For a standard eight hour operation you would normally think you would dress comfortably, just need a few high cap magazines and maybe not even wear your rig. However, for an eight-hour MilSim event you will need a rig of some sort, preferably a plate carrier, along with your BDU’s, and a helmet if required.
First thing you will need is a rig set up. You will also need a radio to keep in contact with your team. Your rig will need pouches for your magazines, as well as a pouch for your radio. You will also need a backpack of some sort. Backpacks are great for carrying extra water, or ammo, along with supplies in general. They also allow you to carry more onto the field preventing you from having to go back for supplies. Last thing you would want is not really a necessity, however, a medical, or utility pouch is also very useful. You can use this to keep important items in a pouch that is easy to access. You can use it to keep medical supplies, or important items for an objective, as well as food for the field.
Most eight hour MilSim events will be scheduled so the event goes into the night for a few hours; because of this you may want to either equip your rig or your gun with a flashlight. With the flash light added to your gear you’re going to need some way to mark your death. For the daylight portions, a kill rag will work just fine. However once nightfall hits, you may need a strobe or a chemlight. Not only can they be indicators for death but you can use them to indicate to your team that you are a friendly player. This will help the game move smoothly and cut down on deaths by teammates.
For your gun, you will want to set it up with a light weight build. You can bring a weapon mounted flashlight, however you won’t really need it until the last few hours of the event, therefore you can just keep it in your backpack for the beginning portion of the event. You may want to add a sling of some sort to your gun, just so you have a way to rest your weapon without setting it down and risking it being knocked over. I recommend a one-point sling just because it makes it so your weapon is in a resting state; however it is in a position for easy access if a combative situation were to happen. You may also want to get a grip of some sort to help support the front end of your weapon. If your weapon has the ability to hit ranged targets, you may want to consider adding an optic. Unless your weapon is a sniper rifle, it is recommended you do not use more than a 1-4x powered optic. This keeps your gun from being too heavy which in the long run will weigh you down and tire you out.
Now for the most important part for a MilSim game. Teamwork is the most important skill you can bring to a milsim operation. Without it, your team will be scrambled and confused. You need a team to be in sync in order to succeed with taking objectives. This is also where radios come into play. Not only are they helpful for keeping tabs on your teammates but you can use them to communicate with your team to get orders and to mark hostile locations. This will keep your team in sync and help them remain combat effective so you can go on to win the event. Always keep your team together, when it’s split you are not effective, nor is the team.
“Teamwork is a skill. Use your skills, and have fun”
$pades
