Kit List for Milsim

[3vi1-D4n]

Depending on where you are/what weather you would most likely experience + how much motorised support you are likely going to get you may be able to get away with a 3-day pack to carry what you need.

 

But if you are looking at 5*C to sub-zero conditions, then the sleeping bag will take up most of the room in a 3 day pack.  If you are temperate 20-30*C  mounted and living out of buildings or vehicles then a 3 day pack is fine. If you are dismounted most of the time over 4 days I would suggest a Bergen (6 day), or Large ALICE, short of spending $$$ on Karrimor/Elberstock packs. M83 is ok for around 4 days but small compared with ALICE.

 

ALICE is probably the best at getting things in and out quickly and is better for carrying crew served weapons systems like the HMG or M252/L16 mortars, while Bergens pack a lot in but takes a while to get things out.  ALICE have more comfort accessories (default is pretty uncomfortable), Bergens are better stock but has its own issues common with long packs.  Both pretty uncomfortable with armor.  

 

Newer packs like the Molle II Large Rucksacks are designed with body armour in mind so that may be the other alternative, unfortunately I have not had experience with those.

[Siavash]

I did a Tier 1 -48hr Op in Copehill Down, I took a US GI Molle Large Rucksack With the two large, removable "Sustainment Pouches and the Frame. I found it comfy to wear over my plate carrier and I managed to carry everything I need for 48hrs including Sleeping Bag and Roll Up Matt.

I had Extra clothes,

thermals,

10 heatpacks of varies shapes and types for the COLDEST sleep I ever had!

Battiers,

10 Bottles of Drinks And 4 complete MRE packs which contained everything you need for a complete day,

Pain killers and other pills,

Ammo,

First aid kit,

Mags..

And i still had room for a little more..

 

 

I found for Racksacks Buy small you will buy again, buy big enough and it will last a lifetime lol

 

Before On a normal Open day I had to carry 2 bags for me and my partner to airsoft but now that I upgraded I can carry everthing I have for me and her in one big bag..

[3vi1-D4n]

 

I found for Racksacks Buy small you will buy again, buy big enough and it will last a lifetime lol

 

Before On a normal Open day I had to carry 2 bags for me and my partner to airsoft but now that I upgraded I can carry everthing I have for me and her in one big bag..

 

Yeah, carry big bags, drop off at base and carry day packs for skirmishing.

 

That and I have 2 bug out ALICE backpacks for civil emergencies... *ahem* zombie apocalypse *ahem*, both loaded with standard survival gears for my wife and I.

 

May look into a Molle II Large pack later.

[Vortix]

It really comes down to the terrain and type of engagement. For a scenario in which most engagements will be fought from a FOB in built up areas, one could make due with just a plate carrier tricked out with the right equipment. Sleeping equipment and your fourth line backpack is likely to stay on the FOB. When going away from base for 12+ hours, supplement with patrol pack with food, drink, batteries and clothes to keep you warm and dry. 

 

When you're in a rural environment, away from any building and you have to sleep outside, ditch the plate carrier and switch to a chest rig. 

Buy a backpack big enough to contain your sleeping equipment in as prepared a state as possible. Don't put your sleeping bag, bivi bag and mat in there all on their own, but roll them into each other so all you have to do at night is pull that package out, inflate the mattress (if necessary) and span a tarp over it (bivi bags are great but even Gore-Tex has its limitations). The tarp is basically the only part of my sleeping equipment I have on the outside of my pack, because then it's possible to create a relatively dry space to fold out my bivibag even when it's raining. Also, it's completely prepared with rope so I can simply find two trees the appropriate distance away from each other and start building my bivouac. 

 

My fourth line backpack is a Fjällräven Kajka 85. A large and expensive backpack but in my opinion the best pack I have ever used. 

 

Lastly, always have a gobag (patrolbag) ready to go, preferably inside your backpack. This should contain all the kit you need to sustain yourself away from the patrol base (basically everything except your sleeping kit). This reduces the need to prepare for each mission again and also enables you to ditch the bergan when your unit is suddenly engaged while on the move. You don't want to be running, kneeling and going prone with a 25kg pack on your back. 

