General
Vehicle packing considerations
The pros and cons of vehicles and their appropriate usage is something that you and your group need to weigh out in contrast to your working environment, and this article is not written to sway you for or against their usage. In our implementation, they perform the role of rapid transport over long distances, medical evacuation, infil and exfil, as well as a loadbearing tool for much larger quantities of sustainment supplies.
When staging your vehicle, theres a few considerations to be made to make operation easier. Any loose objects not pertaining to the mission should be removed, they WILL fly all over the place when doing any maneuver. Any objects that are mission essential such as extra mags, medical, or admin should be stowed securely, in door cubbies or under seats. Any heavy objects like ammo cans or water jugs or axes should be tied down, in the case of a rollover they post the possibility to injure team members, and will also roll around when maneuvering. The inside of your vehicle should be “slimmed down” to enable more movement. Team members ought to be able to egress out of either side of the vehicle, so cup holders, armrests, and those Bluetooth adapters should be removed or put away. When packing for the trip, a duffel bag is better to put all your stuff in, but ensure that what is carried is only what you will have equipped, so that the bag compacts enough to be stowed. Better yet is not even using a duffel bag, so that the vehicle is clear to be fully used.
When it comes to loadbearing, your car is just a large rucksack. There are many places to put extra mags, more medical supplies, as well as boxes of food and water. Mission set dictates these needs, but an additional 48 hours of supplies for a four man team can easily fit in most SUVs and trucks. Additionally, having a set of extra fluids, and more gas is sustainment for the vehicle itself. Recovery equipment is very important, especially in off road environments. Traction boards, shovels, properly rated winches, straps, shackles, and more prevent you from having to just leave a vehicle behind. SOPs for recovery and establishing security while recovering the vehicle should be established.
SOPs for reacting to contact, breaking contact, establishing security, medevac, highway transport, communications, supply, infil/exfil, and recovery should all be considered.
None of this is the final word, you will find things to improve on as you train, establish SOPs as well as revise them.
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