Unusual items and uss

Illusion · Post by **Illusion** » Fri May 23, 2008 6:41 pm

Just a thread for those unusual items that you take that others might not think of - along with their respective uses. Or maybe even items that other people know about - but unusual uses you have for them,

*Laser Pointer - Useful for judging distance, peicing together information about a room, finding obstacles etc. Also useful for draining, I think it could be used to find objects under water - I have yet to test this theory however.

*Karabiner - Clip it onto the top of your rucksack and you can hang it off of objects. Very useful in drains where you can attach your rucksack to the ladders under manholes - allowing you to relax your back without wet kit!

*Baby Wipes - Essential. I take them everywhere. I don't know many people who have spoken about these before - but they are very useful!

Post by **Ghost** » Sat May 24, 2008 10:40 pm

â€¢ Some thin, malleable wire. I don't bring it with me all the time, but it's just one of those things that seems to come in handy. If you have the dexterity for it, you can use it to reach though thin cracks and hook around items you wouldn't be able to grab otherwise. can also be used to quickly close and shut a gate behind you if you are being pursued by someone who probably won't climb over it. Also, it can come in handy for alarm work if you're into that sort of stuff.

â€¢ Clicker - useful for locating your partner, nonverbal communication, that sort of thing. Most petsmarts carry them for cheap.

A side note - i'm usually into the whole "minimalist" thing, rarely do i bring more than my knife, light, and picks. most times i don't need the picks, either. But special circumstances or long distance ops do tend to call for specialized load outs, so anyone reading the thread please keep in mind that most oppers are not walking thrift stores.

The gear doesn't make the opper, the opper uses the gear. if you're not comfortable using the gear, there's no point in bringing it.

Psychlonic · Post by **Psychlonic** » Sun May 25, 2008 1:30 am

That's very true, you can buy top of the line camouflage, picks, surefire flashlights, but none of it means a thing if you can't use any of it effectively.

I guess the most unusual thing I like to take along are bread twist ties. Good for carding locks and binding objects together. The fact they take up virtually no room is a plus as well.

Illusion · Post by **Illusion** » Sun May 25, 2008 3:51 am

Agreed about the kit - I generally adapt it for the task at hand, usually just building up on 3 or 4 core items. [Maglite, First Aid Kit, Multitool..] I have heard of some pretty clueless people with top bits of kit!

*Leather Weight Lifting Gloves - Help to climb at times, also help you to grip cold ladders without losing the use of your fingertips! Can be a useful addition at times!

stealththief · Post by **stealththief** » Sun May 25, 2008 5:47 pm

Illusion wrote:Agreed about the kit - I generally adapt it for the task at hand, usually just building up on 3 or 4 core items. [Maglite, First Aid Kit, Multitool..] I have heard of some pretty clueless people with top bits of kit!

*Leather Weight Lifting Gloves - Help to climb at times, also help you to grip cold ladders without losing the use of your fingertips! Can be a useful addition at times!

As I'm sure you've read, most of my ops require only dark clothes and even that's not always needed, depending on your hiding techniques. Crisis uses those gloves I think.

hX_ · Post by **hX_** » Sun May 25, 2008 5:59 pm

I use woollen "hobo" gloves, as they still allow fiddly stuff to be done with fingertips, and are very good for pulling yourself up on concrete ledges; stops grazes to.

darktorn · Post by **darktorn** » Mon May 26, 2008 6:50 pm

Those hobo gloves are exactly what I use, only disadvantage is they leave prints.

hX_ · Post by **hX_** » Tue May 27, 2008 7:44 pm

Most things you can use sides of fingers for (opening doors), otherwise, smear your prints downwards with the tips of your fingers if you really want.

darktorn · Post by **darktorn** » Wed May 28, 2008 6:19 pm

Yeah, prints aren't usually a problem for me and if they are I'll just wear a full finger glove.

stealththief · Post by **stealththief** » Thu May 29, 2008 3:02 am

I did more stuff than I'd want to admit without gloves. But there are methods of grabbing and stuff that don't leave prints.

crastmaster · Post by **crastmaster** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 8:16 am

I'm the pack rat not the pack horse in my team so I travel light basically dark cargo pants (many pockets for holding small/medium sized items) the hobo gloves and a thing of kite string for tying things to my body if the need be also possible for trip lines as well and occasionally a 10 ft length of rope for climbing

darkwolf7 · Post by **darkwolf7** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 6:23 am

Im the pack horse in me and Crastmasters team so I carry lots of things

-[b]any kind of space blanket[/b]: space blankets hold and mask all heat and dont let any out. Police have been useing infared vision more often these days espesially from helecopters but some from police so all you would have to do is hide under one and your set. Mine has woodland camo on one side so it dosent shine.

