How to be Prepared for a Milsim?

[Ozone06]

One big lesson I learned is practise with what you're taking with you into the field.

Yeah it seems like a good idea on a late fall 24 hour Op to take 2 tarps, a sleeping bag, 200 feet of rope, two primaries, a secondary, 3 full MRE's, 5 liters of water + 3L in a camelbak, propane, extra clothes and socks, plus normal kit when I was sitting in my living room and then a quick walk around the back yard to see how it felt.

It was a very different thing to then hump a kilometer and a half in pitch black conditions in the middle of muskoka.

Being a fat fuck didn't help either and Yes Gato I have PTT for my comms ;-)

[Curo]

Awww comon we need to curb obesity gotta encourage the fat fucks to play lest the soccer moms call you on bullying their lazy basement king!

[Conker]

You could be surprised. One of the most effective milsim players I know is well, a "big guy", while another very athletic guy wasn't able to stand more than 3 hours in 28 degrees heat this summer.

A "fat dude" with the right mindset can still kick your ass.

[Gato]

Originally Posted by Cobalt Caliber

Awww comon we need to curb obesity gotta encourage the fat fucks to play lest the soccer moms call you on bullying their lazy basement king!

But they don't play, they hamper their team :P

There are big guys who are in shape, don't get me wrong now.

[Dimitri]

As a backcountry camper I completely agree with this:

Originally Posted by Ozone06

It was a very different thing to then hump a kilometer and a half in pitch black conditions in the middle of muskoka.

If you go up to the Provincial Parks in the summer you will see people head off, looking like they just walked out of a MEC and break down by the end of the first day even with all the "high end" titanium "light weight" stuff they carry simply because they packed way too much, regardless if it was "light weight" gear.

I know they say something silly like ~40% of your body weight (all the weights will assume the average weight per NATO at 175lbs so 40% = 70lb) is what you can carry "maximum" but 30% (52lb) is considered the maximum ideal amount before risking serious injury to a adult body when under physical exertion.

US regulations (since they are easy to find online) specify a maximum weight (The fighting load includes bayonet, weapon, clothing, helmet, load bearing equipment and a reduced amount of ammunition.) to be 48lbs or 27% or so for a combat situation. Any more then that and combat effectiveness drops down through the floor.

Its not hard to reach 48 pounds when you start counting your clothes and the like, but its a good guideline to follow. And there is always ways to lower the weight your carrying to help your body's situation from physical and psychological fatigue.

Take from it what you wish, and not just for airsoft but in general. But all I can say is be careful, we all only have one body in our lives.

Dimitri

[Cliffradical]

Don't drink (alcohol) the night before, and bring the right food.

Bring the right food.

Bring twice as much as you think you need as well.

I crashed at 2am starving hungry and went hypothermic because my gear was soaking and I didn't have a dry insulating layer to add.
I did however bring my nasty wool survival blanket and a change of socks+ underwear so I was able to dump my gear and raise my temperature back to acceptable levels.

If you're a sweaty guy like me you need to bring a fleece or a wool undershirt so that you can retain some heat while soaking.
You think that if you just keep going the cold sitting next to your skin won't affect you, but it will. Especially if you don't have any fuel to burn.

Allowing myself to get that cold and that wet was stupid and irresponsible. I should know better. Luckily I know what hypothermia feels like, what it does, and how to avoid the delusional side-effects of it, so I was not in any danger.
What being extremely cold and hungry did do was take me out of the game and leave my team hanging.

Don't do that.

[Cs]

I think after reading all the great response that the best thing is to start off small and work my way up.

[Kimbo]

24 hour games are not as hard as everyone thinks if you are prepared. It's also the most rewarding and fun type of airsoft you can play (in my opinion)

The biggest thing that I see that flat-lines people is not getting enough food, water, and rest. New players tear into the game and play flat out for the first 6-8 hours without resting or eating enough and are either bagged for the rest of the game or pack it in when they realize that they are only a third of the way through the game. Add to that that once they get wet, either by sweating from working so hard or from the weather, they get cold and the problems get worse. Wear a wicking layer underneath your BDU's even if it's hot outside. When you sweat the poly layer will absorb your sweat and actually make you cooler through evaporation. If it's cooler out, it traps heat next to your body keeping you warm. It also dries super fast so that when night comes you can ditch your BDU top if it's wet and put on a fleece and be dry and warm with two layers. Buy good clothing, it's hella worth it. It's also nice to have an extra set of BDU's if the weather sucks and/or if you have room. Once you stop moving, you'll cool down quickly so have a ranger blanket or something to keep warm. Also make sure you are bringing a tarp or something water proof to either keep the rain off of you AND your gear or to put down to keep the dew from getting stuff wet. We usually bring one tarp for every 2 or so guys to share.

