New Ideas for Carrying the Contents of My Grab and Go Bag....

A new bit of kit I've added this winter as part of my "grab and go"/"get home" bag for emergencies to keep in my car is this tactical load carrying ensemble vest (nsn 8415-99-461-4932). Now I'll be the first to admit that I was very reluctant to buy anything with the word tactical in its name as part of my emergency kit. I don't have weapons nor do I intend to have any with me. And this vest was designed for an entirely different purpose than my own. But after reading about it online and doing some further research, I decided to give it a try. It came brand new in the original packaging, one vest and 13 pouches. The vest is covered in loops of webbing that is known as the pouch attachment ladder system or PALS. This means that pouches can be attached anywhere on the vest and are secured so they will not "flap about."

This vest came with 3 large utility pouches, 1 small utility pouch, 1 flashlight/knife pouch, 1 medical pouch, 1 canteen pouch, 2 ammunition pouches and 4 grenade pouches. I haven't a clue what to do with the grenade pouches, so I have not used them. The ammunition pouches are perfect for my thermal drinking mugs so they have been retained for use.

All of the pouches have a rubberized lining and a secure clip to keep them closed. The large utility pouches have a drawstring cover inside the lid to really keep the contents dry. The knife/flashlight pouch uses a simple velcro closure.

The vest also has two small and two large pockets inside the front of the vest which are easy to access and even in the cold with gloves on were easy to open and a great place to stuff my gloves when I needed the dexterity of my bare hands.

With its wide shoulder straps, this vest has the ability to distribute the weight of its contents in such a way that it does not cut into your shoulders, and with the internal mesh construction, does not allow heat to build up between your body and the vest. The combination of Fastex clips and Spanish tabs allow all the pouches and the front of the vest itself to close quickly and easily.

With the PALS fittings, you can arrange the pouches in any way you wish to suit your needs, and while the version I bought came with 13 pouches, some come without pouches and additional pouches are available for purchase from a variety of sources.

I decided to set my vest up using the manufacturers suggested layout as a starting place, omitting the four pouches I  mentioned earlier. Now it will be up to me to decide if the layout meets my needs and what to pack in my medical pouch and the 3 large and 1 small utility pouches.

After hiking 2 1/2 hours in temperatures from 15 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit this vest was still very comfortable and I was not sweaty underneath, which could result in a chill in those low temperatures. Still some experimenting is needed to get the load exactly as I want, But I think that this vest has a definite future as part of my grab and go bag.

I found my vest at MilitaryUniformSupply.com where they offered the vest and 13 pouches new in the original packaging here for $29.99.

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