Gear

Gear in the Wild: Getting all dressed up to go for a ride

A U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) rescue swimmer hangs of the side of an MH-65 Dolphin off the coast of Tybee Island Coast Guard Station, Georgia, June 21. 2019. The rescue swimmer aided pilots from Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, during a search-and-recovery exercise with the USCG. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman […]

Ammo Evolution: .38 Special Treasury Load

When I was a young man in the 70s, my brother and I spent a lot of time on police ranges, because our dad was an officer and rangemaster for the California Highway Patrol (CHP). As “range rats” of the highest order, we gladly took care of the chores that none of the officers wanted […]

Gear in the Wild: Sailors have to fight fires in cramped spaces

A U.S. Sailor leads a hose team during a general quarters drill aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105), July 14, 2018, in the pacific Ocean. Dewey is underway participating in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise. Twenty-five nations, 46 ships, five submarines, about 200 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC […]

Gear in the Wild: Search and Rescue personnel save lives

South Florida Urban Search and Rescue, Florida Task Force 2, out of Miami, Fla., conduct reconnaissance missions in Bucksport, South Carolina, Sept. 25, 2018, by GPS marking neighborhoods to identify areas and properties that are flooded, as a result of rising waters in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. These reconnaissance missions are critical for first […]

Gear in the Wild: The fine line between bad camping and a good field op

Participants of the Swedish Basic Winter Warfare Course rest in front of a fire during the course’s culminating event in Arvidsjaur, Sweden, Jan. 23, 2018. Marines from the Black Sea Rotational Force and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, along with troops from 9 other countries, participated in the Swedish Basic Winter Warfare Course. U.S. […]

Gear in the Wild: It’s getting a little hot around here…

U.S. Marines assigned to Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron conduct fire containment drills at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Oct. 12, 2018. The training was conducted in order to maintain proficiency extinguishing aircraft fires in support of the air station’s mission of launching and recovering aircraft. ARFF is a […]

Rad on Gear: On the scene at Operation Lion Claws Military Simulation Series

Rad’s not just an adventurer, he’s also the owner/operator of Tactical Airsoft Supply out of Salt Lake City. In this edition of Rad on Gear, he stumbles across a fan in the cadre of Operation Lion Claws. Sure, he gets the name of the site wrong once or twice, but it’s the thought that counts! […]

Gear in the Wild: Divers work to recover bodies of lost WWII bomber crew

Per the Department of Defense: Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Eugene P. Ford, killed during World War II, has now been accounted for. On Dec. 17, 1944, Ford was the a member of the 765th Bombardment Squadron, 461st Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force, as the pilot of a B-24J aircraft known as The Tulsamerican. Accompanied […]

Rad on Gear: London Bridge Trading Load Bearing Chest Rig

Rad’s not just an adventurer, he’s also the owner and operator of Tactical Airsoft Supply in Salt Lake City. This time, he’s busting out some of the gear he uses in matches and while working as an instructor. This London Bridge Trading Load Bearing Chest Rig may be a bit pricey, but you’ll never have […]

Gear in the Wild: The right gear for chemical attacks (or for when you forget your gym bag in the trunk)

U.S. Army Sgt. Cory Sweetman radios back to an operations center during an exercise at Atlantic City International Airport, N.J., Nov. 7, 2018. Sweetman is with the 21st Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team (21st WMD-CST), New Jersey National Guard. U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Matt Hecht Watch how U.S. […]