Kettlebell How do military operators take kettlebells on deployments..?

[Harry Westgate]

Might sound like a dumb question but this got me curious. I've read on forum/blog posts that soldiers have been known to take kettlebells with them to various places, as they are popular amongst this population as a training tool. What I want to know is, how?

I mean, they're kinda heavy (in case you didn't know!) and I imagine when soldiers are flown off to places like Afghanistan or Iraq their luggage/bergen/rucksacks are already heavy enough with stuff they'll need on a deployment lasting several months. So what, do they just tough it out for the journey and throw their bells in on top? Or do a lot of military bases have kettlebells there already?

Simple curiosity!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Harry Westgate]

P.S. knowing how soldiers might do this may give me some inspiration when it comes to figuring out how to move mine from place to place; I don't own a car and look a little strange when passers by see me dragging along a heavier-than-it-looks suitcase with a 24kg inside and holding a 16kg wrapped in a plastic bag between train stations!

 

[Dave0317]

Three ways I would say are most common.
1. Pack it, like you said, you already know the downsides to this. Fortunately military guys are not usually charged for bags being overweight. Upside is, you know your KB will be with you the whole time.

2. Order a new one when you get there. Companies like Rogue will have a system set up to ship to military addresses. Shipping is usually somewhat high and a little slower than usual, but if you and a couple buddies chip in, it would be worth it to have one shipped over with the intent of using for that year and most likely just leaving it at the end of the deployment for the next unit that comes in.

3. If you are buddies with your supply or armory guys, get them to store it in a large Conex box that ships over with your unit.

Also, less common is that the base you deploy to may already have a kettlebell or two. This is much more likely in the USMC than other services in my experience. This is not a very good bet though. Just a gamble to see what they have when you get there. Worst case..resort to #2 above. The only certain option is #1 though.

 

[Harry Westgate]

@Dave0317 Thanks for the reply! Interesting stuff. I suppose now I think about it that I was looking at it from the point of view where a soldier would be taking all the KBs they could possibly need and packing them (thus having some seriously heavy baggage!). But then again depending on one's strength they could more than likely get away with just the one, which wouldn't be so painful to carry around, for example just the one 24kg or 32kg.

 

[Matt J]

I have carried mine (24kg) all over the world. I have used backpacks, destroyed numerous suitcases, etc. I didn't really care as long as I got it there. It was a workout all by itself trying to change planes.

 

[Snowman]

For what it's worth, when my National Guard unit went to Iraq we were expected to travel with 1 ruck sack, 1 duffel, and 1 smaller pack to see us through the first 4 weeks(ish). When we had been stateside we each loaded up 1 or 2 more duffels and one of those black gorilla boxes, and we were able to get them in country after within a month. That was at a time when we had well established bases to run operations from, so shipping a conex or two to the base was no big deal; it would be different if we were going to be on the move all the time. I only shipped one duffel and half filled my box, and I still had gear I never used. I don't know why some people felt they needed so much stuff, when we were living in (essentially) 1/3 of a single wide trailer, split between two roommates. Had I been fortunate enough to have discovered KBs by then, I could have shipped one or two in my box or duffel. I also could have just ordered a couple when we got there with the intent to leave them, since KBs are cheap, I was single, getting paid pretty well, and had literally no living expenses at all. Generally, it's not too hard to get a KB on deployment, but a guy has to plan on going a few weeks without, and then he better be able to work with just one or two sizes.

These days I just seat belt one or two in the back seat if I'm driving, or bring a kettlebell sandbag if I'm flying to somewhere where they won't be available for a while. But seriously, if you have a KB in your car, run a seatbelt through the handle(s). If you have more than one, just put a towel between them so they don't clank. Nobody plans on getting in a wreck, but if you do, having a 32K cannonball in the car will not make the situation better...

 

[tangozero]

This applies more to personally transporting as opposed to travelling overseas, but I pack a pillow in my daypack and wrap it around my KB. Works like a charm, and makes it easier to hike out to my favourite hill for kb/hill sprints and such. No banging on my lower back when I hike, the pillow does a great job padding/cradling the bell.

 

[aussieluke]

I don't generally care for Onnit stuff, but have a look at this blog post. There is a pic of a 32kg kettlebell on the top of an alice pack with what looks like some sort of shaped wood thing to hang it from?

King of the Hill Kettlebell Workout

I have carried a 16kg bell in a regular small backpack - it holds it but the centre of gravity is way too low down and the bottom of the bag sags. Making something like in that pic would probably help a LOT.

 

[Whiskey_Fox]

As a guy in Africa currently, I mailed my kbs to myself (2x24kg). I'm currently out on operation and I brought one of them with me. So far I've done workouts in some pretty interesting places...here is how I'm transporting it currently, and the sunset yesterday when I was working out

 

[EricFrohardt]

I love this conversation....near and dear to my heart! I was able to bring my 'trusty' 24kg bell on most of my deployments. On one deployment, I was able to bring my 16kg and 24kg. On another, I brought my 16, 24 and 32kg bells. I put them w/ the pallet or 'box' that took my operational gear. In many cases, the base gyms had KB's as well. But I preferred the freedom of having my own 'bell' to train with and not have to go to the base gyms.

Recommend you discuss this w/ others who are already there. Maybe the group you relieve can leave some bells behind (if they have them). Also, check w/ the supply rep at your unit.

Stateside, I actually used to travel w/ a 24kg bell in a pelican case! I would check it and pay the excess baggage fee. Thankfully, my command would reimburse these fees. It was cheaper than paying gym fees where I traveled to (and a lot easier, I could train in my hotel room!)

Take all of this for what it's worth. Much of my military experience may not be applicable to yours.