Recce Rifle Setup and Camouflage / Mountain Rifle Setup. Becoming Deadly in the Mountains Part 2. 

"If you're not fit, you're gonna die... don''t die" words to live by, quite literally.

I know for a lot of people going out and practicing Recce might be difficult, but something you can look into if you’re interested is hunting, even if you don’t want to kill anything taking a weapon into the woods can give a whole lot of insight about what is comfortable, nice to have. Also tracking game and humans have a lot of parallels, game leaves less sign even. Just food for thought, the guys who feed their families off the land will vibe check all of us with an iron sighted 30-30 with just knowledge of terrain and experience in the woods

Im 72, was regular army. Met a lot of fellow vets over the years. Many of them spent real time in the jungle.(Luurps, SF, Rangers etc.) You hang out with them, you learned many little things about staying alive and winning. Things they learned the hard way. Ive watched some of the videos here on YT over the years from other people offering advice and education. Some are not bad, some are trash. The videos And comments from this channel are hands down the best! Some of the comments are chill as hell and offer real world knowledge that is just awesome to read! Thank you all for sharing such good shit! Bit of advice here. Times are going to get weird here in America, you can see it happening. You young bloods need to pay great attention to every word spoken on this channel and then go out and train your asses off and Practice all of it. Carry on. US Army 69/71

In Afghanistan I carried ten mags on my flak one of which was tracers for marking targets. And I carried 25 in my assault pack… just before deploying I read an AAR about a fire team of marines that got killed in Iraq because they ran out of ammo. Everyone thought I was crazy for carrying that much weight until the day came that they were asking me for mags. Obviously that’s too many for this kind of situation but point is carry as much ammo as you can.

Former Canadian Recce here. Brown panty hose is a good lense cover for lights etc. Watch out that any tape you use is non reflective. Make sure you have a weapon that is easily carried at the low ready as it is a common position to be carried for recce type movements when in the AO but not in close proximity. Make sure your watch or gloves do not hit and make noise on your rifle. Slings with buckle covers or clip covers are always a good call. Use your gear and rifle hard in training to weather it just like the big man said on the video here. Monitor moving through elevation thresholds as vegetation can change or just disappear and leave your otherwise cam'd up ass sticking out like a grizzly bear in a bar. I am by no means an expert, just some tricks picked up over time. PS: This is my favorite series so far on this channel. Keep it up.

Former Scout Sniper Section Gentleman: Simple Advice that’s often overlooked. They way you pack your load needs to be shared with your small unit. You never know who needs what when. You never know who grabs what when it’s time to boogie. Your kit isn’t yours it’s the teams.

this is like the 5th time I've watched this video and I swear if Garand did full length feature films about this stuff id watch it over and over

Quick camo tips: 1. Use a cardboard or paper cutout and paint it first. Place it into the various environments in your area of operations and step back; 50m, 100m, 500m, 1000m. Is it working or not? You might need to repeat this for variation between seasons. 2. Paint areas that catch light dark. Paint areas that are typically in shadow lighter. 3. Observe how light reacts with your environment during typical operational hours (first light and last light). What directions/shapes do the shadows from your environment make? Mimic these on your gear. 4. Just like your body-worn or shelter camo, consider utilizing vegetation. Texture breaks up outlines far better than color alone.

I have to say this is one of my favorite Garand Thumb video series The effort that he puts in it is incredible Thanks a lot!

So, Garandalf, you try to lead them over Caradhras. And if that fails, where then will you go? If the mountain defeats you, will you risk a more dangerous road?

I hope you havent given up on this series, I for one am truly excited to see where you plan to take it and im excited to learn more about this aspect of bushcraft.

My “recce” gun is a 20inch FN upper with 4x32 ACOG and of course a A2 flash hider. Your point of “longer barrels turn training ammo into duty ammo” is EXACTLY how I feel about it

Love to see this “How to be deadly in the _____” series continue. Desert, urban, woodland, Great Plains, ect…

An acronym that we use in the military to find a good spot hide in or make an Observation post in is BLUES- Blend in, Low to the ground, Unexpected terrain, Evacuation routes, Sihlouetting. Blend in and low to the ground are self explanatory. Unexpected sites means that humans naturally take the path of least resistance so that means anything from roads to rabbit trails you need to find a spot that humans naturally would avoid because itd be too difficult to get to. Evacuation routes means that always have as many ways to get out of the area as possible, preferably in every dirrection so you dont get trapped in one spot. Sihlouetting means avoid any position that will give you a backdrop that would give you a human silhouette when viewed from the side, that means the tops of mountains and ridges its extremely easy to pick out the human outline even far away. A bit long winded but hopefully someone finds it useful

Just wanted to say thanks for giving us this info for free. This stuff is absolutely priceless, especially for us civvies.

