Every American has the right to quality body armor, gear, and medical equipment.. lets get this convo started and get guys squared away

Plates aren't a priority for me at the moment but I'm thinking of just getting level III+ steel with some kind of kevlar pad to catch spalling.

I would highly advise against steel plates honestly. Composite or ceramic is the way to go.. no chance of spalling and lighter .. yes more money however you can get a rig and save money for quality plates that will save your life. That being said I have seen AR500’s new coating that stops spalling and I am a little impressed but after the coating they are about the same price as Ceramic or composite plates

https://www.rtstactical.com//rts-tactical-ceramic-nij-0101-06-level-iv-rifle-protection-plate-inserts.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiA4NTxBRDxARIsAHyp6gBFoOW5Co9c-ijQJIInm_XY2WavWjNM_QMsAaACxIV4kBHEpUv1wKEaAgtkEALw_wcB

Thoughts on this?

There is not a lot of info on these as to what they stop (on the link) if 5.56 is the only threat you may face these may not be terrible. But my I ask what about 7.62, 308, or any number of many other calibers that are becoming more popular. I’m not saying these are an absolute no go but what threats are you willing to expect

Well it's level 4 which is supposed to stop up to .30-06

Also level iiia is rated for pistols only

My bad I sent the wrong ones I thought it was weird they were almost all pistol calibers

lol its all good

$40

Thoughts?

It doesnt look to bad, it really just comes down to what your trying to accomplish. The reviews look good, and it's a pretty decent size. I guess it comes down to purpose, distance and camo ( blending in with a crowd vs. Standing out)

Yea I have a nice bag for blending in. I just need a bigger more comfortable bag for carrying stuff long distances

The covert bag I have is just a nice black backpack that I got for school but never used

Its my current bug out bag but it's not designed for hiking so the weight isn't distributed great which causes it to be uncomfortable when full

I would look into something with a padded waist belt. Thats just personal preference. If your able I would consider going to a surplus and looking at some of the rucks. I've actually been looking for a new bag but i

It's a pain finding a good gray man bug out bag without spending a fortune

Ok. I'll look into it. Thanks for the feedback

No problem. I'm not sure where your located but there is a good one in iowa city called CC's military surplus

Ok. The only one I know of thats close to me is Uncle Stan's military surplus in cedar rapids but I'll look around. Any suggestions on what type of ruck?

I don't know a lot about military surplus rucksacks

I'm not sure what your budget is like and I dont want to but if you can. I would look for one of the 2000's or newer marine rucks. If I can find a picture I'll post it on here for you.

Ok. Thanks

I don't really have a ton of money so I pretty much want the cheapest backpack that will work well but I'm willing to spend a fair amount if it's worth it

So this one is the one I'm looking at but I'll post another one that would work well also

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/usmc-military-surplus-filbe-pack-used?a=2194053&pm2d=CSE-SPG-15-PLA&utm_medium=PLA&utm_source=Google&utm_campaign=CI&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpfHzBRCiARIsAHHzyZr2RFX7xIQ41hVddGqf-UAzfv4Bg2nLhFaEsB2xZIwjizMUGO5ixUcaAt63EALw_wcB

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/us-military-surplus-usmc-assault-pack-used?a=2183074&pm2d=CSE-SPG-15-PLA&utm_medium=PLA&utm_source=Google&utm_campaign=CI&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpfHzBRCiARIsAHHzyZr2RFX7xIQ41hVddGqf-UAzfv4Bg2nLhFaEsB2xZIwjizMUGO5ixUcaAt63EALw_wcB

The first one is super nice and pretty much exactly what I want but is more than I can spend. The second one is definately in my price range and is nice, I just kinda wish is had a spot for a bedroll

I'm not sure if it's like the army assault packs or not but if it is, there should be molle o the bottom that you could strap a bed roll too. The first one is definitely one to aspire to for sure

Yea its so nice. Its just that I'm missing several pieces of gear and can't spend that much on a backpack right now

I'm in the same boat at the moment, these layoffs are killing me. Once I get to a position to where I can I'm more then willing to help people get the better stuff for sure

Yea this shit sucks. Who knew the apocalypse wouldn't be all campfires and blowing up buildings?

No joke right? Ever since I started prepping and stuff I said I would absolutely hate a bio threat, and of course here we are. The virus doesnt really bother me it's the people being fear mongered into all this panic buying and all around craziness

Yeah that's what I'm more worried about to be honest

We havent really had it to bad here in muscatine but but theres a good chance that when we start getting more cases that things will start to change pretty rapidly

@kilowatt cocktail What's your opinion on the USMC ILBE rucksack?

Hell yea that's one of the even newer ones. As long as it comes with the frame and straps that's one hell of a buy

I'm hoping it stays low cause the auction ends next friday and I really would like it

Most of the other ones on ebay are $200-$300

That's for sure but dont be surprised if it jumps quite a bit

@kilowatt cocktail Just in case the ILBE rucksack jumps in price, what are your thoughts on this rucksack?

That doesnt look bad at all. It looks like it has a pretty good amount of good reviews.

