Link of the Day

Thomas Ricks posted a great link to an essential packing list for Afghanistan (although it could apply to Iraq as well) on his blog at Foreign Policy Online.

Highlights:

6. Drop Leg Holster (Blackhawk or SERPA) and Uncle Mike's Paddle-Holster for wearing around every day (drop leg will wear a hole in ACUs over time). I also have one for my IBA so I can have my 9mm handy when in the gun hatch going through towns.

I agree...the thigh rig (or the vest holster) is preferrable when flying, but for normal day-to-day wear, the "hip hugger" holster is best. For the record, I only have my hip-hugger now, and it's made by Bianchi. Stylish.

13. MP3 PLAYER W/ x-tra pair of spare headphones
14. Enough batteries to last you 30 days

Agreed and agreed. You will lose the nubs or ruin your headphones regularly, and probably won't be able to find a good set for a while, particularly as units rotate out and buy up everything at the PX. Same thing goes with the batteries. I would also add a voltage transformer (or three) on there as well. You see, we use 220V on US bases in the Middle East, even though the housing is built by the American company, KBR/Halliburton...

27. More books/magazines than you think you will need.

Better yet, an Amazon Kindle--it fits in a cargo pocket!

38. Extra boot laces

You can always order winter clothing in the middle of summer and have it shipped to Iraq, but boot laces are always out of stock. WTF.

49. Get a Skype account and download the software from skype.com. This is how I talk to home 95% of the time. If you call computer to computer it is totally free. You can also skype out from your computer to a regular phone for $0.021 a minute. There is nothing cheaper than that.

66. A good assault pack, I have one from Tactical Assault Gear with aluminum stays in it for support. It's been a lifesaver several times,the one the Army issues is a P.O.S.

I bought mine from BlackHawk, and I've taken it everywhere. Wouldn't use anything else.

Focus: What else?