Ground Team advise

[JC004]

If you suspend your search at nightfall, are to be camped at your ending location to restart there in the morning, and ARE the several hours from your vehicle, why would you hike the several hours back, then to your camp site again?  That probably does not happen often, but there are very isolated areas and I'm going with the scenario laid out here.

[jimmydeanno]

I've typically been in geographically smaller wings for the majority of my CAP time, all of which I have had some sort of ground team rating and I've done just under 30 missions over the last 15 years and countless SAREXs.  Some of the missions have been in the bitter cold (-30F range), but none of them have been hours from civilization - except for the SAREXs. 

I do have 24 and 72 hour gear, but only carry a 24 hour pack with me "out in the field."  In our situation, I think that there would be very few operations that would require any of our members to be without support for more than a few hours, never mind three days.  At that point, it becomes far more practical to find an alternate entry point, narrow the search using aircraft before deploying ground teams, etc.

Now that I think about it, I actually use my 24 hour pack more often for things like squadron bivouacs, etc than I do for its actual intent.

[BTCS1*]

For those of you who asked when I say gear I mean both my 24 and 72 hour gear. All these suggestions are great please keep them coming I need all that advise that I can get.

So back to the OP's question... You really can't go wrong with a large ALICE for your 72 IMO.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

I love the MOLLE pack, very comfortable, and very modular.

[Larry Mangum]

The only time I have ever needed the gear in my 72 hr pack, is when I was at a mission base for over 5 days, sleeping at the FBO's while running  the CAP side of the mission.  Even then I only needed the change of clothes and toiletries.