#rucksack

[ekranonishere]

[weaponoutfitters]

Heaven Lee for WO After Dark

[newearthnovember]

All my bags are packed I'm ready to go I'm standing here outside your door

[murenger]

[properbloke79]

Anthony Green

[porcelainerose]

nana and yuki by with puji brand on taobao

[lhedoniste]

[deadbranch]

Before I begin, let's go over some definitions:

BDUs = battle dress uniform. This is the field/service uniform that civilians often refer to as camouflage. Consists of a brown cotton undershirt (t-shirt), BDU blouse (the 'jacket' portion), and BDU pants (civilians refer to these as 'cargo pants' but they're BDU pants or just pants). The pattern and coloration of BDUs different by nation and by decade. As the theater of conflict changes, you see BDUs change design accordingly.

LBE = load bearing equipment. The umbrella term for all of the straps, belts, clips, etc that allow a soldier to carry canteens, ammunition, etc without having to pack it away in their rucksack. Sometimes referred to as a tactical web (tac web) since the straps are made from nylon web material. The pistol belt, in my opinion, was the most important part of the LBE because if you wear it just right you can get your rucksack to sit higher and it would take some of the pressure off your shoulders. LBEs post 2001/09/11 include a plate carrier and plate armor.

"Full battle rattle" = BDUs + LBE + full canteens + ammunition + rifle + gasmask + buttpack + rucksack. Despite what most civilians think, soldiers are in full battle rattle in the field. This isn't Hollywood. You don't just walk around in a uniform carrying a rifle. You carry everything you might need if you were to be separated from your unit, or if you end up stuck somewhere (stuck could include violence or not, but running out of water is the first big "uh oh" you encounter if you don't have your gear). By definition, if you're kitted out correctly you can survive alone for an extended period of time and fight your way back.

Rucksack = the "backpack" soldiers wear while in the field. Usually referred to as a a "ruck." A rucksack is attached to a ruck frame (made of steel) that's meant to distribute the weight of the ruck between the shoulders and hips. The higher you tie/rig the ruck (higher center of gravity), the easier it is to carry for long distances without damaging your body. I always seated the base of my ruck frame on the top edge of my pistol belt, to keep my ruck straps from digging into my shoulders. Rucks weigh anywhere from 25 to 100 lbs depending on what you're required to carry or how long you'll be away.

Buttpack = the auxiliary part of your LBE that's alice-clipped to the bottom of your pistol belt, sits below your ruck when standing. Most soldiers put toilet paper, rifle cleaning kit, camo stick, and whatever random stuff they don't want to dig out of their ruck in a hurry. Don't put cigarettes in there or they'll get smashed.

Ruck march = Marching as a unit from one point to another in full battle rattle. Ruck marches can be as short as two miles or as long as thirty. In reality, they can be as long as they NEED to be to move troops long distances if vehicles are not an option. I've heard some tales from other soldiers of some horrifically long marches. Luckily, I was never put on a march that resulted in me being put on profile. You just turn your brain off for most of it, stay hydrated, eat salty foods to replace the salt in your sweat, and get through it. Wearing nylons inside your socks helps with the friction, otherwise the entire bottom of both feet become one big blister.

Profile = medical profile means you're on restricted duties with accommodations for an injury. You do NOT want to be on profile since it's a very visible status that means you're broken. Injuries happen, so hopefully you heal up and get off of profile quickly.

Now that we have those definitions out of the way, I can explain the following phrase:

GET IT UP & GET IT ON

MASTERLIST