4-4-4-4

Recently I was trying to relocate the following article:

http://www.90thidpg.us/Equipment/Articles/28Pack/index.html

This has some interesting information on the difference between a marching pack, combat pack and stripped-down “patrol pack”. 

Exploring the site further turned up an even more useful article:

http://www.90thidpg.us/Equipment/Articles/TravelLight/index.html

During my search, I stumbled across the following:

http://www.2ndbn5thmar.com/notes/CombatLoad.pdf

Of particular note is the “4-4-4-4” system. Don't get too hung up on the titles. Just understand that a clear distinction is being made between short duration operations and those that span more than one day, and for the latter a distinction is made between short and long duration. I would like to examine this scheme in a little more depth. “4-month” doesn't concern us today.

4-Hour Load.

• “Deuce” (webbing) gear and weapon.
• Helmet and Flak (regarded as “mission specific”)

• Whatever weather gear the marine is wearing. (i.e. marine is assumed to be suitably dressed for current conditions)

• A zip-loc bag of toilet paper is carried in a clothing pocket so it is still with the marine if any pack has been dropped.

•  NO pack. NO food. NO toilet kit, sleeping gear, weather gear, boot polish, shelter, nor spare clothing.

If it is a tactical situation the only things you should be carring are tactical gear and water.

To this I would make the following caveats:

A reasonable quantity of “pocket food” may be carried. This is such items as trail-mix, hard candy, biscuit/cookie packs etc. These can provide a useful energy boost. No food that requires cooking nor warming. Strictly no gum.

A poncho and/or rain jacket may be carried. No spare clothing does not apply to items such as gloves and bandannas.

The deuce gear is assumed to include one or two water bottles. In some climates extra water will be needed. Water is heavy, however, so the volume of water carried should not be so heavy as to increase the rate of water consumption. Just how much water that is might prove to be a useful research project. Water-bladders for carrying water is lighter than using conventional military water-bottles. Some tactical and mission-specific items are better carried on the back rather than on the webbing. For this purpose dedicated tactical packs (“Tac-Packs”) should be acquired.

4-Day Load.

The additional “4-day items” may be considered to constitute an approach load and should be capable of being cached before the deliberate tactical phase.

As 4-Hour load with the addition of:

4-Day Pack with food, 4-day washing kit, sleeping gear, weather gear and shelter. No spare clothing. No boot polish.

A case (12) MREs is suggested as four days food. Except in sub-zero operations this may be overly generous. Three eating periods a day may not be practical and troops not eating all of their rations often occurs. Two MREs a day may be more practical, with a useful quantity of components that can be eaten on the move.

A 4-day wash kit is a hand towel, 1oz/25mls tootpaste, one toothbrush, a bar of soap and “razors for 4 days”. No shampoo, no shaving cream, no extras nor spares. Shaving cream , incidentally, is totally unnecessary and has no place in any lightweight kit. Just use your soap. You do not need a brush.

“Razors for 4 days” is ONE razor. Small tubes of toothpaste are often sold with travel toothbrushes. Cutting a normal toothbrush down to 4 inches is suggested, and you might like to follow my advice and get a child-sized brush to begin with. The document suggests carrying soap in a plastic case such as a “chewing tobacco case”. I have no idea why people think they need to carry soap in a rigid case and expensive electronic gadgets in a soft pouch. Many of the soap cases that I have used over the years have turned out to be quite brittle and easily damaged. The best way to carry soap is in a small nylon drawstring pouch. The document also suggests that an empty plastic peanut-butter jar makes a good wash-kit container. Use a mesh bag instead. You can use a bandanna rather than a hand towel.

4-Week Load.

As 4-Day load, with the addition of a 4-week pack. 4-week pack includes food, 4-week wash kit, sleeping gear, weather gear, boot polish, shelter and spare clothing.

4-week wash kit includes replacement items such as extra razors, more toothpaste and more toilet paper. One bar of soap should last more than a month. I have been on 3-week plus trips and not used up 50mls of shampoo despite daily use. It may be prudent to have a “spares bag” of toiletry items from which you can replenish the 4-day kit when needed.

If you have enjoyed this article or it has been helpful to you please feel free to show your appreciation. Thank you.
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Travel Wash Kit.

       Once in Saltzberg an American lad asked me to pass him his daysac. It nearly wrenched my arm from its socket with the unexpected weight.

            “This is heavier than my entire kit!” I complained “What have you got in here?”

            “Just my gel and moose and shampoo and conditioner and...” You get the idea.

       One of the most useful things I've carried on my travels was a little nail brush that has already been mentioned in the introduction.

       Choice of wash kit is personal, but I'll describe mine as a guide.

Like many travellers I used to use a washroll or zippered bag. The last one I used was quite an ingenious in that it had lots of pockets and compartments, a hook it could be hung up by and a little mirror that attached to a pad of Velcro. One day it occurred to me just how much unnecessary bulk and weight all those thicknesses of condura contributed. Now I just use a mesh drawcord bag.

