The Burning Stupid: Local Gun Store edition

I have a local gun store I like. They're good folks, knowledgeable, friendly, and they have a decent selection.

This post is not about them.

Random picture courtesy of Google

I'm going to withhold the name of the store and the precise date that I visited, to protect both the innocent and the terminally stupid. However, this story needs to be told as a cautionary tale. Gun store clerks are salesmen, and not necessarily good ones.

SAR Gear update: sucking wind

Almost immediately after I posted my last gear article, I went on two missions on the Sandias' west face, one to Tram Tower 2 and one up north of the La Luz, that just completely kicked my butt. Since then, I've been making a lot of modifications to what I carry, trying to slim things down as much as possible. The biggest changes were switching to a smaller backpack and dispensing with my equipment vest. I figured I'd go ahead and post an updated article, detailing what I carry now and highlighting lessons learned from the old kit.

Again, this is my basic load; in cold weather or for longer missions I'd add things such as a sleeping bag, tent, snowshoes, and the like. When I go on SAR missions, I have a duffel with extra food, extra water, change of clothes, more batteries, and my helmet and harness that stays in my truck, and I can draw on it as the situation dictates once I get to Incident Base.

Keep in mind, this list is for a low-angle, non-technical ground pounding team, operating in New Mexico (desert/mountain/pine forest). If your team specializes in tech rescue, dog handling, or something else, you may have different gear needs. If you work in Alaska or Alabama, you're going to have different gear needs. Consult whatever packing list your team distributes and go from there.

Be warned, this is going to be long-winded and photo-heavy.

What I Carry and Why: SAR pack

Note: shortly after I posted this, I made some major changes to the gear I carry. This list is no longer current. For details, see here

In this post I'll be discussing the gear I carry in the field on SAR missions. This is my basic load; in cold weather or for longer missions I'd add things such as a sleeping bag, tent, snowshoes, and the like. 

Keep in mind, this list is for a low-angle, non-technical ground pounding team, operating in New Mexico (desert/mountain/pine forest). If your team specializes in tech rescue, dog handling, or something else, you may have different gear needs. If you work in Alaska or Alabama, you're going to have different gear needs. Consult whatever packing list your team distributes and go from there.

Be warned, this is going to be long-winded and photo-heavy.

DIY gear weekend

So over Memorial weekend I set out to do some simple alterations to some of my search gear, in preparation for joining back up with the SAR team now that nursing school is a bad memory. Suffice to say I got a little carried away, and now I have some new toys.

Let's start with the vest. This is a PALS / MOLLE chest rig, built to replace the one I've been running for a couple years now. It's based loosely on Tactical Tailor's Mini-MAV vest, which retails for about $50.