Extras in the field

Ball N' Chain

Ball N' Chain

Infantry
Verified Military
Joined
Feb 1, 2017
Messages
196
Location
Hawaii
Gearing up for a 3 week field problem in Indonesia, I have my basic packing list, but I am trying to figure out what extras I should bring to make life a little easier in the jungle.
As of now, I have my tactical hammock, 550 cord, 100MPH tape, bungee cords, a plentiful amount of coffee grind pouches for that little pick me up, and some other little things.

So, what did you folks bring with you during field problems or deployments, whether its rope, mosquito net, anything that was outside the packing list that was helpful to you.

Also, what morale boosters? I am thinking of bringing a deck of cards and a yoyo for when we have down time. My buddy is brining a Playstation Portable, but I don't have the funds to be rolling like that!

Any feedback is appreciated.
 
I spent time hacking my way though jungles in Central America and SE Asia. The most useful thing is a good sharp machete, but I imagine you'll be issued those. Rope & hammock, good ideas, although the hammock won't protect you from tree snakes. :sneaky:

The jungle can be a pretty oppressing place if you have to spend much time in it. So be prepared for dark days, black nights, slimy mud, unbearable humidity, sudden downpours and critters. You'll get filthier in 3 hours hacking your way through the jungle than you will in 2 weeks in the scrub pine in Fayetteville.

Embrace the suck and watch out for the leeches.
 
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What are you doing? Mission dictates gear.

My two pieces of snivel gear were unscented baby wipes and bug spray.

Morale boosters? My morale boosters were whatever the Marines told me they were.

Edited to add, flip-flops. Ain't nothing like taking off your boots when you can and letting the piggies get some fresh air.
 
POGY-BAIT (cookies, trail mix, snack foods). You can trade it, or when the MRE's and field food sucks too much.

Tobacco (a log of Copenhagen long cut and a carton of Marlboro lights) about mid point of your FTX all the smokers and dippers will run out of their stuff. You can sell or trade smokes and snuff for 3-4 times its value in the field. Shit is like gold.

Seasonings (pepper, salt, hot sauce, etc). Whatever you likever to season your food with bring it, because it can help turn the same old same old into something different.

Buy extra socks, and foot care products (gold bond, antifungal sprays, etc). You are going to need it in the jungle.

Baby wipes, absolutely a must. When you are sticky, nasty, dirty, nothing makes you feel better than a wipe down with baby wipes.

I always kept a hundred or more bucks on me in $1-5-10's, let's you buy shit when you don't have something to barter, and if you get a chence to hit local economy, you don't have to pay crazy atm and exchange fee's. Just about everywhere will take American green backs.

Have fun!
 
@Devildoc
The primary mission is to conduct live fire drills on unknown territory, as to replicate invading a country with only satellite imagery to base an attack plan off of. We will have an OpFor of Indig forces in place. We will work at the team, squad, platoon, and company level all leading up to a culminating one week event.

@Ooh-Rah
We generally get down time during field problems when other platoons are conducting their training, and we get tasked out on details such as pulling guard on the perimeter, ammo detail, chow detail, or just nothing at all.
And In re to the Playstation Portable, I think he is doing that at his own discretion.

@Ocoka
This is my first time doing something like this so I am pretty stoked, but also nervous. Just gonna try and not let the jungle break my spirit!

@Diamondback 2/2
Did not even think about the tobacco but makes sense now. I always see guys scraping for dip a few days into our FTX. Definitely going to take that advice for some bartering.
 
Double bag your kit, your pack will get real heavy if all of the crap inside it gets wet. Socks and foot powder. Don't let your feet go to shit in the jungle. Max level DEET insect spray and a mozzie net. Dying of malaria/dengue/Japanese encephalitis isn't fun. You're coming to the end of the dry and into the start of the wet season. It's going to suck balls. Speaking of, foot powder works on your aggot sack too, you don't want ball chafe. Alcohol spray can be handy if you get a dose of prickly heat. A good set of secateurs can get you through the J quieter than a machete. Keep it light, you can tell someone who has spent a lot of time in the J by their tooth brush and razor lacking handles to save weight...

The TNI are the worlds biggest mob of shit bags, I wouldn't piss on the fuckers if they were on fire, but if you do come across them, they'll probably be keen to trade, so a bit of US currency in small bills could be handy, or an extra beret, unit t shirt, challenge coin etc. If you're working with locals, you might be half a chance to pick up a local parang, so worth carrying some cash for that.
 
You can take some crackers. Put the tuna on the cracker. Put your favorite hot sauce on the tuna. :thumbsup:

@digrar is the guy to listen to about that part of the world.

Jungles are jungles, but each has it's own local set of surprises. In Panama, it's Black Palm and terrain like an accordion...in SE Asia some of the trees are 200 ft tall with huge buttress roots, fungi, pythons, monkeys, a fucking tiger once in a while...and some of the plants smell like rotting death. Nice.
 
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Diamondback 2/2 said:
POGY-BAIT (cookies, trail mix, snack foods). You can trade it, or when the MRE's and field food sucks too much.

Tobacco (a log of Copenhagen long cut and a carton of Marlboro lights) about mid point of your FTX all the smokers and dippers will run out of their stuff. You can sell or trade smokes and snuff for 3-4 times its value in the field. Shit is like gold.

Seasonings (pepper, salt, hot sauce, etc). Whatever you likever to season your food with bring it, because it can help turn the same old same old into something different.

Buy extra socks, and foot care products (gold bond, antifungal sprays, etc). You are going to need it in the jungle.

Baby wipes, absolutely a must. When you are sticky, nasty, dirty, nothing makes you feel better than a wipe down with baby wipes.

I always kept a hundred or more bucks on me in $1-5-10's, let's you buy shit when you don't have something to barter, and if you get a chence to hit local economy, you don't have to pay crazy atm and exchange fee's. Just about everywhere will take American green backs.

Have fun!
Click to expand...

This is a great post.
 
When I was a line doc, I would take some pogey bait and tins of dip for the guys when they looked miserable, I would give em some. I will echo that, what ever you carry in, you will carry the entire time. If you were smart, extra foot powder, socks, wipes. Nothing like wet feet in the jungle. Maybe, make sure your doc has mole skin. I would suggest (I did with my guys), carrying extra mole skin. Make sure your boots are broken in well. Have fun.

M.
 
In Panama it's the Fer De Lance. In Vietnam there are plenty of nasty snakes...in the J you don't want a reticulated python crawling into your woobie.
 
Red Flag 1 said:
While not meaning to hijack the thread, a few months ago you brought up the Taipan viper that populates the jungles in Papua New Guinae. The question was if it was the deadliest snake? The answer is a matter of degrees.

The One that kills the most and has the most number of toxins is the Black Mamba.

The snake with the most potent, venom, drop for drop, is the Taipan. This does make it venom the most potent venom of all. As I recall, with each bite the Taipan delivers enough venom to bring down several elephants, IIRC.

Where the Black Mamba wins is that it has a wider geographical spread, and comes in contact with more people. The Mamba is also the fastest snake, and if he decides to run you down, he can. Most snakes can raise about 1/3 of its body length above the ground. With the Black Mamba measuring up to 17' in length, it can rise high enough to deliver bites around the head, neck and upper torso.

Given a choice, I'd shoot them both with my Remmington 870 on sight.

Back to the OP ;-).
Click to expand...
I almost grabbed a Taipan, aka the PNG black, in the wild by accident. A story for another time.
 

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