In Canada in my platoon (recce) we taped beneath our ejection port covers to dampen the sound of the ejection port cover flapping open. Instead of that loud click of it opening it became almost in audible. It’s amazing how loud something as small as that is when you’re trying to be silent.

I've been training everyday in the hills and small mountains all around my county since you uploaded the last episode I'm happy you're continuing this series. Greetings from Alabama, buddy.

My dad was sf Vietnam vet and growing up the first thing he taught me was tracking, "if you can track a deer you can track a man" is what he used to say.. he also taught me the value of a good fighting knife

A carry handle or forward vertical grip can make your life easier if you want to carry your weapon unslung. On a long hike ergonomics are way more important than low weight. Same applies to your pack, pick something comfortable and heavy over something light and uncomfortable. Pain is worse than exhaustion for your endurance in my experience.

Added note on barrel length in regards to SLLS: longer barrel = more powder burn = less muzzle flash.

I hope to see 50+ more parts to this series. Extremely interesting stuff. Stuff many of us Civies don't have a single clue about where to start and what to prioritize

On RECCE patrols in Afghanistan depending on the mission I wore a plate carrier vest (garbage) under a chest rig that carried 12 mags plus the one in my rifle. A med kit with tourniquet, two packs of quick clot and field dressing, a couple of hand warmers. In an admin pouch a gps, compass, pacer beads, night vision, IR glow sticks with 550 cord for LZ marking, 2 grenades and 4 m203 rounds in pouches on my chest. In a backpack I had at least 12 bottles of water, a camel back, a couple of MRE's, 20 m203 rounds, a jacket, a ranger blanket and strapped to the outside of the pack an M72 rocket launcher. This was back in 2007 and I still feel the sore back now lol. Climbing the mountains of Afghanistan with that on was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done in life.

I love how passionate he is about these kinds of topics. This will certainly come in useful someday, as I do hope to live in Montana in the coming years.

"don't shove it in the folds" nothing but the unvarnished truth from this man; one does not want manscaped folds, no sirree :)

I'm a hunting guide in Northwest Montana and a lot of skills I learned from the infantry translate extremely well to this line of work.

Remember: if carrying two primary weapons always equip the AMPED perk for faster weapon switches.

Hey, Mike, thanks for the refresher course. I'm almost 50 years old and a veteran of AFSOC. I started during Desert Storm as a PJ and more or less everything else is something I can't discuss on social media. The only thing I can tell you is that after Desert Storm the remainder of my Air Force career was spent in Combat Control (first in last out kind of shit). Both light and extended recon, hunter-killer teams and all of the wonderful fucking paradise that comes with exploring the wilderness in parts of Mother Earth I am not allowed to talk about. So, you teach survival training, huh? I remember going through that training at Fairchild in Spokane, WA. A place I had never even fucking heard of until it became a part of my training. Beautiful part of the U.S.A., though. From one military man to another keep the good videos coming brother. I don't know if you realize this, but you are training the people who just might become the militia as defined in the 2A.

How can so many videos be nothing but solid advice? Dude is a gift from God.

"If you're not fit, you're gonna die." Words to live by. Just like the guy that trains with his A4 clone will smoke the guy with his Heckler & Koch MR556A1 that never trained, the guy that took his physical fitness seriously and is able to hike for miles without rest, run for a mile or two without rest, ect. will smoke the guy who sits on his couch all day eating ice cream. Train. Train with your weapon, train your body. Train your mind. Edit: spelling.

I’m glad he brought up the point that a Hunting/Deer rifle can fulfill a role in a “tactical” environment. A base model R700, Mossberg .308, etc etc, with good glass and good training will still put a hole into something as effectively. Not as high of a rate of fire/ capacity, but working within your means is nothing to look down upon

Very educative and already encouraged. I had never bothered with the scopes but I am sure they will come in handy when practicing about 2km. Also more Amor more cartridge. This has improved me. Thank you.

As someone not living in the states, but the northern part of Europe I find it difficult to have those types of fire arms you have. After living the army I longer have access to this. So for now my hunting rifle will do. Love the content you are making!

This series has made me realize just how unprepared I actually am.

