British Army Personal Kit - Layer 1: Survive! 

Layer 1: Tea bags, Spare Tea Bags, Emergency Tea bags and 'It's really gone to shit' Tea Bags.

Live out of your ruck, fight out of your rig, survive out of your pockets. Good wisdom.

I have seen a shit ton of videos on the tube like this... This is the first one where Know this man is 1 the real deal and 2 what he is saying is spot on

My wife spotted me carefully putting together an emergency tin last week, following your video. She couldn`t get over the two needles I taped to the inside of the lid. "Whatever makes you boys happy", she laughed. "You never know," I replied.

"In the British army we do a little more work than other armies" Priceless , good quote

Top video, real survival. I love the line “I didn’t get this from watching RU-vid videos”.

cant wait for layers 2 and 3. The approach UK soldiers take to fieldcraft has always intrigued me .

Another amazing video, keep up the great work.

No nonsense, well delivered, thanks, liked & subbed.

really enjoying your videos and learning a lot, thankyou

Austrian weather means we also get really hot summers, so we carry admin in our bdu jackets/shirts (notebooks, checklists, nav etc), and carry all essentials in our trouser pockets (knife, lighter, field dressing, cravats/banana and gloves). Allows us to layer clothing more effectively. But even while with the army I adopted the use of a customized smock when not in the barracks - meant I hardly ever had to break open the Bergen unless ordered to set up camp Great video, love the balance between being informative enough and keeping it compact

Many thanks sir, an excellent demonstration of the most essential and practical.

Cheers for that, can't wait for the rest of the layers :) certainly some points to take away from this especially tying everything on. I remember quite a few years ago doing one of those adventure runs, when it came to swimming across the lake I realised I'd lost my inhaler but by some stroke of luck it wasn't just found but beat me to the other side of the lake.

Great video. Really love the part about the spoon.

A nice new series of videos you are making! This topic of gear to lug around what you need and don't need never gets old! Beautiful "Springerabzeichen" on your chest as well! 🙂

Great video bruv..subbed

great video, look forward to the next one.

Some good advice mate keep up the videos

Excellent video 👍

Great video!

This is a great set up you've got. Greetings (cheers?) from the United States.

Interesting video, great tips there and I'll be stealing them for my walks up the Fells, always ways to improve and stay safer.

Great gear n video cheers mate

Excellent information Tom. Looking forward to the rest of the series as well. Thanks Nate

Omg great info, thanks for taking the time to educate use.

In the Infantry US Army we kept our lower blouse pockets clear b/c the LBE rode there. The compass was in the upper right pocket, and the map was in the left trouser cargo pocket. Those were standard spots. When I transferred to the combat engineers, my demo blasting caps were in the upper left blouse pocket!

top work

Excellent video.. I've learned a lot in a short time. Thank you..

Good info! Thanks.

Just great stuff. The dummy cording is something I need to tend to, and the waterproof bag in the pant pocket for pen and pad was a great idea. It can be protected and on your lowe pockets dry, secure and available without using other kit bag pocketspaace. ...and the spoon on the line with fire, whistle, and Swiss knife...wise indeed. “My kingdom for a Spoon ! “💫 🇺🇸💥🇬🇧🌟

❤ great content. thank you

Great stuff , really useful.

Nice one!!

Outstanding video. Just happened into my feed, and I believe I will subscribe. Former Marine here, and I appreciate learning how y’all do it on the other side of the pond. Really enjoyed this one. I’ve been making a pocket in my covers (hats) just like that one, but never thought to make it high visibility. A great idea. Looking forward to the next video in this series. Going now to watch the video on your survival tin. Oh, and one of my favorite pieces of kit is my British B.A.S.H.A. I’ve used it for over 25 years now and still rely on it to keep me dry at night. 👍🏻👍🏻

Great video mate! Always looking for new ways to improve on doing things over here on the other side of the pond. I’m really liking that jacket/smock that you’re wearing & will be looking to find out more info on it. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the videos in this series. Cheers from the Central PA mountains in the good ol US of A…..

