This may seem like a dumb question but for those who wear blue bdu what kind of 24 hour gear do you wear? I am getting back into ES and have my northface bag for my 72 hour pack; however, I am trying to figure out what looks okay with the BBDU for field wear. I found some black web gear and know of several civilian setups in multiple colors; however, I was curious what others here utilize and am looking to stay fairly cheap.
ES gear can be any color. Don't sweat it. You are going to look like butt anway with your ANSI vest over your ES gear anyway.
+1
So what do you typically use?
Quote from: lordmonar on July 23, 2013, 06:58:59 PM
ES gear can be any color. Don't sweat it. You are going to look like butt anway with your ANSI vest over your ES gear anyway.
I use olive drab web gear and/or black (mostly) packs.
Orange SARMED or orange tac vest. Before that is was a Blackhawk rig which was useless, and before that a woodland E-LBV which was excellent.
The LBV is what I used as a cadet and love but I thought I would look pretty stupid wearing woodland gear with BBDU. How do you like the SARMED? I used to wear one like it for EMS and could not imagine it holding up to the woods of Arkansas very well.
Quote from: Eclipse on July 23, 2013, 07:29:52 PM
Orange SARMED or orange tac vest. Before that is was a Blackhawk rig which was useless, and before that a woodland E-LBV which was excellent.
I haven't had any issues with it, and it has the added advantage of being orange with reflectivity so it can be the outermost garment.
I've used it in the woods with no issues, and it was cheap enough that if something >did< happen to it, I could just get a new one.
Bottom line, use what works and don't worry about coordination.
Quote from: Jaison009 on July 23, 2013, 07:13:17 PM
So what do you typically use?
Quote from: lordmonar on July 23, 2013, 06:58:59 PM
ES gear can be any color. Don't sweat it. You are going to look like butt anway with your ANSI vest over your ES gear anyway.
I wear both BDU and BBDU depending on what is clean day of the SAREX.....my gear is the ACU gray MOLLE LBV. I have a ANSI vest...but don't wear it unless I am actually on the roadside. I have an orange panel over the back of my CamelBack Mule back pack for when I am in the field.
Several different versions of these popped up on eBay when I did a search just now - I may just grab one of these and call it a day.
(I really want a yellow vest vs. the orange I already have).
(http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Niton-Tactical-4-Pocket-Utility-Vest-In-Hi-Vis-Yellow-Black-and-Orange-/00/s/MjUwWDIxNA==/$(KGrHqF,!l0F!gRHlU3oBQI5sqZ+Yg~~60_35.JPG)
(http://my.frooition.com/090016/images/yellow%20security%20vest.jpg)
Need to find a US seller to save on the shipping - never occurred to me to look in the UK, even though this stuff is what all the EMS and ES people wear over there.
Ooh! Shiny and pretty!
Quote from: Eclipse on July 23, 2013, 08:26:08 PM
Need to find a US seller to save on the shipping
Let us know if you do, that really looks just about perfect for what most of us would need for 24-hr gear. Add a little vertical striping on the front of the pockets and it should be ANSI compliant.
Quote from: Eclipse on July 23, 2013, 08:26:08 PM
Several different versions of these popped up on eBay when I did a search just now - I may just grab one of these and call it a day.
(I really want a yellow vest vs. the orange I already have).
Do a search for "surveyors vest". I now work for a firm that has a survey department and I recently borrowed one for an FTX. I'm about to order on to replace my old cheap throw over vest. They usually have lots of nice pockets and features and are relatively cheap.
Here's an example:
http://www.fullsource.com/surveyor-safety-vests/radians-sv59-2zgd-l/ (http://www.fullsource.com/surveyor-safety-vests/radians-sv59-2zgd-l/)
Quote from: Walkman on July 24, 2013, 02:07:48 PM
Quote from: Eclipse on July 23, 2013, 08:26:08 PM
Several different versions of these popped up on eBay when I did a search just now - I may just grab one of these and call it a day.
(I really want a yellow vest vs. the orange I already have).
