Frag Out! Magazine

THe sIze of THe survIvAl kIT Now there is a lot of the available survival kits on the mar- ket. Some companies specialise in such an equipment (BCB, SOLKOA, ASE), but not every ready kit will meet our needs. We must adjust it to the terrain on which we will operate, to our requirements, to a season, to a task, as well as to ourselves. Let's try to create a king of the key according to which we will be able to adjust a kit to our own needs. We have already get to know that it must be compact. But to what extend? Here all depends on what we do – a different kit and a place of carrying it we chose when we operate in the built-up area, and a different one when we realise tasks in the green tactic. There are no perfect solutions in this matter. It heavily depends on the space we can appoint for such a kit. Throughout many years the soldiers of the British SAS carried the escape kits on the first line belt – together with the mercenaries fighting in Rhodesia, British soldiers were the precursors of dividing the equipment for this for fight and survival. The first line belts were used to transport the basic stuff for survival, separately from ammunition and an equipment for camping. It allowed for better distribution of the equipment, easier access to it and a user's comfort, e.g. while riding on the vehicles. This trend had been initially developed and then was fallen into oblivion (the charms of the army "levelling" from the 1970-1990's) and finally came back together with a development of the modular equipment. Today a lightweight chest rig is rather attached to the vest or the plate carrier, and additionally we have a sepa- rate belt with a first aid kit, water and a survival kit. Unfortunately, many soldiers forget that the impossible situa- tions happen just then when we are not ready or not prepared for them, and even in the special forces an attitude towards a survival situation sometimes is slightly neglecting. Coming back to the survival equipment – an absolute minimum, which the soldiers should carry with them, is a survival kit. A small box which fits the most needed items which will help us, when we are alone. An idea of such a box is derived from the aviation – the pilots as the first met themselves with a problem of surviving behind enemy lines, with a minimal amount of the equipment which they might take with them. During the Second World War it became obvious that a training of the pilot costs a lot and his recovery is sometimes cheaper than replacing him by the other. Additionally, a psychological motive acted here – a pilot was sure that in the case of the shooting down somebody would seek him and he would not be left to his fate. And it was just then when an equipment which a pilot took with him started to evaluate. A box had to be small. Why? The basic task for the pilot is manning the aircraft. He cannot sit on the rucksack with the gadgets for camping in the case of shoot- ing down. Therefore a survival equipment had to be compact, lightweight and does not interfere with the normal operations. Throughout all these years this equipment has developed, and its basic task – human life rescuing in the emergency situations – is still the same. It has also not been modified a form, it is still most frequently a small box. After some time it turned out that not only pilots are involved in the isolation at the enemy backs. With a similar situations met also the soldiers of the OSS, SAS or even the 1st Independent Company Commando. After all, a soldier fighting on the ground has a limited amount of equipment, too. His basic tool is a carbine and an ammuni- tion to it, and additionally water, food and many other items. In the meantime, the situations connected with a survival in the isolation may bechance, but not everybody and every time. Therefore an equipment should be small, light and cannot inter- fere with basic activities. One of the best and most widely known survival kits are man- ufactured by the British BCB company. The most items from their offer has a NSN stock number and is available in many PX store, but a company has an entire range of them in its offer. I will not describe here all available, nevertheless everyone may choose a kit from the BCB kit which will meet his requirements. This equipment is bought by practically every European army – it can be seen in the SAS, SBS, KSK, as well as in the Dutch or even the Polish special forces. Similarly, as the equipment, box size might be also chosen. In the BCB offer there is a very large kit named the "Special Forces", which – as ensures a manufac- turer – was developed for the needs of the soldiers from the special forces (BCB does not betray details) with which was consulted its setting. This kit is very large and cannot be com- fortable when worn in the pockets of the jacket or trousers. www.fragoutmag.com

• Cover