"The stuff the army issues is useless" and "no non-issue kit over seas!"

[RCR Grunt]

I don't recall having to pay anything for my TacVest and at the end of the day it did everything I expected it to do.  I got to try on about 10 different rigs from guys trying to flog their wares and none of it justified spending my valuable dime.  One might try to deduct the cost on their income taxes since it might qualify as a work related expense.

The rigs I saw allowed the wearers to carry no more kit than I required to do my job.  One of the rigs had a real sexy drop down portable office on the chest but I don't do paperwork on the go.  It's just a personal thing.

Can the kit be better? sure and a big juicy pay hike wouldn't bite the bag either but we got what we got.

You are a douche!!

Can the Kit be better?  Hell yes!!  But taking the "oh well, what can you do" attitude isn't going to change anything!  Your a bloody WARRANT OFFICER, FFS!  Your in a leadership role and a position of authority, stand up and do something!  With all the humping you've done, you should at least have a spine under your combat shirt somewhere!!  WAKE UP!!  Its the 21st century, kit has come a long way, and we should be given the best of it!  Your right, you shouldn't have to spend your own money on it, I agree, but we shouldn't have to wait years for someone to redesign a piece of kit from the ground up when a combat proven model already exists.  Attitudes like yours are the reason why the system is so messed up.

And I put 30 rounds in my mags, because they don't stay full very long anyways.

 

[Canadian Sig]

I'll happily take my old 64 pattern over with me this spring. I just wish they would get me a bag that actually carries a radio, spare batteries, spare ammo, med supplies and water.....comfortably.  :crybaby:

Guess I'll just have to hunt up my own. Suggestions???  ;D

 

[Nfld Sapper]

I believe the priorty would be those going oversea's doing dismounted ops etc then once there are enougth to kit all of them would be the groups going out the door next, followed by Reg force Cmbt arms frontline units etc.

sjm good on you for making do with crappy kit.  Me I'll look for ways to carry whats required for the mission while being as comfortable as possible.  As far as aftermarket chest rigs I have no idea whose you were looking at but the good ones are more comfortable, can carry more stuff and are more flexible to the user because they are modular.

I kinds figured that Lone Wolf, I was mainly thinking for after that.

 

[medaid]

Canadian Sig, shoot me a PM and I'll set you up with an ICE 64 pattern bag and suspension. PM me!!

 

[KevinB]

Dirt Digger -- fine - however when those people your listing have lost touch with the coal face then the problem arrises, also looking down your nose at the troops using the gear in combat does not really help -- since THEY are the ones using the gear, and the true stakeholders...

Blaming troops for using the gear incorrectly, in some cases lying to the troops on TAV (one instance would eb the request fro the RAS for weapons and claiming it overheats the weapon when testing has proven more than a 20% increase in cooling not to mention other benifits) and the general asscovering does not sit very well...

Stef -- your role may have been okay -- but how many firefights did you get into as an Infantryman?  Your role is different.

 

[armyvern]

LOL
Whaaaaaat?  :
Rucksack back anyone?

So you denied yourself 20 rounds out of your 10 mags to save weight? Is that a wise thing to do? You're given 10 mags for a reason, if the army wanted you to go into battle with 9 mags they would have issued you 9 wouldn't they have?
You should cut your tooth brush in half or something to save weight instead.

That post made my week, cheers.

Come on Flawed, get serious would you (sarcasm mode on now ....), ... SJM sure as hell didn't carry those 10 required mags in a friggin' tacvest now did he??

Because the Tacvest CAN'T HOLD the 10 friggin' mags it should. One more reason that pers purchased their own chest rigs that ARE capable of carry their ammo load.

Yet, CTS will have you run back from the front line (or during a TIC -- after all who can predict when those will happen??) to your vehicle ... to go through your small pack system ... to get those 5 extra mags when you need to replace them. Officially -- By the book -- !!!

Go friggin' figure. Yeah, the tacvest works great ... NOT.

Geez, I'm merely a girl (an old one), merely a support "REMF" trade, and even I am quite capable of figuring out the WRONG with the above. ) Besides ... firing prone tends to hurt my 'lil chest with the stupid TV on ... so it must suck even more for a girl who actually HAS a chest. So, even as a support trade -- the TV doesn't work for me.

 

[sjm]

Hey Kev you visiting the old stomping grounds anytime soon?  Call me...

I got to play with the Kandak HQ and the Weapons Coy on all types of Ops.  My usual luxury of a truck to haul my aging "douche (thanks for the accolades RCR Grunt, I should change my callsign)"-like carcass around was more often than not left at the Zulu harbour unfortunately.  The ANA are light and fast and we needed to be the same.

