Your tactical gear is killing you. It weighs too much and while much of it is designed to protect your ass in combat, it’s actually making you a bigger target. In this article, we will be covering the most advanced tactical gear available, and discussing just how much it weighs. As you’ll see, increasing your combat weight can prove quite deadly. Keep reading for more.
Long time readers of this website will remember that I wrote an article way back in 2019, discussing the lightest weight Tier One Loadout, available at that time. Before we get into the specifics of this article, we need to quickly summarize some of the research on lightening your combat load.
Light is Right for Combat Operations
Research by then Marine Captain Courtney Thompson, highlighted that a simple trend exists in combat. Adding weight slows personnel down. Even adding additional armor caused casualties when the weight was too great for Soldiers and Marines to move quickly.
She did some very sophisticated computer simulations where a simulated Marine Rifle Squad (13 person), was attacked by four insurgents with AK-47 rifles. She found that adding as little as 15 more pounds to combat personnel resulted in one more casualty on average.
Her thesis was super long, and very interesting. I encourage you to read it if you’re a nerd like me. However, her research highlights that increasing ballistic protection was of little utility if it came at the expense of added weight.
This got me thinking. Has there been any developments in the most advanced tactical gear since I wrote my previous article? There was only one way to answer this. I scoured the internet to find the best, and lightest tactical gear that would stand up to the rigors of combat.
This is the type of gear that is issued to Tier One Special Mission Units like the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, or Delta Force. It represents some of the best and lightest equipment publicly available today. Provided that you have a big enough credit limit, you can own all of it should you desire. Now, let’s get right into the specifics of the most advanced and lightest tactical gear available today!
Advanced Tactical Gear: An Ultra lightweight Gear List
First let’s agree on the rules for this little exercise. The only gear that I’ve included is what is commonly referred to as the fighting load, or the equipment you need to sustain yourself for short durations in a combat environment. This is not large packs filled with sleeping bags, and snivel gear. Nor does it include things like crew served weapons and their associated gear. This is gear an assaulter, or basic infantryman would use for short term combat operations.
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Lightweight Body Armor and Plate Carrier
Body armor is always the heaviest standard issue equipment. However, there has been some interesting advances in polyethylene plates in the last few years. A company called Shot Safe, currently sells the lightest plates available today. The weight listed below is for both front and back level III+ plates, combined. They are standalone plates that will stop up to .308 rounds (non armor piercing).
These plates are about 40% lighter than traditional plates, and they are rated to stop just about any rifle round that someone is likely to encounter. I know some of you are saying but what about level IV plates? Remember, most of the data indicated that the weight penalty associated with those plates didn’t offset the protection they offered.
If you go through the rest of the plate carrier list, there really aren’t any other huge changes. Pouches, radios, water and other accessories commonly carried on the plate carrier really aren’t changing much. As a result, the vast majority of the weight savings is coming from the duritium armor plates.
Next, let’s talk about the weapon systems themselves, and discover if there have been any big changes there.
Lightweight Weapons Systems: Laser, Optics, Suppressors
I want to highlight that these are the lightest weapons and accessories that I believe would be likely to handle the rigors of combat. Sure, you could get something slightly lighter, but it won’t help you when it’s laying in pieces after you drop it once.
Here I’ve spec’d a Daniel Defense DDM4 v7 Pro rifle. Daniel Defense already supplies MK18 rifles to Special Forces, and they have a reputation for creating very rugged rifles. I can also personally attest that their pro rifles are very lightweight, especially in the 10.3 inch barrel configuration.
There are two noteworthy weight saving accessories that I’ve Included as well. The first is the NGAL IR laser. It’s an updated and smaller version of the venerable PEQ15. It is more compact than comparable aiming devices, and saves weight where you need it.
The next important piece of gear is the Delta P Brevis suppressor. This is a very interesting suppressor that is constructed using metal 3D printers. This allows them to make the silencer much lighter than traditional units that are welded together. They are also incredibly tough. Check out the video below.
I’ve also included a Glock 19, as it’s currently an issued sidearm for most components of US Special Operations Command, and it happens to be very light as well. It includes a red dot MRDS, and a pistol light as well. Now, let’s get into the helmet systems and see what advancements have been made there.
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Lightweight Helmet, NVGs, and Accessories
Helmets have been getting lighter over the years, but much of this is due to the industry favoring high cut, over the ear designs, versus full cut helmets. Currently, it looks like the Team Wendy EXFIL SL is the lightest helmet with all straps and mounting hardware.
I’ve also chosen to forgo the traditional Peltor Comtac style ear protection in favor of the lighter TEA Clarus headset. It still provides communication, and electronic hearing protection, but it uses earbuds rather than ear muffs, which saves weight.
The rest of the equipment is the same as the 2019 gear list. There really hasn’t been much of a change to helmet system accessories in recent years. Next, we will move on to the first line gear.
Lightweight Combat Uniform and First Line Gear
This equipment hasn’t changed much as well. I think a few companies are starting to offer lighter clothing, but this is likely going to come at the cost of durability. I can vividly remember the USMC Frog Gear that was issued to us in Afghanistan being very comfortable and light to wear, and immediately falling apart within a few weeks.
Where does that leave us? Has the tactical industry really made more advanced tactical gear in the intervening few years? The answer is yes.
Total Gear List Weight for Advanced Tactical Gear
For this 2021 ultra lightweight tactical gear list, we have been able to drop a significant amount of weight. This same load in 2019 weighed 57 pounds. In 2021, using the most advanced tactical gear, the load comes in at 52 pounds. I know that this may not seem like a lot, but remember just 15 pounds extra per Marine created one more casualty for one attack.
This brings us to our next point about total load compared to bodyweight. If you review the 2019 version of the ultralight weight article, you’ll see that most sources agree that a fighting load should total no more than 30% of combatant’s bodyweight. This means that using this very light weight gear, each assaulter would need to weigh about 175lbs or more.
I find this figure oddly familiar as the folks of at Mountain Tactical Institute have an excellent article that covers the best body weight, by height, for tactical athletes. In the article, for an average sized guy, they recommend right around 170 pounds. This makes the calculation almost exactly spot on.
Obviously, larger athletes are generally stronger athletes and will have an easier time moving loads that are smaller relative to their body weight. If you happen to be a tactical athlete and want to improve your strength to weight ratio, then check out my 9 Week Functional Strength Program. I bet you’ll like it.
Final Thoughts
This has been an interesting thought experiment, but realistically there were only a few notable changes that brought the weight down. The duritium plates made the biggest difference, and the 3D printed suppressor also made a big difference, as shooting heavy guns can be a real pain.
I’m sure there will continue to be advances with lighter materials and armor, but the best thing we can do now is improve our fitness as much as possible. We should also limit what we carry to what we need, not what we might want. If you liked this article then feel free to share it with a friend!
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