I decided to make the 6-hour drive to upper Michigan to hang with Loadout Room writer, Erik Meisner. The purpose of the trip was to put together some short 1-minute sizzle reels, to give you guys a quick snapshot of what we’re all about. After arriving at Erik’s house, we quickly began preparations for the […]
Marine Corps
Covering Petit Le Mans: A Marine turned journalist’s loadout
Covering an event like Petit Le Mans as a journalist is, in many ways, not unlike spending a few days in the field during my days in the Marine Corps. No matter how well prepared you think you are, there are a few inescapable certainties: you’ll be logging countless miles on foot, you’ll likely only […]
Marine becomes chew toy for military working dog
Corporal Nick Coffman (USMC) keeping a military working dog’s skills sharp while near the Syrian border in Waleed, Iraq circa 2009. At the remote forward operating base, the Marine dog handler was appreciative of any person willing to put on the cumbersome bite suit under the hot Iraqi summer sun to keep his canine weapon in shape. […]
Loadout Room Photo of the day | USMC EOD likes their libraries to be quiet
The featured photo shows a small portion of the ordnance “library” at 2nd EOD Company, 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The men and women of Explosive Ordnance Disposal units across the military are skilled and valuable resources that are willing and able to put their lives on the line […]
Gatorz Eyewear Blackout ANSI Z87+ rated Magnums, Marine Corps Approved
I was in desperate need of another pair of “dark eye pro” i.e. sunglasses when a friend of mine recommended the Gatorz Magnums. I’ve worn Oakley Ballistic M Frames for years which are great sunglasses and allow me to switch to clear lenses for certain night work. I unwrapped the Gatorz and immediately discovered a […]
Watch: Wilderness Harness Loadout
I’m a huge proponent of KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). When I put a kit together to take into the wilderness I want a kit that is robust yet simple. I prefer to choose items that fulfill more than 1 purpose allowing me to streamline the kit and keep it as minimal as possible without […]
Hults Bruk Akka Forester Axe
This axe is easily one of the best-constructed and rugged tools I have ever owned. The lineage behind Hults Bruk is long and full of rich Swedish history dating back to 1697 which only adds to the axes’ appeal. Upon opening the box for the Akka Forester’s Axe, I immediately noticed how much care had […]
Altama Maritime Assault boots
I was in the market for a new pair of shoes when I spotted these browsing Instagram. I at first scrolled right past thinking they were another pair of black chucks, but upon closer inspection, these were a whole different animal. The Altama Maritime Assault boots come in two heights and I opted for the […]
Marines test marksmanship training on moving targets
Marines are well known for a number of things: their strict adherence to uniform regulations, the sea bags worth of ego they carry around with them, and of course, their marksmanship. U.S. Marines train to develop competency with their weapons at greater distances than any other branch requires, as well as emphasizing closer range, higher paced […]
Have what it takes? MARSOC vets provide training course to prep for boot camp and Special Operations selection
Marine Raiders Nick Koumalatsos and Josh Honsberger spent a combined 25-years in the Marine Corps – the majority within the Reconnaissance and MARSOC communities. After countless questions from hopeful individuals that are in a pre-recruit training phase regarding to how they can prepare for entry into the Recon and Raider communities, Nick and Josh decided […]