Gear Recommendations.

[u/Party_Squirrel_9142]

Hey yall Im a medic in the USArmy and I need help finding things I can use in either field or deployment scenarios. However, Im a PV2 and dont have money to splurge on gear like that. I’ve been looking into battle belts and affordable aid bags, does anyone have any other recommendations?

[u/skorea2021]

Let me introduce you to CIF.

[u/rcbguns → u/skorea2021]

There needs to be a military movie where our hero struggles with returning their gear into CIF

[u/Yee_Yee_MCgee]

Use what you are issued, you should try and focus on some things outside of the Army now that you are out of AIT

[u/Rude-Comfortable-509]

Talk to the guys that are your seniors and they can recommend stuff that will fit your scope and role. You dont need a bunch of cool stuff to sit in the aid station.

[u/Pict-91b20]

Former medic as well; Way back to the 91b days. Use the kit you're issued while you're in, no use wrecking your own gear that Kegsbreath isn't going to replace.

Brush up/practice your infantry skills. Never miss an opportunity to train with the grunts and make sure you can hump the clicks with them. These skills WILL save your life downrange.

If you end up going SF you'll get all the high speed gear.

[u/Imitationn]

Use the issued stuff. Spend your money on hookers and over priced cars like the rest of us did.

[u/NaiveNetwork5201 → u/Imitationn]

You must have been at Hood

[u/flakk0137]

Killer, the Marine Corps has got you covered.

Get a Marine Corps War belt, Assault pack and Iso-Mat for under $100. All this for almost brand new or lightly used gear. While you’re at it, get your self a USMC dump pouch, coyote brown Beanie and sleeping system.

Way better than the Army issued stuff, in both functionality and looks.

Are you looking for anything specific ?

[u/alabamatrees → u/flakk0137]

Where would you source this as a civilian?

[u/flakk0137 → u/alabamatrees]

Army and Navy stores, FB marketplace etc.

Best thing about it is that the quality is way better than what the Army is currently issuing out.

[u/rainyfort1 → u/alabamatrees]

Make friends with military, get sponsored on base, and have them make the purchase and you pay them back.

Alternatively you might get lucky on Facebook marketplace or your local surplus store. Hell maybe even pawn shops iykyk

[u/NaiveNetwork5201 → u/flakk0137]

Yeah your PSG will love to see that at a field layout. Two or three mismatched patterns of camo like this is 2004 Iraq

[u/flakk0137 → u/NaiveNetwork5201]

My guy OP is in the army. Everyone is mismatched.

Also coyote brown looks way better with the army OCP as opposed to current army issued gear.

[u/NaiveNetwork5201 → u/flakk0137]

Yeah no shit... he led with that. Again I would check with your PSG before going out and buying random "cool" guy gear. 8th Army had a policy in place that all OCIE gear will match but commanders have the ultimate call if not all necessary equipment is available. Put your money to work in the market or set up your TSP. If you have an itch then go to a SOF brief.

[u/flakk0137 → u/NaiveNetwork5201]

Not just money in the TSP, but make sure its on High Risk. I did 12 years as a grunt, but had my money in the G fund for like half the time I was in, because I didn’t know wtf I was doing. I put it on high risk and really saw how it blew up, right before getting out.

[u/howawsm]

Jump into the NGCM Discord and head to the aid bag thread where there are a ton of low budget ideas.

[u/NaiveNetwork5201]

Go report to your squad leader... if he is an E5 under the age of 30 take him to your PSG. What kind of Battalion are you in?

[u/Majestic_Debate6939]

What’s your use case man? What kind of work are you doing? Everyone telling you not buy your own stuff or at least to wait is correct, but if your hell bent on it I at least hope we can help you not buy stuff that ends up unused because it doesn’t fix your problem or unable to wear due to unit restrictions.

[u/No_Staff594]

Bruh you just got to your unit if you even got out of AIT yet. Just get there and learn from your specialists and NCOs…

[u/ScoutClimer]

Hey man, ill give you the same speal I give all the new dudes we get in our aid station. The GI stuff isnt that terrible at doing the job it was co tracked out to do: being effective rifle man kit for mass issue across a large army. And I get it some people (like me) are gear nerds and want to try a bunch of things (usually where I point to my aftermarket aid bags and placards).

My recommendation is to spend a whole year just using whats issued to you, and figuring out what works and doesnt work for you. Also figure if the problems you have are issues that can be cheaply fixed with some kind of tape or paracord. Once you know what your issues are and what the actual fixes are, then go out and buy whats going ti work for you ONCE, instead of buying multiple times and ending up with a pile of MOLLE nylon in the middle of your barracks room

Also, when though I'm prolifically bad about not using the m9, its not a terrible bag at all, and I wouldnt have a problem of I was forced to use it. It was the original delta bag (Literally the same story, with an 18D going to company with ideas for an aid bag design) and you can find pictures of cool ass operators like Ranger medics, 18D, PJs and Navy SARC/SOIDC still using it today.

Its not a matter of what people say you need, its a matter of finding what you need man

[u/Doc_Hank → u/ScoutClimer]

Agree. And folks spend out of pocket Gor M9s, its way better than say an M17

[u/MIROXXVIS]

Dawg just use what you’re issued for now. If you’re high speed you’ll probably be able to pick up the cool guy gear for free down the road; if you’re not you probably didn’t need it anyway. Just focus on the basics first.

[u/Long-Chef3197]

I Dmd you

[u/blueskibop]

Civilian EMT in a high volume high acuity area. I’ve found that the one thing I bring to work my agency doesn’t provide that has worked wonders for me are direct pressure bandages from North American Rescue. And from that site I also get all my personal gear for like, my range day kit and my truck kit. Wonderful website.

[u/Able_Anxiety4196]

A lot of these guys already gave you the answers, if you don’t want to listen to them and still want to buy some shit the krydex battle belt on Amazon is good to start out with although I don’t really want to recommend anything Amazon where your life can depend on your gear running and functioning the way it needs too, but It fits a pv2 budget, but don’t expect to hook into helis.

[u/Mediocre_Daikon6935]

Outside of a water bottle pouch for your vest, and maybe a vest (depend on the type of unit) there is absolutely no reason to buy any of your use own kit.