[Mobhack]

Or the fun bits of kit. Like you can be the platoon radio operator and get the radio, its harness and a spare battery, so your backpack goes in one hand because it will not fit on top of the radio harness, along with the SLR that has no sling because it's policy not to have weapons slung. And then they ask me to assault up the banks of an Iron Age Hillfort (45 degrees??) in the dark, trying to keep in comms with both hands occupied... Oh joy!. Thankfully, I was 19 at the time!.

Of course if the platoon Sgt doesn't really like you then you get to carry the platoon Charlie G. That thing was sheer fun - luckily there were no blanks for the thing so you had no ammo to load you down. That was the 1970s version, it made of lead I think!. Today you can substitute javelins and the fire control box.

And of course entrenching tools - pickaxe was OK as it split into two, the shovel was one piece. Both fitted on your webbing yoke in the small of your back and poked into you at unexpected times.

Then the joy of doing 24 hours wrapped up in a Noddy suit, including digging a trench in it with the respirator on in the hottest summer of 1976 when the forests at Vogelsang were so dry that field cooking was out and we had to wait for the cooks to deliver any hot meals or even tea - otherwise the German foresters would slap you with a 200(?) DM spot fine for fire raising, cash on the nail or off to the station to sort it out. The brass called that idea off after an hour or so and 3 or 4 heatstroke casualties occurred. We still had to complete the NBC exercise, but with respirators stowed.

Oh yes - the sleeping bag or "maggot" that you sometimes got issued with, big and bulky. Never used on exercise unless you were guaranteed the time to use it. But even then the brass would often change plans, and you would be roused out of kip for an instant change of position, so if it was dry you left it tied to your pack and simply used it as a pillow. You learned quickly not to unpack and strew stuff around, in case of a quick move - nothing worse than trying to scrabble around trying to find your gear at night if it is strewn about, so best to leave everything tied on. I wonder if body armour is OK to kip in?.

So, yes - 20 extra pounds of body armour would be a real joy to add on top of that sort of stuff. Not. Especially in a NBC suit. Definitely not when in an NBC suit and trying to dig in!.