Get your Kit Squared Away!

I was just down in the bunker sorting my kit out, for potential self-defense escapades against tyranny, right here in Ole Virginny. I took some photos and thought I would use it as an excuse to talk about gear. Yay!

Anyone that knows me and follows my writings and YouTube Channel, will know that I have expressed a lot of different opinions and options with gear. Essentially, it depends on the situation. While getting this load-out squared away, with the potential to have to defend myself and community against tyranny in Virginia in 2020, I had some specific thoughts in mind. I’ll go through the rationale.

First though: my gear is all multicam, and I am putting this post out on the internet (which is always a mistake). No doubt people will have reason to take issue with that. Go for it. I don’t care. If you have kit in a certain camo pattern, and don’t want to give that overall impression, just break it up with the rest of the stuff that you wear. If you are really upset about it, rattle-can it. Moving on.

Right: Ballistic Plates. I think you would be nuts to go into the sort of situation we may have brewing here, without plates. You need a plate carrier. Ballistic plates only cover a certain area and are not foolproof, but they will seriously reduce the risk of penetrating trauma to the thoracic cavity. Yes, MVT is a dealer for the best plates on the market (ShotStop), and in this plate carrier I have the ShotStop 10×12 SAPI Cut Green Tip Plates. They each weigh 4.6 lb, which is a total weight of 9.2 lb. Worth it. These plates are also thin, and that makes a huge difference compared to some of the Green Tip type plates out there, for overall wearability and comfort. They are out of stock of shooters cut Green Tip till February, but have SAPI cut in stock. Plates HERE.

I think we may be facing a cluster of disorganized combat in urban and semi-urban environments. This will do two things: it will allow you to go relativity light in terms of sustainment gear, thus compensating for the weight of the plates. It will also mean that the more protection you can wear, the better. I have talked before about reasons why you may want to dump the plates, such as heat and operating environment. If this evolves into something more prolonged and rural, over the heat of summer, then you will need more sustainment gear and may want to sideline the plates (until needed).

Above is a front view of my plate carrier. It is a FirstSpear AAC, with the tubes (love those things). I got the option with the 3 mag pouches sewn to the front. I then took 3 x KYWI inserts and put them in the mag pouches, thus giving me kydex mag retention. I have an admin pouch up top above the mags. On bottom, I have a TQ in a little holder that I purchased.

Above is a side view of the PC. I put an additional 2 x mags on the side (under my left arm) in a tactical tailor pouch, which together with the 3 on the front makes 5 mags on the PC. 5 + 2 on the belt + 1 on the rifle= 8 mags. That is first line scales. Who is bringing the resupply?

There is a radio in the little wing pouches which hang off the side of the front plate panel, and sit under the cummerbund. Don’t get excited about the radio: it is simply a knock-off Chinese version of the 152, and works on normal civilian radio frequencies. It is hardened and a good bit of kit, and works will all military ancillaries, hence the love. Currently the antenna is routed to the back of the PC.

You can see the hydration tube coming over from the back. I only have a 1.5 liter hydration bag currently on the back of the PC.

The right side of the rig simply has a GP Pouch attached to the cummerbund. For useful stuff.

Above is a back left view, showing the Tyr Tactical zip-on Huron Assaulter Pack. There are several versions that Tyr Tactical sells, and they sell the zipper kit that will attach to a non-Tyr PC such as this FirstSpear. The compression zip on this bag is currently unzipped, giving more volume to the pack. This pack also comes with a beavertail (removable) which allows you to carry a helmet on the back. Given that if you are wearing this during the day your NODS need to go inside it and you need a way to mount them to your head, which means either carry a helmet or a nightcap. A helmet poking out the back will be a pain in the butt, but then again if it’s a firefight, you may want to put it on your head!

These assaulter packs on the back of a PC are a whole realm of pain-in-the-butt. On the one hand, they are small and thus limit the idea of carrying too much gear. They also don’t have straps, so this reduces the strappage on your shoulders. But you need a buddy to get anything out of them, as you can’t simply swing the pack down to access. You do have a buddy in a firefight, right?

However, wearing any sort of backpack over a PC is annoying, particularly when you have water in a hydration bladder. With an assaulter pack zipped on, it gets into a whole realm of fuckery. Thus, if you are going to wear a backpack, zip off the assaulter pack and put it away, and have a hydration bladder in the backpack itself. I am working with Diz on a solution for a better experience wearing a decent sized backpack over a plate carrier. Hopefully it arrives before the boogaloo!

Remember that the more kit you carry, particularly on top of a PC, will weigh you down and make you a tactical no-go. The Fight Lite concept is that you go as light as is practical to go, so long as you have with you what you need to achieve the mission.

Above: back view of the PC with the Tyr Assaulter Panel.

Above: back right view of the PC, with Tyr panel.

Below is the main photo again, with the items on the battle belt listed.

Let’s hope that getting this kit together is simply a false alarm, and the tyrants in Richmond wind their necks in and crawl back under their rocks. I really don’t want to be forced, with the rest of Virginia, into a fight to defend our Constitutional rights. One thing is certain, and that is that the leftists, and tyranny, never quit.

One thing that has so far gone unstated in this post, so I’ll get a final dig in: to carry this kit, you have to do physical fitness. You have to be in a modicum of decent physical shape. If you can’t breathe, you can’t fight. The 9.2lb for the plates is easily carried if you get in shape. Most people could probably lose that amount of body weight and carry the plates at no cost. The second part of that is training, to build skills, situational awareness, and battle sense. Without both of those, you may be able to look somewhat of the part at an armed rally, but once the rounds start flying, you’ll look like a bag of crap.