I ordered a war belt from ATS, along with their inner belt and suspenders. I don't know at this point if I'll need the suspenders; some guys use them and others don't, but I don't want to find out I need them and then have to pay shipping on a $14 item.
Then I clicked my way over to SKD Tactical and picked up a double AR mag pouch and a double pistol pouch by Tactical Tailor. I'm not sure if I'll put those two side by side on the belt, or mount the pistol pouches directly on the AR mag pouch, but we'll see when it all comes in. I grabbed this tiny little roll-up dump pouch by EGL. I'll use it to toss my mags in after the excitement wears down until I can recharge them.
The exciting thing, to me, was the blowout pouch I bought: the ATS Medical Pouch (Small). Here's a closer look:
The pouch appears fairly standard for an IFAK, even down to the buckle/clasp that Uncle Sam issues. But once you unfasten the buckle, it has a medical-red colored loop; pull on that loop, and the entire pouch pulls away from the Velcro backing which itself is attached via Molle to the war belt (or vest). I'd say that's a pretty ingenious design. Put it at the 6:00 position on the belt, and you can access it with either hand. The other thing I like about this pouch is the Velcro all along the top of it. In other words, the Velcro (patch panel) only faces upward. I found a plethora of medical pouches at Mil-Spec Monkey. I thought they only made morale patches (and good ones at that), but they have an entire line of utilitarian patches, too. I bought a First Aid "Cross" patch (2" square), a 1" long "NKDA" patch and a 1" long blood type patch. I fought with myself over color scheme - they have desert, multicam, forest, ACU-Dark, ACU-Light, SWAT - but in the end, I decided on the standard bold white / fire engine red patches. I figured A) the patches are facing straight up; B) I'll be doing training and competition, not blending into the foothills of Kandahar; C) If I need this pouch, I want the information to stand out like a turd in a punch bowl; D) If I ever use this rig for SHTF, anyone who ends up killing me solely because they saw a dirty white 2" patch from straight above me deserves to win.
I ordered everything in Coyote Brown. Why? Least importantly, I got tired of camouflage trends shifting every few years and being unable to find items that matched. Again, it's not critical, but it does cause my OCD to flare up. The real factor? I don't really want to be associated with anyone else. Black is associated with law enforcement, camouflage and OD Green is associated with the military. There's nothing wrong with anyone who does something else, but I personally just don't want that visibility. I also think that in my environment, Coyote Brown will be a whole lot less noticeable.
Finally, for my pistol, I ordered a Blade-Tech DOH (Dropped and Off-Set Holster):
As you can see, the holster keeps the pistol canted away from the hip for easier draw around a war belt, or for females. It's also dropped about an inch-and-a-half lower than a standard holster (Fobus or similar). It attaches to the stiff belt inside, or lining, the war belt, and rotates to some extent. Reviews say retention is beautiful, and adjustable. They have options for professional-level retention, so if you're in the business of doing bad things to people who deserve it, the option exists.
So, when all this gear trickles in over the next week, it should look something like this (NOT my pic):
I'll post a detailed review of these items when it all comes together. Until then, your comments (as always) are welcome and appreciated.
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Most of our gear is changed to that as it's supposed to be a better camouflage across a wide range of conditions than any other pattern or design. Whether or not that's true, it still works very well in all of America.