Stacking Kit

Building a decent and comfortable tactical kit is a bit like preparing a defensive position. You are never really finished. That comparison might not do anything for you but it could work on the haters reading now, and will serve me soon when I read this some time later and cringe. It is certain as scripture that I will at some point see this setup with disdain. Things evolve. To make the prophecy more impressive I can say that in no less than five years most of what I have here will be completely deprecated for something new. But this is where I am on my current journey and thoughts about a scalable amount of kit for a suburban Former Action Guy, who can only play with this shit recreationally and imagine its use in less comfortable settings.

Next noose I want to avoid with a post like this is:

"why the fuck do you really need this?"

Got nothing close to a universal and acceptable answer to the general public for this unfortunately. If you find a good reason (defined as something that helps you open your wallet, or even better an excuse your wife will accept) spread that wealth to me and our friends. I have seen some attempts at crafting an excuse. I really don't have a good one. I just like it. Also It assuages some latent and pathological anxiety about the future, but I had no specific scenario in mind when accumulating this equipment. There is a feeling, a qualia, to being- or maybe just thinking that you are more prepared for a low liklihood high severity risk. I suppose that is what is going on here, but there are better psychologists or social scientists to reference for that material. I'm just here for kit.

Now that justification is dispensed and anti-cringe shields are deployed, what is this in essence and how is it all arranged? If your intelligence quotient is high enough you might have gleaned from the title that the kit stacks on itself. But why does it stack? Given that we can't have a specific scenario in mind (alien invasions, Antifa Insurrections, Emperor Trump, EMP strikes from the NORKs, Jurassic Park fence failures, Yellowstone Caldera eruptions, etc.) we still need a vehicle for the plot of this blog, let's use an empirical quantity that should be familiar from a popular film. To increment our need for more LARP let's measure in degrees of Heat.

Down in Bragghdad things can get hot quickly so you want to focus on saving pounds for dope and beer (things that keep you fighting). When considering the options for carrying all this I have always forgone a plate carrier.  Most of the folks around this town aren't going to be put off just by a small plate of bulletproof and the extra bulk and pounds just isn't worth the hope it inspires. So we wanted a chest rig. There is a large Goldilocks Zone for these and you need to find your own muse and perform your own tests. I bought large chest rigs and small chest rigs and loved all of them. In the end just like with the rifle (that does nothing great but everything well) I wanted to not fret about single use cases. Using our belt, chest rig, and a very small pack we are feeding the rifle and keeping hydrated. Nothing else is required for about 24 hours, especially on my home turf. I can always go to the corner store or get sustainment elsewhere. Maybe a soccer mom will have a pack or two of lickies or chewies I can ask for when needed. Or I can shoot a cat. Food or other concerns like that aren't addressed here, that would be a really special use case solved in other ways.

This rifle is the base of the stack which is fitting because she is a basic bitch. Besides the body that carries my spirit around it is the most critical element of this formula. Based on the terrain and conditions here this rifle does the most things. The can makes it a bit longer than I wish, and future suppressor purchases will be more appropriate to the barrel length. But in a quick summary this rifle with sling can be carried suppressed or unsuppressed. Sling can go single point (for cars mostly) or two point (because it is most comfortable). The 5x magnifier can be flipped up or packed away. With one mount screw the light and laser can be removed. But it all stays on and while the bitch is heavy (I don't actually want to know so don't ask), she does anything. With the D60 mag up front you can do a lot of work without bringing anything else.

The Batman belt is up next, and while it is kept fully loaded it doesn't need to stay that way. It is admittedly heavy on the pistol mags and packed row to row with shit. I don't think anyone on earth needs 101 rounds of 9mm, but if you did you can put it on this belt comfortably. This was built for doing gun runs so it is very comfortable and well tested, that middle belt of padding really helps. I have already written more than I intended so I am not going to get descriptive into pouch choices and med kit contents, but the pictures should help and you can always reach out and ask on Twitter.

There is a sheath for the knife you see later, which is preferred in the chest rig. That is really all this is missing outside of some hearing protection. You could work off this belt and cover a lot of ground with it. It brings a handgun into the equation and for the first time in our kit we look to bring some medical equipment. Admittedly just an IFAK to plug a hole or put a tourniquet on something bleeding. I do like the Benchmade belt cutter here, as cutting equipment off yourself or someone else is sometimes easier than working buckles with a single good but slippery hand. The dump pouch is for magazines but truth is I often found this to be a good overall pocket for patrols back in the day. Think of it like a loot bag to fill, not just drop your empty magazines.

