War bag essentials

[mike951]

I am getting ready to start as a Level I Reserve, any advice on the type/size of a good war bag, and what to carry in it?

I am also curious to see if anybody wears shirt stays? I wore them in the Academy, however, talking to other officers, some no longer wear them. Suprisingly I have seen some people that look like soup sandwiches that say they wear them and others that don't wear them that look pretty squared away.

Thanks for the feedback.

[District B 13]

Talk to your FTO about what you need in your "warbag". They will let you know and it will keep you from appearing "gung ho" while you prove yourself.

LAPolice gear . com has great sales all the time to get a good bag.

Shirt stays are your own choice. Never wore 'em. If you like them, wear them. Don't comment on other officers appearence. They are working. You are a noob Reserve who has a long way to go before being accepted.

Keep eyes open and mouth closed unless asking good questions. Don't be a Jeter!

[grog18b]

War bag:
You should pick one that is of a size that will allow you to carry many items, in an organized state, and is durable enough to withstand the rigors of being thrown into, and pulled out of a patrol car daily for years. The bag should also have a smaller bag inside, that contains extra full magazines for your duty pistol and rifle.

The smaller bag, as I said, should contain loaded magazines (never boxes of loose rounds). Buy more mags for your pistol, and extended capacity mags if you can get them. We used to use the Baretta 96 4 cal, and I bought three 15rnd mags and kept them in that bag. I also kept three 30rnd AR15 mags in that bag, the first two rounds were steel core SS109 AP rounds, the next 16 were hollow point, and the last two were tracer. All three mags were loaded that way. The smaller bag also had one MRE in it, and two 12hour chem lights. This is your "barracaded gunman" bag. It will serve if if the SHTF and you need to be away from your main bag and car for an extended firefight. Make sure the smaller bag has a shoulder strap to make it easy to carry a good distance. I also kept a small pocket CS from ALS in that bag for self extrication purposes.

The larger bag, will contain this smaller bag, plus any code books you might need, any measuring equipment that is not normally in your car, and paperwork, clip boards, portable radio, maps, and any other paperwork you might need. Add to this a pair of small rain slip-on mocs, and an umbrella (small foldable), can of orange spray paint for marking crash scenes, pack of high intensity chem lights, rubber gloves (both the hospital type, and the heavy chemical type you can get at Lowes), razor scraper for removing faulty/forged/expired inspection stickers, screw driver with interchangeable tips, adjustable wrench, 5mp+ digital camera with at least a 1gig mem card with video capability, micro tape recorder, T handle baton, extra business cards, extra pens, extra flashlight, extra batteries, extra set of handcuffs (high security with key lock double lock), set of leg shackles and a large Def Tec CS canister, and two additional MREs.

I'm sure a few others will be along to further my recommendations, but that's most of what I used to carry. That set-up kept me alive for 20+ years, so it works. Good luck, GROG

oh, and as far as shirt stays, I used them my whole career. Never liked to look sloppy, but it is personal preference. Those ones that hold down sheets for beds work nice, and always keep your stuff tucked in. Helps when you wear vests with armor plates.

[Surf]

We've gone to war? I know things are getting bad out there, but.......

[DACP]

You are going to spend 3/4 of your career trying to decide just what it is you need in your bag, you will take it out only to find in a few days that you needed it. grog18b has covered most of the stuff, I throw in a few bottles of water, and some trail mix and sunflower seeds.

[grog18b]

Darn... forgot an important piece... A very good knife. (In my defense, I kept both a good boot knife and a good pocket knife on my person) I always had another one in the small bug out bag. You can never have enough sharp things... GROG

[grog18b]

We've gone to war? I know things are getting bad out there, but.......

You've never been at a two day stand-off with a barracaded gunman? The things you have in your bag, might just be the only support you have, for quite a while. **it happens. Be prepared. Two things I learned early in life.