12 minute read
TOD: WEEKEND WARRIOR
THE COMPLETE WEEKEND WARRIOR!
IF YOU’VE NEVER BEEN TO A GAME THAT LASTS FOR 24 HOURS OR LONGER, WE HOPE THAT WHAT HAS BEEN COVERED SO FAR IN OUR TACTICAL OUTDOOR DEVELOPMENT COLUMN HAS HELPED TO POINT YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION! THIS TIME BILL CONCLUDES HIS “PACKING LIST” WITH AN OVERVIEW OF THAT ALL-IMPORTANT GEAR THAT WILL SEE YOU THROUGH!
Over the last few months Jon and I have looked in detail at how you can really thrive rather than just survive in a longer duration game setting, and to bring this initial sequence to a close I’m going to bring everything together in one place. What Jon and I have outlined will see you right for games Spring to Autumn, and next month I’ll take a look at how we can adjust our gear for full winter use. I’ve said many times before most of us continue to skirmish during the winter, but it’s the thought of those longer, warmer days and lighter evenings that really get me thinking about which games I’m going to sign up for, and now things have eased in relation to Covid I’m looking forward to seeing some righteous “weekend warrior” action soon, and indeed some of the team are already on this train!
I’ve played weekend games that have encompassed military training areas in the UK, vast tracts of forest woodland, French mountains, and even former monastery buildings on Crete, and a good “weekender” to me is the best possible form for an airsoft game as not only will it usually give two full days, possibly with a night game thrown in, of airsoft, but it will also give me an opportunity to catch up with fellow players from different parts of the world! There will always be a bit of a “social” element to a weekend game with good friends slinging “plastic death” at one another all day long and then coming together for a barbeque and an “ adult lemonade” when play ceases.
Tactics from the day will be analysed, new kit will be discussed and rated, and new RIFs will be drooled over; it’s always great fun, especially if it’s warm
and fair, and the evening is mild. But in the UK of course we must always be prepared for that “liquid sunshine” moment, and the preparation of our gear, what we carry, and how we carry it must always be a primary consideration.
WHAT YOU REALLY, REALLY WANT!
I always pack the same set of gear whether it’s an informal weekender, or a more structured MilSim event; the real things to consider for any weekender are actually quite straightforward and can be broken down into eight key elements; Load Bearing, Hydration, Food , Cooking, Lighting, Sleeping, Hygiene, and Comfort (I’m assuming here that most of us carry some type of First Aid Kit as part of our usual gear), and this time I’ll address the first three.
First up is Load Bearing, and what I mean by this is simply how you’re going to carry your gear, and my last two article have addressed this in some detail. At many weekenders you’ll be able to camp directly next, or at very least close to the vehicle you arrived in so having your kit packed and organised in a large haul bag, something like the Snugpak Subdivide Roller which gives you separate compartments to
keep everything stored and ready to hand when you need it.
However, there are some games where you can crash out in buildings onsite overnight and this will often mean that you need to carry everything on your back; indeed part of the scenario itself may involve you actually making a march in to a FOB site which will become your “home” for the duration so not only do you need to haul your gear in, but you need to keep it squared away too. Therefore your very first consideration must be some form of Ruc or backpack.
As I’ve said before, I usually try to look for packs that sit in the 40/50L volume range as that’s big enough (if you pack properly!) to hold everything you need without becoming overly cumbersome. Look for a pack that offers not only a good harness system with a sternum strap, but also a good, solid belt harness too; anyone who has spent any time hauling a ruc will tell you that you actually want most of the weight distributed onto your hips rather than hanging from your shoulders which becomes very tiring, very quickly.
Hydration is the key to keeping going and keeping alert, especially when things get warmer, but equally important at all times. I’ve been to games in the very height of summer where even in good old Blighty the temperature has been WAY up there, and at one particular weekender in Florida I recall going through some twelve litres of water during the course of the day! Now there’s no way you’ll be carrying all of that on your back and you can usually rely on re-sup, but I tend to have a two litre bladder mounted on my plate carrier, and another inside the ruc. I also carry a wide-mouth Nalgene bottle which I keep filled when I’ve dropped my ruc off; this is a great bit of kit which allows you to get liquids into yourself far faster than a bite valve.
Food is also an essential; many players I know heading for a weekender will always stock up on good, old fashioned ration (RAT for a reason!) packs or MREs (Meals Rejected by Ethiopians!) and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this at all as the packs are designed specifically to provide all the necessary calories and nourishment to keep you going in the field. Camping and outdoor stores are also a great place to find food that’s prepared with hauling it
in mind, and many of the “boil in the bag” meals are super tasty and can be eaten straight from their foil packets. I like to carry a “nosebag” too, basically a Ziploc bag into which I crumble digestive biscuits, nuts and dried fruit (a former SBS guy actually gave me the “recipe”!) which is a good way to give yourself a quick boost without the highs and lows of sweets or chocolate bars!
