One of my training buddies and friends is about to deploy with a small unit. I believe him to be very well equipped, but I brought some things over last night to fill in potential gaps in his gear.
Knives
Every deploying service member should have a reasonably sized knife. My buddy will be taking the Spyderco Ronin 2 I had previously given him. I know a lot of folks think a huge combat knife is a must, but considering this officer is a hard-training 7th degree black belt in a special unit ( i.e., really knows what he's doing), perhaps you should rethink "more is more" for fighting knives. (I previously had given my friend a Kershaw/Emerson as a "beater", so he didn't need the Ganzo framelock I brought.)
I also gave my friend an ARK, so he could have an "always" lightweight defensive knife. He especially liked the retention mechanism.
Lights
All service members need lights. Hand-held lights are a given, but there are other light needs. One neglected type is the area light. I like a low-intensity light with a red option to leave on. That way, if there's an emergency during darkness, you can see to grab your gear and respond or evac. The light I gave my friend is the rechargeable Olight bulb with high/low white, red, and red strobe options.
It's common for "a certain type" of people to carry good 2 cell tactical lights like SureFires, but a small tasklight is generally even more useful. I gave my friend the very useful Pelican 1910 AAA.
Deploying service members need a lot of gear. These are just a few things I have found useful or necessary
John
Knives
Every deploying service member should have a reasonably sized knife. My buddy will be taking the Spyderco Ronin 2 I had previously given him. I know a lot of folks think a huge combat knife is a must, but considering this officer is a hard-training 7th degree black belt in a special unit ( i.e., really knows what he's doing), perhaps you should rethink "more is more" for fighting knives. (I previously had given my friend a Kershaw/Emerson as a "beater", so he didn't need the Ganzo framelock I brought.)
I also gave my friend an ARK, so he could have an "always" lightweight defensive knife. He especially liked the retention mechanism.
Lights
All service members need lights. Hand-held lights are a given, but there are other light needs. One neglected type is the area light. I like a low-intensity light with a red option to leave on. That way, if there's an emergency during darkness, you can see to grab your gear and respond or evac. The light I gave my friend is the rechargeable Olight bulb with high/low white, red, and red strobe options.
It's common for "a certain type" of people to carry good 2 cell tactical lights like SureFires, but a small tasklight is generally even more useful. I gave my friend the very useful Pelican 1910 AAA.
Deploying service members need a lot of gear. These are just a few things I have found useful or necessary
John