CAPGear

Conterra chest harness

There are many ways to manage ground team equipment.  Some searchers like vests, others like backpacks. The tools that these teams use depend upon their capabilities, and how they are used.  Today we are going to look at a different equipment carrier. 

The Conterra Company makes a chest rig that I have used for a number of years.  This chest rig fits comfortably, and allows easy maneuverability in a command post, on a vehicle, and in the field. 

The chest rig allows a searcher to quickly throw on a back pack with out interference, and allows you enough storage that you can keep your essential equipment with you at all times. 

The best benefit to a chest rig is the positioning of your radio.  Most responders end up clipping their hand held radio to a belt, or strap that hangs at your waist.  This is not the best position for accessing your communications device.  The chest rig will allow this radio it to be close at hand, and easily accessible. 

There are many different makes and models of chest rig, but This is the one I wear. 

Guest Post John Halbrook  

I thought I would take a moment to follow up and show you my chest harness after a day in the field.  You can see how the radio fits, and how I attach a simple clip knife to the rig

New Ground Team Gear!!

Okay - I'm not dead.  Just been a bit busy to say the least.  Between being a Squadron Commander and work - I've been buried.  All that being said, I had to blog about this.

I'm finally trading in my old Blackhawk Medic Vest (totally useless for what we do).

I thought I would let you know what I picked up and why.

I considered the standard LBV, another Blackhawk vest, and the Camelbak Delta-5 Tactical Vest.  I chose Camelbak - it was fully integrated, and Francois had one which gave me a chance to mull it over.

I decided to use OPSGear to make my purchase.  They had good pricing (not the best), but the main reason was one stop shopping.  They had all the pouches I wanted and the shipping was cheap.  I would highly recommend them for purchases like this.

The vest itself comes in black and sage green, it's made of tactical nylon mesh with MOLLE/PALS attach point on the front and back.  It uses large YKK zippers and has an integrated 102oz OMEGA Water Beast reservoir.  This vest is adjustable in 3 places on each side, and the length of the "shoulder straps" is also adjustable.  The water system uses quick disconnects at all points, and a covered bite valve so you don't get dirt or sand in your water.  It has an integrated "rescue" drag handle that is reinforced, it also has 2 velcro patches for ID purposes.  It's meant to be attached to a web belt of some kind to keep it from riding up.  This thing is amazing.  I chose sage green to attempt to match either BDU's, or maybe someday the ABU.  As I did on my black medic vest, I will eventually apply (using velcro) a large amount of reflective material in order to avoid having to wear a vest over this one.

I'll outline each pouch I selected and why.

First I knew I would need a radio pouch that could accommodate these nice new EF Johnson Radios - they're kind of big.  I selected the MOLLE Radio Pouch in OD Green.  It's big enough to hold the radio, it includes an adjustable retention strap to keep the radio in place when you have the main compartment open to make adjustments.  It has a nice reinforced port on the top for wires and antennas.  It includes the MOLLE connection straps which is nice.

Next I selected some small multi-use pouches.  I knew I needed something for both my Surefire 6P flashlight, and my Leatherman Multi Tool.  I selected the MOLLE Single Pistol Mag Pouch.  The dimensions were good, and the closure flap was adjustable.  Both of my items fit perfectly.  As with the Radio Pouch, these came with connection straps built in.

I have a lot of miscellaneous gear that I need access to on a regular basis, things like a simple knife, mono scope, notepad, pens, signal mirror, etc.  I decided to select a piece of Maxpedition gear for this stuff.  They call it the Monkey Combat Admin Pouch.  This thing is amazing.  It has a handy ID holder in the front that can be revealed by pulling down on the tab.  It has 3 internal pockets - the middle pocket velcros shut to keep items from falling out.  I stuck my mapping compass and signal mirror in there.  The front pocket has my pads and pens.  The inside most pocket holds my knife, a small LED flashlight, and my mono scope.  The entire front of this piece is covered in velcro.  I'm not sure I could live without this thing now.  The only drawback - if you could call it that would be the lack of connection straps.  I address that later in the post.

Now, we all have that pile of "undefinable" equipment.  Things you know you'll need but don't really fit into something "custom".  For those types of items I picked up a MOLLE Utility puch.  It's big and it has more MOLLE attach point on the front.  I put matches, gloves, bug repellent, etc in this pouch.  It has room for me to add miscellaneous items as needed, like my camera.

