Signed up for the 2017 SAC and this will be the first time at this match for my team mate and me. We have had pretty good success at the Mammoth Sniper challenge but wanted input from those that have shot this match in the past. Namely, gear.. What works, what do I have to have to get through this? Any input is greatly appreciated.
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2017 Sniper Adventure Challenge questions
- Thread starter tewlman223
- Start date
Extra weight will be punitive with respect to accomplishing the navigation stages and some teams take steps which is more extreme than I feel comfortable doing given my testing results with different types of equipment and others might gamble on how critical that item will be in the race. There are a couple of podcasts on the Precision Rifle Podcast channel where they talk to multiple time winners of the event (Tom and Dave) and Fredrick Barton of Bison Tactical who went from an RO to being a top 3 finisher last year. The types of non-navigation challenges are different from year to year, so it is difficult to know what "extra" equipment might be beneficial to carry for that year's race. There are also some blog posts that talk about people's experiences, gear list, and what they learned.
Beyond that, make sure that you are familiar with how the items you are carrying work and that they are durable. If your water filter goes out, you could be in trouble depending on the weather and location.
Lastly, get as good as you can on the land navigation. The organizers do not always make it easy to find the checkpoints even when you are in the right place, so you have to be certain that you are in the right place or else you may spend a lot of time searching.
It is a great race and fun in that painful sort of way
Beyond that, make sure that you are familiar with how the items you are carrying work and that they are durable. If your water filter goes out, you could be in trouble depending on the weather and location.
Lastly, get as good as you can on the land navigation. The organizers do not always make it easy to find the checkpoints even when you are in the right place, so you have to be certain that you are in the right place or else you may spend a lot of time searching.
It is a great race and fun in that painful sort of way
Get really good at land nav. Pack as light as possible without sacrificing any critical gear. Endurance is key, be prepared for a lot of rough miles. The podcasts mentioned above are great, also follow Competition Dynamics on social media for announcements and maybe even little hints here and there.
The hints are interesting, but in the spirit of the competition don't expect that you will just be told what is happening. Last year there was a hint about how "encyclopedic knowledge" of the children's series "Swallows and Amazons" would be helpful for one of the tasks. While our knowledge was far from encyclopedic, that clue along with some other "clues" from the rules and blogs, allowed us to be prepared to complete that challenge. There are plenty of competitions that are just physically demanding, but I love this one because also has a level of mental challenge woven within it that is rather unique. That being said, being able to endure the physical and finish the land nav is what will allow you to complete the required stages to finish.
Go ruck is good training for the SAC, but the SAC's duration makes goruck selection a better comparison. That said, its way more mental than physical. If you can get through a 12 hour goruck you can finish the sac, if your mind is in it.
Also, I'd add that I have done the sac almost every year. The trend has gone too light, and I have missed key points because I went too light with the rifle or other gear 2 years. If you don't have all of the mandatory gear, you will get penalized. Also, read the amount of triple antibiotic/betadine carefully - yes, it's a lot, but it has other uses at times.
