What kind of equipment can I purchase by myself - and use in active duty ?
Do I require permission for "anything" at all ?
I am asking especially for molle pouches, ballistic glasses, gloves and footwear.

Kind regards, M

Normally...not a lot. However, if it is of current camo pattern, and of good quality, the senior NCO's and other uppers will not give you any guff.

That being said, if you buy a ton of silly crap only because it looks cool in the magazines, and wear it in the field, your former buddies will not stop laughing at you for quite a while.

Weapons wise, no private firearm will be allowed..period. Knives are a personal thing, and quality should come first. ASP's and other batons are also not high on the allowed list, unless you are in a combat zone.

Boots and other footwear is extremely important and personal, however, they MUST conform to AR-670 standards, and current command guidance.

Eyewear is also a personal thing, but again, must conform to command guidance and situational needs. If they are not built as ballistic wear, you'd be foolish to use them. Same with gloves. Many styles, but only very few that will do the job. Issue Nomex gloves are always best (and free), but short finger types can be easier to use. Don't get the "armored knuckle" types, as that pegs you as a total noob. Besides, that plastic gets hot in the desert.

Permission is always good...but forgiveness is easier

quote:

Originally posted by Marvin_K:
What kind of equipment can I purchase by myself - and use in active duty ?
Do I require permission for "anything" at all ?
I am asking especially for molle pouches, ballistic glasses, gloves and footwear.

Kind regards, M

Like SnB said there should be already established guidelines about personal gear and what is allowed.

Eye pro (forget the ballistic glasses, sounds like cherry speak) and gloves come from a list of authorized brands and kinds. Armored knuckle types are not seen to often, had a pair in Iraq they were the best and for 35 bucks when Oakley was selling them at discount you couldn't beat them.

Pouches and the like are again by unit's policies, most just require that they be ACU pattern. Make sure that you actually use the Army issue and find if it works for you, not just because it looks cool.

When you are "over there" though......the game changes a little bit. At least it did when I was over there in 03-04. We weren't allowed to carry any firearms besides what we were issued, but many of us bought cheap 9mm pistols,AK-47's,little .380 pistols. Just keep it on the down low, don't be dumb with it, like telling people, and letting your CO know about it. You could pick up a decent pistol for 50-100 bucks. With ammo. Of course, you couldn't bring it home. So we just sold them to newbies who were replacing us.

I was over in 05-06 and we got our hands on all types of weapons,My Plt. Sgt and CO were gun guys.So when something interesting was found they would hold on to it.There was a PPSH-41,Sten,MP-5,PKM,RPK and a few AK's in our CP,That he would let us take to are makeshift range.Lots of fun