Tactical Items

Monthly Drawing For Freebie Paracord Accessories

roadfollies — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 16:32:12 GMT

Check out survivalstraps.com. (I tried to post a link but it didn't show up in my post). This company will draw the names of 5 active duty military personnel each month, and send them a customized item from their online catalog. The name submission form asks for the soldier's email address so that they can make direct contact with the winners. (Items are customized, so they need some specific info from the winners). I'd be interested in getting Marty's input about this. Perhaps it would be best to ask your contact's permission to give their email address to the company before submitting their names. Their items might also make great items to send to any of your contacts. I have no financial interest in the company - I just appreciate that they're doing something to support the troops. Pat

Marines Requesting Better Flak Vest

Anonymous — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 02:39:00 GMT

Interesting Yahoo news post today.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090104/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_better_body_armor

Closeout page at LAPoliceGear.com

kansas_guy — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:13:13 GMT

Every other week I surf the closeout page at LAPoliceGear.com.

http://www.lapolicegear.com/closeouts.html

They focus mainly on police equipment, but they also have a lot of military items and accessories. I scroll right past the expensive stuff and go to items like 100' of paracord for $3.99.

I once got several pairs of Nomex gloves for, I think, $12 each on the closeout page.

Right now they have two different brands of desert-style combat boots - regularly $120 - on sale for $29.99 and $19.99.

Gear for Kosovo

MPvinnie08 — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 07:10:44 GMT

Its getting really cold here and Some cold weather gear like Gloves that arent bulky would be great and things like Underarmor cold gear that is worn under our uniforms would help. Our trucks have heaters that work sometimes but we arent always in our trucks. I am trying to find a sling point tactical sling also. I need to find a 9mm mag holder with a cover for my serpa (blackhawk) 9mm pistol holster. I am trying to find these and find a way to get them to me.

Great Cold weather gloves

ProudSister — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:55:00 GMT

I just wanted to shoot out a glove to all that is great for the cold day's and night's for our soldier's. While they are not very cheap. They keep hands as warm as you want them warm. There is a blow up hole on the side of them that is on the side that you blow up anytime with your own hot air ( I know my brother is full of hot air..LOL) Anyway's my boys love them.

They are: Exhale Heating System Gloves by Gorgonz Performance Work Gear

Take Care

Betty

Gun Cleaning accessories

Steve Roberts — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 06:11:27 GMT

Here's a great way to help the guys overseas, especially if they go outside the wire at all. Many of the them run out of gun cleaning supplies. If you had to do it twice a day while living in the sandbox, you'd understand why this happens so often. Send over packs of those cheap dime-store or Home Depot paint brushes. The 3/4" and 1" wide ones work well on rifles, and the bigger ones like 2" wide brushes work great on the .50 BMG's and Mk 19's etc... Also you can send handfuls of the el-cheapo tooth brushes. Even used ones if you boil them.. be courteous, tell the soldiers they've been boiled. Toothbrushes work great on gun parts. Another good idea is to go to www.hoppes.com and click on the flag for "Support the Troops - Project Bore Snake." This will take you to project bore snake.org. A bore snake is Hoppe's brand name for a special barrel cleaning rope that you can pull through a gun barrel in and clean it in a jiffy. On the project bore snake page you can click on the link to purchase one snake, or even dozens if you wish. You can even buy pre-assembled kits of 4 or 8 units (for different calibers) or mix and match as you se fit for the guys you are supporting. If you are not knowledgeable of weapons, here's a quickie list: M16's and M4's are .223 caliber Most sidearms are 9mm or .45 caliber Most squad auto weapons (SAWs) can use a .30 caliber snake Browning Machine Guns (BMGs) are .50 caliber Some men carry shotguns, which will be 12 gauge Here's the best part: buying on the bore snake site enables you to get them at a huge discount below retail, donations and purchases through project bore snake are all tax deductible, and they will ship directly to any soldier's address which you provide. Last but not least, you should send gun cleaning solutions and lubricant. There are several brands that are mailable, but if you can't send anything like this, it's not the end of the world. From my experience and correspondence from them, most of the guys seem to be able to get enough - unless they are really remote. They will let you know. Hope this helps.... Steve R.

Re-using Gear?

Buckeye Sue — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:27:56 GMT

Dear Junkies,

I am in an awkward position. A relative of a neighbor has offered several large boxes of gear that somehow came back with an injured soldier. From what I understand, boots, sunglasses, etc I have not seen the stuff so I don't know. They would like to sell me the gear and have me sent the gear to soldiers who need it, like my AS contacts. I told them I would have to look into it before giving them an answer.

I do not want to do anything illegal or improper. I am a civilian and I am concerned about doing the right thing, but do not know what that is.

What is the best way to research how to handle such a situation?

Best,

Tactical Items Needed

Nana Nita — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 21:30:13 GMT

Please check out the 'plate carrier' thread under Special Requests. or the Post of SSG K Carroll and/or

2LT Rodriquez These units could use some help. Anita

HELP!!! My Letter is off to the President, Congress and Senator!!! If you guys like it!!!

