The Rifleman’s Essentials, by Mike VonSteuben
I’ve helped many people set up their combat equipment over the years, from family to students to fellow Marines. Earlier I wrote an article entitled “Priorities of Purchase: Progressively Building a Rifleman’s Kit on a Budget“, in which I laid out the order in which an aspiring rifleman should purchase gear. In that article I started with what I call the rifleman’s essentials, the bare minimum equipment necessary for a rifleman to carry on his person. Today I want to go a bit deeper into these essentials, listing why they are important and how I recommend you carry them.