      Contents:-

·         A screw topped plastic bottle of shampoo. I use a 50ml plastic screw-topped tube. I’ve taken trips of a month or more and never managed to use up all this shampoo. Older I get the less hair needs washing!

·         A flannel, though half of one will do. Always give this a good wringing out before packing away. In actuality I seldom use a flannel so this is an item that could be omitted. I mainly use mine for scrubbing stains on clothing.

·         A bar of soap. Soap can be used as an antiseptic, laundry agent and for shaving. Hence I have no need to carry a shaving brush or foam. Many of the soap cases available in the shops are made of too brittle a plastic and therefore of little use for travelling. Nowadays I keep the bar of soap in a small PU nylon drawcord bag, which is simpler and lighter.

·         A disposable razor or two, depending on the length of the trip. I have a beard these days but still pack a couple of razors.

·         One of the most useful things I've carried on my travels is a little nail brush, just an inch or so long and brought for a few pence in a supermarket or cosmetics shop. I think my second one was from Body Shop. I don't think I've ever used it for my nails. What it has been used for includes:-

o   Brushing dried mud off my canvas and suede summer boots -a lot easier than washing them and scrounging newspaper to pack in them to dry.

o   Using with hand soap to scrub away collar grime or food stains. Laundry is then simply done in a wash basin or shower, for free!

o   Brushing dried mud out of clothes. One of the most popular clubs with travellers in Jerusalem has a floor not unlike a farmyard. Every morning in the hostel my little brush would pass through a score of hands as garments were restored to a more presentable condition. So appreciated was this item that someone stole it from me!

·         A "fit anyhole" sink plug. You often encounter sinks without plugs. This is such a useful item I have had them stolen from me by other travellers.

·         A small mirror. The one that came with the wash roll broke, being glass. My current one is made from a piece of polished door finger plate –brought from a hardware store. Add a short length of fishing line so you can hang it up.

·         A spare comb.

·         A packet of dental floss. I have mainly used this as heavy thread for repairs. If you look at my self-built rucksac you can spot some dental floss repairs!

·         A couple of moist napkins in foil packets. These are used to freshen up when washing is not possible.

 

These are the contents of my mesh bag. Also in the same rucksack pocket is a travel towel.

Travel towels made of pertex are not only small packing but dry very rapidly. I think I acquired my actual towel on a trip. It seems to be something like polyester. Not as fast drying as pertex I expect but still quicker and less bulky than cotton. Add a loop of cord or string to your towel and make it big enough to pass the towel through. This lets you attach it to a rucksac hand-loop or strap to dry in the breeze.

        I find it is more useful to keep the toothbrush and paste and the deodorant separate from the rest of the wash kit. You tend to need these at different times to the wash kit -and it is just handier to have them in a side pocket of your rucksac. I use a mesh pencil case to hold the toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant.

 

• Deodorant/ Antiperspirant. I generally use gels or soft sticks. These are a lot less bulky that aerosols and probably last longer.
• A toothbrush and paste. You can get folding travel models of toothbrush, but I just use a normal one. I intend to replace this with a child size brush.

In addition to these items my daysac has a toilet roll in a plastic bag.

        You can improvise to overcome the loss of several of these items. Soap is mainly a lubricant so a lot of the dirt can be removed with just water and more scrubbing. In the past sand or oils have been used, and certain leaves, grass or straw may make good scrubbers. In cold dry conditions you can wash yourself with handfuls of snow. Snow is very absorbent so can be used to dry you but should not be kept on the skin too long. It is cold so you wouldn't want to do this!

       Salt has been used in place of toothpaste but in fact it is the mechanical action of brushing that is more important for cleaning. Using a fingertip is well known but chewing a stick and using the frayed end is more effective.

       Some hikers clean their teeth with baking soda or a mix of baking soda and salt. Apparently this does not attract bears like flavoured toothpaste can.

       Plug holes can be plugged with blobs of toilet paper.

       Splashing around in a river can be great fun but it’s better you carry some water away to wash with. Your soap may be biodegradable but before it degrades it's still contaminating a water supply and many creatures, environment. Better to pour it on the soil where the organisms there can degrade it more usefully.

         If you have enjoyed this article or it has been helpful to you please feel free to show your appreciation. Thank you.
The Books

 

 

Soldier's Load Checklist.

Over the past couple of years I have looked at the soldier’s load several times. Today’s blog attempts to bring many of these ideas together as a single checklist.

The list below does not include weapons, armour or other protective clothing. Nor have I included radios or other specialist items. The later may be subject to a future article. In passing, I will note that body armour becomes counter-productive if its weight limits activity to such an extent the soldier becomes more likely to be hit. Similarly there is little point in carrying such a weight of water that your water consumption increases. Munition loads must also not be excessive. In an urban environment shelter can easily be found, so there is little point in carrying a tent. Packs should be cached whenever possible. Ideally the soldier will be able to operate for a day or so with just the “body” items suggested below.

