Right, so you’ve watched SEAL Team on CBS/Sky One and your looking to replicate their loadouts… well there’s good and bad news, I’m not going to lie, some of the gear isn’t easy to identify and many of the bits that are have a significant price point attached to them.
The flip side of this is that SEAL Team for the most part seem to have grounded their kit in what would have been used at one time or another, sure it’s impossible to know what DEVGRU are using right up to the minute, but looking back over the last decade you’ll spot practically everything on screen being used in various reference material that has leaked into the mainstream media or at the very least its plausible that the items on screen would be considered due to their heritage.
I have covered the weapons briefly in this section but for far greater detail check out An Anatomy Of… The SEAL Team Armoury. There is also a Part Two to this blog, covering some additional gear used by not only Jason but the rest of Bravo Team up until the end of season 2, link here.
So, concentrating on just the lead character within the series… “Jason Hayes”, There are a number of different options available with many loadouts being used throughout Season 1.Also, a reminder that this isn’t a DEVGRU loadout as such, some of the items may be synonymous with that unit but this is purely based upon the TV show SEAL Team.Any errors within the show will be replicated within my research so if your wanting a true DEVGRU loadout, head over to DEVTSIX with an open mind and a really, really open wallet! Those guys will be much more able to show you the way.
A personal favourite, The t-shirt and jeans/Spiritus Systems Chest Rig combo used in “Containment” by many of the key team members, or another would be the Multicam Tropic patrolling loadout used when on a hostage rescue mission in South America in “Borderlines”.
But the iconic loadout and most likely to be replicated is surely the Multicam/AOR1 Direct Action Loadout seen commonly on the series. There are subtle differences with each episode, sometimes Multicam is used, othertimes AOR1 and often a mix of both.Also the weapon accessories often change… Optics change depending on the mission as do certain accessories and indeed the weapons themselves.
Bear in mind that I’m not a massive Gear whor*! I like high end gear but I’ve only owned a handful of it, My knowledge isn’t in the same league as many other people who I’m sure will be quick to correct any errors I’ve made, however when creating an impression it’s important to set yourself an end goal as to what your willing to accept without bankrupting yourself. You could easily spend a cars worth of money building the perfect SEAL Team loadout, but you can create a passable loadout for a relatively modest amount if your willing to make some compromises.
Weaponry
Jason Hayes’s primary weapon is usually a Heckler and Koch 416D with a 10.5″ barrel and a Geissele SMR (Super Modular Rail) in Desert Dirt Color.
On the front end you’ll almost always find a Surefire SOCOM-RC2 556 suppressor, with its distinctive “turreted” front end and locking collar save for the one occasion a first gen can is used and the few times blue “training cans” are used in practice. There are repro versions of this available, Followers of my IG feed will have seen a fresh looking can on the front of my Mk18 (Yes, I’m fully aware this isn’t a correct option for DEVGRU but I do like my M4s)…
Rearwards of the “Can”, There’s a number of little things that together make a really unique build. What initially looks like a set of KAC irons set behind the PEQ is actually a Unity Tactical Fusion Hub, combining the benefits of an offset scout light mount with a familiar design of BUIS. This is most clearly seen on Clay’s weapon but for the impression its a great little addition… PTS do make a clone of this if interested but lacking the dollars for a real one.
The ever present Surefire M300 scout-light (I’m not sure exactly which model is used in the show) A great light but on a budget your best option would be the Element M300 in FDE (its a little too reflective but it’s a good light overall and “kosher” enough for most observers).
Atop the rail is a PEQ15, although similar enough in shape to the very good LA-5 replica, again made by Element… with a little work these become a great asset to NVG users.
Jason’s sight of choice is the Eotech EXPS-3 in Black, generally the FDE one is what you’ll see issued but to be honest most of the “longs” are covered in krylon so it’s not a biggie if you buy the FDE sight, it’ll look more in-keeping with most other impressions as well. A number of replicas do exist for this sight but nothing really comes close to the real one… A massive giveaway is the battery cap… bigger on all replicas without extensive modification, The Hurricane clone is regarded as one of the better options but its not cheap!
Stock furniture is a Magpul CTR, the addition of a .55 buttpad is seen on Jason’s 416 but a .70 would be alright if needed for a TM NGRS build. A closer look (Thanks to Rich from The Reptile House) shows its a commercial spec buffer tube and stock, similar to my own CTR (Itself an old familiar face from Andy S23s blaster) on the above Mk18, if you notice the angle to the rear of the butt-pad it shows an angled rear unlike the more vertical Mil-Spec stock.
The pistol grip appears to be the Tangodown Battlegrip, so those using a TM NGRS DEVGRU as a base are sorted as its the grip replicated on that rifle.
The Foregrip appears to be a Tangodown vertical fore-grip. A great choice for routing switches but a bit bulkier than my preferred Magpul RVG.
Sling points are generally QD clips attached to the rail and stock, the sling itself appears to be a Blue Force Gear Vickers Tactical padded VCAS sling in Multicam. Cheaper options are made but be careful how much you spend on a nice rifle to ensure its longevity… a good sling will serve you well, I’ll not part with my BFG VCAS until something better comes along.
Jason’s secondary weapon alternates between a Glock 17 and 19 (I’ve reviewed the Marui Glock 19 should you be looking for a reliable replica).
When on the offensive or limited in what he can carry he appears to favour the 17, For general use as a sidearm it appears to be a 19 which stays firmly holstered for most of the series. For this impression we’ll leave this part at your discretion… However the more accurate option is the 19 with the majority of SOCOM now having adopted this as their sidearm, with many western Special Forces including our own SAS and SBS units following suit. For the most part the pistols are seen with little in the way of accessories, however you might find that adding a weapon light makes it far more useful in low light CQB.
Uniform
Jason wears Crye G3 Combat BDUs in either AOR1 or Multicam, depending on the environment. It’s interesting to note that members of the team will often mix and match with these two patterns, some might not like it but I think it looks very good. One very specific thing to note is that Jason has cut off the sleeves of his shirt, just short of the wicking material under the arms and closely following a stitch line. It’s not a professional job and as the series goes in you can see the shirt becoming more salty and ragged around the edges. It’s a little, yet essential touch and if you’ve got the balls to do it to a genuine Crye shirt then fair one… it’s probably quite comfy and you’ll truly look like a badass with money to burn.
One of the recurring items that people ask about is Jason’s jacket, Usually worn when at the FOB but occasionally seen beneath his armour. It was the subject of The Hunt and a sharp eyed Andy from TacBelts UK noticed it was a Wild Things Low Loft SO 1.0 Jacket (Reviewed Here). It’s something I’m looking to add to the collection when the weather draws in, It might even inspire me to go back to the dark side of TaskForce at themed games (Gotta love the TF gear).
Footwear
It isn’t actually something I’ve managed to get a look at, it’ll be something along the lines of Merrell, Salomon or AKUs… on a budget, Karrimor walking shows would suffice although their quality isn’t what it used to be, but for £30 what do you expect.
Headgear
The helmet setup used by Jason is anOps-Core Maritime cut helmet in AOR1 with a Wilcox shroud and L4G24 NVG Mount, Peltor Comtac 3 single downlead headset (I would have thought that the TL would be on dual comms but meh…) on arc rail adaptors and a Princeton tec helmet light. FMA make passable reproductions of all of the above, save for the headset itself… Which although you can buy the Z-Tactical ones, I cannot endorse them due to their inherent fragility.
Night vision for the show was supplied in large by the guys at TNVC, several of the units being used are (possibly dummy) GPNVG18s But there are plenty of real dual tube units used by the team. Bear in mind these retail at over £8k, For those with a modest budget, A set of dummy PVS-15 night vision is around £30 on eBay. However, My advice is either buy real night vision or don’t bother, you look daft running around all day with “daynoodles” especially fake ones, so why bother. At night, the only ones you’ll find benefit you are the real ones… dummy’s just get in the way.
Eye-pro
Jason is seen using Gatorz Magnum aluminium shooting glasses, these offer a great low profile option when wearing ear protection and prevent the inevitable headaches caused by poorly fitting eyepro. Failing this, Bolle Trackers make a more than acceptableand easily affordable stand-in.
Jason also wears a headtorch around his neck, which appears to be the Princeton Tec Remix Pro (review in the link), Petzl also make a very nice headlamp in Multicam… the “TacTikka“, which would be a good stand in and available for a reasonably cheap price.
Gloves
Mechanix originals in coyote, although I’d suggest Fastfits for those who want a little less material and a little more dexterity. It’s not a central part of the load-out but Mechanix are a good all round glove (I’ll be doing a couple of glove related posts soon). Theres genuinely no point in buying cheaper… The Mechanix will be an unregretted purchase by most.
The first line consists of a low profile Crye MRB, on a budget the TMC copy or LBX Assaulters Belt would stand in well enough at a fraction of the price.
On the belt is a single S&S Precision skeletonized magazine pouch, a Retention lanyard, Again… not sure on the make but a Blackhawk! Lanyard would be a great choice and functional for those moments you have to strap in to your gaming chair in your man cave 😂
The other side of the belt is dominated by the easily recognisable Safariland 6354do, a very nice holster and the “must have” for virtually anyone running a Glock nowadays, TMC do a more than passable copy should you be needing to stick to a budget(Be sure to check out The Geardo Crow’s comparison for more information on the two).
Attachment wise you’d be looking for a UBL belt loop and possibly a QLS QD System… highly recommended and it offers a little more stand off.
The plate carrier most often seen is the Crye Precision AVS, although JPCs, slick carriers and chest rigs have also been used. On Jason’s Rig he uses a triple AVS mag pouch with the mag pouch covers stowed away, aside this on his left side is a Crye 152/Bottle pouch holding a PRC152 radio, the antenna isn’t relocated but simply held at the tip via a rubber band to the shoulder strap, a Baofeng hidden within a FMA dummy would do as well as buying a TRI or similar for 10 times the cost. Another addition seen later in the series is a Spiritus Systems SACK… First used on the Spiritus Chassis But later below the lead characters AVS.
The PTT is a TEA U94V2, spotted by one of the readers of the blog, Apparently it’s the one currently used by DEVGRU. In a pinch you’d get away with a generic U94 PTT… It’s certainly what I’d use having a real one to hand.
A couple of banded on CAT tourniquets sit aside the mag pouches, A set of Trauma shears are tucked into the front flap and a large yellow bordered US flag sits proudly at the front of the rig. On the rear, usually sits a pouch zip on panel… this again would be at your discretion but offers a method for carrying hydration which is oddly absent from all the teams loadouts.
The watch is almost certainly the Suunto Core All Black (Reviewed Here) which is relatively cheap compared to some of the watches he could have chosen.
The final little detail would be patches… IR flags and callsign/ID patches are the order of the day… Jason’s being “1B9”.
The exact way these are laid out varies from unit to unit but within SEAL Team it appears that the first number designates position in chain of command (Jason = 1, Ray = 2, Sonny = 3 etc). The middle letter denotes the specific team, B for Bravo Team,And the final number is likely another unit indicator… Initially I thought it could be specialist skills indicators (Such as Corpman or Marksman) or even Rank (Jason being an E-9 Master Chief = “1B9“) but all members of the team have an (X)B9 Callsign patch. Oddly enough in the first few episodes, Jason’s patch was 1A9 but this changed without any mention in the dialogue…
Onto that key patch… unfortunately it’s a one-off item made for the show, Developed from a very similar K-9 handler patch in use with DEVGRU (Thanks to Gaz from E27 for the info). There have been limited runs by many patch makers in both the US and Abroad (Such as the close but not identical copy below) but due to the design IP being owned by Spartan Village, You’d have to ask their permission before commissioning any designs close to their exclusive design.
The most often seen is a circle IR/Multicam patch on the arm with several of the team wearing the design embedded within The Flag Of The United States as well, Jason however is often seen sporting a large full colour yellow bordered flag.
The final touch would be a degree of wear… Nothing on the show looks crisp and new except for maybe Clay’s gear (Which you can appreciate as he’s very much the new guy). Jason’s gear looks comfortably worn in… Lived in actually.
The most common thing I see at a walk on field is that someone builds a great impression build but they don’t let it carry right…Get those bright colours faded a little, A splash of mud or dirt doesn’t hurt on your rig! Get a little weight in those plate bags! In the words of a good friend it adds “A patina that money cant buy, it can only be earned”.
Thanksfor reading and I hope this helps some of you to recreate what is a very cool looking loadout… I’ve not fully committed to it myself yet but I have bought a set of TMC AOR1 “Cryes” that had to be bought for a mere £20 shipped. So we’ll see… it might happen. (They arrived and I’m not a massive fan, they’re great for the money but when you’ve had Crye it’s hard to be happy in an obvious copy… But that’s not to say you shouldn’t buy them, to each their own as they say)
Please make sure to tag #ATRG in any of your impressions on IG, It would be really good to see a few loadouts done right (And improve upon myreasonably generic overview)!