If you are a fat guy you hate this thing. I was recently kinda fat, and this looked funny as fuck on my chest. I get why the skinny guys dig it though. This is an extremely easy way to carry things and while it is LARPy as fuck, you really don't hate wearing this much even with a belt. You can run in the fucking thing. Again I'm not going to rattle off nylon crafter makes and models. The ambition here was to get something I wouldn't want to take off first chance I got, something that I could use for admin tasks and reloads without a lot of bulk. Harness is wide on the straps and backing. It will accommodate a hydration pouch (not included in the photoshoot) and a boatload of other configurations. But I rarely change it from this. Boomers really hate the phone mount, and people make it seem like you need ATAC for the setup but truly just running Spotify on a gun run or doing a map check during a walk makes it worthwhile. The belt knife is usually kept here too, since I always carry pocket knife so a belt knife often feels superflous.

The belt and rifle have brought us well along but if we are going to keep things up we need to keep track of what we are doing, keep our phone going (obviously not fighting the govmint), and doing some limited near recognition signals and lighting. The gaiter is a mask, a hat, ear muffs, a dressing, handkerchief etc. One of the lightest items in the whole setup here.

These wings are a superpower. If you can't pay someone 20 Kools for eyeshine, mortgage something and buy night vision. By packing this seperately I can take it with the rifle or the belt and just put it on for wear. Both the rifle and the pistol can shoot with laser and passively out to a considerable distance. I actually think I shoot the pistol better passively with night vision than I do in daylight but maybe it is because I'm less in a hurry. If I'm wearing the chest rig already though this mounts the placard and accommodates the harness easily without much modification. It will also carry a few extra magazines you can take from the belt or elsewhere.

That belt medical kit is light light light. Not that this next dangler piece adds a considerable amount of class VIII but another tourniquet and some more supplies never hurt anyone.

I'll be honest though and say I have only worn this dangler a few times, and mostly just to make sure I didn't hate it. It isn't uncomfortable but unless I think someone is about to be really injured (mostly me), I'm not putting it on. It is nice though, and seems to make everything accessible. These scissors are great but pricey.

This collection of Eberlestock and Ex Umbris resembles a lot of packs but it's what I have finally settled on from a long journey of off the shelf packs. The size and shape are just right to shoot off of without being heavy or hot to wear. Anything I'm looking for I can generally find quickly without opening a lot of zippers. It is an odd looking thing, and you won't find one anywhere as I have kind of built it myself.

Key for the radio for me was to keep it on top and accessible. Items are tied down and cables are tucked away. Spare batteries are for GPS/helmet ear pro and lasers and optics. This beer can pouch from Ex Umbris Designs is great and works well on top too. I have tested it for holding a DJI Mini 4 Pro and it holds one easily, even with the gimbal cover. Spare antenna is just a spare. The nubby works in most of my testing.

I'm surprised that this isn't a popular idea, but we trust Pic rails on weapons all day but there are few mounting options for packs and other nylon. I like to keep a bipod or a shooting bag accessible in case I can take up a static position but the rest need to be improved. If I was staying indoors or in a car I would swap this bipod for a Cole Tac Flat Bag and a Backbone Mount. With that setup you can really just shoot off the bag and not mount it to the rifle. Either way this just fucks. It's quick and easy to attach and detach, and can even be tied down without crowding or getting tangled on other kit.

I've put this pouch on a million bags trying to make it work and it never really did until now. It's almost a bag onto itself and the shapes lend it well to a lot of volumes that don't work anywhere else. This is mostly focused on things breaking and needing some fix, gaining a lot more light for a room or house, helping people settle down, and writing things on paper.

I've tried to work harder at removing some information off digits and this has been a good start. All my field notes and DOPE go in here now and it stores data cards for QB armbands and the like. Being able to attach different DOPE sheets for different rifles is nice.

At the base this thing is just a fancy bladder carrier. The shape was great but you had to stack everything in it just right for it to work. Now that we put all these other items on the outside the internals can carry things less often needed. Boo Boo kit (simple meds and bandages for bitches), suppressor cover, signal panel, ways to get aqua, and the best damn tool wrap ever are what I most often carry. This hat keeps the sun from burning my bald head too.

There are plenty of pools and swamps around here so getting water, which you will need a lot of during the summer, is easy but still a priority and something we need to sterilize or sanitize. We don't pack food really but there are some calories in the Boo Boo kit if you need some maltodextrin. Signaling is maybe the only thing we haven't talked about much, but with the radio, clicker, lights, and this you should have a lot of options in link ups or helping people navigate to you.

I put things that are small and tool-like in this wrap and have had zero regrets. If you are counting this is our third source of fire and ways to fix broken things. It packs away easy and can be found in the dark by weight and shape. Once you carry it for a while you also get to know where things are without looking.

Outside of the scope here are a lot more kit bags for even more implausible circumstances and fantastic hopes. If you are interested come back around or give me a follow on X or Twitter. I think it is time we bring some energy back into this project. Going to crack that Ranger Handbook again soon.

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