For those that are convinced that only 4 mags fit in the present chest rig, the left hand C9 pouch holds 5 mags with room to spare for the MNVG.  My leg-drop M203 bandolier was perfect for my pistol mags once 1 grenade was loaded and the Black Hawk holster fits a bottle of hand sanitizer and a bag of Skittles perfectly.

 

[KevinB]

I will be in after X-Mas

  Will carry - is different that carries well -- I dislike the TV because based on my experience LITTLE is ergonomically placed for me in a fight. 

 

[RCR Grunt]

Hey Kev you visiting the old stomping grounds anytime soon?  Call me...

I got to play with the Kandak HQ and the Weapons Coy on all types of Ops.  My usual luxury of a truck to haul my aging "douche (thanks for the accolades RCR Grunt, I should change my callsign)"-like carcass around was more often than not left at the Zulu harbour unfortunately.  The ANA are light and fast and we needed to be the same.

For those that are convinced that only 4 mags fit in the present chest rig, the left hand C9 pouch holds 5 mags with room to spare for the MNVG.  My leg-drop M203 bandolier was perfect for my pistol mags once 1 grenade was loaded and the Black Hawk holster fits a bottle of hand sanitizer and a bag of Skittles perfectly.

So you did what we always do, and thats make lemonade out of lemons, instead of what you should've done, and thats refuse the lemons and ask for proper kit that performs the task it is required to do... And that is why you are a douche-bag.

 

[KevinB]

FYI putting 30 rds in a 28rd mag is a bad idea -- I dont care who says its a 30rd mag -- realistically unless you have the Hk mag or the PMAG 30rds reduce the easy to reload bolt foward - and reduce your reliability...

Stef is nto a douche BTW -- misguided in this instance yes...  Much like old Mortarman Rockpainter once was...

 

[sjm]

Kev - Admittedly, the mags on the outsides were a bit hard to get to but those were reserved for my tracer only mags anyway.

And the side pouches can be hard to get to at times but not impossible.  You know how our trade works, most of what I needed was hanging around my neck anyway.  And the M-72 in my pack was for the guy behind me.

Vern - I don't recall going prone once, it's hard to fight lying on one's belly.  The prone position is strictly a "range"ism.

 

[armyvern]

Vern - I don't recall going prone once, it's hard to fight lying on one's belly.  The prone position is strictly a "range"ism.

Yes it absolutely is!! That IS exactly the point. It (the Tac Vest) doesn't friggin' work there either!! (Especially for women!!).

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

"My leg-drop M203 bandolier was perfect for my pistol mags once 1 grenade was loaded and the Black Hawk holster fits a bottle of hand sanitizer and a bag of Skittles perfectly"

I thought you said the TV fulfilled your needs?  Which is it?  What does the C9 gunner do with his NVG's and other required items?  

 

[Jammer]

I sense a little posing going on...yup...caught the scent.

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

If I-6 says he's kosher I believe him and that this WO is misguided on this issue.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Come on Flawed, get serious would you (sarcasm mode on now ....), ... SJM sure as hell didn't carry those 10 required mags in a friggin' tacvest now did he??

Checkmate

You can carry 10 mags but like Kev said, can you carry them well? No.
5 mags in the side pouch of a tackvest is sketchy at best. Along the same train of though you can carry those 5 mags in your CF issue arid combat pants.
I think the tacvest debate has been beaten to death.

I'm out of my lanes when it comes to the ANA I admit (and I'm not trying to be a smart ass here).
I'm a little iffy though on us "fighting like the ANA" after I read an article talking about how we've lost considerable amouts of the ground we took during 2006 OR we are at risk of losing it. the article made it sound like the ANA didn't put up much of a fight (sans canadians) when the taliban came around.

 

[Jammer]

Then use a little profesionalism and stop talking OPSEC.
Loose lips sink ships, and all that.
PM any little personal msgs please

 

[Jarnhamar]

Then use a little profesionalism and stop talking OPSEC.
Loose lips sink ships, and all that.
PM any little personal msgs please

That can backfire too mate.

The interperters know more about the you know what than the new soldiers coming into therater thanks to a poor passage of info and trade secrets.

 

[Jammer]

You're preaching to the converted...browse my profile...

 

[redleafjumper]

An interesting thread with some good points.  I have little to add beyond this quotation from a very successful General whose life was cut short at Waterloo:

"I don't care how they dress so long as they mind their fighting."
- Sir Thomas Picton on his mens' poor dress standards.


Cheers,