How much is too much? And can you cut corners? Milsim is a very different approach to skirmish or speedsoft, with a different set of requirements. I mentioned in the recent Op Irene review that I wanted to do an article looking at the loadout side of a milsim, and after a few debriefs with the team it’s an important one to cover. In the past I’ve often dismissed a lot of milsim as elitist when it comes to getting kitting out, and for many years I didn’t bother because of the daunting kit lists. Thankfully, Defiant events on this one were very accommodating and it was a case of “you don’t need the correct kit but any effort is appreciated”. Certainly in recent years it’s a lot less strict across many organisers which makes it a lot more accessible and you don’t have to trawl eBay looking for particular pieces. What was interesting on this event, was that it was a much slower pace than a Stirling event, which if you’ve ever done one at Catterick FIBUA is a fast paced experience with a lot of combat, and a lot of opportunities to get back to your kit at respawn to refuel or rest up, and there’s a break to sleep overnight.

Irene was a true 24hr experience, with respawn a deliberately long trip, and it was interesting seeing how my squad got on and hearing about their experience afterwards. Uniform is always dictated by the event and is just a case of swapping your BDU’s around (this was a tan/desert camo team but some people didn’t read the rules and turned up in DPM and the much-loathed Multicam Tropic), the load bearing is usually your own choice and this will dictate your experience at a milsim. Get it wrong, and you’re in for an awful 24hrs. I guess at most games we load ourselves up with 80% combat kit and 20% sustainment, but for a longer game it’s probably the other way round. Not all firefights, events like these are more about movement, coordination, observation, patrolling and holding positions. I’ll go over what I took, and what was missing.

First up, my kit was not really a free choice, because I was portraying a specific kit from a specific time period and it’s the first time I’ve done that in airsoft. Delta Force, Somalia, 1993. Fairly close, I know some people can sit and pick faults all day long but I was happy with it. And to be fair, it worked OK for the game. Although being a warm September weekend (not as hot as Mogadishu), and given that it’s a lot longer than skirmish, the plate carrier was a big problem. But, staying character, it had to stay on. Bar a couple of occasions where I had to strip off to change t-shirts and underwear during the night – t-shirts were soaked through and very uncomfortable.

So my first thought going forward is that plate carriers are god awful for anything longer than 6 hours.

The biggest lesson on this one has been sustainment in the field. Maintaining energy for 24hrs. At other events, I’ve just popped back to respawn for Haribo and Monster and powered through. For this one, carrying cans of Monster is a no-go, especially given that I’m trying to cut down. I rarely drink water unless it’s in beer, but went through 6 canteens worth during the event, probably compensating for all the sweat. And with a lot of downtime (overnight, we went 5hrs without contact after OpFor appeared to sack it off for the night), comfort became a very big thing too. You can’t fight if you’re tired, hungry, or constantly adjusting gear to get comfortable. And on a long game, you’ll be quiet for a while but then suddenly have to switch on and be at 100%. It’s management of self more than it is managing a weapon. A few of our chalk burnt out and had to rest up during the night, which is something we need to improve on for the next one.

So, here’s a closer look at my load bearing. I covered the backpack in a separate article here, and that worked well for the camp kit. I replaced my big bulky Snugpak 1 season bag for something half the size, an OEX Fathom EV300, which is a 3 season bag and although it’s bright yellow and not very surplus looking, it’s important to get weight and pack size down and the sleeping bag is always the biggest item. At £56, an absolute bargain.

Anyway, it’ll be hidden away in your tent or bivvy so the colour isn’t an issue. The backpack did come into game later on to provide more sustainment; I was in a rush to get back into game so just grabbed it and threw a bottle of bb’s in. Wasn’t too bulky or heavy but occasionally a problem getting in and out of tight vehicles. At 6’3″ it’s a squeeze anyway, though I don’t anticipate doing too many vehicle trips in future.