 

As for cooking food, remember that propane/butane and other LPG's can be kind of a *badgeress* in winter! Liquid fuel stoves are a little bit trickier to operate but so much more reliable in cold weather!

[Ryaw]

As a fellow milsim/weekender novice, I found that I was missing the following kit when I attended my first milsim (Stirling's Op at Copehill in August 2015), where we were shacked up in the base buildings for 36hrs:

Spork (cutlery) - Big oversight for something so simple. (Still need to buy)

 

Head torch (I've now bought one) - Almost everybody had these for setting up the night before the game and it made walking about in the dark so much easier for them than me, with just my handheld torch. Red light option seemed popular.

 

Lamp for illuminating my room inside the building at night - It gets very dark on site. (Still need to buy)

 

A roll-out rubber floor mat for keeping my gear off the dusty cement floor (everything gets covered in the dust) - It would have been nice to have somewhere clean underfoot to stand when changing my socks/underwear etc. (Still need to buy)

Decent pair of Goretex boots (it was lashing down at times and my old leather boots were rubbish and noisy underfoot on concrete floors - everybody appeared to have Solomon boots on) - I now have a pair of my own and they're great!

 

Decent luggage/bag - This is what most of you have been talking about so far. I had a large (admittedly cheap) Viper branded holdall bag for carrying everything including my guns inside. It weighed a tonne, was unwieldy, soft, awkward and uncomfortable to walk around with, hurting my back (and that was only walking the short distance from the car park to the FOB). My mate had a proper large 5.11 case with wheels and took great pleasure in showing how awesome it was for transporting all his gear with ease. It also wheeled in and out of the back of his car so much easier and gave a good level of protection to the contents. At £200(ish) it's not cheap, but I would very much like one for myself in future! (Still to buy).

 

Food pouches - I took sandwich packs and pasta packs, but on the 2nd day they were inedible due to not being refrigerated for so long.

 

Jet Boil - Would have been nice, but not too essential for me.

 

 

 

 

Kit I'm glad I had with me (mostly sleeping comfort/convenience related before & after a 10 hour drive):

 

Fold-out camp bed (US military issue apparently) - Not very hardcore, but I was never more than a few hundred metres from my gear/FOB, so it gave me somewhere to sit/lye and chill for a bit at quieter moments and mostly keep my kit off the floor. Plus I'm a softy 5-star traveler, so comfort is paramount to me - so much so that I accidentally managed an 8 hour sleep overnight in my comfy bed whilst others were out in the dark playing with their night-vision gear. #NotVeryMilsimOfMe.

 

Thick fleece-lined 4 season sleeping bag - I was a tad warm at some points, but even in August when the day temps were in the 30C's, it was still cold at night with no windows on the buildings.

 

Small cushion for a pillow - Made a big difference compared to not having one.

 

Earplugs - Essential if you want some decent sleep!! Sharing the building with multiple guys.....it's guaranteed that someone will snore REALLY LOUDLY and keep you awake when you need sleep the most.

Small RavPower battery charging pack for my GoPro/Phone etc. While others were trying to hook up to a mains generator supply, I just had a small pack, which worked so much better.

Hydration bladder on my back (1.5 ltr) - I had 8 litres of water bottles in my FOB and drank most of it over 36 hours.

 

Dark tinted glasses and sun-cream - It was roasting hot.

Toothbrush and wash kit (baby wipes, hand gel, toilet paper, plasters etc) - Plus two baselayer tops would have been nice to change into half way through, as I got very sweaty/stinky pretty quickly.

 

 

Obviously I had some other gear with me, but that's just my thoughts on what I was missing and what I found worked well for me.

 

 

Of note, I found that I was carrying far too much ammo and overall kit (I played on the Police team) and was too bulky and noisy inside buildings with my plate carrier and bladder etc. Plus I sweated my moobs off under that plate carrier. I barely fired 100 rounds all weekend and had brought about 4000 rounds with me to the event, not realising what milsim would be like (lots of inaction and ROE restrictions), but it was a good experience overall.

 

 

I'm currently booked to attend my 2nd milsim with Combat Airsoft Group at Stanta in March, where I'll be playing on the Iraqi Insurgent team. I'm hoping that being OPFOR, I'll be unrestricted by ROE for the most part and get much more trigger time. Plus I'll be able to wear minimal, lighter, less bulky kit (chest rig) and enjoy the roleplay element a bit more and noise up the good guys in the process.

