy signing for equipment and what not, so I would say the less stuff you have. the better.

If you'd like specific name brands TR, I can rummage through my stuff and edit this post to reflect your request.

How are you guys securing your more valuable stuff to keep it from "walking off" when you're not around?

Are there any opinions on comfort/effectiveness/durability of the non-Oakley ballistic sunglasses you find in the PX (Revision Sawflys, ESS Flybys/Recons, the Wiley-X line)?

Are you encrypting your unclass flash drives? What software are you using for this? How are they holding up with the heat, sand and shock?

I picked up a 10 cup Thermos on leave halfway through deployment and it was one of the best comforts I had in-country. Great for coffee and chai on guard duty, a nice pick me up treat while on missions, and was able to make a local guard very happy by presenting it to him when my time was up.

From a "big Army" soldier
 

We had one of those really big black boxes and if we were leaving the FOB for an extended period we would lock all our valubles up in said box (each team had one) and we would lock it in the arms room. If we were only leaving the FOB for a few hours or so, we would just keep our stuff locked up in the wall lockers we had available in our "barracks".

I honestly only tried the Oakleys, ESS and Wiley-X and I liked the ESS the best. I found I could wear them while in the turret and wouldn't have to worry about wind or sand getting in my eyes.

But nothing beats those issue sunglasses they used to give out before the Wiley-X swimming goggles. :D

My personal thumbdrive was never encrypted mostly because all I had on there were photos and emails I had typed up on my laptop to send out at the internet cafe. As far as holding up, I had this one thumbdrive for about 8 months while in country and I still have it. Unfortuntately the name has been scratched off so I can't pass on the brand...

I have used the Oakley M-frames, ESS M-frames, and Wiley-X's swimming goggles.

The Wiley-X's are uncomfortable but sturdy.
The ESS's are cheaply made, the nose piece breaks easily. But it is cheap to replace the lens, etc
The Oakleys are well made, but the nose piece falls of easily and replacing the parts can be somewhat pricey. I also didn't feel like the Oakleys were that secure to my face when I wore them.

I list things in order of how many times i said to myself "thank God I brought this"

1. head-lamp
2. Laptop (Trend Micro Internet Security Pro installed)
3. Ipod ( I recommend the Nano because instead of the larger versions spinning hard drive that can not withstand drops and such, the Nano uses flash memory and can take one hell of a beating and keep the tunes coming
4. multi-tool ( I use the Gerber EOD tool)
5. Northface fleece
6. Mountain Hardware wind stopper fleece gloves (during winter months I can think of no better glove to ware gunning a Humvee)
7. A good pair of small headphones, I used the Bose in ear for the full year, great sounds and pretty durable, the only problem with them was the ear bud covers constantly fall off, so i final put a bit of super glue on the inside and they stayed on.

Rudy Project Rydon Tactical glasses (http://www.rudyprojectusa.com/produc...s/tactical.htm). They are light and very comfortable. The polarized photo-chromatic lenses got light enough to wear at night, but also got dark enough to be worn during the day. The frame is small enough that it will not terribly disrupt the seal of your Sordins or Peltors, a quality I found admirable during long helo flights. The lenses did not show any scratches during my first deployment, despite usually just being hung off the outside of my chest rig when not in use. When they finally got pretty scratched up halfway through my second deployment, I took advantage of their warranty and got new lenses shipped straight to my APO. The downside is they are expensive and ugly as hell.

Other gear:
Patagonia R4 fleece with Gore Windstopper and Patagonia wool baselayers.

Here's the items that I have right now that make Iraq a little better.


1) XGO shirts and boxers - I'm a fan of Underarmour; but if I ever end up in a burning vehicle I don't want it to be melted to my skin. The XGO line is comfortable and fire retardent.

2) Silver infused socks - Last deployment; towards the end my feet were sweating bad and I was in my boots for 18 hours a day. I ended up with some nasty athletes foot. This time around I've used socks infused with silver that are antimicrobial. So far, my feet are perfect; even when I end up in them for extended periods of time.

3) Oakley SI Half Jackets w/interchangeable lenses - The most comfortable ballistic glasses I have. I also have some ESS CDI's, but they tend to slide off my head. With both I keep the clear lenses on me, because it only took one daytime op that turned to night for me to realize i needed them. The rose lenses are great for overcast.

