12 hour event, what to pack?

[DKD15]

What would the experience players suggest in packing for a players first 12 hour event.

Right now my kit list is as follows. Please feel free to lend advice on what to pack what to not pack.

Back pack
1x camelbak backpack (with 4L bladder)
1x ranger blanket
1x rain jacket (if weather calls for showers)
1x goldbond (foot powder)
2x pair of socks
1x 1kg bag of extra bb's
2x mre (field striped)
2x standard water bottles
1x can of green gas
1x otw shirt
1x bdu pants
1x puffy jacket

Chest rig (includes dump pouch)
8x mid caps
3x pistol mags
1x 2L bladder
1x 120rnd speed loader filled
1x small bag of bb's 1000 rdns
1x radio
1x spare radio battery
1x medic pouch / kill rag / first aid supplies.
1x map
1x pouch of snacks (beef jerky, hydration tab / electrolytes)
1x tin of chewing tobacco

[OnePunch]

I always recommend bringing a tarp, it's doesn't have to be a massive one just something that will fit in your ruck. That way you can make shelter or use it to cover your ruck up if it starts to pour out.

[DKD15]

Good call, I forgot to add bivy bag and a ground sheet.

[BioRage]

There an AO where your stuff can be placed down?

At least at NF3 we had our tents and stuff layed out properly... locked it up, and kept portable stove + canned soup + instant noodles, etc.

Some d-bags even went out at like 2 am to go get mcdonalds and make people jelly hahaha.

Don't forget toilet paper + hand sanitizer if you need it.

[Ricochet]

Extra boots. Dry comfortable footwear saves lives.

[DKD15]

Originally Posted by BioRage

There an AO where your stuff can be placed down?

At least at NF3 we had our tents and stuff layed out properly... locked it up, and kept portable stove + canned soup + instant noodles, etc.

Some d-bags even went out at like 2 am to go get mcdonalds and make people jelly hahaha.

Don't forget toilet paper + hand sanitizer if you need it.

My truck will act as the base comand, keeps everything nice and dry in the box plus it can be locked and secure when playing.

Good call on the tp one and two ply just does not cut it after eating rations for extend periods lol . Wet wipes are a real morale boost when dealing with swass.

[Desmodus]

Your list pretty much nailed it, that's all you really need.

[leth1337]

Only issue w the truck being your supply line is some events forbid you from visiting your vehicle aside from an emergency. Get everything you need into the field at the beginning type of deal. Live from the ruck, die on the ruck

[DKD15]

Thanks everyone for the help.

[BioRage]

Originally Posted by DKD15

Thanks everyone for the help.

Good luck, wet wipes for sure. Case of water, leave it in your truck, and some food. Instant coffee too, however caffeine + carbs = poopers.

[FirestormX]

That's actually quiet a bit more than you need for only 12 hours.

Aside from what you need to actually play (foot wear, eye pro, comms, gun, mags, gas/batteries, BBs, load bearing gear, kill rag/light, watch), all you should need at a 12 hour is:

* Food. You probably won't need very much. MREs are fine, and toss in some granola bars or something. Most people find that they don't eat much when they're active - your body just slows down digestion, so you can do what you need to do.
Personally, I just pack of a can of chunky stew for a meal, some granola bars for a snack, and maybe a PB&J sandwich.
* Water. Expect to go through at least 8 litres in a 12 hour game, and pack more.
* A change of clothes - or at least a base layer. If your base layer gets soaked in sweat, and the sun goes down, it's going to be unpleasant.
* Something to sit on to keep you elevated and allow you to bend your knees. The dollar store has awesome foldable stools that are cheap enough to forget somewhere, but small, convenient, and sturdy. If you can bring a chair with a back to CP, you'll be the envy of everybody. This is pretty optional.
* A ranger blanket, so you can sit/lay on the ground. This is very much optional though.
* Weather appropriate clothing. ie a poncho/rain jacket/goretex everything. If it's going to be cold (outside of winter) it's best to wear some warm layers under your BDU, rather than putting a poofy layer on top.
* Hand warmers. Because they are awesome when you're cold. Hold them against the back of your neck or against your throat when you're standing around, or toss them in your pockets (against the femoral artery in your thigh) when you move.

And that's it. In a 12 hours OP, you're not going to be sleeping. If you get cold, just start moving. If it rains on you, then learn to enjoy the suck. You should be able to toss on your gear at your car, and have your food, change of clothes, water, and everything else, in your pockets or in your ruck.


As you play more, you'll learn what you find useful, and bring them along. eg a compass, a waterproof notebook and pen, multitool, electrical tape, spare radio batteries, glowsticks, a flashlight that isn't attached to your gun, boots that drain water, a good base layer, a good outer layer, a good tarp (eg made of silnylon) with paracord, etc.