Actual load bearing in more detail then. An ALICE kit plus a simple chest rig. I’m running an M727 which is stripped back, balanced and lightweight, and take 5x 120rd mags for it. 2 in the middle pouches of the chest rig to keep it lower profile, and 2 in the left hand ALICE ammo pouch, plus one in the gun. The event is single shot, although I am too anyway so I don’t burn through ammo, and probably could have done this event on three mags. There’s no dump pouch on this setup, but it’s no hassle to just pop a mag back in a spare pouch. To complete the chest rig, which was loaned to me by Bubba so I have no idea of the make or model, the two outer pouches contained radios. Initially it was just one for squad comms which is on one frequency, but our squad had a radio tuned to the command net which was carried by a designated Radio Operator (RO). Later on the first day, my RO Albie handed me the command radio and disappeared off to engage the enemy, so I had to add that to my kit.

Across the ALICE belt order, from left to right

• Ammo pouch – 2 mags

• Utility pouch – Map, pen, food, spare torch, bandages for medic rules, torch battery, radio battery.

• Buttpack – Spare t-shirts, hat, gloves. Warm and dry kit.

• Water bottle pouch – Just a cheap one, but an absolute life saver and I wish I had space for another.

• Compass/first aid pouch – Small, but contains burns gel and a couple of plasters, plus a small bandage.

• Ammo pouch – Pyro

The utility pouch was heavily overused, constantly needed for bandages and the map, suffered later after a sesame bar, half consumed, broke up and layered everything in sticky sugar residue. It’s a Dutch MOLLE general purpose pouch but in US Woodland rather than DPM, however it fits onto the belt and is held by a zip tie. Not ideal, because these things are used often and need to be factored into a loadout better. Overall, combined with the backpack which is its own separate kit, the load bearing was comfortable to wear, but perhaps not able to carry as much kit as needed and that’s where improvements can be made.

Admin is a very important part of a milsim, and quick and easy map access especially as a squad leader is definitely the first thing on my list. In debriefs, we’ve discussed the idea of an “HQ bag” containing an enlarged map and other documentation needed for the event. This could be carried by the TL or RO to coordinate everything. We suffered from having a map that had buildings coloured in red, with black text labels that couldn’t be read in low light conditions.

On an individual level, the larger Norther Ireland chest rig would add two large utilities to the setup, and the ALICE kit could take the rest. I’d then consider dropping the ammo pouches on the ALICE to instead run an extra utility and an extra water bottle pouch. The Protec helmet didn’t allow it, but a headtorch with red filter would have been a big help. I did have one on me, but wasn’t dropping that Delta look.

Other alternatives to look at will be the M83 SAAV or an issue DPM Ops Vest. The Ops Vest in particular has nothing on the back which makes adding a patrol pack much easier, though the SAAV could potentially carry a full overnight kit on its own. Big utility pouches are worth more than high speed, low drag skirmishsoft pouches due to the flexibility to change things up during a game, and the need to hold odd shaped stuff. Closed top pouches will keep your gear dry if and when rain hits – always work on the worst case scenario.

Clothing is important as the winter months roll in, dry gloves are by far my highest priority, and also I have a Condor fleece watch hat which is lovely in bad weather. Waterproofs are important, but you’ll need to either match them to your team’s uniform rules or run them as a layer underneath, therefore leaving your outer kit to get wet but keeping you dry underneath. Baselayers are the closest thing to your skin, pack up small, and can make a big difference to your mood. One thing I will look at getting as a weatherproof layer is the excellent Arktis A192 Stowaway Shirt – a windproof and light rain layer that packs up into a very small bag, to give protection either under the uniform or over the top (depending on camo) in a very small and lightweight package, without lugging a big Goretex coat around.

In addition to clothing and load bearing, and a weapon, the other key tools for a successful milsim event are;

• Radio
• Headset for radio if possible
• Torch with red filter so you don’t highlight yourself in the dark
• Cyalumes
• Notepad and pencil (ideally a Rite in the Rain pad like this)
• Spare batteries for radio and torches, wrapped in a plastic food bag

Food and drink I’ve covered in Milsim Meal Time, to round off your kit. It’s not a giant rucksack level of kit, and there’s a lot I’ve seen carried that doesn’t need to be, nor does it need to be expensive. Just make sure you’ve covered yourself for food, water, bad weather and comfort first, then stick a rifle and a few mags on top of that. Which, to an average airsofter probably feels a bit backwards. But, this isn’t average airsoft…

Milsim your thing? Looking for a team? pm me.