Thats my hope. It appears it's only problem is small and fixable. It comes with a reflective, high-vis, yellow rain cover. I just found a camo rain cover on amazon for $10

I wouldnt fill it all the way, just make sure that it's something that is reasonable for the distance that you would be moving to your bug out location. I would keep both around, one for none igloo situation such as training and the other for when the igloo kicks off.

Thats my thought. There might be a time when I'm just hiking and dont need to hide or I might have an emergency and need to be high-vis

Exactly, or if there is anyway to make it reversible that way it takes up less space that would be ideal. I plan on going out a couple times during this summer and camping out of my BOB and any of yall that want to join in are more then welcome

I may try to paint the other side with spray paint or maybe some more expensive paint to make it a flat green or tan color

Also that sounds great. I think it would be awesome for us to get together as a group and go camping

Spray it with flex seal first and then try to paint that way it has a good texture to stick too. That's for sure, I've been looking to create a M.A.G. that's serious and actionable for a while.

This is probably a silly question but what does M.A.G. stand for?

Mutual assistance group

Ok that makes sense. That's really important. Making actual connections and forming a close knit group would be very beneficial for an shtf scenario

It is, lone wolf's dont last. I've got some connections here in my area and they bring some good stuff to the table. I mostly bring military knowledge, weapons handling, maintenance and I'm a pretty damn good cook, not to toot my own horn but I've been told.

That's awesome! I'm not necessarily great at anything yet but I'm pretty good at cooking. Other than that I just have basic knowledge of skills

That's a good platform to have though, especially at your age. It gives the older guys a platform to teach you skills and other things

That's what I'm hoping happens with more camping. Practicing lighting fires, cooking food, making shelters, etc. will help me get better but there are still skills I don't know that I'd love to learn.

What type of tarp/poncho would you recommend? A heavy canvas one or a lighter ripstop one?

I like the light ripstop just because they dont get weighted down like canvas does when wet but one of both is good as well, that way in the winter time you have multiple layers

I think I'll start with the ripstop since it's a little cheaper and will be a little more useful this summer

That's for sure, lots of paracord is good as well

I got 100ft of black paracord from walmart today cause it was cheap

But I should get some more, mayne some real rope too

Lol did you accidentally buy the 1050 cord like I did one time? I picked up a pack of 2 nylon rope at menards 2 weeks ago for 6 bucks lol

Probably. It was $6

Lol you'll know the difference when you go to use it 🤣🤣 I went to wrap a knife handle and it was a huge

Lmao

I learned pretty quick to read the labels instead of assume in the right stuff.

Lmao it's thick as fuck

But thats ok. I don't plan on wrapping knives or anything so ot should be fine

Lol it's good for hanging things!

Yea my plan rn is to carry paracord and twine from hay bales

Twine is really good fire starter as well! Good multi purpose stuff

That was my hope. I really need to cut down my B.O.B. it has way to much useless shit in it

Yea I'm in the same boat, that's why I want to get out and use them

I think thats the biggest reason it's uncomfortable. It could probably be half the weight while still containing everything I need

Lol that very well could be.

Do yall run plate carriers or chest rigs and why?

Plate carrier. I run in mine regularly so I’m fairly fast in it. Makes me feel safer.

Do you run it pretty slick? I've been looking at getting a plate carrier but been flooded with super over priced ones and was just curious as to what people run or have any suggestions

Ferro concepts slickster is best bang for buck but they're sold out rn just like everyone else

Yea I've seen them and not entirely sure how I feel about running a slick loadout like that. Then again, it comes down to style, preference, mission and roll

I only have one triple mag pouch on my front. The rest is on the cummerbund or the belt

I also have a hydration source on my back but that’s only another inch out.

@kilowatt cocktail I run a ferro plate carrier I’m still playing around with wether or not I want to carry a “combat load” (210 Rounds)

But I agree with style, preference, mission and roll. But the modularity is really appealing

See my ideal load total is 300, I know the true combat load is 210 but I know as ass load of people who went over seas and they said 210 wasnt enough at all. On top of that I'll run a mag pouch on the back of my carrier for papa Kalash so that he will have atleast 1 extra mag if he goes black on ammo

That’s smart with the buddy mag I’m debating getting a back Panel that can hold 3 mags

It might not be a bad idea but I would consider a day pack, that way you can hold some loose ammo, food, breaching tools or other misc. Items instead of wearing an over carrier bag just for comfort

Yeah it’s all ideas I’ve been playing with

Honestly if you can I think it would be best to carry at least 210rounds in mags and an equal amount of rounds on stripper clips

I wish there was a way to do it all and not have to choose one over the other without being super bulky. It's not a bad idea. Loose rounds are a pain but you also dont want to be reloading in the middle of a conflict

Yea. Sadly with 0 combat experience I have no idea how fast I'll go through rounds in a fight, or even if I'll last long enough to shoot them all

Ideally In a fire fight you would have others with you and possibly other elements. Working with a squad and utilizing talking guns to suppress the enemy and conserve ammo but that’s getting into tactics and such

Yea. It would be really nice if there was someone in Iowa who would teach us tactics for fighting. Like I know a few basic things but not enough

I might try to find a youtube series and watch it with the boys