Really enjoying this series, I live in the mountains and good food for thought. Growing up, the father of a good friend was a Vietnam vet. A sniper on LRRP team and he always said you pack the same amount of food and ammo, “Enough to keep you alive.” Then he’d explain it takes MUCH less food than you think and more ammo than you’d imagine.

This is my favourite video. I appreciate the time and detail you do into these videos. I've learned a lot

So stoked for more of these Recee vids. Going off trail next week!

Canadian Veteran, up in the BC mountains to your north. Great series, great discussions happening here. Times are a changing and those of us with some knowledge need to share it, failing that sharing this video works to. Train hard; fight easy.

My squad leader used to make us do a rattle test everytime before we went out. We'd have to jump up and down and do a few rolls on the ground. And then find any sources of noise and 100mph tape or 550 cord it down. Also 100mph tape on all flat metal surfaces. To ensure we were as quiet as possibly when moving to an OP. Also checking the others in our squad for missed spots on skin to camo up. It was a little tedious. But is pretty important for that kind of work.

You’re a pretty humble guys for someone who’s done as much as you have and for the amount of training you’ve received. That’s what keeps me coming back to this channel. You don’t act like you have something to prove or like your desperate to be somebody. Great information with a wealth of knowledge. Thank you for sharing and for your service.

As someone who is an ex marine and lives in Washington, this video gave me great perspective and what I need to change for myself. Love these videos you put out Mike.

This series is pretty dope. I’ve been showing my old section guys this getting feedback and bouncing ideas off of them.

More important than what you wear or what color your weapon is, is having an intimate knowledge of small unit tactics and making sure anyone you’re with is on the same page.

I love your channel sir. This video is definitely informational and in-depth. That M-16 clone is dope! Keep doing what you’re doing. 🤟🇺🇸

Awesome video as always man! Serious but yet entertaining 👍

It was a cold winter's day in the hills of Western KY. I led my team of 8 men up on to a herd of bedding whitetail deer. I was rather impressed with our skills. We were 60 yards out and they never knew we were there. If you think you are moving too slow, slow down.

The best series by far. Shit is getting wild... Please do more videos focusing on tactics and applying skills practically . Thanks for doing these.

Everything Garand said was true and a wealth of information, but the game changer from having the best camouflauge to being killed is FLIR, Thermal Vision. If I were being hunted I would ask myself, " How can I defeat Thermal? ". At least one out of 12 in an enemy squad will have some sort of thermal scope or thermal monocular. Also Thermal will be used from enemy helicopters and drones. So every minute man should carry some sort of heavy mylar blanket or a wool banket to survive an enemy invasion force using FLIR. Because with the best camouflauge in the middle of a big clump of brush, YOU WILL BE DEFEATED. Any elaboration on this comment Garand?

Dude.. I’ve watched dozens of your gun reviews, even saw your “teamup” with demolition ranch and Kentucky ballistics. I love those videos, but yesterday YT recommended a different flavor of video from you. I want to say, I love your gun reviews. Those are “neat”. This series, has VALUE. Understand the difference between entertainment and education. Gun reviews are entertaining, this is education. I wish you had made this content when I was 35 years younger! Thanks for the content man.

Absolutely nailed it with his closing statement about fitness and training. You CANNOT be an effective fighting element if you're huffing and puffing and ready to pass out. Though you might be trained, how long are you going to last? Don't be a walking garage sale for those around you. Something as simple as walking/jogging a mile or two every other day will get the ball rolling. Just take that first step and the rest will follow.

I love how Gerand Thumb just hands out actual genuine advice for stuff like this for free lmao, i love it

Only been into this for a couple of years now but I've learned so much from you. Thanks man

Always appreciate your videos and helps me a lot. Know my rifle, train with it, stay undetected. Stay prepared and always aware.

Truly our internet Dad, trying to teach us how to survive in the coming days. God Bless you Mike.

Even if this series ends up as your least popular, imo it may well be the most important. Thank you for imparting your knowledge to us so that we may do our best in the case of protecting our Lives and our Liberty. I've done a lot of training with a group indoors; but now after moving to the PNW I need to acquiesce to a more important, relevant, and likely scenario which would be in the bush. Even if you safely bug-in for a few months, there will be a day where one will have to leave their castle to survive. I gotta quit smoking the cigarettes.

Excellent and Outstanding, Especially Your Recognition of a Long Rifle Barrel’s Value.

