"High speed, low drag"- what does it mean?

[Rob]

ok, this has bothered me to the point of posting. "what does high speed, low drag" mean? i know it refers to gear; specifically gear used by contractors and SF but what makes it high speed and low drag (what are those aspects refering to?). the term seems to have poped up on this board around the time the fancier chest rigs and plate carriers turned up on the market so i'm guessing it has something to do with that.

[Greylocks]

http://savvysurvivor.com/high_speed_...od_for_the.htm

That?

[Oz]

it basically boils down to what you need, when you need it. Example: your P1Mp3D M4 with every possible accessory and every inch of rail used is NOT high speed, low drag.

If your thinking high speed, low drag think; light weight, easily accessable, no frills, no fancy crap.

[Gryphon]

That doesn't seem to fit, because every "operator" you see in Iraq is sporting a RAS, Aimpoint, AN/PAQ, vertical grip, and Crane stock on their rifle. By your definition an HSLD operator should be using a bone stock M16 and only a pair of spare mags in either pants pocket.

The way the term is used these days, it seems to essentially be military-speak for "1337".

[Rob]

Originally Posted by Greylocks

http://savvysurvivor.com/high_speed_...od_for_the.htm

That?

and people say you're a grouch ;-)
if someone googled "high speed, low drag" that would be one on the first sites that pop up. so Greylocks does practice what he preaches.

[Yuxi]

Originally Posted by Rob

and people say you're a grouch ;-)
if someone googled "high speed, low drag" that would be one on the first sites that pop up. so Greylocks does practice what he preaches.

Too bad it does not answer the question, sites like those are likely what provoked the question in the first place.

[GraveTech]

Maybe it means easily accessible organized load-outs. Take someone who is decked out with every accessory and gadget available, you aren't going to be high-speed if you have to reach behind you in a bag to get it and your rig definitely does not have low-drag if you have to go around several objects to get it. So my definition would be a system where everything is organized and accessible with a minimal amount of effort.

My 2 cents

[pugs144]

Ok.

"High Speed, Low Drag" with relation to gear refers to all the cool gear not issued to "regular" units.

"High Speed, Low Drag" with relation to units refers to Airborne, Ranger, SEALs, Delta Special Forces, MARSOC Det1, Force Recon, STA etc.

This term is open to interpretation and is to an extent, subjective.

A primer

[ert]

Originally Posted by Rob

... the term seems to have poped up on this board around the time the fancier chest rigs and plate carriers turned up on the market so i'm guessing it has something to do with that.

Fancy kit has been around for as long as normal kit has been... it's not like high end gear is anything new.

That said anything high speed and low drag is basically something that is very well thought out (high speed, as in no time is wasted in the field... everything has it's place and is efficient as possible) and without useless crap on it (low drag... a lot of people in the field carry crap they'll use once a year on them all the time. Drag... things that hold you back or are unnecessary). In reference to mag pouches... lets take the Diamondback tiered mag pouches as an example. They are very well planned pouches. They are staggered so that the back magazine sits an inch higher then the front magazine in the pouch so that the operator can grab mags very easily as compared to BHI pouches where the mag tops sit flush with each other. The diamondback pouches are highspeed in that sense and low drag in the sense that there's not grenade pouches hanging off the sides of em and they don't have shot shell holders all over the place. That's low drag.

That phrase though can refer to almost anything. Not just gear. Anything efficient, solidly planned and straightforward without anything unnecessary can be called highspeed low drag. Issued kit can be high speed if it's setup properly... it doesn't just refer to the gucci stuff.

[alex_c_t]

the way i understand it...

high speed = whatever allows you to perform an action faster than with GI stuff

low drag = same thing doesnt slow you down (i.e.: not too heavy..., dont have to undo 5 buckles, two tapes of velcro, 2 zippers and a drawstring to remove a pen)

shuridys - i do believe those guys are engaged in stability ops and are supposed to give off the impression of a lasting presence (make the friendly locals feel more secure). i dont think theyre supposed to look like theyre just itching for an excuse to raid somebody's home and disapear before anybody notices it.

take blackhawk down (ok, not the best example, but just about everybody here watched it a couple times) a high-speed low-drag example would be the delta guys. run-in light and fast, dont let anyone slow you down and get out of fast. all this while the rangers provided a detering, heavier presence around them.(theoretically anyways)

but i will admit that lately a lot of them have been overdoing it - attaching these phrase to just about anything. i believe they think about it something like "hsld is 4 sp3shu1 forcs & 1ik3, d00d... th3y r 1337, s0 hsld = 1337 so we will just add high speed and low gear to anything so whoever gets it will think theyre 1337 too"

(tried to type the whole last sentence in leet-speak, but i got a headache from it about half-way so i gave up)

edit: didnt mean to repeat what the guys before me said, just took me a lot to type it out, especially the last part

[Yuxi]

Originally Posted by pugs144

Ok.

"High Speed, Low Drag" with relation to gear refers to all the cool gear not issued to "regular" units.

"High Speed, Low Drag" with relation to units refers to Airborne, Ranger, SEALs, Delta Special Forces, MARSOC Det1, Force Recon, STA etc.

This term is open to interpretation and is to an extent, subjective.

A primer

I'm pretty sure pugs hit the nail on the head here.

[DuffMan]

It's all just leet-speak for operators. HSLD operators are also MCLMMs

[Greylocks]

When I looked it up with no further options, it meant food. And for that, it makes sense; you get fast energy without being sick.
Clothes; well designed but dont impede movement.
Weapons; excellent engineering, wont catch on other gear, does not weigh a ton, does not have unnecessary items on it.

About having all kinds of attachment on guns, I guess it's all relative. Not so long ago, a Lee Enfield with a bandolier of ammo was perfect. Even today, it's been proven to be a gun to fear, as soldiers in Afghanistan have noticed since the Russians invaded. Underestimating simplicity can mean you die.

Maybe it's a new way to say KISS.

[CDN_Stalker]

High efficiency, low weight is my thoughts. Incidentally, Rexter has "HIGH SPEED, LOW DRAG" in big white letters on the back window of his SUV. Always thought that was pretty cool.

Speaking of terms like this, I'm still wondering where plate carriers got the nickname "Weesatch" from. Tried searching, came up with little more than a smaller and lighter version of something larger.

[alex_c_t]

a weesatch is the wee little brother of the wasatch. so basically a (small)satch. they kept the -satch part to identify the type, added the wee for the light part.