Best military desert gear - Suggestions please

Roadrunner

Roadrunner

Joined
Jun 9, 1999
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A little background first: My Dad is in the Army Reserve. He's a in a training unit and they're on the list to go to Iraq in the near future (6 mos or so) to train the Iraqi National Guard. I'm going to get him some good gear to take along, the kind of things that I know he will use but won't spend the money on for himself. Here's the list so far:

Surefire M3 with a KL6 LED head
Red filter for M3
72 CR123 batteries
Spare battery and bulb carriers
Inova X5 with white LEDs
Inova X5 with red LEDs
Coast V2 Tactical Power Chip (in case he runs out of lithium batteries)
Assortment of Hammerhead gearkeepers
Swamp Rat Camp Tramp
Leatherman SuperTool 200
BM 806D2
Pelican 1010 box (for the spare Surefire head)
Camelback field cleaning kit
Blackhawk Kevlar gloves

I figure the Army will outfit him with most everything else he needs; what I want is to cover the gaps and get him the best stuff available. What I'm looking for is any experiences some of you have had with the items above and suggestions for improvement, or suggestions for other must-have items from you who have been there and done that. Any and all suggestions are welcome, and thanks in advance. :)
 
This item was the best piece of equipment I ever had when I was deployed to Saudi Arabia.

Shemagh
 
Ken,
OK, the link worked for me. But at first, I thought you were talking about the avatar;)
lol
Hope to see ya Sun. at S&A.
Julian
 
I'd suggest quality sunglasses with a degree of ballistic protection. Something like Wiley-X Lobo Saber Slate Lens Sunglasses.

Depending on when he goes, the duration of his tour and his base of operations, you may wish to consider waterproof and/or warm clothing/thermal underwear. Remember the experience of the members of Bravo Two Zero in the desert...

iq.gif


"Mean minimum temperatures in the winter range from near freezing (just before dawn) in the northern and northeastern foothills and the western desert to 2o-3° C and 4o-5° C in the alluvial plains of southern Iraq. They rise to a mean maximum of about 15.5° C in the western desert and the northeast, and 16.6° C in the south. In the summer mean minimum temperatures range from about 22.2° C to about 29° C and rise to maximums between roughly 37.7o and 43.3° C. Temperatures sometimes fall below freezing and have fallen as low as -14.4° C at Ar Rutbah in the western desert. They are more likely, however, to go over 46° C in the summer months, and several stations have records of over 48° C."

http://countrystudies.us/iraq/29.htm

maximus otter
 
Pre-paid phone cards so he can call you.
Throw downs to give to the kids like pens or other schools supplies (winning of hearts and minds)
Militec oil for his weapons. (not necessarily issued)
 
Keep in mind that the sand gets into _everything_. If he normally wears a mechanical watch, get him an inexpensive digital. If it gets trashed, it's not a big deal, and he can go back to his preference when he gets home.

Another one that can be worthwhile - a couple of boxes of Immodium AD. I didn't need mine, but my friends sure did.

Another vote here for good quality sunglasses.
 
Good call on the Camelbak cleaning kit, gloves, phonecards, and multi-tool. My thoughts for additions:

Ditto on the cheap watch. I like to attach a small button compass to the strap. Not as reliable as a full-size, but a lot quicker to glance at your wrist than dig out the real one when you just need a general heading.

Which brings me to: GPS. May not be necessary, depending on where he is and what he's doing, but sure is nice when you need it, and last time i checked, not everyone was getting them.

Extra batteries for everything. It helps if you can standardize the battery you will be using. A Gerber/CMG Infinity will get a lot of use out of the AA's that fit the GPS, and will be useful for small lighting tasks (reading, finding your way around in the dark, etc.) than burning up the batteries and lamp on the Surefire.

A pair of comfortable lightweight shoes/running sneakers for PT and off-time. In addition, several pairs of good, thick, civi hiking socks, and foot powder.

Your personal first aid kit should include the Immodium, good tweezers, eye drops, sunblock, some sort of moisturizing lotion, chapstick in a portable form he will always carry, and extra Q-tips.

Thoughts on sunglasses/eyepro: Make sure they're ballistics rated (ANSI Z87 or whatever), and comfortable enough (personal preference plays a big part here) that he'll wear them. They do no good in your pocket. Interchangable lenses are nice for when a sunny, clear day turns to a grey, windy, sandy day real quick.

As far as undergarments, shop around a bit, if you can. Some people prefer Underarmour, some prefer Polarmax, etc.

Joe S.
 
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