EODRay
Active member
Much like last years hunting trips in the states, I have yet to fill my insurgent tags on this deployment……so far. However, I thought that you might enjoy a gear review of the current transportation options that I have for this years 9 month hunting trip.
Options one (least favorite) option is the Old School hiking boots. The Army gave me a new set of summer and winter "mountain boots" for this trip. Besides being very heavy, they didn't fit my feet good at all. So as usual, I bought my own. These are a pair of Rockies combat boots and Merrell's W/gortex. The Rockies are comfortable for shorted distances (5 miles or less) and the soles do well in the rocks. The Merrells are very comfortable for long distances but you do feel the rocks through the bottom more than I would like. Neither pair are very warm…….thus the toe warmers. When you're sitting on the top of a mountain over night in January in either pair, you are just plain gonna be cold.
Next up we have the good old Special Forces ATV. This is a definite upgrade from rucking it. As an EOD tech (Bomb Squad), we have to carry a lot of equipment (Explosives, metal detector, site exploitation gear, 40lb robot, bang stick, etc) besides our basic load that every other Soldier has to carry. It is often over 100lbs and that gets old quick. So when we do a HAF (Helicopter Assault Force) mission that is going to last multiple days, it's nice to have one of these that we can load onto the bird to help carry the extra water and food.
Last up is my personal favorite, the MATV (Military All Terrain Vehicle). Last years deployment we (EOD) were not even allowed to ride in these vehicles. While being great at getting over some very rough terrain and going places that you wouldn't think a vehicle this big could go, they had a flaw in their body armor that could actually catch the blast from an IED and direct it inside the vehicle. This is a very bad design when your main job is hunting/disposing of IED's. Last year I ran over a 40lb IED in our EOD specific truck (called a JERRV) and I was no worse for the wear.
Well, the Army fixed the under armor issue with this truck and it's much better now. The back compartment allows me to take my full compliment of EOD equipment with me. Having a bomb suit, full size robot, various disruption charges, X-ray, and anything else I might need is a best case scenario for me.
Options one (least favorite) option is the Old School hiking boots. The Army gave me a new set of summer and winter "mountain boots" for this trip. Besides being very heavy, they didn't fit my feet good at all. So as usual, I bought my own. These are a pair of Rockies combat boots and Merrell's W/gortex. The Rockies are comfortable for shorted distances (5 miles or less) and the soles do well in the rocks. The Merrells are very comfortable for long distances but you do feel the rocks through the bottom more than I would like. Neither pair are very warm…….thus the toe warmers. When you're sitting on the top of a mountain over night in January in either pair, you are just plain gonna be cold.
Next up we have the good old Special Forces ATV. This is a definite upgrade from rucking it. As an EOD tech (Bomb Squad), we have to carry a lot of equipment (Explosives, metal detector, site exploitation gear, 40lb robot, bang stick, etc) besides our basic load that every other Soldier has to carry. It is often over 100lbs and that gets old quick. So when we do a HAF (Helicopter Assault Force) mission that is going to last multiple days, it's nice to have one of these that we can load onto the bird to help carry the extra water and food.
Last up is my personal favorite, the MATV (Military All Terrain Vehicle). Last years deployment we (EOD) were not even allowed to ride in these vehicles. While being great at getting over some very rough terrain and going places that you wouldn't think a vehicle this big could go, they had a flaw in their body armor that could actually catch the blast from an IED and direct it inside the vehicle. This is a very bad design when your main job is hunting/disposing of IED's. Last year I ran over a 40lb IED in our EOD specific truck (called a JERRV) and I was no worse for the wear.
Well, the Army fixed the under armor issue with this truck and it's much better now. The back compartment allows me to take my full compliment of EOD equipment with me. Having a bomb suit, full size robot, various disruption charges, X-ray, and anything else I might need is a best case scenario for me.
