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Survival  ~  Evasion  ~  Rescue  ~  Escape

EQUIPMENT,  GEAR,  GADGETS AND

OTHER  PARAPHERNALIA

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Survival kits and related equipment vary from environment to individual needs.  U.S. RSOG cadre have to be prepared for global operations, so their kits are adjusted for the appropriate climate and operational scheme.  With that said there are some basic ingredients that make up the base of every mans kit.  The following is a checklist, which should be viewed only as an example of what can be carried in a kit.  All kits carried by U.S. RSOG cadre are stored in waterproof containers and are tethered to the belt or ruck sack.  These kits are carried while SCUBA diving and doing airborne operations, so they must be able to withstand severe shock and submersion in salt water for long periods of time.  These kits literally have to sustain life when the instructor is in the field working on tactical problems.  Logistical support is strictly controlled, so that the men must operate independent of the outside world.  By design these types of operations test both men and equipment.

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Basic Kit or  Pocket  Equipment

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Details of  List

Starting from the bottom of the list and working up is the waterproof container. U.S. RSOG cadre usually carry their kit in two WITZ or OTTER plastic containers.  The containers are small enough to fit into a pocket.  Most are carried in the two front fatigue shirt pockets or one in each cargo pants pocket.  They will easily slip into a back pocket as well although it is a little tight, but do-able.  BLACK HAWAK INDUSTRIES heavy, ziplock, clear plastic pouches are used too.  The hard side WITZ and OTTER boxes have silicone seals and locking latches.

A space blanket is stuffed into a ziplock freezer bag and dropped into a side pants cargo pocket.  They are lightweight and used for everything from rock boiling water and chow in a hole in the ground too constructing a large signal kite.  There are a million uses for them, even for their intended use.  Many times they are used to wrap an unlucky cold water immersion casualty in.  While the rest of the team scramble to build a warming fire he sits with a ZIPPO lighter burning in his shivering cupped hands under the blanket.  Space blankets get a lot of bad press.  Usually from disillusioned individuals that were shocked to find out that the blanket doesn’t reflect and retain 80% of the body’s heat.  As of yet we haven’t found any replacement that comes in such a convenient size.  Our instructors go through hundreds of them a year.

The pocket survival or multi-tool is carried on the belt in a nylon pouch.  The leather pouches do not stand up in tropical jungle environments.  The tool of choice is the LEATHERMAN SUPER TOOL and the second choice is the LEATHERMAN WAVE.  Cadre carry the SUPER TOOL because it is stout and like the WAVE is equipped with a saw and file.  Standard wire saws are field tested on a regular basis and never seem to last through the one year evaluation period.  The saws on the LEATHERMANS just seem to keep on hacking.  The blades on the tools sharpen quickly, but dull quicker than a good knife blade.  The files are used for numerous improvised projects in the field.  As well as minor emergency gunsmith work on the tactical weapons.  The pliers are used for a lot of game skinning and cleaning projects.  The bottom line, the tools are just a great piece of equipment.

Most of the folding knives carried among our personnel are BENCHMADE models of all type and configurations.  All the blades are constructed from ATS-34 stainless and have crosslocks and some serrations on the blade.  BUCK ODYSSEY and CROSSLOCKs are favored in the lower end blades.  More COLUMBIA RIVER blades are showing up in the planning bays before deployment time.  The AL MAR SERE blades are well liked, but fading away do to the lack of a thumbhole or stud.  And most importantly the lack of a belt clip.

As most of the preparedness community already know that condoms are used as improvised water containers.  They are placed inside of a sock and the open end is stretched open then held under a stream of running water.  It takes a reasonable flow rate of water to expand the condom.  They are better than nothing but marginal at best.

A small EZE-LAP diamond sharpener is the most popular throughout U.S. RSOG ranks.  It is thin, even in the leather sheath and performs very well.  Some small whetstones are carried as well.  The EZE-LAP diamond mini rod is popular for sharpening serrations too.

550 para-cord is probably some of the most useful product ever carried into the field.  One 20 ft. hank is shoved into each back pants pocket. It flattens out and is hardly noticeable at all.  Each one of the seven inner strands can be unraveled into three smaller strands and used for sewing and suture material.