Rachelle — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:16:01 GMT

*******I did not mention any contacts names or this websites name for all of our privacy.******* IDEAS ARE WELCOME!*****

Here is the body of the letter:

Dear Mr. President:

My name is Rachelle Adams and I am 17 years old. I am contacting you regarding our men and women who are serving overseas. I have come across some Soldiers who are serving in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and these Soldiers are lacking the necessary materials to get their jobs done and this in turn makes their everyday life extremely dangerous. These soldiers have requested body armor and scopes for their rifles. I would love to purchase these items for them but I can not afford to, I already have a group of soldiers I sponsor. These items they are requesting should be provided by the government because these items are essential for our Soldiers well being. I was hoping you would be able to help our men and women receive these very crucial items, I could not believe that they were not provided with these items. These items were needed in the dozens for some soldiers and that made me extremely sad that they are working very hard and were lacking a very big source of protection. Please make their lives safer and better by providing them with these necessities. Thank you very much for reading this and I hope you are able to grant my request. Our wonderful Soldiers deserve it!

Sincerely,

Rachelle Adams

Should i write his name or say Mr. President?

Getting Tactical On Tactical Gear

OIFVet08 — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:45:46 GMT

I was looking at a post earlier about gloves and moisture-wicking tshirts and had a thought; that I could make a list of sites to look on for future reference when a Soldier asks for military gear or the likes, so here it is!!

http://www.uscav.com/ - US Cavalry is an all-around store for military gear from gloves to weapon optics and right now they have a sale where you can save 50-60%!!!

http://rangerjoes.com/ - Ranger Joes has been around for years. I originally learned of them when I was in basic training 6 years ago. They have good deals sometimes, but also check pricing on other websites because common items they carry are often overpriced just a little bit! I just recieved a pair of boots I ordered from them and they are great and came with a very good pricetag too!

http://cheaperthandirt.com/ - Cheaper Than Dirt often has good deals on many, many items. There is many-a-time where I just jump on their website to peruse the new items and will order a new item that I could use!!

http://www.lapolicegear.com/ - Another great site with inexpensive items. While I was mobilizing at Ft. Bliss over 7 months ago I bought my first pair of comfortable boots there and they were for a great price!

There are a few that I am missing that come up every once in a while in conversation and the next time I hear them I will update this thread :)

Hope this helps :)

Botach clearance/Nomex gloves

inkydigits — Fri, 02 May 2008 02:21:49 GMT

FYI... They're having a clearance on Blackwater items...i.e. Nomex gloves...$9.95 per pair, normally $19.95...they still have them in all sizes in tan...also moisture wicking shirts, normally $25 for $8.95.

botach.com

Sand Colored T-Shirts

ashleydeetz — Sun, 04 May 2008 18:18:53 GMT

Hello,

This is my first post here but I wanted to bring this website to everyone's attention.

www.dakotaouterwear.com

Dakota Outerwear is a place I drive past every time I go into town from base (in Minot, ND) They are veteran owned and sell a wide variety of military items.

I've noticed that most of the items they sell, including the Sand Colored t-shirts that go under ABU and ACUs are a lot cheaper than some other places. Here, you can get a bag of three shirts for 12.50. I'm not sure if somewhere else has them cheaper, but I have noticed that this is an item that's requested often on these sites.

Just thought I'd let everyone know!

Ashley

Amateur Hour!

STL — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 03:40:43 GMT

I'm always looking at this "tactical" thread waiting for something cool to pop up I can send and it's so underused! I was thinking, there's actually lot's of little "amateur" tactical things I send that it would probably make a pretty cool list if I could find out what other junkies did too. I'm not thinking I'll ever be able to go to the surplus and impress the veteran there with my tactical kung fu, but I do feel a little wise when I put these little helpers in a care package and I bet there's a lot more of em I could be getting for our guys! So anyway... here's my "tactical" thingys I've sent, if you'll share yours!? I guess I consider everything not food, hygeine or entertainment tactical though, now I'll get some "real" ideas! : )

Gerber and Swiss Army pocket knives

Red lense headlamps

Battery alarm clocks

Carabiners (D rings? although no feedback so i have no idea if i sent the "right" kind)

Rem gun oil and paint brushes and qtips

Multi tools (i think they were Leatherman from Sears)

Mylar emergency blankets (although got no feedback so i have no idea)

Big screw in bicycle type hooks and little sticky wall hooks - i don't know, but i figured they'd find a use!

Need a recommendation for a portable GPS device, please

Mrs Claus — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 02:57:22 GMT

Our son has asked us to find and ship a portable GPS unit to him in Iraq. He specified that it cannot broadcast its location and that it must work with military grids. Does anyone in the Forum have a recommendation for a brand/make/model that we should purchase? I have searched the Extreme Outfitters web site and found several devices, but I couldn't tell which, if any, meet his needs and I certainly don’t want to send it to Iraq and then find out we made a bad choice.

Gun oil/gun cleaning supplies

Laura H — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:19:51 GMT

Help! My Army nephew in Iraq badly needs gun oil (and may need other gun cleaning supplies). Does this oil need special shipping instead of FRB? Where do you recommend getting the oil...? Shipping method... What else might he need for cleaning that he didn't think to mention?