Do a search for "surveyors vest". I now work for a firm that has a survey department and I recently borrowed one for an FTX. I'm about to order on to replace my old cheap throw over vest. They usually have lots of nice pockets and features and are relatively cheap.
Here's an example:
http://www.fullsource.com/surveyor-safety-vests/radians-sv59-2zgd-l/ (http://www.fullsource.com/surveyor-safety-vests/radians-sv59-2zgd-l/)
Nice, and pretty inexpensive - would certainly work for UDF and flight line stuff.
Might be tight for GTM.
Didn't notice the two
huge lower pockets.(http://cdn.fullsource.com/images/items/a/250/SV59-2ZGD_250x0.jpg)
But that search then opened up a number of other options as well.
Here's one that purports to be ANSII 2:
(http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/Images/Original/4519_24835_p1.jpg)
http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/View_Catalog_Page.asp?mi=4519 (http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/View_Catalog_Page.asp?mi=4519)
These folks (Radians) make some good gear. This is where we got our orange vests.
Quote from: Eclipse on July 24, 2013, 03:21:42 PM
Nice, and pretty inexpensive - would certainly work for UDF and flight line stuff. Might be tight for GTM.
But that search then opened up a number of other options as well.
I'm thinking I'm going to keep the UDF gear and anything from GTM that I'd want to access quickly in this and the have the rest of the GTM stuff in my pack. Most of the "survival" and what-not stuff you don't need super quick & easy access to. That's how I rigged it when I borrowed the vest from work and it felt very comfy.
I didn't notice the two huge lower pockets. I would guess all but lunch and shelter would fit in there fine - certainly all
the "on your person" stuff would.
So this is what I decided on. Top Load Web Gear Pack, The Pack Shack http://www.supplycache.com/prodinfo.asp?number=604-38201. (http://www.supplycache.com/prodinfo.asp?number=604-38201.) I got it on clearance in yellow for $96 and can use it multi purpose. Don't think I could beat that considering how much True North, Coaxsher, etc all go for. I wanted an older FSS yellow forestry webgear and pack setup but could not find one in my range.I did consider the vest really hard but decided that this with the detachable main pack would meet my needs for CAP and for the civilian side.
This is for the 24? That's a nice looking pack, but It's going to be pretty empty with just the 24 in it.
I figure with a couple of yellow pouches for the web belt I will be able to use only the webgear set for 24. Once I attach the pack I will nearly all of my 48-72 hour gear. I think I will like carrying it a lot more than my Northface Terra pack. I am retaking my NASAR STII (got so busy I forgot to go back while written and practical were still good) later this year and I wanted something flexible and modular I can fit all of the pack list into and actually navigate through the thick and briars of southwest AR.
Quote from: Eclipse on August 06, 2013, 06:28:24 PM
This is for the 24? That's a nice looking pack, but It's going to be pretty empty with just the 24 in it.
I am just beginning my Fam/Prep for GTM3 so I am currently gathering my gear. Our squadron was given 4 black Tactical vests. I know orange vests are listed for each member. I have an idea, but I'm wondering if it's a tacky idea or even within regs. Could these Tactical vests be dyed Orange (done well of course) with reflective tape added...bringing them into compliance and appropriate use for our squadron GTMs? It just seems they would be perfect for the 24-hr gear (or most of it), and it seems a shame to waste them.
If you can find a way to dye them so that it doesn't fade away or chip off, then that would be a wonderful idea. The problem usually is though that it wears down and ends up looking like garbage, usually sooner than later. As far as regs, it won't qualify as ANSI Class II I don't think, but that's really only needed when you're actually standing next to a highway. That said, as long as it looks like it could pass for class II, i.e. reflective stripes laid out in the correct pattern against a contrasting fluorescent color, then you should be good.
1. You can't dye black nylon orange.
2. Just adding reflective tape won't bring them into compliance. ANSI 2 standards require a specific amount and pattern.
As said, they will never technically be ANSI II vests, since they will have never been tested.