Forty feet of SPIDER WIRE fishing line is wrapped around a small piece of cardboard and tucked into any open nook.

Sewing needles with large eyes that can take 550 inner strands.  A few regular sewing needles are a good for minor repairs.

A spool of OD boobytrap wire out of a trip flare can be used for many different tasks.  Snare wire being the obvious.

Two large fishing hooks that are 3 ½ inches long and 1 ½ inches wide from shaft to barb.  It is lashed to the end of a sapling and used to gaff fish or frogs.

Two dozen fishing hooks are threaded across the pin shaft of a couple of safety pins.  Multiple bank lines or a trotline is a very important part of fishing for sustenance.

Every instructor carries a high quality glass signal mirror.  This piece of equipment gets a large amount of use during every field exercise.  Whether used to signal rotary wing aircraft, watercraft and fast movers, it is very versatile.  Even ground to ground scenarios are set to employ the signal mirror.

POTABLE-AQUA tablets are carried in the kits.  A small bottle of iodine is also used as a substitute for the tablets.  The iodine is an appreciated item when in jungle environments as a disinfectant for cuts and scrapes (which are numerous).

Butane lighters are carried for emergency fire starters.  Butane has a long shelf life if not indefinite.  They are far superior to waterproof matches and strike-any-where kitchen matches.  The BIC lighters seem to be the toughest ones that we have tested.

The primary fire-starting tool is a flint rod from DONE RIGHT Mgf.

The blast whistle is mandatory for U.S. RSOG personnel as a safety rescue device.  It is far louder than a human yelling.  And have actually been heard through covering foliage by SAR personnel, while in a chopper hovering, during our testing.  It’s all about conditions being just right, but that is loud!

An item not on the kit list, but is mandatory for all of our personnel is an ACR MS-2000 (M) strobe light and spare battery.  It is carried in a belt pouch or in a fatigue jacket pocket.  It is needed for emergency nighttime med-evac.  The kit equipment is used every time it goes to the field and restocked before returning.  Some experts don’t advocate this practice, but we feel it is a bonus for our personnel.  We want our people to be able to reach for their equipment and extract any item in the kit under dark evil conditions, preferably with either hand and not miss a beat.  Nothing in the kit gets old and deteriorates.  Obviously, it is constantly being used and restocked.

Level II  Kit

In the U.S. RSOG equipment checklist the following equipment is listed as the LEVEL II KIT, MEDIUM, LIFE SUPPORT.  It is more commonly known as the "Hog Kit."  It is carried in a butt pack, or small 1500 cu. ruck.  Many times it will be in a hydration packs accessory pouches or in the pouches of a tactical load-bearing vest (LBV).  The items are an enhancement for an individuals comfort level in the bush.

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Details of List

The first item on the packing list is insect repellant with a high percentage of DEET.  Insect repellent is one of the most important items on the list.  Many people tout this item as a luxury item. If a stranded individual finds him/herself in the wild places without it you will curse the day that you left it out.  Operating in foreign locals on a regular basis will give a person a new appreciation for the miracle of chemical technology.  The feeding insect hordes will drive an individual to madness and invariably medical problems.  Biting flies, mosquitoes, chiggers, fleas, ticks and a host of other bloodsuckers will do there best to infect you and drain the life from your body.  U.S. RSOG personnel us a combination of SKIN SO SOFT and BEN’s 99% DEET insect repellent or MUSKOL.  It’s mixed 60/40 in a spray bottle.

A military field dressing or two are carried to use for large wounds or it can be torn up to be used as fire starter.  They are an outstanding product for either application.

Three ten-foot lengths of 550 para-cord are added to this kit.  You just can’t have enough of this product.

Small mini flashlights like the MINI MAG or SOLITARE are carried.  If room permits it PRICNETON TEC headlamps or RAGE flashlights are a better bet due to their waterproof casing.  Headlamps are so much more versatile than a flashlight due to their hands free operation.  Crawling through sewers or bombed out buildings and egress from disabled vehicles can be an issue during chaos and mayhem.

Dehydrated sponges are thin and light weight and are excellent for wiping dew from vegetation when collecting water.

Three-inch mini cable ties are lightweight and take up little space in the kit.  They can be used for a myriad of applications such as building basket fish traps.

Peanut butter in a squeeze tube is one of the best emergency rations for a kit.  Fat, protein, and carbohydrates are all covered.

The professional grade locking small game snares made from aircraft grade cable is a must for the serious survivor. They have stout hardware and swivel ends to allow the game to trash and twist around.  The best that we have tested and have adopted for all kits are mail ordered through BUCKSHOT'S  TRAPPING  SUPPLY  ~  P.O. Box 482 Houghton MI 49931   888 - 600-6869.

Animal scent lures swing the odds so much further in the survivor’s favor that they are one of the most coveted items in the hog kit.  Most U.S. RSOG cadre carry more than one scent.  The favorites are the coon, beaver, muskrat and deer.  The coon, beaver and muskrat are mail ordered through BUCHSHOT’s.  Not all scent lures are the same quality, we have tested many different makers.  KNIGHT & HALE BUCK POPPERS AND TINK’s 69 Doe-in-heat are favorites for deer snare sets or stand hunting.

A well stocked mini fishing kit can up the odds if pole and line fishing for pan fish (perch, bluegill, crappie, etc.).  A selection of lead head rubber jigs in different colors can fill a stringer in a short time.  6-8 small hooked lead heads and BERKLEY’s scent impregnated 1 ½ inch curly tails in green, yellow, white and black jig bodies are a good start.  REBEL’s smallest crank bait crawdad lure is a fish slayer as well.  Add some split shot and two dozen hooks, plus a small bobber and the kit is complete.

A small first aid kit should not be over looked.  One ACE wrap starts the kit, it doesn’t have to be in the first aid pouch.  The minimum of contents follows: water resistant BANDAIDS, triple antibiotic ointment, aspirin, finger tip Band-Aids, tweezers, an irrigation syringe, Betandine capsule swabs, moleskin, medicated lip ointment, IMMODIUM AD capsules, sutures, as many gauze pads as possible and medical tape. If they can be acquired, some oral antibiotics.

Sunscreen of no less than SPF 30 is a lifesaver.  Bad sunburns can become infected and any sunburn is a dehydrator.

Dental floss can be used for many purposes from suture to sewing material.  From fishing line to trip wire.  But the most important use is cleaning half-cooked wild meat dinners from between your teeth.  Its about hygiene not a Hollywood smile.

Clear plastic trash bags are used for vegetation stills and waterproofing.

Since "survival soups" are part of the normal diet among our personnel the bullion cube is a treasured item (when they are allowed during the field problem).  Soups are bland as wet cardboard.  Hot bullion broth is a great way of bring life back into a cold weather casualty.

Level III Kit

This kit is listed as LEVEL III KIT, EXTENSIVE, LIFE SUPPORT and it is more commonly known as the "Mule" or "Jackass rig." The equipment is usually carried in a small, 1500 cu. assault ruck. It holds more life sustaining equipment that will carry an individual through extreme conditions.

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Due to the boom in technologies and development in the outdoors equipment industries, premier and inexpensive gear is to be had.  One of those is the new influx of water purifiers and filters.  Right now the PUR VOYAGER is the favorite among our cadre.  It turns putrid liquid into clean, clear water.  It should not be used in water that is high in plant material with a high tannin acid content.  The tea colored water clogs up the filter in quick order.

Medium grade locking snares are a number one item in the field. Ready for coon, beaver and canines, it will put meat on the table.

Large deer snares make trapping deer a very reasonable endeavor.  Because deer travel on established trails much like rabbits, it’s well worth the extra weight of the snares.

Having the ability to boil water without having to coal burn a container to do it in is very well receive in the ranks.  The MSR utility pot with a handle that is hinged from the side and locks into position across the lid, is the favored utensil.

Military fuel tabs used for heating chow make excellent emergency fire starting equipment that will speed the drying time of wet tinder ball fuel.  They produce incredible amounts of heat for approximately 6-8 minutes.

A lightweight folding saw is much quieter than hacking hide site camo foliage with a blade.  And they are very valuable when it comes time to start producing trap triggers.

Gore-Tex is a lifesaving material that is overlooked by many in the preparedness community.  It stops harsh winds and rain better than most raingear materials.  In the winter season Gore-Tex gloves and watch caps go into the ruck.  In hot climates the Gore-Tex is exchanged for an insect bar.  Better known in the civilian world as a mosquito net.

The NALGENE CANTENE is collapsible, very tough and very light.  And it stands upright on its own.

A hygiene kit consists of a small bottle of CAMPSUDS, a toothbrush and toothpaste.  Good hygiene in the wild places is a must!  You can not take the risk of coming down with a bacterial infection when your body is breaking down from possible nutrient starvation.

Drink mixes like GATORADE help replenish electrolytes when dehydration is a lingering possibility.

Emergency chow is a must when evading and unable to fish and trap game.  Granola bars are not a chow supplement.  Cadre carry MetRx bars with 50 grams of carbs, and 25 grams of protein.

12-20 feet of military green line or civilian kernmantle climbing rope and a snap link is carried.  It has many uses from knotted hand lines for climbing or for constructing hammocks.  An optional lightweight poncho is a good multi-user addition to the kit.

All U.S. RSOG personnel carry a mandatory emergency locator beacon.  The ACR RAPDFIX 406 is the most recent upgrade being used.

First piece of headgear that every survivor should own is a wool Gore-Tex watch cap. It also should be with your snivel suit and gloves. These are very warm and rain proof, what more can a hero ask for. You can order them from RANGER JOE’s. The next most important item is not apiece of headgear. It is a wool or Polar Fleece neck gaiter, better known as a SAS "head-over." Most people have heard that 80% of the body heat lost is from the top of the head. That’s slightly true. The full 80% is lost from the tops of the shoulders, the traps, the neck and the head. So if the top of the head is covered and the shoulders what’s left? This piece of equipment is so versatile it should be in the same category as the multi-tool. Another good piece of all-weather gear is OUTDOOR RESEARCH’s (OR) Seattle Sombrero. This wide brimmed, Gore-Tex hat will shield the brain-housing group from the worst of down pours. If the Outlaw Josey Wales would have access to one of these he wouldn’t have passed it up. For Desert wear the standard tan, wide brimmed boonie hat or an OR Sonora Sombrero. The Sombrero actually has a SPF rating of 50 and the size of the brim alone will shade half your shoulders. The sombreros take some getting use to unless you already wear a cowboy hat.

This section deals with insulating clothing that is worn under a windproof shell. The best insulating layers are POLARTECs 300-gram fleece underwear/pants. Three hundred weight Polar Fleece is not recommended for any temperature above 30 degrees. It is reasonably moisture wicking for a non-treated material. There are a million different Polar Fleece items out there to choose from. CAMPMOR seems to have the best prices on these items. Polar Fleece is lightweight and can be compressed reasonable well, not as well as goose down. If weight isn’t a concern the British or Swedish, or Finnish wool sweaters are very warm. The crew necks or zipper fronts are the ones to look for. Under the wool or fleece should be a polypropylene set of underwear. There is a number of cadre that swear if the poly product that is against your skin isn’t tight, it won’t work. Polypropylene does one thing well, it wicks moisture away from your skin. There is one thing that we all do agree on, is that cotton against your skin is a friendly assassin. It feels good but it will kill you if you give it the chance. Cotton retains water and provides minimal heat retention due to the open weave of the fabric. If you are going to wear cotton long Johns wear them over polypro. Many U.S. RSOG cadre wear tight polypro and then a loose THERMAX 5.5 oz. product over that or medium weight U.S. military polypropylene. For the extreme temps, well below zero a pair of 550 loft goose down underwear is unbeatable. The Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) used by the military is a great cold weather layering system model.

With the proper shelter and the proper sleeping bag an evader’s survivability and comfort level obviously soars when battling the elements. With the advent of the new high speed, high loft, maximum compression insulating materials on the market, there’s no excuse being under-equipped. Prices range for $50 to $500 for bags that will take you down to zero degrees and have all the sights and safeties. Price starts to dictate the weight, and packed size of the bag in a stuff sack. For extreme conditions there is only one style that U.S. RSOG consider viable and that is the "mummy bag" or some variance. The less space in a bag that your body has to heat the better. With that said having enough room to maneuver in the bag can not be over looked! Your bag can not be to tight to the body or the insulating material will be compressed and loft is lost. That dead air space trapped in the bags "wall" construction is your number one weapon against the frigid rage of the outside elements. The mummy style bags provide great heat retention over the shoulders and around the head. This is a must for extreme conditions or for emergency treatment for cold weather casualties. Two important features that a bag should have on it are a "draft tube" and a "draft collar." There are different names in the industry for these parts but these are the names that cadre use the most. The draft tube is an insulated flap or tube of insulation that runs the length of the zipper. It blocks in the heat that tries to escape through the zipper and blocks out any cool breeze that tries to infiltrate the bag. Draft collars are large tubes or flaps that lay across your chest and back of the shoulders so that heat does not escape from the interior of the bag through the head hole. Some bags have a draft yoke that is cut to the outline of your throat and cover the shoulders and chest.

Another feature that is less important but relevant to some is a built up foot box. The foot space in the bag will be built with a boxy looking area that allows for movement of the feet. We like the large foot box because boots can be thrown into a waterproof bag and stuffed down there easier. Another detail to watch for is the lining of the bag. A nylon/polyester lining will wear 4-8 times longer than a cotton lining. But our people are hard on things, so cotton may be a good choice for some. SIERRA DESIGNS relatively new introduction is the "Sleep Solution Series" that have a stretching elastic construction that allows a person to sleep in every contorted position imaginable. This is a great feature for those individuals that need the room to sleep comfortably. A double zipper is a good feature for venting when it gets a little to warm inside the insulated cocoon. Students ask the cadre all the time to suggest a specific sleeping bag. The only problem with personnel who test equipment and render their expert opinion is that they are known for being very finicky about the details. As long as the bag fits the individuals body and wallet, plus keeps you warm, that’s the bottom line. U.S. military mummy bags can be gotten cheap as of late. The "intermediate" bag is good to just above freezing and the "extreme" bag is good down to 10 degrees. Those are very conservative ratings, but these bags are heavy and very restrictive on the inside dimensions. The cotton exterior unless treated has about as much water repellency as toilet paper. The centerline zipper is a plus though. These bags are best used as part of a car or boat kit.

The insulating materials that seem to be the most prevalent through the market are Quallofil, Hollofil, Polarguard HV, Polarguard 3D and the Power Down fills. In comparison to one with the other it is like comparing an Ak-47 to and HK-91. The Quallofil and Hollofil bags are usually less compressible and heavier than the Polarguard bags. That not always the case, just on an average sampling. They are all good! The Power Downs are more like a custom bolt action sniper rifle. They are extremely warm for the weight and comfortable. Maybe the warmest, any goose feathers rated above a 550 down weight is preferable. The only draw back to the Down bag is when it gets wet and loses its insulating qualities. Plus they don’t dry out very quickly either. Most of the high dollar/high speed bags use Polarguard 3D. Cadre use bags filled with Polarguard 3D the majority of the time. If you can afford any of the products by the following companies jump on it. THE NORTH FACE, MARMOT, SIERRA DESIGN, MOONSTONE, ROKK, INTEGRAL DESIGN, WESTERN MOUNTAINEERING, MOUNTAIN HARDWEAR, FEATHERED FRIENDS, there are many others on the high-end side as well. If you get picky in these high speed bags your just an equipment snob, they all make great bags. In the mid to lower end bags there are some winners as well. Starting with REI, CABLEAS, and SLUMBERJACK AND KELTY, then there is always COLEMANs mummy bags. The SLUMBERJACKs and KELTYs are amazing for the price! The best place to get a deal on bags is of course, CAMPMORs website. Never buy a bag that you haven’t gotten into first!! The exception to that rule is when you get an unbelievable deal on the web. Watch the sizing stats and go from there. The majority of people can’t tell one good bag from another just as long as it has enough room and its warm.

U.S. RSOG cadre have a two-bag system (not including sniper bags and Thinsulate poncho liners). The first bag is a 30-35 degree bag that weighs less than 2 lbs. And the second is a 0-15 degree bag that weighs less than 4 lbs. A 30-35 degree bag is for temperature ranges from 45-35 degrees. Taking a 30-degree bag to the field when it’s around freezing is asking for a cold night. When it hits freezing most people are comfortable in a 0-15 degree bag. When it drops below zero the 30 degree bag goes inside of the zero bag. The total weight is some where around the 6 lbs. or less. And that is pretty good for a sleeping system that goes well below zero. A very IMPORTANT rule for sleeping bags is do not store a bag tightly rolled up or in its stuff sack. A couple of months like this and the insulation will begin to lose its ability to gain loft. Hang them up open or put them in a large trash bag or box. Another outstanding piece of equipment over looked by the military for years is the waterproof sleeping mattress or pad. Insulating the body from the grounds heat absorbing mass is a must. Whether it’s with natural materials or man made. The self-inflating closed cell mattresses that run anywhere from ¾ of an inch thick to 2 inches thick are second to none. They come in the full length, about 70 inches or ¾ length, about 48 inches long. Most are 20 inches or so wide. The ¾ inch thick and ¾ long will roll up small enough to put in an ALICE ruck outside pocket. THER-A-REST is no doubt the top dog, but BASIC DESIGN is a great one for the price. The Basic Design is sectioned off so that a few lungs full of air can be added to the sections that your body needs the most support in. The other alternative is a closed cell-sleeping pad. Cadre use these for everything from laying in the mud and snow in a LP/OP to a back and butt rest when leaning up against a tree while calling various game. And they go every where from snow crusted terrain to desert sands to damp tropical jungle floors. The ¾ length RIDGE REST is probably the most popular with our people. The full-length pads work great for snipers on hard surfaces. Another good pad is the Z-Rest that folds in an accordion fashion that is squared like a block of government cheese. In extreme conditions a pad or mat, is to a good sleeping bag what a holster is to combat handgun. What is extreme? Imagine sleeping on ice, not snow, but ice. The situation dictated that no one could move from their positions and not a tree for as far as the eye could see to supply a bed of natural insulation, which wouldn’t have mattered any way because we couldn’t move any way. Wet snow and ice every where. Men waking up in the morning with not only their lightweight poncho (used as a ground cloth) but their sleeping bags, frozen to the ground. A few words come to mind, dangerous and miserable. Another amazing piece of equipment for a fully equipped survivor is a Gore-Tex bivy sack. If a company builds sleeping bags or tents they probably build bivy sacks. Nothing more than an over sized waterproof sleeping bag cover. Some like the OUTDOOR RESEARCH (OR), has thin lightweight hoop poles that supports a little tent like area around your head. It’s tough to find bivies in subdued colors but they are out. Many of the better sacks have insect netting as well. Lives could have been saved had a super lightweight sleeping bag and a bivy sack been part of the minimal equipment carried by past victims of the Reapers wrath. Imagine humping through the mountains, all that you have packed in your kids sized book bag pack, is a 1.5-2 lb. 30 degree sleeping bag and a 1 lb. 2oz. bivy sack, that’s all. No fire starting equipment or poncho for shelter or high-speed knife, just the two bags. A storm blows in, the rain starts and the temperature drops. In less than 30 seconds you jump into your sleeping bag and the bivy to ride it out. One minute you are a hypothermia casualty waiting to happen the next minute your just patiently hanging around waiting for the Reaper to pass you by, dry and unmolested. One last important note about sleeping bags. Get your clothes off! When your skin is exposed or uncovered the heat from your body heats up the interior of the back just like the furnace in your home. The temperature stays at a relatively constant temperature. If you stay covered up with clothes that touch your skin very little heat is released into the bag. Yet the loft of you clothing is far less than the loft of the bag, which obviously doesn’t retain as much heat. Now your body has to burn more calories to keep you warm and may need movement (shivering). A pair of shorts and sleeping booties if you are a cold-footed person, is all you should be sleeping in. Unless you are under extreme circumstances like sleeping in a 35 degree bag in zero degree weather. You might as well pile it all on because it’s going to be a cold night.

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