Mick-Boy's work gear (what and why)

[Mick-Boy]

This post was originally written for a "Show your fighting load out" thread on another board. I figured some folks here might be interested in some of it. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns feel free to post them.

First a brief overview.



I work on a project overseas with a pretty broad scope. I can be doing anything from overt, multi-cam and long gun stuff to low-pro, concealed pistol only work. I’ve tried to set up my kit so that I can scale it from one end of the spectrum to another without too much heart-ache. All of this gear can come and go depending on the mission.



On my body:


- IDs/Credit Card/Cash/Passport(s) – This is my “no-shit-I-have-to-leave-town-in-a-hurry” stuff. I can drop everything else, get on a plane and make it back to the US under my own financial power. The IDs are self-explanatory (I need them day to day). The credit card is one that I don’t use for anything else. It has a fairly low limit and a balance of $0. The cash is usually about $500USD and $500Eur + or - $100. Bribes, airfare, new clothes, etc. Never leave home without it. I carry both my official and my tourist PP. Most of this is in a neck ID holder inside my shirt.

- Folding knife/Flashlight – I carry a Benchmade Auto that I was issued at some point. We just got the Emerson mini CQC-15 issued but since APOs don’t let you ship home autos.. I just stick with the BM.

I’m a big believer in carrying a handheld light in addition to my WMLs. I need to look at a lot more things than I need to point a gun at. I like the 5/200lumen SF lights (mine is an E2d) because I’m mostly looking for things that are close at hand so I don’t need the higher lumens. If I need to look at something farther away I can do that. If I need to look at something that might be a threat I can use either of my WMLs. I've replaced the tail cap so the light isn't tearing up my pants all the time.




BELT KIT:
- I use the DSG arms competition belt pretty much all of the time. I like the ability to put it on and take it off quickly without needing to thread all my batman gadgets through it. It’s not nearly as obtrusive as some of the other two piece belts that I’ve looked at. If I need to go very low-pro I wear a Maxpedition Liger belt.

From left of the belt buckle and working around I carry


- Spartan Blades CQB tool – Greg Thompson (Team ROC/SOCP) runs the combatives program for the project I work on. I’m a big fan of the philosophy he teaches. Make space, access a tool, process the threat and Charlie Mike. The CQB tool to a purpose built knife for that purpose. Sucks for cutting or prying. Just good for sticking in someone repeatedly. It helps that one of the owners for Spartan Blades used to work this project so he looks out for us.

- M67 frag – For when “Please leave me alone” isn’t cutting it.

- Pistol Reloads – My pistol is my primary weapon pretty often. Having reloads just makes sense.

- Rifle mag – This is my Go-To reload for rifle. I know it’s always on my body (unlike a chestrig) so this is what I train to use as my speed reload. I’ll backfill this pouch as the situation allows.

- Med kit – I’ve been hunting for an optimum solution to the 1^st-line med kit question for a while. The SOTech flat medkit is good but big. I ordered the Mayflower kit but it’s been lost in the APO system for a few months. Thankfully another mod on Lightfighter hooked me up with a purpose built pouch that has a smaller footprint than anything I’ve found yet. He’s asked me not to post photos at this time.

At the risk of rehashing a different thread on LF I’ll add a couple of thoughts; I want to be able to carry certain medical items on my person. Things that I can’t easily replicate in the field. For me, that’s Combat Gauze (x2), NPA, and a 14Ga needle (TQ is elsewhere). I’m pretty comfortable with my ability to MacGyver solutions to most other problems but hemostatic agents, NPAs, and a needle are things I can’t do.


My medkit is at the small of my back (nothing real hard in it so I’m not too worried about spinal injuries from falling on it). I can access it with either hand from any position (hanging upside down in a rolled vehicle for instance). This is stuff for me to use on myself in a pinch. I’ve got another kit on my chest rig and we’ve got medbags in the trucks.


