[ShelledPants]

I like lists, you and I are getting off to the right start. Bold is changes I would make.


Absolute
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Gun [[Correction, GUNS. You will want a backup at long games.]]
Multiple mags (at least 5 mid-cap)[[ Plan 500 rounds per sortie. Thats more than enough to kill everything and hold out for reinforcements for most games]]

5000 bbs or more? [[4,000 rounds is more than enough to keep anyone up for any game and share, generously.]]

Multiple batteries. Two 7.4 Lipo 1000mAh ok? [[Depends on the gun. Think of 1mAh = 1BB. If you plan to dump 5,000 BB's, you will need 5000mAh total in Batteries.]]

Battery Charger [[Don't bother unless it's super compact and works with DC plugs.]]

Proper boots [[Most hiking shoe or boot is good to go. I would take cheap hiking boots from MEC any day over 90% of combat boots on the market.]]

Camo gear [[Specifically, BDU top and bottom, sweat wilking shirt and briefs, wool socks (x3 per day) I'm super serious, if you over pack socks you will not be sad.]]

Tactical Vest [[Get a light chest rig and don't load it heavy.]]

Goggles, fully enclosed [[Goggles are nice, I prefer balistic glasses. Super light, harder to fog, about as likely to get a BB in the eye as with goggles.]] [[NOTE: Get a light modular face mask. I hate the mesh masks which are popular, there are good plastic ones out there]]

Radio [[If you're new. Pack it. Carry it. And turn it the fuck OFF. New guys notoriously get their PTT caught up on their gear and cause hell for everyone. Use it for emergencies and wear it where you want to wear it when you're a big boy, and note if you constantly put pressure on it.]]

Red Kill rag, Red kill light/glow-stick [[E-Glowsticks. Real glowsticks don't turn off and will get you shot by guys with NVG seeing your glowstick through your clothing. Seriously. Gets you ded.]]

Watch [[Super important and rarely carried. Get a little $10 compass attachment for the watch strap, works a treat in a pinch]]

Case of water [[ 500ml bottles of water are awesome. They fit in pouches, pockets, bags... and they crush to 1/8th their size. good alternative to camelbacks.]]

Folding chair [[Waste of weight. Don't do it. Sit on the ground or build a chair from wood.]]

Food [[Get a jetboil ($100) and mountain house bags ($10 each). Best hot meals EVER. Cooks water in 60 seconds. Meal ready in 5 minutes. We have litterally cooked these under fire and swapped out guys to eat and stay in the fight. Suppliment real meals with Jerky, Cliffbars, and snickers.]]

Recommended
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Paper + pencil [[Nope. Won't be used. If you want a writing utensil, sharpie or go home, now everything is your pad of paper]]
Whistle [[Not unless you do some deep backwoods shit. If you can't scream and get someone, a whistle ain't gonna help.]]
CamelBak Hydration [[I like em. they are hit and miss. and freeze easy in the winter ]]
Binoculars [[Nope, dump it.]]
Mouth protection [[Yes. Especially in CQB areas or known heavy engagements like a defensive position.]]
Flashlight [[Get two. One on your gun LOCKED to off. One on your gear locked to off. If you need it. You will never need it so fast... and being THAT guy who's light turns on during a sneaky bit of the raid... will get you known.]]
Neck protection [[Nope. Grow a beard.]]
Knee-pads [[Personally, nope. Unless I'm at a field with a known fuck-off amount of rocks / shale. You can put a bit of foam in the liner of most BDU's to take the edge off.]]
Gloves [[Yes. 2 pairs if it's wet or cold. Mechanix Gloves are the be all end all of airsoft gloves. Get the Original type. Hard to burn, hard to freeze. Get one size larger than you need and wear wool under it in the winter.]]
Compass [[Wear it on your watch. More speicifically, get a Fortrex 401 GPS. You can get em for $100 on some sales and they will save your ass for navigation at night or during the day on a new field. No fancy graphics, just a bread crumb of where you have been with markers you can set (camp, enemy base, parking, etc...) ]]]





THINGS YOU HAVE MISSED

Backpack - 3-Day Assault pack. Pack it small and light with 2L-4L water, 2 Snacks. Jetboil, 1 meal, BB Loader, BB's in loader. Goretex RainGear. Pair of socks. This comes out with you on the field and either fought with, or left at a FOB or regroup point.

Rain Gear - Goretex. Any color. Cheap as possible. It goes OVER gear only in a rush, and UNDER BDU as soon as you get a chance to do it. This way your BDU stays on the outside doing it's job of keeping you camouflaged and the goretex on the inside doing it's job of keeping you dry.

Toilet Paper - More specifically, the magic of Baby Wipes. Get the extreme pain version, or acetone veriety. I know I'm not the only one. But seriously. It's the best thing ever. Packs small too when the alternative is a wad of toilet paper... which also sucks to get wet.

Leatherman Multitool - You can strip most guns with one, and fix most other problems. Keep it on your chest rig.


(18-24 hours added kit)

50ft Paracord - Useful at fixing shit, putting up covering etc...

Tarp - 5x8 Useful in Hot summer games. Do this at base. It's now a small shaded area. Also keeps the rain out. Cool guys use SilTarps but they are expensive.

Tent - Save up for a LiteFighter. Sleep in your Sleeping Bag and Bivvy until you can afford one. Literally no other tent is worthy to mention here.

Sleeping Bag / Bivvy - US Marine Issue Sleep System. Can be found on Ebay for $100. Comes with Cotton Liner, Light Bag, Heavy Bag, Goretex Bivvy, and Compression Sack. Dump the Cotton Liner and Leave Either the light or heavy bag at home depending on the season. Treat the goretex shell like it's a god. Sleep in this outdoors without tent and wake up fresh. With the LiteFighter, I have slept through a flood and came out dry as a sheep on shear day.



More to come when I think of it.