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Sneaky

Equipment carried on missions

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I've been thinking rather much about this lately.

How much equipment/weight do a soldier carry on a mission in more tropical enviroments?

I know that in colder areas (arctic) we need quite a bit of equipment, but, while I know theres a rather large difference, I never see any soldier in movies or on the news that carry anything more then a very small package in the warmer areas of the world.

Im talking about soldiers moving alone, with no, or limited resupply possibilities, in a mission that lasts say 3-7 days.

The question came up after watching Tears Of The Sun, so you could use that as a reference if you want.

In the commentary on the dvd, an ex-navy seal said he wanted everything to be as real as possible, and they carried A LOT of equipment, they mentioned 30 kg. That doesn't sound like a lot at all in my opinion. So, is this "realistic"? (yes, I know theres a lot of bullshit in that movie, but this got me confused)

It sounds all wrong compared to my cold-weather training that I have.

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From my amateur point of view, I would have thought that most of the equipment is ammo, water, food, flares, maybe a tiny tent and a rug to lie on....

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Small first aid kit too... unless you're a medic then a bigger one. Knife, sewing kit (part of med kit, to sew wounds together), tampon (to put into wounds, soaks blood up and expands stopping the flow), glow-stix, super-glue (again, for wounds, sealing them), torch (flash-light to our American friends), water, c-rations. There's loads more, but that's what the SAS carry, and seeing as SEALs are also elite forces I'd guess the kit wouldn't be much different. The SEALs must have a lot more support than the SAS if they carry so little.

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ok, if we assume that they have to carry with them all the water they need, its gonna pass 30kg i no time.

But is that really normal? Isnt use of water cleaning equipment in wide spread use?

Yeah, we for the most of it carried with us all the water, but we had cleaning equipment available, though cleaned water tastes like shit crazy_o.gif

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You can't take movies like "Tears of the sun" as an example.

When you take a look at the typical loadout of special operations forces on long range reconnaissance missions like the SAS did in the second Gulf War or german KSK in Afghanistan, every soldier will be carrying more than 80 pounds of equipment - water and food, material for building observation hideouts, radio equipment and batteries, ammo, explosives, extended medical equipment(one team member will always be a medic), AT weapons - all depending on the type of mission.

On a mission in an tropical environment where it won't get cold even at night, you won't need a sleeping bag or warm clothing, but that's about everything you can spare. Maybe you won't have to carry too much water, either, but then you will have to use make sure you have the time to use water filters or chlor tablets.

ksk_afgh.jpg

KSK soldiers entering a helicopter, about to go on a mission in afghanistan

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Some type of stuff to prevent malaria and common diseases of the area. Bug lotion. Some method of cleaning the water. I don't know.

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What you carry on a Jungle mission:

From what I have read you carry mostly food, water and ammo, two sets of your uniform one dry to sleep in and the other to walk in and you never swich because its hard to dry enything in the jungle. Remember that just because you have cleancing filters you don't nessary have water at your hand and in the jungle if you don't wan't to be killed you only move like 100m pr hour or less so you will more or less have to carry everything you need.

The whight? if you are spec op you don't carry body amor and helmets(I assume) and when you, depending on terrain, have to be dressed up like its was fall(due to the fact that the jungle is a very hostile enviorment and you don't wanty infections) then i don't think 30kg is light also I don't know how easy it would be to move in an jungle enviorment carrying 50kg on your back I could imagine that swampy areares could be hard to cross and you can't be sure you can move around it.

STGN

ps. if I got enything rong please correct me

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Arktis Jungle Battlevest smile_o.gif

Oh and keep as much skin as possible covered. There are also plenty of materials out there that are designed to be light and quick drying. Myself, i have a T-Shirt thats made of special material that is reckoned to be 3 times as breathable as normal cotton.

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I think one thing to remember about Tears of the Sun (other than the fact it's a movie. Heh.) is that they were only supposed to get in and extract a really hot doctor, and be in country 12 or so hours.

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I don't think anyone would want to or can carry alot in a tropical jungle environment.

The temps are around 25 - 34 C (80+ F to you 'Muricans), humidity 70 - 88%. The temps by themselves are not a problem, but when coupled with the humidity, they can really take a toll on your stamina. Sweat doesn't cool you down, it just makes you sticky for most part. Stuff takes forever to dry, and during some times in the year, it really RAINS. crazy_o.gif Those times of the year are really bad, because it alternates between extremely hot and extremely wet really, really fast.

It is important to carry as little as possible. Don't spare the bug repellant. Bring extra footwear, because if your only pair gets wet, you won't like it much. Water is extremely heavy to lug around, but always make sure you have enough, in the jungle, sweating is something you do all the time. A poncho is good. And yes, cover as much skin as possible, the bugs there are not merciful, I tell you.

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Well...if you are Bruce Willis....you take along some moisturizer, after shave, tissues, pillow, aromatherapy kit, gold Rolex and portable DVD player for viewing your latest reviews on yourself.....oh and lawyer paperwork for suing if something accidentally hits you in the head.

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