# what is all that gear soldiers in iraq have on? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 9, 2004, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-all-that-gear-soldiers-in-iraq-have-on/273867 "2004-11-09T18:13:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drhess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@drhess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drhess)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-all-that-gear-soldiers-in-iraq-have-on/273867/1 "2004-11-09T18:13:58Z")
I guess different soldiers carry different stuff and on different missions, but they seem to be packed down. Toy soldiers, as a kid they were of the WWII theme, had a rifle or machine gun, and a belt with what I assumed was ammo and then a canteen. If they had anything else it was a general backpack and folding shovel. Officers were dignified in that they only had a pistol, as I recall. Photos out of Iraq today show urban warfare soldiers with flashlights on their rifles and what looks like cameras on their helmuts and all kinds of things. What are these and how much weight are soldiers carrying around? Seems like I’d rather have more kevlan strapped to me and some bandages before anything else. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-all-that-gear-soldiers-in-iraq-have-on/273867/2 "2004-11-09T18:31:10Z")
[Combat load study.](http://www.dcmilitary.com/army/pentagram/9_05/national_news/27426-1.html) [Combat readiness.](http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/call/call_01-15_ch11.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-all-that-gear-soldiers-in-iraq-have-on/273867/3 "2004-11-09T18:59:36Z")
[quote=I guess different soldiers carry different stuff and on different missions[/quote] That’s pretty much it. But everyone should have a Basic Combat Load per their specific weapon system. The lights on the rifles are bright-ass Millennium Combat Lights made by Surefire. The “cameras” on the helmet? You are either seeing them with night vision attached or you are seeing a square metal or plastic mount fastened to the helmet for attaching night vision devices. You’re welcome to post links to pictures of different soldiers. I would be happy to list every single item he is carrying and answer any questions. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-all-that-gear-soldiers-in-iraq-have-on/273867/4 "2004-11-09T19:26:36Z")
IIRC my brother’s “battle rattle” in Afghanistan may have exceeded 30 lbs of various crap while “out and about.” I will ask him this afternoon at lunch. ---
**Author:** ![WillSantini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ed8c4c/32.png) [@WillSantini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillSantini)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-all-that-gear-soldiers-in-iraq-have-on/273867/5 "2004-11-09T19:52:20Z")
When I first arrived in Iraq, last Febuary, and not counting my seabag, on my person I was probably carrying about 130 lbs. Damn my back hurts!! ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-all-that-gear-soldiers-in-iraq-have-on/273867/6 "2004-11-09T20:33:24Z")
1. That belt with the canteens and ammo was standard U.S. gear up until a ew years ago. It’s basically a nylon belt and suspenders with little pouches atached with hooks. Although it looks light and “slim”, it was highly inefficiant - uncomfortable, with pouches loosely banging around the soldiers’ bodies; a relatively small amount of gear was accessable, with the rest stuffed into pockets and backpacks. A couple decades ago, people started developing more complex, intelligently designed harnesses. These had better weight distribution, were tighter fitting and had better padding, wih more pouches and straps so that more equipment could be easily available. Although they looked bigger and “puffier” than the old webbing, they were comfortable and efficient. At the same time, better body armor was being developed; by the early 90’s a vests had been developed that were strong enough to actually have a chance of stopping rifles and machine guns. At furst these were worn under the webbing, but in recent years several militaries have developed personal armor with pouches and packs attached directly on it, often by Velcro. Those are what you see front-line U.S. troops wearing. 1. That said, soldiers are indeed wearing more gear. An infantryman will carry 5 to 8 magazines with 28 to 30 rounds each. Add any number of granades, electronics (personal radios have become common), medical gear and whatnot, soldiers are carrying quite a lot. The weight is pretty well distributed but it’s still there. 2. There’s been a trend lately to attach lots of things to rifles - personally, I’m for it. The most common stuff is as follows: - Flashlights: usually these big Maglight things. - Laser pointers: puts a little red or infra-red dot on your target; visable for short ranges. - Nifty little Flashlight/pointer combos. - Small telescopic sights. Lighter and not as powerful as the big sniper sights, usually with a X4 magnification. - “Optical” sights: these are little round lenses with a laser dot projected to their centers. You use them to aim much faster. - Granade launchers: theses have been around since Vietnam; they’ve ben putting them on smaller rifles recently. 1. The concept of the officer with the pistol has more or less disappeared from Western armies. Most officers - at least the lower ranking ones - are equipped the same as their troops. ---
