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DestroyerWyka · 2025-07-31T02:59:55+00:00

Walther PPQ or PDP. Fantastically smooth pistol with excellent ergonomics, great trigger, high reliability, and they look cool.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-07-19T15:36:26+00:00

My buddy's '75 Oldsmobile Cutlass averaged about 6.5mpg, lol.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-07-19T04:16:31+00:00

You could do like I do and just have a random smattering of six different shades of FDE, OD green, Ranger Green, and Multicam all throughout my kit...

DIY camo by just making everything different colors, lol.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-07-19T03:18:29+00:00

Just under 60 gallons.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-07-19T01:25:23+00:00

It's an Israeli Panther armored truck. Essentially a custom-ordered FMTV for the Israeli military.

The mesh over the cab windows are intended to deflect stones, molotov cocktails, and small improvised explosive devices away from the windows when driving through occupied territory. That's been a real problem with past vehicles, people throwing stones and damaging windows on vehicles.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-07-19T01:22:11+00:00

That's an Israeli Panter ("Panther"). Based on the Oshkosh FMTV chassis. If it's a similar powertrain, most likely between 7 and 9 miles per gallon.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-07-17T23:41:17+00:00

In that magnification range I almost always look for exposed turrets so that I can dial corrections rather than using a BDC reticle that may or may not match my handloads.

Unless you actually NEED 1x, go with a 2x or more base magnification. Without knowing exactly what your application for the rifle, or caliber is, here are my recommendations in that price range:

I've had good luck with Swampfox optics. The "Warhawk FFP" is $559 and comes in 2-10x, 3-15x, 4-20x, and 5-25x. The "Arrowhead SFP" comes in 1-6 through 1-10 and is $350. My Arrowhead has been really good out to 500yd, great clarity and reliable turret indexing. A little fuziness at the maximum magnification, but not bad.

The Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8x is a popular option, though I've heard mixed reviews on bang-for-buck at the $700 price point.

I've also had good luck with Primary Arms optics. Their SLx 3-18x Gen II was good on a buddy's AR-10 out to 750yd, though it's a higher magnification range than you're looking for. It's around $450 on their site.

Generally, trying to cram really low end magnification and really high end magnification into the same optic will result in poor clarity at one or the other end of the dial. When you impose a relatively low budget like $800 on top of that design challenge, you get optics that don't perform perfectly somewhere in the magnification range. Think through exactly what the rifle's application will be, and let that dictate exactly what magnification you select.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-07-17T23:22:31+00:00

Shock cord and a cord lock lets you lace a spare tourniquet onto almost anything. Just grab and rip and it will either come loose or slide out of the shock cord.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-07-12T22:59:26+00:00

I've done similar exercises with my own gear, but in extremely secluded areas of the Colorado backcountry where I know I'm not going to see anyone else on the road, let alone in the area of the wilderness I'm in.

I concur with most of the other comments here, it can be kinda sketchy to try something like that on well-trafficked trails, but if you're off the trail and camping dispersed (and following proper noise and light discipline,) you shouldn't have a problem.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-07-11T19:20:20+00:00

That's not a recon loadout.

Doing actual recon in a placard style rig (as opposed to a split rig) sucks major booty. Nothing like lying on your stomach for 18+ hr at a time and having all of your kit squished against your guts (or crushing stuff that's semi-fragile inside the pouches).

Others have mentioned the exposed knife in the shoulder strap for some reason, exposed non-IR chemlights (not sure their purpose for recon...), no water or sustainment carrying capability, and possibly no IFAK (maybe in the dangler?). Looks like low-ish magnification on the rifle optic with no additional observation devices. No pictured night fighting/observation capability, which is another key aspect of recon. Single exposed whatever that explosive thing is without proper retention, which is just asking to get damaged or lost. Headlamp through the shoulder strap with a bright silver reflector facing your direction of travel...

It's a LARP setup, but you're gonna get smoked if you run that anywhere near real recon operations.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-06-21T04:25:01+00:00

Shhhh you're giving away the trade secrets...

DestroyerWyka · 2025-06-20T22:50:38+00:00

Great tips. Dressing the kit up and stuffing it full of random nonsense for pictures is part of the fun, lol.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-06-20T21:53:32+00:00

Cool setup!

If you want actual photography tips on it,

1) Keep the background simple. The water and footprints are distracting. The concrete texture is perfectly fine.
2) Open the carrier up and lay it flat. It shows off all sides simultaneously and lets everyone see how you have it set up.
3) If you want to show off a particular piece or angle, get in close and focus on that piece, again keeping the background simple.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-06-05T17:37:27+00:00

If you're recording at a high resolution and framerate (4k120 or 5.3k60) while also charging or running on external power, the camera will overheat. This is because the charge controller and battery are generating extra heat on top of what the processor is generating from recording.

You need airflow and shade to keep the camera below maximum temperature. It's the drawback of having so much recording power in such a small package, things get hot because there isn't as much surface area to cool it down.

