The hardest part to make out of leather would be the helmet.

I don't know what you are saying either and this is in the wrong board, /t/ probably but /dmz/ for sure

>>17996

There are also a billion shops that do custom kydex

  Found this.

I own one of the Hill People gear chest pouches and I like it. Went winter camping last weekend and I packed the non-freezable things in it (batteries, water filter, etc.), snacks, map and gun.

Only downside is in very cold weather if you're layering on and off your coat, you end up with your outer layer covering it so if you don't have slack the coat might be tight (mine wasn't). For most of the hike or in better weather it'll be sitting on the outside where you can readily get to useful kit. I slept with it in the bag to keep the critical things above freezing and it did not get in the way.

Check the dimensions before ordering if you're getting one of the smaller versions. My M&P9c fits comfortably in the original one, but the smaller ones it'd be very tight.

>>18032

All things considered it seems best, I just know I'm going to hate the sweat under it through the summer and fall

Safariland ALS are outstanding for a retention holster, allow for a very natural draw. Utilizing the QLS, you could have one on your belt, another woven through molle webbing on a pack, or attached somehow inside the pack (not having a gun flopping around in a bag is good), I've even seem some people put them in their cars to be able to pop the gun off their hip and stick it under the dash.

KT-Mech does an interesting molded kydex but with a spring loaded retention hood as well as the usual friction retention, they would be able to accommodate a Glock 20/TLR-2.

And when Raven Concealment takes orders again, they do actually have a retention option that utilizes a Pull The Dot strap (which are nifty little things).

>>18041
>aleiexpress

I wouldn't trust my life to ballistic armor from overseas.

>>18043
The Chinese armor gives you lead poisoning without having to go to the trouble of getting shot, just think of the time you'll save!

>>18035
I feel like you'd be better off buying a plate and making a cheapo fabric pocket with velcro straps to put it on, but transporting it in a laptop sleeve.

>>18041
Huh. I would like to see someone order it and test it.

>>18041
>You're gonna do what, hold your backpack out at arms length and hope they don't shoot you anywhere else?
So I guess soldiers, law enforcement, firearm instructiors, armed security officers, and all them just stop wearing body armor, since they'll just get shot somewhere else.

>And hope that they're not using a rifle that will just blow through it anyways?
Level 3 or 3+ will stop most 5.56 (including M855, depending on the plate composition) or ball 308 just fine, and even against 308 AP rounds it could turn a fatal hit into one that is merely dangerous. It also is amusing that you dollow up this comment with pushing OP towards soft armor that would do jack shit against any 5.56 or 308.

>>18045
I have a sneaking suspicion that while the vest will probably work as intended (the DOJ certification letter was actually issued to a couple Chinese companies), it's probably not going to last as long, and won't incorporate any "tricks" that are used in modern armor design to reduce the kinetic impact effects or whatever.

Gear keepers?

Some people use these

http://milspecmonkey.com/store/hardware-diy/127-itw-web-dominator.html

Retention straps, retention bands, webbing strap, etc etc. Lots of names for it

Bro, I've always just used 90mph tape or just electrical tape if in a pinch. Do an S-fold on your shit and you can keep it adjustable even after you tape it down. It's a lot better than the elastic and won't have you struggling when the elastic goes out.

Another option is to use ranger bands. these are made from bicycle inner tube and are quite a bit more stout than the elastic keepers. You can often get tubes for free at your local bike shop and they're almost as useful as paracord.

>>18026
i never see knock-off is no go
because in the good-old days
even through those knock-off
could be quite decent quality for their price
[beside the fuck-you-copyright stuff]
but nowadays those knock-off's knock-off
is flooded into the market
which is BAD,REALLY BAD
and if the bag are for serious business
I will just tell you
not EVEN thinking about that
but the other hand
WHY NOT?

if in that kind of budget
I maybe try Alice surplus backpack
[but costs a lots more
form 50 to 80 bucks]
but at least there are tough as nail
what's the purpose for you backpack?
for better advice

>>18021
>>18025
For your budget, I would recommend a generic Maxpedition Falcon clone; however, even most of the clones are out of your budget, even the trashiest ones.

But, there is one with excellent quality around, that _almost_ fits within your budget:

https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/sarma-assault-pack-mk-iii/34400

The Varusteleka Särmä clone of the Falcon. This is probably the best choice to go for with your budget.