I read the gun cleaning posts. Have you heard if the sheets, shirts, flannel works for them as cleaning patches? Do you precut, or send it to them whole?

A truly great Gift for your soldier...

Acoustic — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 23:18:17 GMT

A truly great gift for your soldier can be found at www.militaryclothing.com, it has everything tactical they need (I play paintball, just like it, and trust them with my life). The BEST part is you can get Dof Tags, customed.

Yeah I know, who cares. Well here's what I got my cousin:

LTC Daniel Haas

#1 Marine

#1 Father

#1 Fencer

#1 Cousin

They ship to APO and FPOs

$2 stocking stuffer item for your warrior

Sarah — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:48:33 GMT

http://www.botachtactical.com/maenselefo3.html

Military Map Protractors

Scubadogbones — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 16:55:22 GMT

I have a contact that has requested military map protractors and map pens. I am looking for a online company that sells them.

Thanks for helping me!

Dan

Under Armour 5039 Heat Shirts

Russ — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 17:33:36 GMT

LA Police Gear has these on closeout for a price of $17.50. No other discounts apply, but this is a great deal (as they are normally $25.

So if your soldiers are still in a hot area or you want to stock up for next Spring/Summer it's a great time to pick some up.

http://www.lapolicegear.com/unarhege50fu.html

russ

YEAH! Extreme Outfitters!

support4troops — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 16:58:44 GMT

Just wanted to let everyone know what great service I received from Extreme Outfitters! If you have questions, give them a call. Both people I spoke with were knowledgeable and courteous. Within an hour of placing my order, I received an e-mail saying it had shipped.

You can link to them through "What to Send".

Superior customer service. Speedy shipping. Kudos to Extreme Outfitters!

UA at TJMaxx (August)

Sarah — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 13:40:22 GMT

I was just at TJ Maxx yesterday and in the men's shirts they had tan tactical UnderArmor shirts for $12.99 (Typically $25) they also had long sleeve ones for $13.99 just thought I'd give you the heads up on this because I think it was a pretty sweet deal and interesting that they had tan (and not any other colors) ... it really seemed almost like an Army Surplus type haul.

Kit Up- special stuff for that special soldier!

Sarah — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:12:21 GMT

http://kitup.typepad.com/kitup/

This website will inspire you. It has a listing of specific products- non-govt issue, reviewed by soldiers that made their life better. Very interesting assortment of items and great reviews... most of these items would fall into the high end catagory of care package goodies... - but not all... how about a Luggage finder beeper you can clip on your pack to find it among all the other packs that look just like yours!?

And who can resist a silk jersey sleeping bag liner!? http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=48035861&parent_category_rn=4500592&vcat=searchrefine

Shipping knives to our soldiers

MustangLover — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 00:35:48 GMT

Hi everybody! The subject of shipping hunting or any kind of knives to our soldiers was brought to my attention on another post. I went to the USPS site and plugged in all my info to pretend ship to my soldier. At the page showing shipping costs, I was able to click on "restrictions" to Iraq to see what was prohibited to send over. I found the section on knives and it was clear to me only switchblades could not be sent unless for the reasons shown. NO mention of length of blade. Am I missing an important area??? Any input is most welcome! We need to be clear on this subject! Here is the knife section of the USPS page copied over:

11.5 Knives and Sharp Instruments

11.5.1 Mailability

Knives (including sharp-pointed instruments such as stilettos that lack cutting edges) with a blade that opens automatically by hand pressure applied to a button or other device in the handle, or by operations of inertia, gravity, or both, or with a detachable blade propelled by a spring-operated mechanism, are mailable only when sent to:

a. The respective government's or organization's designated supply or procurement officers and employees ordering, procuring, or buying such knives for use with the activities of the federal government; the National Guard, the Air National Guard, or the militia of a state, territory, or the District of Columbia; or the municipal government of the District of Columbia or of the government of any state or territory, or of any county, city, or other political subdivision of a state or territory.

b. Manufacturers of such knives, or bona fide dealers of such knives, in connection with a shipment made under an order from any person designated in 11.5.1a.

11.5.2 Addressee Identification

Before delivering a shipment (or parcel) that contains an article or articles described in 11.5.1, a USPS employee may require that the recipient identify himself or herself as in one of the categories in 11.5.1a.

11.5.3 Wrapping

Sharp-pointed or sharp-edged instruments such as knives, tools, ice picks, and razor blades, that are otherwise mailable, must be wrapped to protect their points and edges from cutting through the outer carton in which they are mailed.

11.6 Prohibited Parcel Marking

For any parcel containing a firearm or a ballistic or switchblade knife, any marking that indicates the contents is not permitted on the outside wrapper or container.

Ballistic Sunglasses?

alphagam7 — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 02:08:50 GMT

Ummmm.....excuse my ignorance, but what are these are where do you find them? How are they different from other sunglasses and what's the going rate for them? I have a contact who is asking for them, but depending on the cost I'm not sure if I will send them or not.

Cleaning Patches - Sizes?

joCee — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 00:54:34 GMT

I've seen "all-caliber" cleaning patches in several places. Are they really all-caliber?