4 Ways to Test Out Your Gear
You may be wondering, why would I want to test my gear?
Because if you just pack up your stuff and let it sit in front of your door or in the back of your car, what happens when an emergency comes along and you realize you can't carry around your gear because it's just too heavy or that the alcohol swabs in your first aid kit have completely dried out?
You need to constantly be working at improving your gear so that you're the most prepared that you can be.
Don't just test our your BOB, if you have a tac vest, test that out as well. Be sure to include any weapons in the appropriate exercises as well.
By following through with the below 'tests', you're showing yourself what works and what doesn't.
Simply setting up a BOB and letting it sit won't give you any sort of idea about whether you're truly prepared and can handle what you've packed.
Here are a few ideas of how you can test out your gear. We recommend testing out your gear at least once a month and certainly changing out what doesn't work and especially changing out the food and first aid supplies on a regular basis so the items remain fresh.
1. Run/walk around the block with your gear and see how long it takes you to feel exhausted. This'll feel different for everyone, so make your own judgement on whether or not your gear needs to be adjusted.
2. Go camping with JUST your BOB. Try going camping for a weekend with just the contents of your BOB. You might be shocked to find out that you're not as prepared as you may think, but that's ok! Go home and make the proper adjustments.
3. Use your gear during training exercises. If you go paint balling, laser tagging or air softing, then just take your gear and see how well you can maneuver with it and how quickly you get tired.
4. See how quickly you can get out of your house with your gear. Make sure you run drills with your gear once or twice a month to determine the best place to put your gear in order to efficiently exit the establishment.
Keep a notepad handy through each test so that you can jot down notes as to what works and what doesn't.
Then at the end of each test, adjust your gear accordingly.
practice how you play.
I dont think ppl would like if i ran out with a backpack with a shotgun on my back and a AR-15 in my hand..lol..just saying.
I never said take your shot gun. Your shot gun shouldn’t be the only piece of gear you have.
Absolutely! The only way to truly be know if you can trust your gear is to get out and put it to the test. You would rather have it fail in your neighborhood on some simple Saturday than in a situation where your life may depend on it. Besides, being ready is more than just gear and getting out and about certainly won’t hurt your fitness level. Finally, dry runs of your plans using your gear will teach you that if you DID forget something or you experienced some failure you can work through the process of improvising and making due with what you DO have with you. Nice work, guys. x2
Exactly! Well said, Randy. :)