- Pistola – G19 with a KKM threaded barrel wearing an X300. I’ve put Warren Tactical sights (tritium front, black rear), a Vickers mag release and a bit of skateboard tape onto it. Both the pistol and the pistol mags ride in kydex from JM custom kydex. I can’t say enough good things about my dealings with the owner Tony Mayer. He’s made things happen on compressed timelines a couple of times now and he builds a great product.

- CAT TQ – It’s riding in an REFactor TQ holder. It’s accessible with either hand and preset to fit over my legs.








ARMOR:
I run two different rigs. Which one I choose is mission/threat dependent. Both rigs are in the Coyote Brown color so I can wear a number of different uniforms/clothes without standing out too much.

- Mayflower low-profile armor carrier with soft armor and special threat plates – This is my go-to carrier. It’s low-profile enough that I can put a shirt over it and not look like the Michelin man at a glance but offers good coverage. I replaced the cummerbund with a BFG Ten Speed side closures.


- Velocity Systems ULV carrier with special threat plates – This is true low-pro armor built for a specific threat.

A note on “Low-pro” – I’m not trying to be able to kit up and still pass a detailed examination. If the guy looking is a professional, that’s never going to happen. What I’m trying to do is pass at a glace, or at worst, a handshake and some pleasantries. I want to be able to sit in a meeting (or drive down the road) and not LOOK like a geared up, gun-toting, knuckle-dragger. Sometimes it doesn’t matter. Sometimes it does. When it does, gear gets scaled back to the necessary levels. If I have to drop everything but a sharpened pencil to get where I need to go to make the mission happen, that’s what I’ll do (This would not be the “A” answer…). This is all about calculated risk, understanding the threats, and make choices accordingly.

-Helmet – Ops-Core FAST helmet with PVS 15s and an IR strobe.

COMMS:
(I apologize for some of this being vague) Again, this is going to depend on my rig, the location (Who do I need to be able to talk to), and the job. Several organizations run Motorola radios. If I’m wearing a Motorola it’s most likely tucked into the cummerbund on my armor carrier. I wear it here so that I can see the top and switch zones/channels without any guesswork.

If I’m running a military radio (152A) it’ll be in the pouch on my chest rig and connected to my Peltors.

Cell phones are also in use. I have two that run on different networks.

CHEST RIGS:
I try for as much commonality as I can between my 5.56 rig and my 7.62 rig. I’m not really happy with the setup I’m running right now but it’s good enough to get the job done. Next time I’m home I’m going to play around with other options.

5.56mm Chest rig – Mayflower Quad 5.56 QD chest rig. Mounted on it are a multi-tool, a suppressor pouch, a radio pouch, two frags, a med kit and an HC smoke. Most of the stuff is from BFG. The med pouch is from Dark Angel.







7.62mm Chest Rig – Mayflower 7.62 QD chest rig. Multi-tool, Radio pouch, HC smoke, two frags, Med-kit. The med kit is the BGF TKN. It’s bulkier than the Dark Angel kit. My thinking here was as follows; If I’m carrying a 7.62, I’m likely farther away from bad guys (med-kit obstructing my pistol isn’t as big a concern) and farther away from medical care (I want some more medical supplies on my person).

These pouches have been in use for almost two years now (about a year in country). The Helium Whisper on the BFG pouches has held up really well so far.




RIFLES:
My 5.56mm is an LWRC PSD. I have an Aimpoint T1, a PEQ16, and a Surefire can on the rifle. I keep a TQ rubber banded to the stock. I use a BFG VCAS sling.

I’m not a fan of the 8in barrels and we had some problems with these LWRCs early on. That being said, it’s been running just fine for the last year.




My 7.62mm is a Knights Armament SR25 EMC. I have a Trijicon optic and a PEQ16 on it. I use a BFG VCAS sling on here too

This rifle has been fantastic so far.



HOW IT ALL FITS TOGETHER: (I apologize for the lousy pictures)

Low-pro





Midrange








Overt would just be fully kitted up and wearing utilities (If one of my coworkers came in and saw me in a full loadout taking selfies in the mirror I’d never live it down).