4) Protein shakers - I don't understand why the PX never has them; they sell protein and no shakers! Mixing powder in cut off water bottles or MRE liquid bags is a pain in the ass.

5) Lifting straps - You can't find these in theatre either.

5) Skull-Candy earbuds- Great quality earbuds for $30 bucks. You can't even hear the noise on a C-17 with them in and your IPOD on half volume.

6) 4 Gig Thumb Drive- Hey, those morale drives on the bigger bases have a lot of good movies; why not transfer them to your external hard drive?

7) External Hard Drive - Like I said, there is a lot of movies and music floating around in theatre, add it to your collection. The size is up to you. I have a 325Gig Western Digital book size drive. I'm not even close to filling it up.

8) Small Pelican cases - I keep my Samsung NV11 in one (if you're looking for a really nice small digitcal camera, check it out). They are also great for those thumb drives, ipods, cell phones, or other expensive electronic items that need to be kept away from the elements.

10) Gerber Multi Tool

These items have made life a lot better for me over here. Has anyone used a solar powered charger for their electronic items? I saw them on a website for a couple hundred bucks, that would be handy from time to time.

Stuff to bring.....
 

1. P-cord. Always comes in handy.
2. Ponchos. Never worn them, but with the p-cord, can be used to set up dividers in the tents.
3. Gerber/Leatherman.
4. Extension cords!! Seems that a 10 foot one will do the job.
5. Duct tape
6. Zip lock bags. Maybe two each of the large and small sizes.

This I really like. I can see how it would be useful for a whole handful of things in a really small take along package.

I'm halfway through a 12 month tour. Here's what I brought that hasn't been mentioned.

Gerber multicolored lens flashlight. When you are in a tent with 10 other guys using blue light keeps everyone happy at 3:00 AM.

The Gortex bivvy sack (issue) shell. I use it with my poncho liner & lightwight down Northface bag. In the summer I just used the poncho liner & bivvy sack.

MOLLE waist pack (issue). Straps to the top of my Kifaru XTL. Keeps my rain gear/cold weather parka handy.

Ipod shuffel 1 gig. I keep it in a pouch on my IBA.

iPAQ 2215 Pocket PC. This is my main support device. I have a 16 GB CF card and a 4 GN SD card in it. Docs go on the SD card, MP3 & movies go on the CF card. I have 3 batteries for the iPAQ, ac charger, and an USB charger.

US style 3 plug adapter. It seems that all the outlets are used everywhere you go; this lets you share an outlet with a buddy and get recharged without having to wait.

Small AM/FM radio that uses ear buds.

Sink plug 1.5", Every sink in Iraq is missing the plug. Having your own lets you fill up the sink with water to shave or sponge bath. Linnens & Things sells a nice one for $2.99.

Coming back from R&R I brought back a Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance SP with a bunch of classic games. Should have brought it with from the get go. Note: Nintendo AC adapters are 110v only, get a universal 110-240v generic charger off of eBay.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX07 digital camera. Uses SDHC cards and I got an 8 gig card for it. Never run out of space!

Thumb drives are fine for unclass NIPR stuff but you can only use gov't drives that are issued to you for SIPR stuff. That's the rule within MNSTC-I. MNF-I, MNC-I and CJSOTF might have different rules but from what I have seen, no personal thumb drives for SIPR.

Also,

I brought four Outdoor Research Hydrolite Dry Sacks™ stuff bags. Highly recommended.


To keeps bugs away I brought Outdoor Research Bug Bivy™. Good stuff!

http://www.outdoorresearch.com/site/bug_bivy.html

Good stuff all around. I know it hasn't been all that long since the last post in this thread and I was hoping for a little renewed interest. I'm leaving for Afghanistan in the near future for a year tour on one of the civilian contracts (try not to hold it against me).

I would have never thought about alot of the creature comforts mentioned and now I have a shopping list as long as my arm. It's been about 10 years since I deployed anywhere and I (almost) feel that I'm wholly unprepared for the trip as far as the little things are concerened.

I'm just prodding to see if anyone has any other ideas or just advice in general. I'm an open book and I've been poking around the site for awhile picking up great info. Hope I'm not bein' a pain or otherwise over stepping my bounds. :)

PepperDog,

If you are heading to Afghanistan I suggest that you pick up a Gator Neck to cover your nose and mouth if you plan to be on the road. You will be hitting dust season soon (for the next 10 months) and it gets pretty bad.