Vietnam Load Bearing Equipment

I've slowly been putting this together over the past year or so. I still need a couple of things but not exactly sure what. First aid pouch for sure I think and then maybe a flashlight? I don't think there were any real standards to this, some had four magazine pouches but then grenades wouldn't fit. This is an early war setup before they went to nylon.

Let me know what you think should be with it.

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M6 bayonet? Shovel?

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Originally Posted by Aragorn243

et me know what you think should be with it.

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A rolled up poncho attached to the butt pack. Both items were impractical, miserable bits of kit to to use or wear, but at least the brass buckle of the pistol belt (waistbelt for my fellow Brits) stayed done up. The "quick release" fastener on the nylon belt that replaced it had a nasty habit of popping open at very inopportune moments. Like so many bits of military equipment, it appears the aforementioned items were designed by accountants and other pencil pushers, rather than the troops who had to use them.

Bayonet and shovel, I have them but no idea where they would go on this. I'm no expert on Vietnam but I think they used this set up simply for patrols, shovel probably wouldn't be carried. Not sure on the bayonet.

A Poncho, now that's an obvious one. I don't have a poncho, never even thought of one. Never liked them much but I'll have to find one now, thanks. I had one when I was in the service, used it a good bit in the field. I can imagine the smell (stench) of the thing as I sit here typing this.

Poncho located and purchased, thanks again. Can't believe I forgot about them.

What loadout and year are you attempting to portray? SOG, SEAL, LRP, RTO, Early Advisor, SF A Team, Leg, Airborne, PRU, LLDB, ???? 'cause they're all different.

LOL, you would have to be difficult. Just something generic and common. Leg infantry I guess.

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Originally Posted by Aragorn243

Leg infantry I guess.

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Then we're back to bayonet and shovel...and stinky poncho.

Pistol Holster?

I did find two set-ups like I want and they do fit the shovel and the bayonet on it. I forgot the bayonet goes on the shovel. One does not have the second canteen but the other does. I'll have to dig out the shovel and bayonet. Poncho should be here in a week. I'm still missing the first aid pouch. eBay is a little ridiculous on them at the moment so that will have to wait. I can't believe I don't have one here somewhere. I'll have to look. All the weird stuff I pick up and put in boxes. I have several WWII examples I only paid a couple of dollars for. Sellers on eBay want over $20 for a Vietnam "dated" one but I can't read the dates on any of them.

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Flashlight, M-16A1 and Tank?

Collecting and reenacting Vietnam War has become very popular and prices resultantly have skyrocketed. 15 years ago one could walk into a surplus store like Omaha's in Fort Worth and come out with a complete set of M1956 or M1967 webgear for $150. Today, they might have an ammo pouch or canteen carrier if you're lucky. Even the reproduction uniforms have skyrocketed, if you can find them. I recently sold a used reproduction Huyet (Bloodcake) uniform for an American Team 162 Advisor (Vietnamese Airborne) for $400.00! Original Tigers are through the roof and good reproductions, if you can find them will run you close to $200.00. Jungle fatigues and ERDL same same. Indig rucks used to be $75.00 and now go for north of $400.00 if you can find them. Working PRC25 sets with web carrier run around $450 and don't even try to find a correct, working H 138 or H 189 handset. P68 and ARVN rucksacks, don't even bother.

Make sure you get that red pack of Marlboros in there!

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Originally Posted by MAC702

that red pack of Marlboros

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You mean the little four pack from the rations...?

I've noticed a lot of the Vietnam items are going for more than the WWII stuff these days.

I never really collected it, didn't have a strong interest in it but I've been running across it more often lately and getting it cheap so figured why not. I've assembled 3 helmets and this web gear in the past year along with getting a set of jungle fatigues. Mostly at yard sales and flea markets but some of the helmet accessories were eBay purchases.

I'm also looking at Desert Storm stuff as that was my war and I didn't think much about it at the time. Can't trust a lot of this stuff however because anything Iraqi is labeled as Desert Storm and most of it is from the second war with Iraq.

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Originally Posted by Aragorn243

I'm also looking at Desert Storm stuff as that was my war and I didn't think much about it at the time. Can't trust a lot of this stuff however because anything Iraqi is labeled as Desert Storm and most of it is from the second war with Iraq.

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It's never too early to be ahead of the curve. Chocolate Chip (Desert Battle Dress) camo is still plentiful and cheap. I'm hanging on to 3 sets of unissued Woodland for if and when it becomes rare, though probably not in my lifetime.

I don't know how many sets I have, probably five BDU and three chocolate chip which were mine. I also have a set of the replacement for chocolate chip which I picked up at a yard sale. I had to buy all my uniforms so they stayed with me. Didn't have to buy the chocolate chips, not sure why, wartime issue maybe. One set was gifted to go home in.

As a tanker I despised all that crap! There was always some damned INFANTRY sergeant major ad division headquarters the specified some ridiculous SOP for wearing that mess every time we dismounted. Couldn't just unplug the CVC and step down wearing my pistol in a shoulder holster to talk to someone on the ground. Had to put on all the LBE and a steel helmet and still have to listen to him bitch because I was not carrying a rifle.

Local VFW was kind enough to loan me their Tank M-48? as a backdrop.

The dreaded Spaghetti straps.

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Originally Posted by frenchkat

The dreaded Spaghetti straps.

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How to build a "Tanker's Roll"

Start with your shelter half (half of a pup tent), lay it out flat. Then fold one army blanket length wise and lay it on the shelter half. Then lay the air mattress (deflated) full length on the blanket...then lay the sleeping bag on the air mattress. Take your second blanket, folded length wise, and lay it on the sleeping bag. Finally, cover it all with your poncho, tucking the ends and sides under between the shelter half and the first blanket. Now you have a bedroll... fold the ends of the shelter half up onto the bedroll. Then fold the sides up onto the bedroll...like a big OD colored burrito. Starting at the foot end, roll the whole thing up as tightly as you can, making sure all the pieces stay covered by the shelter half as you roll it up. The bedroll carrier (we called them "spaghetti straps" because there were a bunch of straps and they always seemed to be tangled up and no one knew what they were for) is then used to secure the roll, you can attach it to the turret rail with those straps.

When you had a chance to sleep...roll out the bedroll...blow up the air mattress... get undressed...and climb in. The fewer clothes you had on, the warmer you would be. Put your boots under the poncho, pull you clothes in the sleeping bag with you, if they are dry. The shelter half protected the bedroll from rocks and twigs and helped to keep things dry. The first blanket was further protection for the air mattress and provided a layer of insulation. The air mattress kept you off the ground...more insulation and comfort. The sleeping bag then could do it's job efficiently. The next blanket insulated from the top (these days a poncho liner replaces the second wool blanket), the poncho kept it all dry. You could sleep in -20 German weather and stay warm and dry out on the ground...even if it rained or snowed. Any tanker worth his salt had a half dozen air matress repair kits in his gear.

The value of the tanker's roll has no monetary sum...it is priceless.

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Been there, done that! 11b From 73 - 79. Earlier years used the Spaghetti straps. Used them in the 90s to secure a bail out bag as a pilot. This was standard issue at Bragg in the 70s and made many jumps with this ****. Even though we were issued this in Alaska, we used the jungle ruck.

The poncho came. I'm not sure I remember how to roll it up. I rolled it up last night and it's about 16 inches wide and about 4 inches around. Seems to me it should be about 10-12 inches wide and 6 inches around. Been over 20 years since I rolled on up. I still have to find my shovel and bayonet.

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That's the one...longer than that since I saw mine. I can still remember the smell though. I sure spent a lot of time under one, damp the whole time.