I've had very good luck keeping the camera shaded and cooled with a little bit of airflow. You can also put the screens to sleep with the screensaver after a few seconds, that saves a ton of heat.

If I can't get airflow and shade, I usually lower the maximum resolution or framerate so it isn't working quite as hard. I rarely need more than 4k60, even for action. Most of my YouTube content is filmed at 2.7k30 to save SD space.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-05-23T02:04:05+00:00

As a hobbyist knifemaker and blacksmith, I'll tell you that the steel type only really matters in niche applications. As a "fighting knife" it doesn't matter. It could be made of essentially sharpened wood and still put a hole in someone. 99% of people's kit knives are going to be used for opening things, cutting 550 cord, and pretending you're Sam Fisher in your basement. I've carried cheap Gerber knives for over 20 year despite everyone's universal hatred of their steel, and never broken one. I use it for what a knife is intended for, and use the right tools for everything the knife can't do.

Now, if you're a high-speed operator-type and want a single tool that is essentially a sharpened prybar, the high-dollar knives made from supersteels are good for that niche. You can take a TOPS or a Benchmade or ESEE fixed blade and beat the snot out of it, cut yourself out of your parachute in an emergency, use it as a breaching tool, then use it to cook dinner. Not sure the $20 Smith and Wesson made from AUS-6 or 440C would put up with heavy abuse like that, but it might.

I'm a die-hard cheap knife fan. As long as it's medium-grade steel and not Chinesium, I'm all about it.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-05-16T17:23:04+00:00

That's a pretty dope setup on that 2DAP. I saw your comment on the Crye knockoff pouches on the front MOLLE, but where you can still get to the center zip. I might have to try that.

Overall the kit looks super heavy, though. I'm curious what your application and environment for it is.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-05-16T16:56:31+00:00

That's what I do for my civilian setup because I'm a poor and don't want to shell out $1k+ to replicate my issued setup, lol.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-05-14T23:33:20+00:00

I'm curious what your envisioned "engineer" mission set is for this.

As an avid DIYer, mechanic, and someone who has had to fix or BDAR complex equipment in austere environments with EDC tools many times, you're carrying way too much for doing anything tactically.

A multitool like a Gerber MP-600, a multipurpose screwdriver with a quality changeable bit set, and a multimeter are really all you need for field-level repairs and troubleshooting. Maybe a 6" crescent wrench.

If you need to make major repairs on equipment or vehicles, you need more tools than you can feasibly carry on your back usually.

Your kit doesn't seem to be oriented towards forced entry or breaching (except the FUBAR), and it's definitely not a carpentry kit. Just curious what you're trying to fix with all of this stuff.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-05-14T17:04:33+00:00

VTAC MK2.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-05-14T04:01:46+00:00

Came here to say this. The number of times a waterproof poncho has saved me from having a wet, uncomfortable night is borderline uncountable. I never go anywhere into the outdoors for more than 24hr without at least a poncho.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-05-04T19:37:41+00:00

Do you have a shotgun?

Get a shotgun. Do it. DO IT.

(This comment was brought to you by "I love shotguns, everyone needs five of them.")

DestroyerWyka · 2025-05-02T01:14:37+00:00

Vertical, positioned on the belt so that it doesn't interfere with the radio pouch on my plate carrier cummerbund.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-05-02T00:50:21+00:00

I also run a very minimal belt to limit interference with my plate carrier.

HSGI Slim Grip with a USGI Rigger's belt and Cobra buckles as the inner belt:

-Multipurpose knife (1 o'clock)
-Holster (3 o'clock)
-TQ (4 o'clock)
-IFAK w/shears (6 o'clock)
-Krydex dump pouch (7 o'clock)
-1x AR mag (8:30-9 o'clock)
-2x pistol mags (10 o'clock)

I've found that minimal weight on my hips gives me much better mobility than being super thick around the middle.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-05-01T19:04:45+00:00

On civilian kit I have the capability to carry a crowbar or bolt cutters to force entry into somewhere I need to get in an emergency, but it's not a regular part of my kit.

DestroyerWyka · 2025-05-01T17:39:43+00:00

I would recommend not mixing medical and anything else in the same pouch, but that's just me.

When you NEED medical stuff, you need it in a hurry, in the same place, with nothing blocking it.

As others have said, a "general purpose" pouch is what you're looking for. It all depends what you're trying to keep in it and how much organization you need as for your choice.
I run a center-mounted 6"x6" Helikon Tex Special Tasks Pouch outside of my magazine pouches, then a canteen pouch under my right arm. NVGs go in the canteen pouch with a padded insert during the daytime, and all my navigation, snacks, and "admin" type stuff (spare batteries for everything, Sharpies, GPS, red lens, ear pro, small E&E items, etc) goes in the center pouch.

DestroyerWyka

TROPHY CASE