Night Ops

Id like to outline what I consider a useful tool set for gaining entry to areas , compounds , etc usually with a wire fence , chain link fence , ballast rock wall fence. Usually you may consider physically climbing over , however for the purposes of this post you may require a vehicle (bike, 4x4, quad, ) to retrieve materials within the area , or you may need it for escape. Your area may be isolated , semi isolated which allows you to utilize a greater degree of tools without detection.

-Decent set of high tensile wire cutters (get a decent set that dont actually use the V part of the blade to cut , many have a notch behind the handles you can put the wire through and cut. These are much faster and safer. The advantage you can cut high tensile fencing wire fast and quietly to gain access.

-Chainsaw ; yes its noisy , but quite to often ive been down a escape route with a fallen tree blocking the path.

-Cordless Angle Grinder ; noisy as hell , buy a few spare batteries if your completing any serious cutting. (good for reinforced gates , etc)

- Breaker Bar ; Many premises use large ballast rocks as permeter fencing to vehicles , in a desperate situation you can use a breaker bar to shift them along with some help from a bullbar.

Anyone else have any other gear they like to use for overcoming fences , barriers , similar. ?

I've used a crowbar a couple of times. Fairly simple, versatile and available tool for breaking, prying or grappling your way past barriers.

Holy shit, when did you have the time to chop apart a tree with your gas chainsaw while escaping on a quad bike?

The most useful tool I have so far are picks and heavy duty wire cutters. Considering investing in good bolt cutters as well.

lynx lol ! Ive had one circumstance where I brought a vehicle into a forest that was protected by fencing , barriers ect and had a public exclusion status held on it, on the way out a tree branch fell over the escape route and there was no option for the vehicle to pass through ! Fortunately I was in a area a long way from habitation so the noise wasnt a issue !

Heavy duty wire cutters are excellent , will have to invest in the decent set of boltcutters soon!

Whoah, that must have been a close one nonetheless. Chainsaws are loud as hell.
Speaking of heavy gear, how do you carry larger items? I have trouble carrying anything that's large, metal and bulky. Ideally, in full loadout, I want to fit this on my vest:

These I would have to somehow mount on the back.
-Boltcutters
-Crowbar (Medium Size, Flat)

And for the front...
-Heavy Duty Pliers/Wire Cutters
-Flashlight (Red Filter)
-Lockpick Set (Rake, Half Diamond, Long Hook, City Rake, Double-Sided Tension Wrench)
-Mechanical Pick Gun
-Binoculars
-Multitool
-Knife

The front items are all good, except for the lockpicks/pick gun. Not sure how to mount those.
In the back, I have no clue how to properly attach big items like that to molle. Perhaps a backpack would be better?

I was surfing the web and I found ideas for some collapsible tools, like a crow bar and pick guns. Maybe you could make something like that to strap to your back?

Scissor Car-Jack.

Use it at a 90 angle to divide fence slats. Use it upright to prize open exit points from service tunnels.

Heavy bit of kit to carry around, don't you think?

Then again, so is a chainsaw.

Xanatos wrote:Heavy bit of kit to carry around, don't you think?

Then again, so is a chainsaw.

Yes! It is indeed, I should probably have clarified it's something I'd have on me only if I knew it was needed or if I'm travelling by car with someone.

http://www.dx.com/s/lock%2bpicks?category=433

Oh boy.

Actually, I never know how to carry lockpicks. Sometimes they come with a pouch, but it's insecure and loose. I would just put it in my pack or pocket, but they'd snap the second I trip or do parkour. I've seen a few where they come in pocketknife form, but I hear that reduces the dexterity farther than it's worth. So what do you guys do, normally?

I used to carry them on my belt until that incident, now I just carry the pouch in my pocket. The leather pouch is grippy enough that it doesn't fall out.

Speaking of handy pocket tools, I'm becoming more and more concerned with my gear profile - i.e. how conspicuous I look with it.
This is branching away from pure hide & seek NO where being seen isn't advised, as these gear requirements are tailored to a civilian clothes approach to the AO.
So, here's some suggestions for small items that can serve as an all-access keychain to low security establishments.

-Pocket Crowbar (Good for prying windows, cabinets, deforming sheet metal etc.)
-CIA Special (Hook, Rake & Double Sided Tension Wrench with fat and thin sides.)
-Padlock Shims (Even though they aren't known for their reliability, they don't take up much space and may come in handy.)
-Pick Gun? (No personal experience, but gosh this seems to be amazing. It's a little bigger but so much faster than picking or raking)
-Small Philips and Flathead Screwdrivers (Unscrewing hatches, skylights and other useful things if you don't have a multitool)
-Heavy Duty Pliers (For cutting wire and other grippy purposes)
-Leatherman (A big fat leatherman with an array of screwdrivers, files, small wrenches and a pair of pliers will be a replacement for most small tools)

That's all you'd need if the space was limited to your pockets, in my opinion. It's an easy kit to assemble and works well will civilian clothes. No need for cargo pants and turtlenecks.