The Important Role Gear Plays in the Canadian Forces

From packs to weapons, the gear used by the men and women in the Canadian Forces (CF) is as storied as the CF itself and continues to play an important role today.  

Dr.  Lee Windsor, a CF history expert, former CF member and Deputy Director of the Gregg Centre at the University of New Brunswick's Fredericton campus, says gear made a significant difference in helping the CF win the wars of the past 100 years.  

"The equipment is really an enabler," Dr. Windsor says.  

He says the nature of warfare underwent a major change in the early 20th century as militaries went from focusing on using large battalions in the battlefield to waging war with smaller and more mobile platoons.  That change resulted in fighting equipment being built around the new needs of the fighting soldier and this philosophy still in place today.  

"What was true in 1915 is true in 2010," Windsor says.  

According to Windsor, more mobile soldiers with their gear changed how battles played out. For example, Canada owes much of its success in breaking the trenches of the Great War to the well-organized CF members in platoons and support weapons rather than machinery like tanks.  Later, the CF members involved in the Second World War saw more use of things such as specialized pouches.    

After the First and Second World Wars, the next big shift in gear was the need for CF members to keep things close to the chest because of the dawn of the infantry fighting vehicle.  

"There was a greater need to fight from the vehicle," Windsor says, adding CF members need to have a thin load.  Gear responded to that need, he says.  

Over the past 30 years, more use of body armour has also influenced the CF and the gear that has been produced.  

Windsor says Canada and the United Kingdom had the best equipment in both the First and Second World Wars.  The gear was versatile and able to adapt to a situation, he says.  

The Great War was a revolution for a gear as it became a very important part of warfare and had a stronger focus on tactical purposes.  Although gear was very good in the Great War, it has become even better since then because of new fabrics such as robust nylon.  

"It changes things a lot," Windsor says.

For Windsor,  the gear of the future will have an increasing focus on supporting battlefield electronics and sensor tools.  

Matt Fisher, responsible for product development with CPGear Tactical, is a former CF member and former member of the US military.  Fisher says he has also seen significant changes in military gear over the years.

"One of the biggest things we've noticed is that with the speed at which the operating environment changes, the troops want the gear they use to be well suited for that environment, now not tomorrow," he says.

Fisher adds that CPGear Tactical will continue to be there to offer solutions to the needs of the men and women of the CF.

CPGear Tactical is a producer of specialty gear that can be customized and designed for military, tactical or industry-specific use. Visit CPGear Tactical online at www.cpgear.com. You may also keep-up-to-date on CPGear Tactical activities on Facebook as well as Twitter. You can contact anytime by email at info@cpgear.com or by phone at 1-800-561-3040.