High temp wood stove ceramic spray paints would work great on cans and not smoke or burn off as it is made for such environments. Stove bright paints come in a host of different colors. Just a thought/option

A piece of advice I was given by a royal marine friend was when part of a team check what they use and see if it’s interchangeable with what you use. Be it batteries, bullets, optics or accessories then you can mutually support. It may not be a perfect match but in a pinch it doesn’t have to be.

I am not a soldier anymore and thus am watching these just from the perspective of an old prepper that intends to avoid gun fights. I live at 8,200' on the edge of a national forest in WY. On the north slopes, the spruce, lodgepole pine and the corpses of the dead and fallen ones make it so not only are LOSs of more than 100yds infrequent, stepping over the trees and rocks makes hiking very very challenging. When we moved here it took several weeks for us to completely acclimate. One's first week, one has very little endurance. My current primary 10.5"bbl AR fighting rife is 5.4lb without mag and suppressor. With my usual mag it is about 6.6lbs. Put on the big quiet suppressor and it is 7.8lbs and long. Believe me when I say that gun starts feeling HEAVY fast. I am not planning for protracted gun fights as it is just my wife and I and a few neighbors even older than us up here - we just can't do that sort of thing. In a total collapse most of us would die from lack of prescriptions anyway. As just moving up and down these slopes is so exhausting I am configuring a much lighter and shorter weapon - a DBX 5.7 for carry most of the time. It may seem like a pea shooter but getting in gunfights is no way to live and a 4.1lb gun (loaded and suppressed) is much more doable for those of not in our physical primes. I suspect that even a 10/22 lite is a more appropriate mountain 'scouting' gun for us physically challenged non soldier people. I apologize to those who think I have gone off topic.

Still come back to watch this series often. Such great knowledge.

Good stuff! Emphasizing the "Big Picture" of operating in a certain environment as well as covering specific pieces is great. My other thought about carrying as much ammo as possible - in remote environments and/or where others getting supplies to you would be a challenge or could give your position away, you want to not rely on re-supply for ammo. Keep up thw good work!

If you’ve ever been an instructor on an infantry dp1 course and got your section lost in the training area on a recce ex, go ahead and hit that like button (Canadian terms for you Ameri’bros)

AMMUNITION: The point of ammunition carried is a big one to keep in mind. Going off the topic of load out as mentioned in the previous video, you need to carry at least the minimum combat load out of an infantryman, being 6-8 magazines. Coming from 17 years in Marine Force Recon, we often carried 12 magazines based on lessons learned from Vietnam and more recent events. You aren't likely to use your full load out in one engagement, unless you are the type who only prescribes to micro rigs because of social media. As a ground reconnaissance team you are your own Quick Reaction Force (QRF) and your own fire support. Often you are operating beyond the range of ground based fire support systems, and Close Air Support (CAS) relies on your ability to call that support to your position in the first place. Long range communications often require static positions to set up the antenna for them, then presuming you can get the word out you are likely looking at 30 minutes before air is on station, and then you will have limited play time based on the platform. Meaning you need to have your shit wired tight to run as many missions as possible and get rounds on target before your support is low on fuel and needs to bug out. You must also make the assumption that if you are compromised you will be hunted. If you're being hunted you can expect to roll in and out of contact until you can be extracted from the area, and that could be quite a ways. Therefore you should carry A LOT of ammo for your rifle on you. You can have some in your go-bag in the ruck, but consider your overall balance and the procedures for that versus having that ammo on your fighting load. Additionally consider smoke for screening, incendiary for destruction of equipment and creating fire barriers between you and a pursuing enemy, 40mm munitions, and frag grenades. Obviously not all of those are truly applicable in a CONUS sense of the problem between accessibility to them and likelihood of actually needing them. For the military guys that is absolutely a consideration and should be part of your SOPs.

Another AMAZING AND INFORMATIVE video...Thank you sir you brought a lot to light...

I like the serious tone of this video,I listen more and concentrate the more serious.Thanks.

Ngl this is the most anticipated I’ve been for a series in a while, and indeed calls for a solid day of really focusing on where I myself and the small group fall short and to hone in the areas we are overlooking or lacking. Looking forward to the knowledge to come. Cheers.

As someone who spends entirely too much time in the woods I can say that Listening is a big deal (protect your hearing!) This may sound crazy but birds will always try to alert other birds to danger, and birds typically can see a lot more then you can from their vantage point. So next time you hear a bird making noise, there might be another person around. Or it’s responding to your presence meaning you’re doing something wrong 👍

Love all the videos, these types are some of my favorites.

