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Your Favorite piece of Issue Gear

Parka shell, for the following reasons:

-blocks the wind, but it's light enough to patrol in

-cut big in the arms and shoulders for ease of movement, very comfortable

-big cargo pockets hang low enough to be reached when wearing the ballistic vest

-fleece warming pockets keep the hands warm when wearing thin shooting gloves

-the hood can be (and usually is) removed

-the Softie is a perfect insulating layer for it

The parka shell should be improved with:

-the addition of shoulder pockets like on the combat jacket

-the addition of pit zips
 
The old multi fuelled lunar lander mountain stove, AKA fireball.  As long as you kept the pump well lubed and the generator in good shape, they could be a lifesaver.
 
Kat Stevens said:
The old multi fuelled lunar lander mountain stove, AKA fireball.  As long as you kept the pump well lubed and the generator in good shape, they could be a lifesaver.

Kat,

I actually know a guy that collects and refurbs these things, all models. He owns a paint shop where he mixes true colours for them and has a bunch of original decals for the different ones. Last time I was there he had a double door locker full, and he won't sell a one of them, even to me. :(
 
Will he sell parts?  I've still got mine, 25 years later.  She's all shiny in spots with plenty of bubbled up paint from brewups.  I've got the Coleman peak single burner too, but nowhere near the character of the old girl.
 
It's a toss up... The 117F? The 3 x magnifier for the MNVG? The hard-to-come-by compass att for MNVG?  Maybe just the MNVG themselves? No, it's gotta be my C8 Heavy Barrel.
 
dapaterson said:
The olive drab combat scarf.  Most versatile, flexible thing  - sort of like the sneed in "The Lorax" - it can be anything.

Yes, the Combat Scarf is, hands-down, the best thing in the world.

Teflon said:
Protractor, Rectangular, 6 in., Plastic, C2

I've got one of those too, pretty handy but not necessarily my favourite.
 
Bivvy bag, by far. Add six marbles(or small stones) and some 550 cord and you've got a one man tunnel tent. Perfection in cadpat.
 
Changed my mind, I now vote AEV, hands down.
 
Brockvegas said:
Bivvy bag, by far. Add six marbles(or small stones) and some 550 cord and you've got a one man tunnel tent. Perfection in cadpat.

Elaborate.. please.  This sounds like an interesting "mod"
 
Ummm.... how do the 6 marbles / stones work ?
 
My assumption would be putting them into the sides/corners, then tying a string around them so they become fixed points.  From there, they can be attached to with other strings or pickets?

Maybe a hammock style can even be made from this?

 
My new favorite is the flight suit (and jacket).  1 or 2 piece, doesn't matter.

2 reasons:

1.  no more boot bands (I *always* managed to get them damn hooks caught up in my socks); and

2.  Cpl ranks seems to look alot like Capt ranks on the slip-ons.  This was confirmed by the CP02, PO1 and MCpl that all saluted me while I was walking around clearing out of Stad and the Dockyard last week. 

;D
 
When I first joined "the Bag" was considered the best piece of kit in NATO.  ( Sleeping bag Arctic, innner, outer, or liner.  Then in the early 90's when we got the Gortex bag to keep "The Bag" dry it became the best piece of kit in NATO.  Since then my priorities have moved on but still I look back fondly for all the times it was cold and miserable out and I had a chance to crawl into "the bag" for a bit of down time.  Now though I add anything that gives me an edge in staying alive,  if for no other reason then at some point I want to be able to get back into "the Bag" for some more down time.
 
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