I usually plan to have a MRE sized meal at least 3 times in 24 hours with protein or energy type bars in between when I feel munchy. I usually have at least a few bars on my first line that I can munch on when we are taking quick breaks and relaxing. When we have our big meals our squad usually takes an extended break to remove all of our gear and get dried out if possible. You should feel great after eating and rehydrating and if not, maybe you need a bit more of a break. I usually regulate my hydration is by making sure that I have to take a leak every 2 or 3 hours and if I don't I drink more. It depends on how hot it's going to be, but I usually plan on drinking 3-4 liters in 6 hours during the day, less at night.

If you will be playing as a squad or with other guys you know, get together and try to elliminate all of the duplicate things you need. Not everyone needs to bring pistol gas, a set of tools, burner for boiling water, or baby wipes (the greatest thing ever for a tactical dump) one per group of guys is good.

Batteries are totally dependent on what gun you are running and how much you plan to shoot. A rough rule of thumb is one bb per Ma/h on your battery for a stock gun. I usually have 2 batteries on me and have never gone through my second. Again, another spares thing you can work out with people you play with.

We also tend to bring an extra gun for every 3 people in our squad. It sucks to have your gun go down in the first few hours of the game.

All of your crap should fit into a 3 day pack with water being the biggest pain. Alot of fields will have water either provided or it will be available.

Definitely the most important thing to bring is a good attitude. You WILL get tired, hungry, cold, wet, angry, frustrated and it's important to yourself and the players around you that you understand that it is all part of the game experience. If I think of the best times I've had in airsoft they've almost all occured while milsiming -- sometimes while palying in the most difficult conditions.

[Brian McIlmoyle]

Originally Posted by Kimbo

If I think of the best times I've had in airsoft they've almost all occured while milsiming -- sometimes while palying in the most difficult conditions.

Fun and easy is forgotten quickly.. hardship, adversity, followed by victory is a memory you will have forever.

[Anthology]

Great advice everyone! As someone who is looking to get into the sport, I found this thread really helpful and will probably bookmark it. I plan to have enough gear purchased so I can be prepared by the time OP Rhino rolls around this year; this thread will help me prioritize exactly what I will need to have a solid introduction to milsim.

[Curo]

OP Rhino will be awesome, but there are other Milsims around keep your eyes open!

[Cs]

Is OP Rhino a good place to start for your first 24 hour Milsim?

[Ozone06]

Mil-sim is a game type and a mindset, not a game length. Try out an 8 hour, or even an ammo restricted game. Having 7 rounds at the start of a 5 to 8 hour game makes you think about when and what you shoot.

[m102404]

1. Start smaller.
The "big" events are fewer and far-er between. There are PLENTY of other milsims throughout the year though....from WW2 to modern day. They'll have all the elements of how milsims are run, what the gaming/team/etc expectations are and the good ones will have top notch guys there. That is the direction and baseline you want to establish.

2. DO NOT let a big op be your first 24 op. It's frantic and there's already too many guys there with their heads spinning. You'll want to be 99.99% sure you're sh*t is squared away way way ahead of time and have proof-tested it all on previous occasions.

3. With a big milsim, you'll be slotted somewhere with a group/team/squad/force/whatever. A good commander/team leader/etc... will help you out with making sure you're G2G for the op. They'll be sure that their section has the resources needed...and they'll be tapping each person to contribute. They are completely dependant on you to engage in the prep though...the worst ones are those who sign up and then are never heard of again until game day. They'll be the ones who are looking around at the clouds wondering WTF to do.

See #1...you may find that you're not really a milsim type. You may prefer a nice fun shoot'em up skirmish....or a quick afternoon's worth of play before you head home for a hot sit down dinner. You'll really want to find out if it's the type of thing you want to do before a big Op.

There are A LOT of guys who "want" to do big milsims...why not, they look/seem awesome. But when pain/cold/discomfort/will comes to shove....it's just not there.

[Cs]

I have to say that all of this is very stellar advice. I never gave much thought to how the game will continue on even if its raining or windy and cold and how it would really effect me. I have to remember that these games go whether its rain or shine.