Trying Out the Full Canadian Army Gear

At the Cloverdale(BC Canada)  Rodeo and Fair 2015, the friendly soldiers of the Canadian Armed Forces were kind enough for me to try on their combat gear.

First a Flak Jacket

As Wikipedia explains "A flak jacket or a flak vest is a form of body armor designed to provide protection from case fragments ("frag") from high explosive weaponry, such as anti-aircraft artillery, grenades, some round shot used in shotguns and land mines and other lower-velocity projectiles. It is not designed to protect against bullets fired from small-arms such as rifles or handguns. However, certain flak jackets are able to sustain certain gunshots, dependent on the armor, the gun, and the distance that the bullet has travelled.

The first usage of the term “flak jacket” refers to the armor originally developed by the Wilkinson Sword company during World War II to help protect British Royal Air Force aircrew from the flying debris and shrapnel thrown by German anti-aircraft guns' high-explosive shells (flak itself is an abbreviation for the German word Fliegerabwehrkanone  meaning anti-aircraft gun)).  The idea for the flak jacket came from Col. Malcolm C. Grow, Surgeon of the US Eighth Air Force in Britain. He thought that many wounds he was treating could have been prevented by some kind of light armor.  In 1943 he was awarded the Legion of Merit for developing the flak vest."

Then a Tac Vest

Short for Tactical Vest.  Over the Flak Jackedt, the Tac Vest  is a one-size fits all with highly adjustable straps , plenty of many pockets with secure closures to hold an incredible amount of ammunition and gear with secure closures.

Then your Helmet

Netted or not - The net is for you to trap leaves and heighten your camouflage.  Actually you can put on your helmet any time.

Then a Rucksack

One word, and more commonly known as a backpack.  I  was carrying 50 lbs heavy, but according to the  Army Rucksack can carry up to a max of 120 lbs ( 30 lbs less my bodyweight) of food, clothes, etc.

The word rucksack is a German loanword mainly used in the UK and in western military forces: in German 'der Rücken' means 'the back' (the part of the body), and Sack for bag

Last, a Rifle

A plastic toy.