[eatmycamo]

 

Head torch (I've now bought one) - Almost everybody had these for setting up the night before the game and it made walking about in the dark so much easier for them than me, with just my handheld torch. Red light option seemed popular.

 

This is because Red light does not effect your natural night vision. Another (less popular choice) is dark blue, which in fact has a lower signature due to it's frequency and so is less visible over long distances.

 

 

 

 

Decent pair of Goretex boots (it was lashing down at times and my old leather boots were rubbish and noisy underfoot on concrete floors - everybody appeared to have Solomon boots on) - I now have a pair of my own and they're great!

 

This isn't necessarily a good idea too. Leather boots that are well cared for are equally waterproof. Goretex is in fact less breathable and a lot warmer. Ideal for winter, less ideal for spring and autumn.

 

 

Fold-out camp bed (US military issue apparently) - Not very hardcore, but I was never more than a few hundred metres from my gear/FOB, so it gave me somewhere to sit/lye and chill for a bit at quieter moments and mostly keep my kit off the floor. Plus I'm a softy 5-star traveler, so comfort is paramount to me - so much so that I accidentally managed an 8 hour sleep overnight in my comfy bed whilst others were out in the dark playing with their night-vision gear. #NotVeryMilsimOfMe.

 

 

Actually, in well managed military units a lot of guys get a reasonable nights sleep. Maybe not a full 8 hours. I know many people, including myself who managed to squeeze a seven hour kip out of our admin time. It's down to how you are managed and how well you can manage your kit.

 

Looking forwards to hearing about your next milsim though!

[3vi1-D4n]

 

 

Actually, in well managed military units a lot of guys get a reasonable nights sleep. Maybe not a full 8 hours. I know many people, including myself who managed to squeeze a seven hour kip out of our admin time. It's down to how you are managed and how well you can manage your kit.

 

 

Depends on how many people you have in your team, your layout, your role and the level of threat you have.  If you are roughing it out as a small recce detachment you might have 4 hours sleep between each person or less, in a platoon you might get more but sentry duty inbetween. 

 

The real question is if milsim event is following military procedure or not.

 

I have seen milsim events where guys run 30hrs non-stop.  Where the commander is pushed to complete missions all through the night, so no rest for anyone, which isn't milsim, but a themed airsoft game.

[eatmycamo]

This is true. I've seen milsims like this too and they are a lot more casual in their approach to guard and such too. But as I said. it's down to how you're managed. even with Stag, a 6 hour sleep is achievable. You may not necessarily sleeping at night either. Night time is prime for taking advantage of sleeping enemies.

[3vi1-D4n]

This is true. I've seen milsims like this too and they are a lot more casual in their approach to guard and such too. But as I said. it's down to how you're managed. even with Stag, a 6 hour sleep is achievable. You may not necessarily sleeping at night either. Night time is prime for taking advantage of sleeping enemies.

 

It does depend on the task.  If you are in an outpost and tasks are basic security task within the local area they would be fairly short duration 2-4hrs.  If its a direct action task, a fair distance away and is something like a coordinated deliberate attack at dawn, then time to get up will vary, hence sleep will vary.  Usually commanders will give a good amount of rest time before something like that as they want everyone with their game face on. 

 

If the enemy is playing mind games by probing at night, keeping everyone awake, then your team won't get much sleep because everyone will need to be on stand-to every time eny initiates a contact.  But it does go both ways as the eny can only do this every so often before they themselves get tired, and moving at night in close country isn't easy even with NVGs. 

 

But one thing in airsoft you probably won't need to do is a bug out at night, as we really don't have any decent indirect fire weapon systems

[gisburn20]

I'm hoping to get to my first Milsim event this summer (after 10 years of skirishing lol) my kit is squared away apart from the one item most airsofters overlook, personal fitness.

 

I've improved my diet and just by eating healthier and more often I've lost over a stone in weight in the last 12 months.

 

I started using the Couch to 5K free app on my phone and I'm now running 3.5 miles 3 times a week and getting more confident.