When the BB-slinging has stopped then you need to be looking at the other elements and one of the best phrases I ever heard to describe this was from an American friend who referred to it as “Snivel Gear” and the first consideration here is hot food and drink so you’re going to need something to cook on. I’ve tried various ways of cooking in the field over the years, but I am settled on a gas system. My absolute favourite cooker is the “Pocket Rocket” from Mountain safety Research (MSR); this is an ultralight isobutene-propane backpacking stove that weighs just 73g (2.6 ounces) with a flame that easily adjusts from a simmer to a rolling boil; in fact, if pushed, it boils a litre of water in just 3.5 minutes! It’s easy-to-use design needs no priming, preheating or pressurizing, and serrated pot supports accommodate a range of cooking pot sizes (it’s ideal for the classic Mess Tin!) and fold exceptionally small into an ultralight hard shell protective carry case which is easily stowed in a pouch. Powered by differentsized canisters (small for in your gear and larger for when you’re operation out of a FOB) that are widely available all over the world it’s the ideal solution for a “fast and light” gear setup.
Combined with a simple Mess Tin, if push comes to shove you can always drop your “boil in the bag” packet straight into the water and have sufficient liquid at the end of it for a hot drink as well. If money is tight though there is still absolutely nothing wrong though with a hexamine cooker and that good old mess tin! I do tend to chuck in a plastic mug, bowl and plate, along with a “spork” as it’s nice to eat properly when you get the opportunity, and the knife from my Gerber multitool serves yet another purpose here as well.
As darkness falls you’re going to need some light, not only to go about your admin and planning with, but also to find your way around as many sites are not lit. I always carry a micro head torch in my Admin Panel but I beef that up by including a Petzl Tac Tikka in the top compartment of my ruc (as well as a Princeton Tec Switch-MPLS Task Light on my helmet!), as that way I’ve got redundancy should one or the other fail; don’t forget to pack a few spare batteries either!. I also tuck away a Storm Candle which comes in a lidded tin; not only can this provide light but you’d be surprised how much welcome heat one of these will give off in a basha too. Remember to also pack some waterproof matches or a Storm Lighter (shows are always a good source for these as many companies have these on their show stands as little “giveaways).
The next element to me is a really important one, and that’s how you go about sorting out your sleeping arrangements and my setup works equally well in a tent, basha, or chilly building. One investment I made many moons ago was a Special Forces Sleeping Bag System from Snugpak. The complete system gives you the Special Forces 1 Bag for use in above freezing temperatures and the Special Forces 2 Bag for use in temperatures right down to -10°C. Then, when you’re in extreme conditions, you place the Special Forces 2 Bag inside the Special Forces 1 Bag and join them together with the extra zip baffle, so you’re protected in conditions right down to -20°C. Ingenious! To protect myself from the cold ground, and to prevent losing heat by conduction, I place underneath the sleeping bag a Thermarest selfinflating mattress; mine is ¾ length and weighs in at just 230g, but the streamlined shape makes it highly
packable while continuing to provide the comfort you need. Over the top of both of these I place a Snugpak Special Forces Bivvi Bag which provides an extra barrier to moisture whilst helping to retain warmth.
PERSONAL ADMIN
The last two elements I consider for my packing list are Hygiene and Comfort, and I’ll take the latter first. If you’ve had a long, chilly day playing in the rain and have the chance to get dry then having clean dry socks, thermal underwear, a good fleece hat, neck gaiter, and lightweight gloves to pop on can be complete luxury! I also carry a spare combat shirt (VIPER Mesh Tech) and trousers (VIPER Elite) to change into. Added to that if I know it’s going to be proper chilly I’ll chuck in a Snugpak MML6 smock which gives huge amounts of warmth, packs down small, and weighs in at just 720g in size Medium, and an extra set of Snugpak 2nd Skinz base layers. Again, dependant of the time of year I’ll also carry a waterproof hardshell (mine is a Wild Things Tactical model), and there’s always a Helikon-Tex Windrunner Windshirt tucked into my hydration pouch on the plate carrier.
Hygiene is one that raises eyebrows for many, but to me it really separates “the adults from the stripling youths”. Yes, I know that most weekenders are just for a couple of days and that you can rough it out knowing there’s a hot shower waiting when you get home, but I always try and look at it from the perspective that if you set yourself good discipline from the outset then that will aid you for longer periods. When you get into a MilSim for instance that lasts days (such as the “WarZone” 72 hour event I attended in the mountains of Crete) rather than hours keeping yourself clean is a very good habit to get into, not just for yourself but for those around you! I carry a small wash kit (an old Web Tex roll) that contains the essentials, along with a small microfibre towel. With the wash kit I stow in a tiny sewing kit as you never know when something is going to get ripped or torn.
Once you’ve got all your elements gathered together then it’s time to test-pack everything. Think here about what you’re going to need immediately, like “hard routine” food, and what will get used later, like your sleeping system or your cooker. To reiterate, necessary items stay closer to the top of your pack and in external pouches and pockets, while spare clothing and that “snivel gear” can be packed lower. I break all my kit down into “groups” and then all items used together will go into individual dry bags which I mark with different coloured cableties for ease of recognition.
With everything packed up, get your pack on and go for a walk as you’ll soon find out if you’ve got everything balanced correctly and comfortably. Last but not least there are four essentials you should never head off to a weekender without; paracord which serves a multitude of purposes, gaffa tape ditto, a couple of bungees and… some toilet paper in yet another Ziploc bag! However you roll when it comes to approaching a weekend game, get your kit sorted and believe me, it will be even more fun than you thought possible!
Virtually all the kit featured in this article is available from “one stop shop” www.military1st. co.uk or from www.snugpak.com so go and pay them a visit! AA
