Charlie Company 3/144 Forward: Tactical Gear Advice for Deploying Soldiers... A MUST READ

Bring a digital camera with a pelican case.

Get a good camera. You'll be taking lots of pic and vids. And get a pelican 1010 case. That's usually the right size for most point and click cameras. Don't buy a big camera though, stay compact. I have an Olympus 720 Waterproof/Shockproof compact camera. It was a present from my stepmom, Judy; and I love it. Thanks!!! Don't forget a large capacity memory card.

Buy a good rack system!
Don't just leave your pouches on your IBA. And spend some time getting it set up right. Adjust it so it's tight to your IBA and doesn't slide around.

The reason you DON'T want to mount pouches

BDS Tactical Simple Stacker Rig

I haven't used this rack; but just from looking at it. I think it's the best rack on the market. A couple of guys in my squad just ordered them. http://www.tacticalgearstore.com/pd_bds_tactical_simple_stacker_rig.cfm

to your IBA is because you will spend a lot of time in it. You will sleep in it. Much of that time will be in "non-tactical" situations. By taking your rack off you will cut your load in half. In addition, if you have to drive or gun on a truck, you will need to take your rack off so you can move in the confined space.

I have a blackhawk molle over-armor vest. That way I can put stuff on the front and back if necessary. I have even mounted one of the big side pouches off the molle ruck on the back of my vest to serve as a small assault pack. This way there are no straps cutting off the circulation under your arms if you need to carry your assault pack.

Also don't go "pouch crazy." I see all these guys with every inch of their IBA or rack covered with pouches. Half of that stuff they never use, and they are so weighed down that they can't patrol quickly of for a long time. When in doubt, leave it out. Put it in your assault pack in the truck. If you need

BlackHawk S.T.R.I.K.E. Gen-4 MOLLE System Elite Vest

This is my rack, and it's great. http://www.lapolicegear.com/blsgemosyelv.html

it on a patrol get it out of your assault pack or do with without. If you need it over and over, put it on your rack.

Single point sling adapter!!!
Trust me you want one. Brownell's has single point sling addapters that slide on and require no tools. That really handy if you have to change weapons half way through your deployment (like I did). Get a single point sling, or you can make a sling that works better out of the slings that they issue. That's what I did.

Take a laptop!!!
And get USAA's laptop insurance which is part of their renter's insurance. In fact, if you are not doing all your banking and insurance through USAA, you're probably wrong, and you should fix yourself promptly. They are BY FAR the best bank/insurance company for servicemen. Bring a memory card reader that reads at least xD and SD camera cards. Then don't trust your friends to give you their photos later. You'll forget. As soon as you get back to your room, borrow your buddy's camera and download the pics/videos. A large capacity thumb drive and a compact external hard drive are also good ideas.

ESS CDI Tactical Sunglasses

I wear these. Awesome glasses. My first pair of these glasses actually got struck by the bullet when I was shot by a sniper. God used them and my neck protector to deflect the bullet, JUST enough to keep my wounds from being severe. http://www.lapolicegear.com/esscditasu.html

Take a webcam and microphone.
This is one of the best ways to keep in touch. Most networks in Iraq are so slow that you can't use a webcam except in the early morning hours, but that's when everyone's awake back home anyway. Take the time to hook up the webcams with you loved ones back home and test them out before you deploy.

DVDs
Don't worry too much about DVDs; and if you take it, be prepared to loose it. Everyone borrows each other's DVDs, and you always loose track or they get scratched. Everybody else will bring their whole collection, so there will be plenty to borrow if you don't have many. In addition, the local nationals usually have a market on every FOB that we call the Hajji Shop. They sell tons of pirated DVD's for 4 bucks each. The quality isn't as good, but the price is right. Many of their DVDs are collections with 2-4 movies per DVD. Don't play pirated movies on your computer's DVD drive. After several months of playing pirated movies, many laptop DVD drives stop working (including my own). Buy a cheap, portable DVD player from the local nationals

Converse Desert Tactical Soft Toe Boots

These are the best selling boots in Iraq right now. I have a pair and they are great boots. The side zippers are REALLY handy. http://www.lapolicegear.com/codetaboc8.html

or bring one with you. Or if your a big spender, buy a TV/DVD player when you get in country.

Bring Extra PTs
You can wear ACUs for quite a while, even once they get a bit grungy; but after you do 90 minutes of cardio in you PTs, you're going to want to change them out. Most FOBs don't have same day laundy either, so you'll have to wait for your clothes to get done. Also, your PT's are your lounging clothes; and you don't want to be funky when you off duty or in bed.