Yea definitely need more of this series please. Been doing a lot of back packing lately…

In the mountains of the Stan on the Pak border I carried an 18" spr and could effectivley engage from ridge to ridge. It was heavy though, but hte trade off was worth it. later I took a light infantry platoon to NTC and was used as a brigade recon asset. We did recon, counter recon, anti-armor, and interdiction. We were able to win against larger mechanized forces by using the mountains and terrain to our advantage. Get high, cover routes of ingress, keep open an egress, and use direct fire and indirect fire to deny the enemy and canalize them for destruction. Now that i''m retired, I mostly recon the class VI, and deny sobriety a foothold...

One thing I learned from my time in a Recce troop (UK) is don't be afraid to get you and your kit dirty... Like don't become a walking swamp but wear your kit in well and whatever nature you collect on you, leave it there as long as it doesn't smell godawful but more importantly NEVER go on a recce with fresh smelling gear or sweaty smelling gear, use oderless deoderant, soap etc and as for your rifle theres quite a few of oderless cleaning agents you can use too. People underestimate how important smell is.

Love this series. Would love more like this

This is undoubtedly your most valuable series, filled with great insights and examples like why not to paint your suppressor and minimizing reflective surfaces. Please keep expanding this series.

Love this series. Side series request. Can you please show basic trapping, hunting and water purification methods? It amazes me how many people think they can run to the mountains with all the latest wiz bang gear to survive and have zero life experiences.

Keep this series going! Thanks Mike

I'd also add how important it is to make sure your set up is secured. I think you had some back attachments but I've seen countless times where guys have taken a SLLS stop only to realize their PEQ, light, or optic fell off. You can easily use parachute chord and tie things off. Usually not the fault of the mounting system but maybe it wasn't tight enough and they hit something or fell down while on the move. I've seen this the most with flashlights on rifles to the point where I'd maybe even recommend carrying a different light source like a headlamp on your kit. Not to mention how many times I've seen someone knock off a light cap or tape and accidently ND their flashlight (talk about an anti-recce set up). Also the DMR type rifle is huge imo. Carrying a multipurpose gun in a higher caliber that can go an easy 800-1000 meters. Carrying a bolt action on your pack is extremely unwieldly and I would do that as a last resort if I knew I had to set up a sniper hide or something

I helped my daughter with her school project of making a rifle stock camo. We harvested local leaves and bark. We made rubbings on tracing paper with a half of a carpenter's pencil (gets every detail). The tracing paper was then taped onto cereal box cardboard and cut out with an Exacto. Three versions were made of each camo palette, cutting a background, foreground, and detail layer for each color of Krylon camo. Takes some time, but looks very natural.

I would love to, as a civilian, to go through a RECCE course or training. It seems like something I would really enjoy.

Thanks for the reiteration periodically for folks to engage in practices that lend well toward unit cohesion. I forget that a lot.

Keep this series going. Love them all

I was fortunate enough to train with some elete forces in my career, one of the biggest skill sets I took away was detailed observational skills. Pausing a moment to scan an area and really pay attention to what is there can save your life. All it takes is a squared off corner of a piece of gear that doesn't look natural to shine a perverbial light on a threat.

For camo, I recommend painting just a solid base color, like FDE. Gray is also an extremely useful color- there are more than 50 official shades and it's nearly impossible for the human eye to differentiate between them all. With a solid base color, I prefer to wrap it with burlap fabric that I've spray painted with whatever color pallette I need. AK Operators Union has a great how to video on his page. The burlap allows me to change the camo of my rifle as I move between terrain types or when the weather changes between summer, fall, winter, etc.

22:24 sweet Mississippi midnight gospel that way he hit that line was automatically LEGEND EXPRESSED!

I think it's funny how many people think "Awe dude the M4 can do anything!" and I'm thinking "Except perform better than an M16 at longer ranges"

This is going to be one of those series that we'll continuously go back to and reference over the years as one of the most important pieces of media we can consume. Mike, can you do a video of how to get in touch with people and and organize to prepare if you don't have a group already? I feel like any help of that would help so many people (myself included) out a lot! As always though thanks for the amazing series!

Strongly agree that for mountain terrain, a longer range rifle in say 300 WM should be somewhere in your team. A light weight Steyr 300 WM or similar bolt action is really not all that bad to carry on your back in a proper setup and give you reach. Paracord is great for a quiet sling setup. Enjoy this topic and series because it is relevant to both military and civilian applications.