 

My last skirmish on Sunday showed the difference a little exercise can make, I was jogging to and fro from the dead zone in full kit and the day after the skirmish I didnt feel like the walking dead, it used to take 3 days for me to recover from a skirmish, but yesterday I had no aching muscles and tonight for the first time I ran 3.7 miles without stopping or walking!

 

I'm so chuffed, I can nearly tick off that last item on my kit list!

 

I'm taking it slowly but I'm getting there.

 

Jim

[eatmycamo]

Well done! Keep it up. When you're more confident try taking a look at crossfit. The combination of weights and speed ensures you build strength and gain endurance. This is something the military do. I recommend TRX as it's easy to follow, but you can start anywhere. A quick google search for "practical fitness workouts" should help you along.

[Cannonfodder80]

All very useful info thanks. To help your reccomendations it'll probably help if I post that I'm looking at going to the apocalypse weekend game at the end of June

[Ryaw]

Looking forwards to hearing about your next milsim though!

 

Eh yeah, about that........Unfortunately I've had to cancel my planned CAG Milsim event in April and very likely won't be doing any more milsims for a while (I was planning Strling's CAtterick game in June too) , as I've since found out that I'm going to be a daddy (OH *fruitcage*!!) in October and have now had to start the process of saving up for baby gear and a bigger house, so spending hundreds on new kit and events is on hold indefinitely, until I get my new life as a family man with a doubled mortgage sorted. That plus paying for pre-planned trips to NYC and Cyprus over the next 2 months.

 

So I doubt I'll get much airsofting done in general this year due to those bigger financial commitments, but such is life. It's already been nearly 3 months since I last played.....Although I'm hoping my new toy (KSC VZ61 Scorpion GBB - I justified it to the wife by using the money I got from selling a pistol I rarely used, lol) should hopefully get me back out playing CQB soon.

 

 

[shmook]

Yep, new kids rob your airsoft time something fierce.

 

Good luck!

[gisburn20]

Wait until you have 4 kids...

[blobface]

This is sort of related to the thread... who's going to the War Zone this weekend? 

[Kevin Berry]

Yep, taking lots of goretex and spare clothes.....

[eatmycamo]

Here's my kit, labelled up:

 

 

 

Not included: Pistol and mags, CO2, Pyro, GPS, Compass and clothes I'd be wearing

[Cannonfodder80]

Thanks, that's very useful

[eatmycamo]

That's for Russians obviously and it's also a little OTT, I'd tailor it more to the mission.

[Cannonfodder80]

It's still giving me an idea of what to take and what to leave behind so is all appreciated

[Marvin(nas)]

GPS and Watch helps a lot

Spare glasses are also nice to have (Clear/Smoked lenses)

Maybe an NVG

[3vi1-D4n]

That's for Russians obviously and it's also a little OTT, I'd tailor it more to the mission.

 

Its not that OTT.  Aside from wash kit and signalling panels its pretty much what I would carry on Ex.  Where I am, I would wear thermal garments, gaiters, goretex booties, insulated boot inners, nylon cord, and 3 sets of gloves.

 

Of course dependents on the environment, temperature, terrain, and how long you will be out there. At 10-30*C in predictable weather most of the time a sleeping bag+bivi bag, spare combat fatigues, a light fleece top, and a poncho has backup will do.  But if the weather is unpredictable and terrain is constantly changing then a shelter, wind breakers, and wet weather tops/overpants is recommended.  Wet&cold for a day is fine, but wet&cold for many days can be miserable.

[eatmycamo]

Yeah, I also forgot food stuffs which I would include in the vests buttpack and some in the main bag/bergen

[Hardcore1-6]

If you want proper MilSim the British Army are adopting the appropriately named "Project PAYNE"

Essentially it's scaling of equipment meaning first line and modular body armour to 'fight light'.  The scaling means that an infanteer (in this instance, an Airsofter) is fighting light and being rapid on their feet.

You'll see more belt kit and armour combos coming out, doing away with the 24 hours food carried.  Who ever heard of someone starving in 24 hours?

Expected equipment is 6 magazine, area specific grenades, armour and that is pretty much it.  Chocolate bar in the back pocket and a bottle of water.