RSO: Damn, you got a lot of shit in your pockets(Me during the shakedown after IWQ) Prepared Pathfinder: "Hold my beer".

Well done sir

Survive, thrive, live was how I was taught, First you avoid dying, then you make things better, then you go make yourself some earned comfort :-)

Good confirmation of something we learned many years ago. A red light is the best medium for preserving night vision BUT a red filter on your navigation torch is nothing but trouble. This is because contour lines on military maps are printed in orange/ red and a red filter torch cancels them out on the map at night. We would look at our map with a pinhole masked white light torch from beneath a poncho or smock to hide the light. Nice to see some things don’t change. 348JRW

Good video, nice to watch to bring back some memories.. atb (former 216)

Soldiers are so lucky these days, the only decent kit we had was the Para Smock and Norwegian shirts, the combat 95 fell apart and boots high-leg with hells filled with chip board type materials.

I really enjoyed your video and the equipment you keep on your person in the field, similar to my own- just different enough to seem exotic lol Prior US Marine- my cammie uniform wasn’t like that, it had shoulder and breast pockets but that’s it- but I do enjoy the 4 pocket system wherever it’s at Looking forward to seeing the second vid Edit for spelling*

Great video mate, as usual, !!! A quick question for you, I having never used mtp, what in your opinion is the best camouflage pattern you have used operationally? Love that smock it's ally as f%$k !!!!!!

Good video, very clear what you explain, beautiful smock. I'm waiting for the one about the backpack.👍

Just found your channel. Binge watched several. Great content, well presented . You definitely know this stuff. Walt is definitely not here.

Just found you xideo! now subscribed been training since 1982 now living 8n aus good man nicely presented 👌

Super great Video Greetings from germany

Pretty neat seeing this from a American perspective. Interesting gear

Nice! Greetings from the woods in Sweden 🇸🇪

Great vid 👍

Nice pieces of gear

Super informative. Prior US marine. Very different than our doctrine, especially with the use of the smock. Subscribed as well.

Interesting how whistle for issuing commands in noisy fighting environments is still in use, even as going far back as roman legionairies

In the 1970s only a few British soldiers had smock, belt kit and bergan , shows some of us were ahead of the pack.

Great info as we prepare to face WW111!

Greetings from Alaska..

Great video. Just curious, which swiss army model do you carry?

Just received my Ortlieb map case and “notebook” case. I’ve also received my new notebook and holder/case to suit. Also got a sh*t load of karabiners and paracord 😂 I’m excited for my next army training exercise to try this new setup out 😁 currently in the process of making an admin line 👍🏼 thanks for all your info and tips, anything to make life easier in the field 👌🏼

Interesting video mate, liking the map cases. Your right. Lots of them are too bulky. Age old principles here

I’ve got something in my front pocket… something in my front pocket… something in my front pockets for you

Ur a Para I am now a subscriber"bro"(affirmative Sarnt I'm Airborne! Cheers mate as y'all say.👍)

Oh look, I’m already subscribed to your channel 😎 Must be that I’m not online enough to remember.

I've been thinking about making a survival vest, out of a peter storm fishing gilet with plenty pockets. Some good ideas here mate.

I have not realised how organised the Army has made me. I left in 88, but technically (R Sigs), my layer 1 / 2 kit is the dogs bollocks.

I always wanted to learn how to read a map

Also... Biscuits, fruit and Paper, Toilet, wiping. For the use of.

Red nail polish on the flashlight lense. In the field we never use white lights. It's a good trick.

top video

Just found you… liked and sub’d. 👍

Walter Mitty! Those photos don’t have the issued black bar over the eyes ;)

Great video , but no pocket with boiled sweets 🍬 😂

Nice. With the German Springerabzeichen. Glück Ab👍🏻

Get some!

Good kit now when I was in back in the mid 80s it was poor,no such thing comfort,grin and bared it hale rain and snow.