Finally to round it all out, I wanted a new butt pack.  I had the traditional, standard issue model.  No extra pockets - basically a big ass water resistant bag - useless.  I needed something I could putt my meals and shelter material in.  Something that if I needed one thing, I didn;t have to pull everything else out to get at it.  With all that in mind I selected the MOLLE Butt / Vest Pack.  It has plenty of extra pockets, including one on top for my extra batteries.  Overall a vast improvement over the original.

Because the Maxpedition pouch didn't have any straps for attaching, I had to pick some up.  I chose the Blackhawk STRIKE MOLLE Speed Clips.  They worked out well and weren;t too expensive.

The final product looked something like this:

I admit - this was a bit of a decent chunk of change, around $350 when it was all said and done.  You have to think of your GTM gear as an investment.  Not only is this gear going to last me a LONG time, it's also going to make my ES life a lot easier.

Next time on CAPGear - EF Johnson Radio Accessories, which ones worked for me.

Creature Comfort

I haven't done it yet - I've tried to use personal restraint - but I feel the need to mention:

While I was deployed during Hurricane Katrina...

...I brought along a few "extras" that I knew would come in handy.  The one I'm going to write about today is one that has served me very well for my entire CAP career.

It's simply called:

Jetboil - (Personal Cooking System) Suggested Retail: $89.99
I have had one of these for 2 years now.  This has to be one of the best purchases I have ever made (thanks Midway 6).  Anyone in a cold climate, heck, anyone who likes a hot cup of coffee in the morning should cram one of these into their 72hr gear.  I have used it on every overnight mission I have been on.  It boils a cup of water per minute (it holds 2 cups of water).  I love MRE's as much as the next guy but a nice hot package of rehydrated eggs and bacon sure beats a beef stew for breakfast.  Since I purchased my unit they've come out with a plethora of exciting accessories including:

• Fry Pan
• Hanging Kit
• Utensil Kit
• Cargo Cozy Kit
• 1.5L Cooking Pot
• 1L Companion Cup
• Pot Support
• Coffee Press
• Cozies
• Maintenance Kit

Seriously folks - a cargo cozy kit?  Who can pass that up?  Not me.

I know some of you are thinking that this is merely a "nice to have" but think of it this way, if you get lost or separated from your team, and you're forced to "survive" on your own until you're rescued, this is a very functional survival tool.

My Essentials...

I thought I would start things out by writing about the 5 items I never leave for a mission without - no matter what the tasking is.

Here they are - I'll break each one down:

• The Suunto A-30 Compass
• The Leatherman Charge Titanium TTi Multi-Tool
• The Surefire 6P Flashlight
• The "Rite in the Rain" All Weather Tactical Click Pen
• The "Rite in the Rain" Tactical Pocket Notebook

I wouldn't leave my house for a mission without these items and here's why.

The Suunto A-30 Compass:
You always have to know which way you're heading.  This compass is great because it has may favorite feature of any compass - the dial shows a marking for every degree.  It's also very durable and has some simple protractor functions.  Not to mention the "Snap-Lanyard" comes in very hand, I typically have the lanyard attached to my gear so I won t lose this kinda pricey compass.

The Leatherman Charge Titanium TTi Multi-Tool:
This has to be a no-brainer.  This is the mother of all multi-tools.  It has everything and is basically indestructible.  My favorite feature has to be the blades on the outside - it's always such a pain to have to open a multi-toll just to get the knife, the people at Leatherman have really outdone themselves here.

The Surefire 6P Flashlight:
Ask anyone I volunteer with and they'll tell you, I'm a bit of a flashlight whore - I have TONS of them, and this is the one I choose to carry all the time.  It's not the best one I have but it's the most versatile.  It is bright enough for just about everything we do and it could live through hell and come back fully functional.  The batteries aren't too expensive and they last a reasonable amount of time.  It has all the accessories needed for our missions including a number of different colored lenses.  Not to mention it's (or at least it used to be) standard issue for the FBI.

The "Rite in the Rain" Tactical Pocket Notebook and the "Rite in the Rain" All Weather Tactical Click Pen:
Okay, have you ever been taking notes at a mission briefing on a beautiful day, no one is expecting rain, you've got all the details you need and you roll out.  By mid afternoon it looks like monsoon season and your notes are running all over the mush pile you have in you hands - aka your notepad.  It's happened to me for sure.  Until I was bumbling around my local Army Navy Surplus Store and found these hot items.  This is a "I don't go ANYWHERE without this" kind of item for me.  I use them in my business and my volunteer gig.  It's well worth the extra green backs.