Junk on the Bunk: Line 1 Gear

Recently I wrote an article detailing my methodology for packing, be sure and check that out for a good high level overview. In this article I’ll get more detailed on the line 1 gear. Our line 1 gear is the emergency equipment we carry on us in case we become separated from our other gear. This stuff should be stored on your person at all times, not in a bag or pack or chest rig. This is to ensure that we have these essentials with us should we be in the unfortunate position to need them. These items are not a replacement for proper training and skill development, but if they are given to someone with a solid base of skills they will make his life a lot easier.

In the past I’ve talked about the “10 C’s” and how I use that system, and I’ve tried to utilize that as a guideline for my line 1 equipment. Within the following pictures I’ve been able to cover at least 8 of the 10 C’s.

Line 1 Equipment: 1) BF Line 1 Belt 2) Red and UV photon lights on dummy cord 3) Folded OD green Mylar blanket 4) Mechanix gloves with thermal liners 5) Belt knife 6) 3×5 Notepad with pencil 7) MC2 compass and Leatherman Rebar 8) Kuiu Beanie 9) “Improved” Bic lighter with tinder capsule 10) Chapstick and 2x 6’ “Commando lines”

Line 1 Belt contents: 1) Wazoo Survival Ceramic knife and mini ferro rod 2) Wazoo Survival water disinfection kits 3) CountyComm micro capsule with Iodine tablets 4) Tinder 5) Countycomm SERE compass 6) Red Photon light 7) Countycomm pocket razor and Wazoo SOS whistle 8) Badlands Fieldcraft Line 1 Belt prototype

I’ve divided my line 1 gear into two areas, my pockets and my belt. The items in my pockets are items I may need on occasion, like my Leatherman or compass, or they may be “for emergency use only” like the space blanket. The belt I made and have been testing this year, the Line 1 belt, is like a money belt but for essential items that I don’t need to get to except in an emergency. I like to store all my line 1 gear in the clothing I prefer, which is then stored in a plastic tote ready to go with all my other gear. By having these items stored in the belt and clothing there is no need to think about “what if” emergency items if an emergency were to arise.

Last year I purchased a Cache belt from Wazoo Survival after meeting the companies owner at a class. He was a great guy to train with and I thought his products were really good. The Cache belt is another money belt design, but it’s too narrow for me to fit most of the items I would want to put into it, so I set about designing a belt that would be more suitable for my needs. The Cache belt itself is very nice, and is about the size of a dress belt. It’s good for hiding smaller items, like the ones made by Wazoo, but any items mini Bic sized or larger wouldn’t fit. As you can see, Wazoo has designed many products with small size in mind for the purposes of storing them in a belt or other place, and they are a great source should you be interested.

The belt

The belt is two layers of parachute webbing sewn together to create a pocket which is then laced shut.

Because many of the items are small by design I didn’t want to risk losing them because they wiggled out of the belt. I chose to group the items together and wrap them in saranwrap. This made the many smaller items in a few larger items and had the benefit of waterproofing everything too.

The larger groups of items were then placed into the belt and cordage was used to close it up.

The cordage I used was the Dyneema cord from CountyComm.

The lighter

My lighter is my primary fire starting tool. Skip all the fancy Bushcraft/ survival fire starting techniques when it’s time to get a fire going in an emergency. Do I still carry and know how to start fires with other methods, of course I do, but the Bic is the AK47 of fire starting, and this improved version is even better.

The “improved” Bic Lighter with tinder capsule. A few wraps of Gorilla tape doubles as a flame extender and also a small bandaid.

Remove the child safety device and discard. This will keep dirt and moisture from being trapped inside the striker and makes it easier to dry out in case of submersion. A large O-ring or rubber band can be used to prevent the gas button from accidentally being pressed in the pocket.

The small loop of paracord at the bottom can be used to “spin dry” the lighter if need be.

The lighter gets stored in a water resistant bag in the front pocket of my pants. This helps keep it warm so that it works if needed in the cold.

These items will help me to preserve my core body temperature, stay hydrated and navigate should I ever need to implement a rescue plan.