Lapg atlas 12hr fit your laptop?

[Pic related] is the first, last, and only thing you should be looking at when choosing a backpack.

I own two of these: https://www.amazon.com/US-Military-Surplus-MOLLE-Assault/dp/B002MVHSW8

Love the painted armored helmet face masks.

From minimal drawings...

to silly stuff...

To full-blown Hulk.

Marginally related.

I laughed when I read this OP. You just need to be careful about the lamp.

Also I liked the advice above about getting a more mil-spec lamp.

Or get a peli-case/similar, but I imagine that's not ideal.

Lamps are great for anywhere you need to camp up and need to illuminate a large area. My $25 lamp from bass pro has a battery runtime of something insane like 150hrs. I've had it for years and haven't needed to change the batteries once.

IMO that's difficult to keep on your pack. I would vote for running it on the molle on the back, keep it real fucking tight so it doesn't move and make sure your bag aint going to roll on it when you put it down. You'll have a longer pack but it's better for the back than off-setting the weight, and if you turn it on while walking at night (IF Ever, even) it could illuminate the area pretty well.

I wouldn't recommend carrying one in a BOB kit tho

>Rule 12: Backpacks should not be wider than a door frame, or thicker than a door frame width minus your body thickness.
Your shit's all fucked up, stow it properly.

Stash it horizontally across the top of the small external pouch.

>>17855
I actually use a lot of the MEG gum/pills, since coffee fucks my stomach.

If you want the best price/caffeine ratio, just get pills. But the gum is great to have for driving. I can get really tired fairly suddenly while driving. Not like a narcoleptic episode, but more like head nodding and starting to wander in my lane. The gum is a great way to instantly restore my ability to focus and get to where I'm going when the only other alternative would be to pull over somewhere and close my eyes for 30-45min. It's also great to have on hand for meetings and shit. Just be aware about dose, and how late you take it and all that. I suspect that caffeine effects people differently, as I could chew a piece right before bed and be fine, but some people it would destroy their night.

The MEG gum has fairly haphazard flavor quality control. So expect to get the occasional "cinna-mint" piece from them switching production using the same equipment or something.

>>17926
The Military Energy Gum (MEG) spearmint flavor tastes... REVOLTING! After a minute or so, the taste gets even worse. The cinnamon flavor is not so bad, but still horrible. This is gum; those cretins can make it taste great. Did they make it taste like garbage so people would not chew up a lot and overdose on caffeine? You really have to chew it with regular gum to make it palatable. Did I get bad batches?

Black-Black caffeine gum from Japan has a strong menthol and peppermint taste (but only 5 mg per piece). It taste like chewing an Altoids. It actually clears your sinuses! As I stated before, I used it and Xylish to stay awake in boring classes and in long road trips. Keep chewing a fresh stick or piece of gum every hour when the effects start to wane.

Another good tip for staying awake for long road trips is to listen to radio plays, like Dragnet (1949-1957 377 episodes), audio books, radio Shakespeare plays, or mystery dramas (but they have to be interesting to you to keep your attention). You have to pay attention to what is being said and described, but you are not visually distracted in doing this.

>>17927
Dunno. I always hate spearimint no matter what it is so I've never tried it. That said, the flavor quality control is hilariously bad with this gum. In addition to the flavor mixing I mentioned (which should only show up in 1-2 packs out of a box), the strength of the flavor can vary quite a lot.
I get the blue "normal mint" is basically mint+the bitterness from concentrated caffeine. I actually like the bitterness.

Funny you mention Black-Black, I actually ordered some a week ago and it's headed my way. It's my absolute favorite gum.

>>17927
The bitterness might be intentional as the bitter taste can be a bit of an eye opener for a lot of people. This is why my go to is Red Bull: it's got enough bitter to wake me up, without being terribly unpleasant.

Cold for easy. Methylphenidate for medium. Dextroamphetamine to make hard/grueling easy.

  I really want to get one of those skookum aladdin mantle lamps but $$$

Someone's been watching AvE...

I wanna get one of those M1950 gasoline stoves the army fielded from 1951 till the 80s

It comes in a case that can be used as cookware. The lid of which has 2 notches so it can fit the earlier WWII M1942 stove

https://sklcolorado.wordpress.com/2015/04/30/m-1950-cooking-stove/

  This guy knows his stuff on liquid fuel.

  Guy knows his kerosene