Modern "Heavy" Infantry...

[Alcibiades]

I am, of course, VERY interested in the views of our actual US military members on this.

30+ kilos? That is a fucking lot to carry around for any distance.

I was a Saw gunner carrying the m249, I was plus 115 lbs when I was full combat load and  this was often for 16-18 hours for a good 2 months of it.  This was running and bounding down alleyways while getting shot at.  My back is pretty fucked, hurts all the time to be honest.  And By the end of those two heavy months I couldn't kneel for more than a minute straight on either knee without it hurting like hell and my knees would swell immensely. 

I'm a shorter guy, though.   My normal weight is about 160ish and I dropped down to 145 during that period because of the long days, no sleep, 120 degrees out and we had shit to eat on our COP.  So carrying 115 lbs when I was down to 145 lbs probably wasn't the best.



Don't worry, my medic would always give me motrin go 'cure' my ailments   

[mongers]

I am, of course, VERY interested in the views of our actual US military members on this.

30+ kilos? That is a fucking lot to carry around for any distance.

I was a Saw gunner carrying the m249, I was plus 115 lbs when I was full combat load and  this was often for 16-18 hours for a good 2 months of it.  This was running and bounding down alleyways while getting shot at.  My back is pretty fucked, hurts all the time to be honest.  And By the end of those two heavy months I couldn't kneel for more than a minute straight on either knee without it hurting like hell and my knees would swell immensely. 

I'm a shorter guy, though.   My normal weight is about 160ish and I dropped down to 145 during that period because of the long days, no sleep, 120 degrees out and we had shit to eat on our COP.  So carrying 115 lbs when I was down to 145 lbs probably wasn't the best.



Don't worry, my medic would always give me motrin go 'cure' my ailments   

That's insane short-sightedness from the military establishment.

I was taught to not carry more than 25% of you body weight on you back/in your bergen, for extended periods (say all day) !

[Alcibiades]

I'll see if I can find some actual photos of the 80's and 90's equipment. Maybe Siege can pop in with the newer shit.

This was my every day load of about 110 lbs when I was over there from Dec 2007- Feb 2009.




The body armor and plates is about 65lbs, my saw was 27.5lbs with a full drum of ammo( in our customized ones i was able to stuff in about 230 rounds into the drum), 3 spare 200 round drums of 5.56 was around 8-9lbs.  Then you're wearing a camelback with water which is a few pounds, night vision/rhino mount is a few pounds, helmet is around 7 pounds or so.  Batteries, food, extras.  It just adds up.


For some reason I got to lug around the breaching equipment for our raids too, which was retarded, but that was an extra 25 pounds or so too.

[DGuller]

That's insane short-sightedness from the military establishment.

I was taught to not carry more than 25% of you body weight on you back/in your bergen, for extended periods (say all day) !

Yeah, that's what I though of as well.  It seems like carrying that stuff around is going to inflict permanent damage on soldiers.

[The Brain]

Modern soldiers are raised on computer games where you lug around whole sacks of loot, tens of thousands of gold coins, about 200 potions etc etc... They don't understand that reality isn't like that.

[CountDeMoney]

Short dudes always haul the pig.  Been that way since WW2 and water-cooled .30s.

[Alcibiades]

I didn't mind the m249, loved it.  Put 2800 rounds down range at hadj without a jam, was actually picked because I was the best shot in my squad believe it or not.   



I didn't appreciate hauling around the breach kit as well. 

[CountDeMoney]

Pfft, all we needed was a sledgehammer and a tire iron.  And Section 8 doors were a lot tougher than those wood and thatch mud doors you hit

[The Brain]

Section 8 doors? 

[CountDeMoney]

You can go fuck yourself in any section you want.

[Hansmeister]

I carried a much heavier load in Haiti in '94 than in Afghanistan. I was with 3rd SFG and the Ranger Body armor with its Kevlar plates felt much heavier than the body armor in Afghanistan due to poor weight distribution. Not to mention you couldn't even go prone due to the back plate preventing you from raising your head because it would prevent you from raising your head (in Somalia we took the back plates out for that reason but we weren't permitted to do that in Haiti). Add to that your basic combat load and a ruck of 100 pounds and my weight of gear easily topped 150 pounds. Since my loudspeaker was integrated into my backpack I couldn't drop it off as soon as we hit the ground, so I had to carry it along while the SF guys only carried their assault packs.

I had back problems for a year after coming back from Haiti, while Afghanistan made my weak knee even worse. Probably time to retire, the Army already gave me a sweet retirement posting at Virginia Beach.

[11B4V]

For some reason I got to lug around the breaching equipment for our raids too, which was retarded, but that was an extra 25 pounds or so too.

Awesome.  Just in case.

[The Brain]

I carried a much heavier load in Haiti in '94 than in Afghanistan. I was with 3rd SFG and the Ranger Body armor with its Kevlar plates felt much heavier than the body armor in Afghanistan due to poor weight distribution. Not to mention you couldn't even go prone due to the back plate preventing you from raising your head because it would prevent you from raising your head (in Somalia we took the back plates out for that reason but we weren't permitted to do that in Haiti). Add to that your basic combat load and a ruck of 100 pounds and my weight of gear easily topped 150 pounds. Since my loudspeaker was integrated into my backpack I couldn't drop it off as soon as we hit the ground, so I had to carry it along while the SF guys only carried their assault packs.

I had back problems for a year after coming back from Haiti, while Afghanistan made my weak knee even worse. Probably time to retire, the Army already gave me a sweet retirement posting at Virginia Beach.

Did you blast: polka?

[Siege]

Probably time to retire, the Army already gave me a sweet retirement posting at Virginia Beach.

Virginia Beach? What are you going to do over there?
I need to find me something like this.

[DontSayBanana]

Section 8 doors? 

Section 8 is a welfare program for housing assistance for low incomes.  Since it's almost universally the bad parts of town, units accepting Section 8 tend to have steel doors, steel frames, and multiple deadbolts or chain locks.