What does an IDF soldier typically carry in their vest/harness?

[Dorsai]

I'm curious. I recently picked up a "Commando Harness" from Zahal.

zahal.org/gear/p15

I used to have one of the simpler ephods and found it very comfortable. Anyway, this thing has little pockets all over the place that seem to be pretty specialized.. So what did/does a soldier normally carry? Magazines, smoke grenades, frag grenades are easy, but the little stuff not so much.

[Noiro]

Ammo x 450 rounds
potatoe knish x 2

[sabre]

My guess is that the IDF carries something similar to what the CF carry in A-stan... which is also dependent on mission. I will guess you are asking about 8-10 hour combat patrol vs anything else.

10 x 30 rd magazines ( no clips Rafi heh heh )
pistol and 2 or 3 magazines
2 canteens
either a medic bag or extra SAW box
2 -4 grenades frag and smoke
knife and/or bayonet
maybe a MRE or 2
GPS / radio
Body armour, helmet, and tac-vest
extra socks, foot powder and scarf

Feel free to add or subtract to the list.

To everyone who has served what was your basic combat kit like ?

[numeral]

toilet paper, definately gotta add toilet paper

[Gilads]

What does an IDF soldier typically carry in their vest/harness?

That's a very general question as the equipment a soldier carries depends a lot on his role (medic, sniper, designated marksman and so on).

What usually every soldier carries in his vest (with no exceptions) is an arterial tourniquet, a lot but not all also carry a blade on them.

[naftalim]

Unfortunately, some carry bamba and egozi on missions. I recall a soldier of mine in the reserves who emptied all his pouches from magazines save the ones in his gun to store chocolate and other goodies while on fence patrol. He had time to regret his decision that endangered himself and his mates while serving 30 days in the clink.

[ishmael]

I carry 20 30 round magazine, 2 water bottle, bonoculars, knife, wire for cutting, pistol, 2 magazines, compass, maps, matches, sun glass, and bandage. Also some food

[barak]

The first post was the closest 8 mags, 2 full canteens, one bandage. And zero room for anything extra. Remember when your out their your not alone your co should have the map compass and everything you need.

[rashal]

It always depends on the mission. This is my config for short one night missions -

8 x mags - which consists of 3 double mags, 1 regular mag, and one tracer mag.
2 x pistol mags - one in the pistol, one in the vest
2 x frags in the side of the vest (easily reachable)
1 x flashbang in the side of the vest. (easily reachable)
1 x smoke in the back of the vest (unreachable, need friend's help)
1-3 x plastic strips and some cloth for cuffs and blindfolds
1 x bandage, arterial tourniquet.
1 x 2 liter camelback
1 x in-force non encrypted radio
1 x SOG seal pup elite
and some lightsticks (green and infrared, in small reachable front pockets)

And that's basically it. The pistol usually goes on the thigh holster, unless you're going somewhere with tons of sand (like gaza).

Again, depending on the mission some stuff might be added (like some food in the back of the vest), or taken out (if you are in the search team you might leave out the smokes or in some extreme cases even the camelback).

If you're going on something long, the best is to have all your extra gear in big backpacks for these reasons -

1. When the **** hits the fan you can drop the heavy stuff down and fight with only your combat gear.
2. If you put something in the back of your vest, you'll need your friend's help to take it out. With a backpack you can just put it down on the ground and take out what you need.

Now don't forget that on long missions you usually work in 30 soldier platoons that stay close together all the time. Usually equipment which is vital for the platoon's advancement will be distributed like this -

6 soldiers that carry all the MRE's (doesn't necessarily mean that others don't carry any food at all)
5 soldiers that carry a lot of water (either in 10 liter camelback or lots of bottles)
2 soldiers that carry the explosives
3 soldiers that carry a box full of double mags
3 Negev gunners who carry shiploads of ammo
[...]
[...]
2 Breachers that carry all the mechanical breaching tools.

Now don't get me on the exact numbers because every mission is different and every force changes in size, but you probably get the idea behind the distribution. Because if every soldier would have had to carry his entire supply of water, MREs, ammo, and so on, his gear would have been very bulky and uncomfortable.

[ishmael]

I think mission tell you what to carry, I nevr have a helmet, light sticks, granades and I can catch my food. Rabbits are good to eat. I think if I go now i would have a leatherman tool also, i do not need gps there are stars, and bissli. :) body armor nice but too heavy. My purpose was not to look for fight only the find the person who will be in fight.

[Gilads]

Things have changed a lot since your service mate...

Apart from medics, conscripts still in basic training and probably reservists almost no one carries canteens anymore (there are hydration packs instead).

A infantryman carries six magazines+one in the weapon while a medic can carry five magazines in the vest+one in the weapon.

And I haven't seen a vest that doesn't have an arterial tourniquet in it (much more crucial than a personal dressing when it comes to first aid).

[Gilads]

Originally Posted by rafi

I last served in August.

Reserve duty I take it?

You're saying that every sadirnik in the IDF now has been issued a pistol?
And a full array of grenades?

Pistols, in the regular infantry battalions? Not at all.

As for grenades, they are issued.

My post refers to what I have seen in my battalion and in other regular battalions.

[rafi]

Originally Posted by Gilads

Reserve duty I take it?



Pistols, in the regular infantry battalions? Not at all.

As for grenades, they are issued.

My post refers to what I have seen in my battalion and in other regular battalions.

So you would agree that the kit described is hardly standard issue.

[Gilads]

Originally Posted by rafi

So you would agree that the kit described is hardly standard issue.

Standard issue is what your battalion commander/company commander/squad commander/sergeant (and so on) decides... in other words there isn't really such a thing as 'standard' issue in the IDF.

All I know is that since the first day of basic training we were tought to always carry 6 magazines in our vests apart from the one in the weapon (6 regular mags and one with tracer rounds).

After I finished the combat medics course I was only required to carry 5 magazines at all times.

When we were issued hydration packs no one was required to still have two canteens except the medics.

And from what I have seen it is the same in all regular infantry battalions.

So like I mentioned... the doctrine you are familiar with must have changed since you finished your service and maybe it is only practiced among reservists, as this is what they know.

[Sayeret Golani]

This may seem like a random question but does someone HAVE to carry a frag gernade or could they substitute from something else.

[rafi]

Originally Posted by Sayeret Golani

This may seem like a random question but does someone HAVE to carry a frag gernade or could they substitute from something else.

They are issued situationally, not for you to have on you at all times.

[yonster12]

How does a soldier can an Acog scope or something around there or a grenade launcher, do u apply for it or something, how does that work?

[yonster12]

how does a soldier get*

[johnboy]

Originally Posted by yonster12

how does a soldier get*

what are you trying to say with your post yonster ?

[yonster12]

sorry let me write that over i wasnt rly paying attention when i wrote it, when the soldier gets picked to his unit etc some recieve a laser type scope idk what its called and some soldiers get an acog scope or a grenade launcher, how are they issued that, what requirments do they need to meet to receive that. I always see pictures of some soldiers with with scopes and some with laser or grenade launcher?