Jungle Survival Course Gear Recommendations?

smcclown05

smcclown05

Joined
Oct 17, 2008
Messages
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So this weekend my brother and I decided that we are both going to quit smoking and take all the money we save and put it toward tuition for one of RATs Jungle Survival courses. It will be quite awhile before we can save enough for the trip but in that time I'll be trying to make sure I have all the proper gear I need. There are a few items on the Equipment list that I was hoping some of you could help me out with. I'd really appreciate any recommendations for brand, model, and good places to get these items.

Patrol Pack- I've got a large internal frame backpack and a day pack. They've always seemed to cover my needs. What exactly makes a patrol pack and what size should I be looking for for a week in the jungle.

Compass- I've got a pretty basic Brunton 8010G. Any reason I should upgrade?

Poncho- The only ponchos I've ever used have been the really cheap thin plastic ones or garbage bags.

Jungle boots- Any info on these would be appreciated.

BDU's- I've never owned any. Good brands or places to get them? Anything that would indicate one particular brand/style drying faster than the other?


Thanks for your help!
 
I just finished reading Adventure Travel In The Third World which would answer most of your questions...it covers the RAT jungle training from planning to landing back in the US. There are lots of gear reccomendations.
 
Congrats on trying to quit smoking. I am coming up on one year smoke free myself. Good luck to both of you.

As far as gear...a RAT knife may be useful:D
 
hi good luck on quitting smoking i know how hard that is.

for bdu pants i really like the tru-spec tactical response pants its an acu style in ripstop material. light weight and well made. lots of pockets is a good thing. for color i'd pick a kahki or coyote instead of camo, if you really want camo the multi cam is really hard to beat.

for jungle boots, seems like there was a thread a couple of months ago and the brand was obo i think. when i was in the army i spent some time in panama and the regular old army jungle boots work pretty well.

definatly need a rat knife though.

and a army poncho is cheap and hard to beat.

take it easy
cricket
 
Good deal on the quit smoking man! It does hamper your ability to participate in outdoor stuff and it is expensive so it might not take as long as you think to save enough money:)

Stick with Altama jungle boots with Panama sole design. Mil rip stop nylon pounchos are as good as any and a decent knife. STick with very light, synthetic clothing that dries fast-- no heavy cotten since it will take forever to dry if it does at all. MANY pairs of socks:) Take care of your feet. They are your life. Mike
 
MikePerrin said:
Good deal on the quit smoking man! It does hamper your ability to participate in outdoor stuff and it is expensive so it might not take as long as you think to save enough money:)

Stick with Altama jungle boots with Panama sole design. Mil rip stop nylon pounchos are as good as any and a decent knife. STick with very light, synthetic clothing that dries fast-- no heavy cotton since it will take forever to dry if it does at all. MANY pairs of socks:) Take care of your feet. They are your life. Mike
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Just in case you didn't infer from Mike's post this means all your clothing, defeats the purpose of having light outer clothing if your underwear are cotton, and it makes it worse being right next to the skin, or you can go commando, seriously many people do. I suggest taking some kind of powder such as gold bond if you can.
 
For some really good BDU's, try www.bdu.com. They make some really good pants and have A LOT of different choices. For jungle boots boots try some made by Danner or Altima. You DO NOT want anything with Gore-tex since you'll be in constant water and your feet will get wet anyways. The water will get in through the top of the boot and then get trapped in there and your feet will fall apart, literally. Both of those companies make some great boots. I've used both of them in the Marine Corps and they hold up well.
 
I smoked for over 15 of my 30 years. Quitting was the best thing I ever did. You won't believe how much better you'll feel. I was sick at least once a month and now I haven't had anything in the year I've been quit. Congratulation and stick with it.
 
smcclown05 said:
So this weekend my brother and I decided that we are both going to quit smoking and take all the money we save and put it toward tuition for one of RATs Jungle Survival courses.
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Hey that is great you decided to quit. I never picked up the habit, I tried when I was 15-16 and couldn’t figure out why people liked to smoke. When I inhaled, I became really dizzy, started to sweat and became lightheaded & nauseous, wasn’t cool at all! My mom quit after 30+ years smoking 2-3 ppd, she was hard core smoker, she quit using Wellbutrin. My mother in law is trying now and says it really helps also. Congrats on quitting and enjoy your renewed health !
 
Thank you everyone for the encouragement and the recommendations so far!

Mike- Are these the boots you were referring too? http://www.altama.com/Tp1/item_detail.aspx?ItemCode=4155
And as for socks, what to you recommend? I usually wear Smartwool socks but I wonder if they'd be too warm/thick.

I think I can rustle up a decent fixed blade...:)
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I'm thinking the RC-3 with a machete (ESEE Lite perhaps?) and maybe a SAK.

I'll have to look around at the BDU's.

Also any pack advice?

Thanks again!
 
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