Soft Sheets and PJs
Things are pretty spartan over here, so the ability to take a shower and climb into a nice "soft" bed is one of the few luxeries. (Ok, my bed isn't really nice or soft, but it's tolerable and the sheets and PJs help.

Electric Razor
You need one. At leaast a cheap one. 'Nuff said.

Closet Organizer
Get one of those cloth, hanging closet organizers that collapses down into nothing. They're super handy.

Space Saver Bags
Use those vacuum seal space saver bags to get more stuff in your duffle.

A Good Head
You're going to use the heck out of you head lamp, so get one you like. In fact, get two because people steal them. Don't get one that's too expensive for the same reason. Energizer and Rayovak make good cheap ones.

Pricey Stuff
This is expensive stuff that is really useful for infantrymen who do a lot of "cool guy" tactical stuff, or for other folk who want to look like they do a lot of "cool guy" tactical stuff. No of this stuff is esential, but it's really, really nice to have.

Converse 8884 Foot Pursuit Desert Tactical Boot

I have a pair of these and I like them even more than the side zip Converse. They are even more comfortable. Both are great boots, but my next pair of boot will be another set of these. http://www.lapolicegear.com/co88fopudeta.html

Lamp

EOTech Holographic Optic - Great for CQB, Good for longer range shots, Really handy on a machine gun or SAW when you don't plan on taking shots past 500 meters.
Luepold (sp?) CQT - Variable power scope, 1x-3x, REALLY NICE for everything, really expensive
Surefire X200 Mini TacLight - Amazing TacLight. I used mine on a raid the other day and everyone else had TacLight envy - no Joke. Shine much brighter and lasts much longer than the standard Surefire.

I'll add more stuff later, but that's all I can think of right now. Please post questions/comments, and I

M4 Single Point Sling Adaptor

I've got something similar to this but not as handy. This is a must for deploying soldiers. http://dsgarms.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=407

will answer them as best I can.

Blackhawk Sortie/Commo Patrol Pack

I wish I had one of these. This is probably the baddest Assault Pack on the market. Most big assault packs have a major failing - no internal frame. I haven't gotten one of these yet, but I hope to. http://www.code3tactical.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=15305 http://www.airsoftarms.com/viewproductdetail.php?ProdID=1709&ID=Froogle

First Addition
another question, are there any regulations on rack systems or gear and equipment you can use? or is all of that dependent on unit SOP's?

Great Question. No, there's no Army reg, refer to unit SOP. A good rule of thumb is to tell your squad leader what you plan on ordering before you order it. That way you don't buy gear that they won't let you use. Well, there is one reg. The Geneva Convention says you can't buy your own gun. :)

Second Addition - Tactical Tailor's 5.56 Triple Mag Panel
This is a great way to balance you ammo load and maintain a low rack profile (that's the distance that your rack stick out in front of you body). This is especially important if you need to keep your mags on you when you're driving or manning a turret in a HMMWV. Even the TC seat can be pretty cramped. It makes getting in the prone easier, and you can put MOLLE pouches on top of the ammo pouches if necessary. Of course, that kind of defeats the low profile idea.

One

Tactical Tailor 5.56 Triple Mag Panel

You will need two of these to hold all six magazines. These lower your profile and make you les likely to snag your rack when you go through tight spaces. Great for MOUT.

rack configuration that I saw that made a lot of sense was to mount these ammo pouches directly to the IBA then put a two piece tactical tailor rack on top of (but a little lower than) the ammo pouches. In that way, you can take your rack off but always keep you combat load of ammo handy. I still prefer to keep everything on my rack so that I can strip all the way down to my IBA if necessary since the ammo is the heaviest thing on my rack. That just means I have to keep my rack handy so that I can get to my ammo. However you do it, these are great mag pouches. By the way, you'll need two of these to hold all six mags, of course

Third Addition - Lots of Cash
When you finally leave Kuwait and get to you FOB, there will be lots of people there from the old unit that you are replacing. They will be selling their TVs, DVD players, speakers, furniture, etc. Usually you can get a better price from other soldiers that you can from the Local National Market, but you can't buy anything if you don't have cash. Joe doesn't take Visa or I.O.U. If you have a couple hundred dollars cash you will be able to snatch up all the best stuff while your friend wait to go to finance, which can be a week or more if you're on a small FOB.