**Author:** ![Roches](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bc8723/32.png) [@Roches](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roches)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-all-that-gear-soldiers-in-iraq-have-on/273867/7 "2004-11-09T20:47:42Z")
Even in WW2 most officers were equipped with submachine guns in battle (and often at least one other person in a squad), while privates had rifles. Assault rifles remove the distinction between rifles and submachine guns, so it follows that officers as well as enlisted men would have M16-type guns. I don’t have enough time to find a figure, but soldiers in WW2 (and even more so in WW1) carried a lot more than a rifle and a canteen. If anything, they probably carried more equipment by weight than modern soldiers do, since much has been done to reduce the weight of their equipment. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-all-that-gear-soldiers-in-iraq-have-on/273867/8 "2004-11-09T22:14:44Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > - Flashlights: usually these big Maglight things. I believe Maglight doesn’t make weapon mounted lights. Those flashlights are probably made by Surefire. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-all-that-gear-soldiers-in-iraq-have-on/273867/9 "2004-11-09T22:16:23Z")
I asked my brother about the weight issue- he said just his body armor alone weighed about 30 lbs. ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_B.Phart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Capt\_B.Phart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_B.Phart)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-all-that-gear-soldiers-in-iraq-have-on/273867/10 "2004-11-10T00:07:22Z")
The presenter on a history program I saw was claiming that the weight carried by a Roman legionary was pretty much the same as a modern soldier - and that the weight is going to be pretty similar for any fighting man - he’s going to take as much gear/supplies as possible while still being able to operate effectively ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-all-that-gear-soldiers-in-iraq-have-on/273867/11 "2004-11-10T04:55:23Z")
You may find this interesting. > **[ModernWarriorsCombatLoadReport.pdf](https://www.thedonovan.com/archives/modernwarriorload/ModernWarriorsCombatLoadReport.pdf)** > > 899.80 KB ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-all-that-gear-soldiers-in-iraq-have-on/273867/12 "2004-11-10T04:57:00Z")
That’s a long report, btw. You may want to go straight to Chapter Ten on page 13. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-all-that-gear-soldiers-in-iraq-have-on/273867/13 "2004-11-10T09:13:29Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > I believe Maglight doesn’t make weapon mounted lights. Those flashlights are probably made by Surefire. Oh, I just call any narrow black metallic flashlight a “maglight.” It doesn’t refer to any specific company. ---
**Author:** ![drhess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@drhess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drhess)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-all-that-gear-soldiers-in-iraq-have-on/273867/14 "2004-11-11T13:32:05Z")
[QUOTE=Bear\_Nenno] > [@I guess different soldiers carry different stuff and on different missions\[/quote](#): > > That’s pretty much it. But everyone should have a Basic Combat Load per their specific weapon system. > > The lights on the rifles are bright-ass Millennium Combat Lights made by Surefire. The “cameras” on the helmet? You are either seeing them with night vision attached or you are seeing a square metal or plastic mount fastened to the helmet for attaching night vision devices. > > You’re welcome to post links to pictures of different soldiers. I would be happy to list every single item he is carrying and answer any questions. Thanks. I guess what I saw was similar to what this guy has on his helmet: [http://www.richardwilliamson.net/030430\_fallujah\_01.jpg](http://www.richardwilliamson.net/030430_fallujah_01.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![drhess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@drhess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drhess)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-all-that-gear-soldiers-in-iraq-have-on/273867/15 "2004-11-11T13:58:16Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > IIRC my brother’s “battle rattle” in Afghanistan may have exceeded 30 lbs of various crap while “out and about.” I will ask him this afternoon at lunch. Thanks. Did you have lunch with him? : ) ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-all-that-gear-soldiers-in-iraq-have-on/273867/16 "2004-11-11T14:06:40Z")
Actually, British subalterns in Northwest Europe in WWI carried rifles and were about the same looking as their squadies. Always amazed me the extra stuff we were supposed to carry. Gas masks? In Grenada? ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-all-that-gear-soldiers-in-iraq-have-on/273867/17 "2004-11-13T17:42:42Z")
> [@drhess](#): > > Thanks. Did you have lunch with him? : ) Yep, and here’s what I got- 20-30 pounds of body armor, and another 20-30 of crap. As opposed to his current duty, which is khakis, kevlar vest, a rifle, a sidearm and a smile. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-all-that-gear-soldiers-in-iraq-have-on/273867/18 "2004-11-13T18:54:28Z")
The weight issue is so great, that the military is looking into ways to [assist soldiers in carrying the load.](http://bleex.me.berkeley.edu/bleex.htm)