It's certainly possible to take clothing and equipment which is already close, and get it to be ANSI II "compliant", and then it's a local "stickler" issue as to whether it would be a problem (doubtful).
But in those cases we're talking about adding more stripes, or similar, basically updating something which is probably acceptable most days as-is, anyway.
But with both said, it's not possible to take a piece of black clock and die it orange or yellow in a way won't look absolutely horrible, but more importantly
be compliant.
Dying anything that's already black will only make an uglier black thing. Dying any other color to a new color also ends up with something really ugly, in a color that you did not anticipate, usually something approaching brown.
Dye also only really works on non-synthetic fabrics. Nylon, polyester, etc., are colored as part of the manufacturing process, and aren't dyed in the traditional manner. As for stuff that fades away or chips off, that's more like paint or some other coating. That doesn't work because it's really hard tocover a dark color with a lighter color.
So after a quick Google search, there are several dyes on the market that claim to work on Nylon, in particular a brand called Dylon. Dylon also has a pre-dye product that is supposed to remove existing dyes from fabric, not sure how well that would work on Nylon, but it's their. It's a UK brand but is available at Jo-Ann Fabrics. If there's a store near you, it might be worth a few dollars to test this stuff on one of the vests. Just a thought.
I think you're just going to wind up with ruined vests - you'd be better off finding some HardKewl Airsofters and selling them to
pay for vests more well-suited to the task.
Thanks for the replies. I just hated seeing the vests just collecting dust. Sounds like it won't work, but the idea of selling them to help buy appropriate vests is a good one. I'll talk to the Commander and ES Officer.
By the way, where does the ANSI II requirement show? I recall one of the officers mentioning new vest requirements at a meeting. I have the task guide (2004), but just orange vest with reflective is mentioned.
The vest requirement is in 62-1, the Safety reg.
CAPR 62-1,.
Here is a good description of the standard. (http://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oGdSLRjQFSFRQAyYpXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzZW9lNWI3BHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMwRjb2xvA3NrMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDEzMV8x/SIG=152msd6uf/EXP=1375862353/**http%3a//multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver%3fmwsId=66666UF6EVsSyXTtnxTa5xfaEVtQEVs6EVs6EVs6E666666--%26fn=ANSI%2520Made%2520Easy%25202010.pdf)
Quote from: Jaison009 on August 06, 2013, 06:12:03 PM
So this is what I decided on. Top Load Web Gear Pack, The Pack Shack http://www.supplycache.com/prodinfo.asp?number=604-38201. (http://www.supplycache.com/prodinfo.asp?number=604-38201.) I got it on clearance in yellow for $96 and can use it multi purpose. Don't think I could beat that considering how much True North, Coaxsher, etc all go for. I wanted an older FSS yellow forestry webgear and pack setup but could not find one in my range.I did consider the vest really hard but decided that this with the detachable main pack would meet my needs for CAP and for the civilian side.
This is very similar to the pack I got a few years back. It has worked really well for me. The butt pouch fits a nice little first aid kit, and some other random stuff in the velcro portion designed for the fire tent. On mine, the side pockets up top fit nalgene bottles nicely, but I have a bladder that I put in mine that works good, too. I think you'll be happy with it.
Thanks, I'll re-read 62-1. I must have missed it the first time.
I've been considering packs too, and I think I'll take your advice here...and wait. Get my qualification and see what works, what others have, and what I feel I need (or want). I have a couple small backpacks that I think I can use for the short term, so I appreciate the candor (though it was advice for someone else at the time).
Interestingly, the Radians folks seem to be willing to customize their ANSI class 2 vests:
http://www.my-viz.com/custom/productinformation/how-to-create-a-design (http://www.my-viz.com/custom/productinformation/how-to-create-a-design)
Looks automated but when you get to the end it just goes to a human for quoting.
Gear is such an individual and continuously evolving thing that its hard to define exaclty the right vest with all the right pockets that's not going to change tomorrow.
We need an ANSI compliant MOLLE vest...