-[b]spay paint[/b] is good for dimming out bright lights if you can get over the noise

-[b]pepper spray[/b] is good to make dogs stop barking (use sparringly since it wont take much to make a dog shut up after its nasle passege stings like hell)

-[b]snap pops[/b] (those fire crakers for kids that spark when their thrown on the ground) makes a great distraction tool

-[b]lighters[/b] can be used to communicate (number of sparks can indicate different statuses and messeges)

-I have a huge list of more things but here are just a few

Dethkreep · Post by **Dethkreep** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 2:26 am

I think I have a few. I don't have these yet but I plan on getting them soon.

-

http://www.kitterytradingpost.com/produ ... odid/25127

These for increased hearing, a huge advantage for many reasons. The cool thing about this particular model is that you can plug in radios directly to it so the sound of the other persons voice isn't obnoxiously loud through the normal radio speaker. Only right from the headset speakers directly into the persons ears. (Theres another slightly nicer pair of these for an extra 15 bucks on that site)

-Slingshot- Perhaps a suspicious civilian comes out of a house checking around for you and fellow operatives. If he is coming close to stumbling upon other oppers in hiding, give em a nice thwack in the head from a well concealed position and I'm sure even if you miss and hit a window or house hard most people will stumble back into there house out of sheer fright. Given they would most likely call the police right after, if they hadn't already, but it would almost certainly stop the person from getting a good hold on a teammate. Plus could be useful for taking out bright lights, testing areas for activity, pure fun of shooting and scaring the shit out of people and probably many more things im not thinking of.

I love crastmasters idea for trip lines, if you have a designated escape route, a trip line or two would be excellent for tripping someone up.

Borninshadows · Post by **Borninshadows** » Sun Aug 24, 2008 3:12 pm

Illusion wrote:
*Laser Pointer - Useful for judging distance, piecing together information about a room, finding obstacles etc. Also useful for draining, I think it could be used to find objects under water - I have yet to test this theory however.

The laser pointer, if aimed at a camera's lense, can harm the sensors and instantly blind the camera.

Psychlonic · Post by **Psychlonic** » Sun Aug 24, 2008 3:43 pm

Borninshadows wrote:
Illusion wrote:
*Laser Pointer - Useful for judging distance, piecing together information about a room, finding obstacles etc. Also useful for draining, I think it could be used to find objects under water - I have yet to test this theory however.
The laser pointer, if aimed at a camera's lense, can harm the sensors and instantly blind the camera.

Lasers work by presenting too much light to a camera, so when the tapes are looked at, around 1/3 of the screen is blanked out from the red light. Hypothetically, in order to block the view you'd need to center the laser beam perfectly in the center of the camera lens from a distance. This would require a steady stand. Furthermore, editing equipment can filter out the red band in a video rendering the laser trick useless if they need to see what happened. The only way to stop this would be to rig up some elaborate tri-pod with a red laser, a green laser, and a blue laser all pointed at the camera lens. The complications of this should be obvious.

Lasers won't destroy the camera "sensors". The only related idea to this is to modify a DVD burner laser and get up close to the camera to damage it. If you can get that close to the camera though, it's probably easier to do something else.

It's possible, but just not practical. If you wish to come back with an argument against me, provide credible references instead of "I saw or I read on such-and-such that it works!" because I've also read that Thermite can melt through the entire planet.

Biohazard · Post by **Biohazard** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 3:37 am

I can't believe no one mentioned these yet- black GARBAGE BAGS! They go a long way when you need to carry a lot of stolen shit. They are large, strong and versatile. They basically take up no space or weight when folded. I like to have 3 with my opping gear at all times.

stealththief · Post by **stealththief** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 5:06 am

I never think to bring them they're ultra useful. Useful for carrying stuff over water, hiding, carrying loot, and a ton of other stuff like sleeping in the rain.

Dethkreep · Post by **Dethkreep** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 12:21 am

Holy shit... black garbage bag, I can't believe I've never thought of that, especially for hiding. In a matter of (Noisy =\) seconds you can become useless, subtle, garbage. This would probably only work in places where there's a lot of trash around already though. But still, I think I'll start bringing one along on ops.

