Most Wanted

One of the many Kifaru packs

Patrick Smith founded Mountainsmith to focus on quality high-end backpacking gear. He left a successful Mountainsmith and started Kifaru (Swahili for rhinoceroses) to do the same for military gear and action hunting equipment. Kifaru gear includes their famous GunBearer rifle holder (keeps the weapon ready to go and out of the way), Tipis, and high-end backpacks.

The website is divided into Military, Hunting, and Shelters. Too cool! This is the kit I would carry if I was a "gentleman of means."

http://www.kifaru.net/

Gregory SPEAR Packs broken into modular components

Here is a description of the kit from the original marketing materials:

SPEAR / MOLLE Special Forces UM21 Backpack System
The 21st century warrior demands the best...

Featuring the latest advancements in state-of-the-art technology, Bianchi International and Gregory Mountain Products have developed the ultimate backpack system for the 21st century warrior. Designed to meet the stringent field requirements of the U.S. Special Forces, Navy Seals and Army Rangers, this system combines superior load-bearing technology with advanced backpack design and offers a modular system capable of efficiently carrying up to 120 pounds of equipment. Issued to US Special Operations Forces this is the ultimate backpack system for urban, jungle, desert, mountain or arctic warfare.

This backpack system is part of the U. S. Government Body Armor Load Carry Program (BALCS) and has seen extensive by American special operations troops in Operation Enduring Freedom.

For over 20 years, Gregory packs have been world-renowned for their fit, comfort and performance. They have been used extensively as the pack-of-choice for world-class expeditions. Using a CAD/CAM system and precision technology, our R&D team, headed by Gregory founder Wayne Gregory, inventively modified a commercial pack that would transfer the load effectively, allowing for multiple adjustments to fit sizes ranging from the 5th to 95th percentile of the SOF operator.

In addition to the packs patented suspension system, another key feature of this system is its modularity for use with the U. S. Government Load Carry System (ELCS) and is also compatible with Special Operations Forces Personal Equipment Advanced Requirements (SPEAR) and* BALCS components.

Developed for long-range reconnaissance missions, this backpack, composed of aircraft-grade aluminum stays, a sturdy internal framesheet, Gregory’s Adjust-A-Cant™ hip belt and patented Flo-Form® II molding technology provides a highly efficient carrying system, capable of supporting extreme loads easily and comfortably.??The pack design provides for customized distribution of weight to allow the wearer to locate the optimum adjustment for various terrain or conditions of any march. By utilizing the pack’s suspension adjustments, weight may be shifted entirely onto the hips, entirely onto the shoulders or distributed evenly between the two. Issued to US Special Forces.

The UM21 Backpack

The UM21 backpack is probably the most common and sought-after piece of kit, though there were also pouches and a LBE set-up built as part of the system. It is pretty rare at gunshows, but comes up every now and then on eBay.

Here's a review of the Gregory SPEAR pack system.

The M-1967 or Modernized Load-Carrying Equipment (MLCE) was significant in it was the first foray from canvas equipment to the modern nylon gear. Though the motivation to move to the nylon gear was due to canvas crapping out in the soggy jungles of 'Nam, it was really the birth of tactical nylon.

M-1967 kit on Wikipedia.

Vampire Killing Kit

Holy crap. What could be cooler than equipment designed specifically to kill vampires and werewolves?

Though most of the kits seen in the early 20th century were designed as tourist items, there were some genuine kits build to combat the forces of supernatural evil. I remember as a kid, my dad had an old issue of Guns and Ammo that featured an article on a kit containing a vial of Holy Water, a bullet mould, silver bullets, and a cross that doubled as a single-shot blackpowder derringer.

Too bad it was only one shot. Yikes!

More images of Vampire/Werewolf kits.

Everyone remembers the bad-ass scene in Heat where the four heavily armed dudes take down the armored car? What are those masks they are wearing? Hockey masks? Nope - they are Ballistic Face Shields. Orignally built in the 1980s for DEA-agents facing the ever-increasing violence of drug warfare, these masks are rated to stop a handgun and even light rifle rounds.

Advil is sold separately from the mask.

Occassionally, they show-up on eBay.

Batman's Utility Belt

What could be better than Batman's utility belt for all around . . . well . . .utility?

It carried everything from Batarangs, to a small grappling hook (see below), to Bat Anti-Shark spray - if you were a fan of the TV show.

Pow!

Wikipedia has an exhaustive list of everything that has shown up in the Utility belt.

Holy Hernia Batman!

Ninja Folding Grappling hook - a True Classic!

Who needs a grappling hook? Everyone!

I remember when I first saw Star Wars - the scene where Luke and Leia are able to swing to safety near the core of the Death Star - they were able to make it out because inside every Stormtrooper's utiliy belt (hey - see a theme here?) there is a small grappling hook. I knew from then on that my kit would always need to include a grappling hook, becuase well . . . you just never know. :)

EOD Grappling Hook

Rock Exotica Grappling Hook

A folding military-style grappling hook

CSS folding grappling hook

Ninjas love grappling hooks!

• County Comm
  
• Grappling Hooks on eBay