Best and Worst Kit you had in the Canadian Forces?

A fan of the bivy bag as well. The C1 was great but did like the C8.
I never minded the arctic mitts, my combat scarf and ranger blanket. Also never minded the gutless but ever fun Iltis.
Garrison dress looked great but was stupid as work dress.
The ham omelette actually made me puke but loved the coleman lantern toast from the imp bread.
Hungarian goulash with rice poured into the broth was pretty good.
 
From my soldiering days...

Cardboard coat liner.... ranger blanket... beans and wieners .... bivy bag... biv-pants and parka (OD)....

Worst.... well... OD rain coat, make boots, tac-vest, 84 pattern ruck... not that a lot of the newer stuff is much better...
 
Army Issue Surplus Inc said:
WTF does that mean?
Click to expand...

There is a strong smell of chemicals in some issued kit that never really went away no matter what you did. Best example is the ground sheet since you couldn't really wash it well or it would delaminate. It's where the slang "Still smells like QM" comes from. IE: "You're so new to this job you still smell like the Quarter Masters." The smell would spread through your kit bag so everything smelled like that. They get extra skanky if you forget to hose them and hang them out to dry after you came back from the field. A washing machine full of rubberized coating fragments was your reward if you made the mistake of trying to clean it that way.

When you go for your initial issue of kit in Basic Training at QM that smell hits you as soon as you walk into the building.

The canteen tastes like drinking from a garden hose and would get worse if you dumped drink crystals into it and then left some without washing it out.

The best issued kit is the kit you get issued when you go to SOFCOM that replaces garbage with gear.

This thread makes me want to dig through old photo albums from the 90's and take pictures of photographs. There was worse kit before CTS.
 
Devlin said:
WORST

..worn out Beretta pistols, (( don't you mean Brownings?))

...
Click to expand...

The training Brownings were the worst in the inventory on purpose. I deployed three times and always have superb condition BHPs. The mags were sh1te in training because they were leftover WW2 Inglis production mags that had cracked at the top of the feed lips. That was recognized and Italian MecGar mags substituted in. Same results as the war stocks pistols - troublefree running.
 
I've read the list and smiled. I also frowned. Some guys don't seem to realize how to wear or use what was issued, and only repeated the prejudices of others.

In particular, the ignorant silliness that rations HAVE to be horrid to be issued. What? If you spent anytime around a professional dietician, you'd know the food that goes into the process is chosen for all the right reasons. Preferences and menus change over time. I've eaten RP4s, IRPs, IMPs, C Rations, T rations, and MREs. I missed out on the LRRP C Rations, but have sucked on beef jerky from time to time. Without a doubt - Canadian rations have the most variety and accessories. There are some odd recipe choices, like omelettes in a foil pouch, but some amazing ones like the salmon filet and ham steak. The bread is remarkable all by itself. Other countries settle on crackers. Canadians get an actual baked bun. If there is one place the designers fail it is the toilet paper.

List of Bests: topographic maps, Field Message Pads, C7A2, RT524 radio, Goretex boot liners, Mk 2 combat boots, Gerber Multi-tool, ELCAN 10x50 binos, combat scarf, Black Beauty air mattress

List of Worsts: Thermold 5.56 magazines, LSVW, garrison boots, C5 clasp knife (my fingernails were never strong enough to open that thing), combat cap, Mk 3 combat boots, Thermorest air mattress

Editted to add - best: jerry can and spout comma flexible, insulated canteen thermos (even if it doesn't fit into the carrier), and Peak mountain stoves.
 
Last edited:
^^^ So what about dietitian, they were still gross, maybe should took US advice and added hot sauce to kill our taste buds to make them semi edible.
 
The Warrior Program came out in the 90s I think. I remember reading about it and thinking "New kit huh? I'll believe it when I see it." Then we got issued Gerber multitools. I was so surprised.

These were simultaneously the best piece of kit and the worst.

They were the best because you could do so much with them. They were handy when your numb, frozen hands just couldn't get something together or apart again. They were just super handy.

They were the worst because every troopaloop now had a screwdriver, a file, pliers, basically everything they'd need to #### up every other piece of kit issued to them and their own bodies!

I'll never forget watching a guy trying to wire up a field phone literally stabbing himself in the leg trying to split the wires. Ha.... Hard to forget the guys who thought they'd do an extra good job of cleaning their C7 and take the butt stock off using their handy multitool, losing their takedown detent and spring to the void.

Also:
Gloves come to mind. The combat gloves and liners sucked but were durable enough. I couldn't get a pair of goretex gloves that fit me though.

But the green mortar gloves and the brown pilot's gloves were awesome. The brown ones were not terribly durable, but with liners they could be very warm and comfy. That leather was so supple. The cadpat leather gloves were nice too, almost as comfy as the brown ones, but more durable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom