Milsim advice for beginners? ?

[GAMBLE]

?
I’ve been skirmishing for 3 years and have finally decided in 2020 to try possibly a Milsim event, also considering the National Airsoft Festival event (NAF)! ?
Thankfully got a group of friends all keen on the idea, so will all be our first time! ?

So any advice from seasoned players, would be helpful! 
Anything overlooked, anything not mentioned which is a bonus, any additional items to bring, etc. ??

?GAMBLE?

 

[Tackle]

Firstly the NAF is nothing like a milsim (which I'm sure your aware), more a camping/social event with the occasion bit of Airsoft thrown in.

As for milsim, there's a lot of factors to consider when sorting out your kit list, such as:

The organisation behind it & how hardcore they tend to be ?

The location ?

The time of year (VERY IMPORTANT ?)

Once you know the above, then you can start to plan your kit, if I had to recommend a couple of bits of kit to start you off fairly cheaply,

A Bergen, a goretex bivi bag & a groundsheet/basha, I'd look at eBay for surplus Brit kit, proven quality & easily obtained.

Most dedicated milsim providers have a webpage indicating recommended kit, generally a good guide but you want to aiming for a balance of kit that keeps you comfortable, but not overloading yourself with the kitchen sink.

As far as Airsoft kit goes, a reliable rifle, a bottle of bb's at the most, spare eyepro & 3-4 batts, most Sims involve more tabbing than fighting lol.

 

[mogaly674]

My advice would be for your first time go on the non Nato team as they tend to be more relaxed and that way you can get the feel for the organisers way of running events and you get a good idea if milsims are for you. 

 

[Steveocee]

I don't know how doable this is but I'd recommend trying the in between option of a battlesim first. The bunch I play with are all super mad keen and we want "more" from our skirmish days but to rock up and be put on some crappy patrol in a milsim isn't really what we want. 

We were recommended a battlesim (first and only defo run them) which is a 50/50 between a full milsim experience and a skirmish day.

 

[GAMBLE]

@Steveocee ?

I went to a Battlesim in 2018, with a group of friends, super keen, first time.... we were all majorly disappointed with it, looking back after the day!!!! ?

For what we paid for, ended up having just a long skirmish day.... can’t remember the name of the field, let alone the name of the  event!!!!

We travelled to this event, despite not the best conditions in weather, had issues parking in what would turn into a mud pit!!!!

we did manage to have some fun, but could of been a lot better!
 

Pros:

The people there running the event were ok.

Cons:

Organisation of the whole event.

Parking.

Travel.

Toilet facilities.

I’m keen to try again, anyone have any links for Battlesims.... that are good, send me a link! ??

?GAMBLE?

 

[MandalShArK]

My advice would be for your first time go on the non Nato team as they tend to be more relaxed and that way you can get the feel for the organisers way of running events and you get a good idea if milsims are for you. 

+1 Opfor is best for.

 

[Samurai]

Parking.

Travel.

Toilet facilities.

If these ares big concerns then probably Milsim is not something you want.

Shitting in a hole, sleeping in a bag, walking a lot should be Milsim. That said, "Milsim" in the UK is more about LARPing and dress up than the simulation part of the word.

 

[DopeYourScope]

I do a few Milsims a year, find out the nearest milsim event to yourself.

you will end up camping without any support or facilities (that includes toilets) so you need to be prepared and happy with that thought.

some milsim organisers are more about the combat others are keen on the role play/non combat stuff.

Just ask about on facebook and you’ll find out which each are about.

once you’ve found an event choose a faction/team that will dictate your gear to an extent. (Nato will require MTP or multicam and a russian team will be olive or digital-flora then a insurgent would be more block colours and Civvie clothes) 

dependant on the organiser some are pretty strict on using non modern western weapon attachments on an insurgent team whereas others aren’t so heavy on that. At the end of the day all it takes is a few questions to the organiser and you’ll be ok.

I do woodland milsims and I sleep in a hammock with a basha over me it’s a nice lightweight system that gets you off the ground. Where as other lads sleep in bivvy bags. 
 

Only take the necessities into the field, you can leave things like a spare gun and a few tools in your car, the organiser will understand.

The only extra I take on a milsim as compared to any other skirmish is just my sleeping kit.

 

[Crazy_Crystal]

if you want an introduction to milsims, the okto series run by gunman Airsoft was my first event I went to... yes there is less shooting than your average skirmish but then the action is more intense when it does kick off. Equally the scenarios are scripted with good directing staff and they really encourage the roleplay side of things which is what makes a good event really stand out.

Okto8 is also probably the exception to the NATO/opfor try hard rule as most people there are a lot more laid back than elsewhere and if you don't know how to do something they'll happily point you in the right direction. (everyone is there to have fun after all)

having said all that, Okto is definitely a stepping stone into more challenging things if you do decide that you like the change ?

I should also add that Okto has toilets and stops for the night... definitely not a true milsim in that sense but it does give it it's own unique atmosphere and the roleplay is what really makes it.

 

[Uncle Pauly]

Shitting in a hole

Well now there's a thing.

I’ve yet to dabble in milsim, but have done plenty of wild camping and shat in my fair share of holes (oh the stories I could tell). But I’m surprised organisers allow people to do that during events, especially if the land isn’t theirs.

Not a squeamish objection, just a slight surprise that a few hundred folks (with sloppy dietary regime) are allowed to shit all over a site with no qualms from the land owner. But then when I think about, yeah, I suppose trekking back to the portaloos would break the immersion somewhat.

 

[Tommikka]

Public safety announcement:

If you’re inclined to dig a hole and shit in the woods, and you go off on your ‘milsim’ on an army training area, then never dig a hole to shit in.

The army aren’t allowed to and you’re not allowed to.

There are a quite a few reasons why 

Use the portaloos provided by the army!!!!

Just keep an eye out in case there is something written in big letters on the front.

If you don’t want diarrhea then don’t use the diarrhea one, but if you do have it then use that one.

Coughs, shits & sneezes spread diseases 

 

[Tackle]

Public safety announcement:

If you’re inclined to dig a hole and shit in the woods, and you go off on your ‘milsim’ on an army training area, then never dig a hole to shit in.

The army aren’t allowed to and you’re not allowed to.

There are a quite a few reasons why 

Use the portaloos provided by the army!!!!

Just keep an eye out in case there is something written in big letters on the front.

If you don’t want diarrhea then don’t use the diarrhea one, but if you do have it then use that one.

Coughs, shits & sneezes spread diseases 

For real ?, Back in the day it was a very unhygienic affair, the only time it was made easier was if you could quickly nick a hole your mate had just dug, before he's used it lol

 

[Tommikka]

For real ?, Back in the day it was a very unhygienic affair, the only time it was made easier was if you could quickly nick a hole your mate had just dug, before he's used it lol

Yes.

For all access on the Plain a unit needs to identify what use and activities they plan on doing, and the areas that they can do those activities and those that they transit through.

Random stuff should not be picked up, and random holes should not be dug.

With the amount of soldiers training on the plain that would be a lot of holes across random areas, or much tighter ‘permitted’ areas.  So you’d be digging up each other’s shit.  Not so bad after time, but last weeks or yesterday’s turd won’t be attractive.

We’ve had plumbing for centuries, the value of sanitation was identified long before, and portaloos have been around for decades.

Human waste is just one of the forms of waste that must be removed.  Contracts provide portaloos across the plain and other permanent training areas, and the instructions for arranging training elsewhere require facilities depending on the activity and numbers.  Anything over 24 hours must provide portaloos 

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/33609/20120528ReviewedPG02_11TOPLFinalV3U.pdf

 

[Tackle]

My "time" was over 30 years ago, don't think I ever saw a portaloo on a training area, you were lucky if you had a shovel and shiny paper ?

 

[Cyberlawyer]

I guess time really has moved on. 18 years ago going for a “shovel Rece” was the accepted practice.
 

The only portaloo provided by the MOD was an 18 inch long folding shovel the went in a pouch on your webbing.

I will admit that we did used to bring our own soft loo roll in a ziplock bag. You did get issued about 20 sheets of loo role in the brew kit of the 24 hr ration pack, but it was about as absorbent as greece proof paper and really only “spread it around so it dried faster” as my old RQMS used to say.

 

[Stodgy]

Crikey. Times have changed for the better. You even get a pack of toilet paper that’s soft and luxurious in the rat packs now. Better than you get in barracks that’s for sure. 

Plus the latest round of rats are great and really tasty. Although I’m personally not a fan of beans and pasta that appears in a lot of them. Personal gripe is they got rid of Thai green chicken curry because it didn’t last long enough in storage. But muesli in a bag is amazeballs as long as you add the fruit from the mixed fruit and nuts bag.