Body.

·       Space blanket, trouser pocket. Can also be used as a waterproof and for signalling.

·       Combat utility knife, worn on weak side pectoral.

·       Swiss Army Knife. Avoid multi-tools that weigh more than a few ounces.

·       First aid kit, trouser pocket. Kit for minor injuries and aliments.  

·       Fire kit, trouser pocket. Pair of lighters and some tinder in a tube or bag.

·       Fishing and snare kit, trouser pocket.

·       Battle trauma kit, belt pouch. For major injuries. Complete kit must fit inside one two-litre pouch.

·       Water bottle(s) or bladder, belt pouch. Two litres of drinking water carried on the person. Either a single bladder or two one-litre bottles.

·       Water purification tablets. A small supply carried in either a pocket or a pouch.

·       Compass. Some personnel will need sighting compasses. The average rifleman will find a wrist compass adequate to most of his needs.

·       Fish line, 30 metres. Numerous uses, this is in addition to any line in the fishing kit.

·       Toggle rope. Exact form to be discussed in this article.

·       Flashlight with filter. This is in addition to weapon-mounted systems. Can be used for signalling. Probably carried in misc. pouch.

·       Pencil and notebook. In waterproof plastic bag.

·       Small mirror. Lightweight and unbreakable. This can be used for signalling. Mounted on a lightweight telescopic handle this may be used to look around obstacles or search under vehicles.

·       Zip ties. Numerous uses, including securing suspects and prisoners. A small number may be attached to a belt with elastic and passed behind a pouch. Additional ties can be carried in a pocket or pouch or in the pack.

·       Camouflage face paint. A small stick or piece of burnt cork to be carried in a pocket or in the misc. pouch.

·       Minimal weapon cleaning kit.

·       Small bottle of insect repellent.

·       Small bottle of sun cream.

·       Plastic whistle (brown or olive) and Photon light on neck chain.

·       Additional field dressings.

Patrol Pack.

·       Groundsheet/ All-Weather blanket or kipmat. One man carries a kipmat, the other a groundsheet.

·       Blanket/ poncho liner and/or lightweight sleeping bag with liner. Either or both may be carried depending on conditions.

·       Pair of sandbags. Used to cover boots if sleeping in boots. Numerous other uses.

·       Pegs (with screwdriver). Pegs of a design suited to the type of terrain anticipated. Screwdriver used to make holes for pegs

·       Pole sections and guy ropes.

·       Spare socks. One pair of spare insoles.

·       Foot powder.

·       Wash Kit. Mesh bag with

o  Half bar of unscented soap or small tube of liquid soap.

o  Child’s toothbrush and small tube of toothpaste.

o  One disposable razor.

o  Deodorant/ antiperspirant stick (unscented).

o  Plastic comb.

·       Bandana, to serve as towel.

·       Metal canteen cup, spork and canteen cup stove.

·       Brew kit.

·       Paracord, about 10 metres.

·       Reserve insect repellent. A larger bottle, to top up that carried on the body.

·       Reserve sun cream. A larger bottle, to top up that carried on the body.

·       Repair kit. Needles, safety pins, whetstone, invisible thread, pack/ pouch buckles, buttons, superglue, electrical tape wrapped around spare pencil.

·       Remainder of weapon cleaning kit.

·       Extra first aid items.

·       Extra water.

·       Extra water purification tablets.

·       Extra fire items.

·       Toilet paper. In waterproof bag.

·       Duct tape.

·       Bivibag (optional). Carried by man with groundsheet.

·       Hammock (optional). Terrain dependent.
 

 ·       Lightweight section of camouflaged net. (optional).
 

Movable items: Some items may be more comfortably carried with the pack but are transferred to the body if the pack is cached. These include:

·       Poncho.

·       Tool. This may be a spade or pick, a crowbar, brick hammer or small axe. A variety of tools would be carried by a unit and the exact load out varied with environment.

·       A few 4"-6" nails. Can be used for shelter construction or as emergency pegs. In an urban environment can be used to secure doors or windows or construct a ladder.
 

Clothing. What additional clothing carried will depend on mission duration and conditions. There is little point carrying clean underwear on a patrol intended to last just a few hours.

·       Accessories such as hats, scarves and gloves.

·       Spare jacket and trousers, depending on mission duration and climate. The soldier changes into his drier, cleaner clothes to sleep.

·       Underwear and socks.

Food. Food is supplied in forms that can be eaten without cooking, and preferably without utensils. A few items are carried on the soldier, the majority in the pack. Food can be heated with Zesto-therms so the canteen cup is the only cooking vessel carried.

If you have enjoyed this article or it has been helpful to you please feel free to show your appreciation. Thank you.
The Books