Psychlonic · Post by **Psychlonic** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 9:50 am

I used to carry around a navy blue bedsheet folded up instead, for carrying shit around so I didn't have to bring a ruck along. But I prefer carrying stuff on my back so I usually use a ruck anyhow.

stealththief · Post by **stealththief** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 5:08 pm

I usually try to wear a vest and belt over a bag, but when I wear a bag its the smallest and most secure I can find. I don't like opping with a bag, I usually stash it in a bush or up in a tree or on a roof.

MysteryGuest · Post by **MysteryGuest** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 6:28 pm

stealththief wrote:I usually try to wear a vest and belt over a bag, but when I wear a bag its the smallest and most secure I can find. I don't like opping with a bag, I usually stash it in a bush or up in a tree or on a roof.

Yeah, I was walking about today after college with my usual "opping" rucksack, I had 2 folders and some overalls in it, and I knocked over a display in a shop and bumped a few people out of the way amongst other things. Proving that a rucksack can be one of the worst items to have, as stuff like that happening during an op could be a severe mistake.

Its not even a large rucksack, and I fully compressed it [using the pull clip things] before leaving. So its worth bearing in mind!

I keep a karabiner on mine though, and usually clip it to strategic places if I need to move/climb.

Biohazard · Post by **Biohazard** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 2:54 am

Maybe your problem is being clumsy and walking into stores with your opping backpack. It's not hard to walk with a backpack. I used to take one to school every day, loaded with 3-4 thick books. I never complained or bumped into shit, pussy.

MysteryGuest · Post by **MysteryGuest** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 5:22 pm

Biohazard wrote:Maybe your problem is being clumsy and walking into stores with your opping backpack. It's not hard to walk with a backpack. I used to take one to school every day, loaded with 3-4 thick books. I never complained or bumped into shit, pussy.

Lol, Screw you - its the only backpack I have that I haven't completely trashed. Plus, its quite durable so I can put my folders and work in there knows its not going to get wet/broken.

"3-4 thick books" vs Overalls, 1 Ring Binder [Think big folder] and 1 standard folder...

In all fairness, I am pretty clumsy at times - and the shop was a little pokey place where its difficult to walk through without a backpack.

Post by **Xanatos** » Sun Jun 21, 2009 1:14 pm

Some useful survival tools...

Tampon: Can be frayed up and used as a firestarter.
Condoms: Can be used to carry water. Place the condom in a sock to prevent it popping.
Bobby pins/paper clips: Can be used to pick handcuffs IF you get caught. http://www.wikihow.com/Escape-from-Handcuffs
Sash: A Ninja sash wasn't just a thin strip of material, but a large blanket-sized garment folded into a thin strip and worn around the waist. Can be used to break up the sillhouette or to suspend yourself in the upper branches of a tree.
Chicken wire: Useful for creating hide spots. Dig a hole in the ground large enough for you to fit in, then place a sheet of chicken wire over it with grass/leaves/etc stuffed into the holes for concealment.

Dethkreep · Post by **Dethkreep** » Sun Jun 21, 2009 9:03 pm

A rock- Chuck it into some bushes or something else noisy to cause a diversion while you infiltrate/escape.

Illusion · Post by **Illusion** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 12:32 am

I guess what I wanted to convey when I made this thread was; no matter how many fancy gadgets you have - one thing is invaluable.. ingenuity.

You can have every little bit of kit you want, but when you're faced with an object you need to often think outside the box. You need to think up creative solutions for those problems. Much like the ethos of Parkour teaches us.

For some of us - that may mean using a rock as a distraction, or using a bed sheet to carry stuff in. For others it may be using chicken wire to create a hide to conceal goods. The one thing in common though guys - is each idea is thinking *outside* of the box, a skill which is vital (especially in NO) but equally, a skill that the modern day world rejects. We live in a world where we can buy whatever we want or need.

The fact of the matter is though - when you're hiding on a roof top and you hear someone climbing, or when you're running with a load of objects you need to stash... you can't pick up your tactical catalogue and order the equipment. You need to think on your toes. Those with this skill will throw the rock as a distraction, or create a quick hide for their goods. Those without this skill will get busted on the roof, or get slowed down carrying the goods.. and busted.

That's the difference between a good night-oper, and a brilliant one. Hope I've given you some food for thought!

Post by **Xanatos** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:08 am

Think outside the box? I LIVE outside the box! In the darkness...

Night Ops

Unusual items and uss

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