I imagine that what you'll find on your first few games, is you'll pack a shit ton of stuff, that ends up never being used. Learn what you need, and only bring that. I've started trying to pack as light as I can for long games. You should be able to survive out of your backpack and pockets/pouches, without the need to even go back to CP except to respawn.

As for poop, immodium may be your friend. It makes a lot of people uncomfortable though, so you should definitely try it before you take it on the field. I know people that have experienced stomach pain, nausea, dizziness, and anxiety. It can really mess you up at an OP.
I like it though. It may mess with your pooping for a few days (unless you happen to have diarrhea at the time), and taking too much (only take one per 24 hours, or as instructed!) will make you feel really unhappy. My description for the first time that I took 3 pills in a ~36 hour period, was "feeling uncomfortably full for the next few days".
It can also lead to constipation, which can grow into a pretty bad thing. So consider immodium sparingly, if you're not taking it for its actual purpose.

[conflicttheory]

Not really airsoft gear, but a whistle is a must for outdoor activities. Radio batteries die, and yelling only works so well.

[Desmodus]

Originally Posted by FirestormX

As for poop, immodium may be your friend.

Or just have your morning coffee (which equals morning shit... at least for me) and you won't have to worry about a thing at the OP

[ThunderCactus]

Only thing I'd change is dump the jacket and ranger blanket for a softshell jacket.
The ranger blanket doesn't do shit if there's more than a 2km/h wind anyway, and a jacket takes up too much room.
Goretex is for garrison only. That whole "goretex breathes" thing is complete bullshit. It doesn't breathe enough to stop you from fogging up when you're NOT running around.
Softshell fabrics are 60-80% waterproof, lets just enough rain in to keep your core temp down, keeps enough rain and wind off to prevent you from getting cold. Plus doesn't make that goretex crinkly noise lol

Using a chest rig, I'd say bring a thermal shirt just in case you need it under your softshell.
Advantage to plate carriers is they also keep your fairly well insulated. Between my PC and soft shell I'm good between 10-20 degrees, in rain, and high winds.

Food isn't as critical as you might think. I've done 24hr ops with 4 stripped IMP's and I've done 24hr ops with just vector bars and beef jerky, and I've got a pretty high metabolism. For only 12 hours I don't think I'd even bring an IMP.
Water is critical though. I'll usually add NoXplode to mine as a vasodilator, energy supplement, taste, and faster absorption.

[lurkingknight]

it's 12 hours... don't pack the kitchen sink. You don't need the blanket, just bring an extra layer to throw on if you need to. Don't need a puffy jacket either.

I had full uppper and lower thermal underwear layer (from marks work wearhouse) under my camo and that was almost perfect for the first nightfall.. if I had raingear. Another fleece layer would've been nice but at that point I was drenched. For those of you that don't remember the first nightfall was late october, started around 8-10C and dropped to about 2-5C overnight with 8 hours of rain. I was outside for all of it. If you have that layer for this time of year with a high of 20 this weekend, you're going to be begging to pull it off mid afternoon.


Add your transit time to and from the event plus the time it takes to load/unload/pack your shit back in to the vehicle etc.


See how many meals that time spans. Probably only 1-2 meals unless you have like a 4 hour transit to and from. You can do fine on cereal/supplement bars or 1-2 mres... if you like to torture yourself. In most cases you can eat before you hit the field and do with snacking or a light meal during the game on your feet and eat after you leave the field... it's only 12 hours lol.

Important thing is hydration more than how much food to bring... 4-6L total is probably more than enough even for the hottest of summer days. Cooler full of ice, carry 1-2L on you and put the rest in the cooler, refill when you need to. Although this time of year, ice is debatable. It's nice to have cold drinks during the day but leave some water out so it's not so cold for night, that way you can choose. No real reason to carry 4 kilos of water on you when you don't have to.

A change of clothes when you leave the field, either cause you'll stink, you're muddy/filthy or you're wet.

Bring ammo. Always bring more than you think you'll shoot. Cause sometimes you'll shoot so much and run yourself out and say 'fuck I wish I brought more ammo'. Leave it in the truck and haul only as much as you think you'll need.

The rest is fine. dust the boots before you put them on.. your feet as well. Depending on how much you sweat you probably don't need to dust again. I have a stick of bodyglide to help against blisters. I'm pretty sure it's just antiperspirant for your feet. I used that in conjunction with powder a few weeks ago when I was on my feet walking for 12 hours a day in japan, I had pretty good results. I've also used the glide in airsoft for the last year or so, it works fairly well. Depending on how much you sweat... or how absorbent your socks are... you'll still kind of sweat with this stuff on, you may need to reapply but last year at nightfall I was boots on for a total of probably 22 hours and I was ok with 1 application.

Roll of TP is deadly important. Even if the event has go huts, you never know if they are properly stocked or if they run out.