What do you wear under the smock? I'd assume some type of field shirt then potentially a regular moisture-wicking layer under that. Please correct me if I'm wrong though.

Could you do a civilian or near civilian equivalent. Not easy to find trousers that are simple but will easily take an ortlieb map case (up to A3) folded etc. Would be good if someone could make a version of the old jungle trousers or CS95 in drab non camouflage shades (greys, browns, different greens etc)

What’s best, buy a pre made bug out bag or make one yourself?

What has it got in it's pocketses? ~Gollum

Do you fablon your maps as well as putting them in the Ortlieb?

I've always found it super irritating at at times painful to have big bulky items in my map pockets the issued trousers are too thin for me 🤢

Mate gleaming video hats off Also were you ex PF?? Ally

Just wondering what size of bonnie brim do you recommend?

Hello, what do you do when its starts raining? Do you throw a hardshell OVER or UNDER your smock? Or do you use a poncho or do you even pack the smock away and putting a hardshell over? Thank you for yoir response, great channel greetings from Germany

Great video. One question I have about keeping all these things in your smock, tied on with some cord, is: What happens when you have to do a section attack or whatever and you take your smock off to avoid overheating? How are you gonna get at all those items? Would you put your smock in your daysack and take that with you?

Nicely done Tom! 🔫🔫 (they don't let you post pistols on here anymore LOL)

Love the boonie hat

Just wondering, do you carry chinagrapgh pencils for the map, or are you one of the no need to mark the map great video btw

Is that a c8 in your photos the FSK uses them as their standard rifle, the rest of us were issued the hk416 .

What’s the name of the sleeve with the lighter in your right upper pocket?

I'm rejoining the army after a false diagnosis from the NHS got my appeal coming up (I know I'll pass) Just wondering if you could give any advice on things to take with me for exercise?

Oh PS Gucci kit is all very well but what comes up with the rations and ammunition is good old G1098 issue stuff. You might get a local issue of something to supplement what you have but they are few and far between no one is going out to pay a fortune to get you something different. Learn to use what you have got not yearn to have what you have not.

I stole the idea of the British troops i worked with for my private wandering gear. I always wear a smock parka or have it attached to my pack. I always have on cargo pants and either a shirt or an indoor jacket with loads of pockets.

What is that tape on the top of the hat exactly? It must be something really special if aircraft is supposed to pick it up. Thanks!

That smock is a pl sgts nightmare. Battle rattle everywhere. So many better places to place your kit guys. Do what's easier for you

Quick Hack. At 2.42 you refer to the glint tape on top of your bush hat. You can get back reflective tape (British army issue) fairly easily. Black or silver, it reflects light. However, the stuff you really need, (as of course you know), is infra-red reflective for night vision equipment. You can get IR patches quite easily. However, it is quite interesting to note that export of specific IR markers (ie the small squares) is apparently illegal in the US. You can easily understand why. In saying that, I have seen them (in any case) available for sale at a bloody silly price over the internet. So the hack? You can make your own IR patch and it is really easy. All you need is some old fashioned exposed camera film. Cut an inch square from the bit at the beginning of the roll (which tends to be completely black) and cover it with some Sellotape. In the old days when they returned the developed pictures to you, they also returned the original film. You can take this out of the spool if that was the way in which it was returned. Glue the square + tape onto your hat and the job is done. Your very own IR reflective patch. Just don't tell the variety of ‘Fuzzy Wuzzies’ that you happen to be fighting at the time. All I need is an egg box and we could have had an episode of Blue Peter.

Which pocket do you carry the Yellow Handbag in? As a Sapper, i need to know. 😊

Two notebooks? One in chest pocket and one in pants pocket. A bit of an overkill? Can't you just use one for everything (notes and orders)?

#essence👌😎👊

What size is the Ortleib bag and map case? Are they both the A4 size or is the note book one A4 and the map the purpose made map case?

Are the issued smocks good enough or is it better to get a better one?