You've got the best advice and demo channel on the internet. Way above the so called everything experts here.

All good tenets of LRSU that were practiced and executed to muscle memory in the various field environments we operated in... Good stuff!

LIGHTS: Having a fighting rifle is great for all mission types. Something to consider though, for actual reconnaissance and surveillance work, is if you actually need to have a weapon light mounted at all. Mike made a great point about covering the light, even if you have one of the Surefire heads that can switch to IR, as reflection of light off your equipment is going to be just as much concern as negligent discharge of light energy. Something else to consider for both weapon lights and your IR aiming and illuminator will be those negligent discharges. Lots of people have night vision and lots of cameras can see IR. So your normal fighting rifle setup of pressure pads isn't always a good idea on recce. Instead consider switching the setup to direct activation by your support hand thumb. Still cover and protect the lenses with covers to mitigate light NDs and cut down your shine. Very often I altogether removed my white light for what we called "greenside" work, or going on Reconnaissance & Surveillance (R&S) patrols out in the bush: jungle, desert, mountain, forest, swamp, beaches and hinterland. If working primarily in "blackside", which is to say urban environment (named that way because our shooter's kit used to be all black), then I would keep my gun setup in a "normal" fighting rifle setup because those tools are more likely to be used. There were times that we conducted R&S with the intent of ambushing enemy forces, and so at times I left my weapon light on with an IR filter cap taped on. The point is to make sure your gun is set up to how you need and don't carry extra crap out with you. It can get you compromised and also work to just weigh you down. Ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain.

While we are still fortunate to have legends alive you need to get some SOG guys to talk about recce skills. We love to hear their stories but I'd love to also understand their capabilities.

Ty man scape for sponsoring the video and Ty for makin the video! Good video!

Thank god for guys like this.

I’m loving the serious nature of these videos. There is a time and place for humor, but shits getting real. Thank you Garand Thumb

The actual U.S. Army Warfare School is at Ethan Allen Training Center In Vermont run by the 3rd Battalion 172 Infantry Regiment (Mountain) of the Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine National Guard. I served as a Scout for 9+ years and as Infantry for 6+ years. I served in the Mountain Company in Maine my last 3 years. We had M-14s for our DM role. Green, grey, & brown are excellent colors for a mountain/northern rifle.

I want to be a seal but I'm a felon for being homeless, trasspass felony. So I still train I the mountains of Colorado and I have learned a lot with you. Thank you. Colorado has some cults problem and will be hunting me soon. So I do very much need this.

Is it just me or is his voice just amazing to listen to. Not very annoying and loud and not very quiet and inaudible. Great to fucking stop and listen to. Good job man you sound great and you look very tacti cool man. A lot of useful knowledge and great way of making it easy to understand.

I’m a Veteran 19D and I was so excited to see my favorite Gun Tuber make a series about recon in the mountains. I was in a mounted Scout unit on BFV’s and we worked with tankers in their Abrams tanks and with air support from Air Cav and their Kiowa Scout choppers. There was also a platoon of mounted mortar vehicles M113’s. President Trumps former National Security Advisor was my Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel H.R. McMaster. Prepared and Loyal Sir. I sat in my barracks room immediately after a funeral for a friend and watched the Twin Towers fall with half of my platoon in the room watching with me. We all knew what it meant for us and what was next.

From my limited knowledge in recon (US Cav), great pieces of gear are very nice, but don't forget that each piece is part of an entire system. After you've quieted your weapon like Garand pointed out in this video, put on all your gear and move around with your weapon like you'd normally move around. Does your weapon interact with your chest rig creating noise? Does the way you carry your weapon while walking around cause it to interact with any velcro? Velcro doesn't make a ton of noise, but what it does make is a noise that is 100% foreign to a natural environment and an unnatural sound will jump out to someone paying attention just as easily as sudden movement. Does your gait cause your weapon to bounce against your magazines? As we get further into this series, I hope Garand focuses some time on comms. While I was doing the Scout thing, my most important tool and most effective piece of firepower was my radio. Since this Recce series is CONUS focused, that's going to require some special consideration.

man i wish this series would get revived, even if its through some paid-access thing from Onward. i live in the mountains and foothills and these videos have been insanely helpful for setting up even basic gear

I live in the desert (West Texas), we don’t have mountains-maybe a small hill here or there but mostly flat terrain and a lot of sand/dirt. I believe everything that Mike talks about in these vids can be applied to my area I live in.

Useful, informative presentation. Thanks!