Issue 2: March/April

THE ROAD TO WAR
The Things They'll Carry

BY LIZ COX

While covering China's civil war from 1946 to 1949, Seymour Topping carried with him these ten items: a small Hermes typewriter, a rain poncho, a blanket, a 35mm camera, a flashlight, a knife, sulfa drugs ("there were no antibiotics"), pills for diarrhea, a sack of old Chinese Empire silver dollars, and a woolen hat that he would pull over his face at night to ward off the rats. He filed dispatches to the International News Service and later to the AP whenever he reached cities. "I typed them up and handed them in to the Chinese post office," says Topping, the Sanpaolo professor emeritus of international journalism at Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism. "I never knew whether or not they would get out."

We asked to peek into the packs of several journalists who have reported from war zones in the recent past, and who are preparing for potential assignment in and around Iraq. Below is a head-to-toe accounting of what today's well-equipped print war correspondent carries (prices are approximate). Different reporters bring different things, of course, but the rough cost of gearing up could range from $16,000 to $35,000.

Head

  • Gas mask, 2 @ $150-$250, e.g., nuclear, biological, chemical (NBC) mask with NATO threaded filter (compatible with any U.S. filter) and canteen.
  • Combat helmet made of Kevlar® (ballistic fabric), $200.
  • Sun hat, e.g., Tilley Endurables, $62, and ski cap for under helmet, $8-$20.
  • Sunglasses, $40-$150. ("Not the mirrored kind because some indigenous tribes in the Middle East think the mirrors allow you to see through women's burkhas.")
  • Neckerchief, $5. ("Serves both as sweatband and head cover.")

Body

  • Chemical suit, 2 @ $55 each, e.g., Respirex suit made of Tyvek® F material ("thin, crinkly, tough").
  • Flak jacket, $500-$1,800. "Best protection for tactical situations" is Type IV with ceramic plates (stops AK-47 round) and neck-to-groin coverage.
  • Money belt, $10, containing $10,000-$15,000 cash in U.S. dollars and/or euro notes to cover one month's expenses (including lodging, meals, use of press center, driver, fixer, translator, and money for "getting out of emergencies").
  • Heavy-duty internal frame backpack, $350.

Communications Equipment

  • Satellite phone: Thuraya hand-held, $800 ("Covers Middle East well." For "sending mainly text" at 9.6 kbps). Battery pack, $50; travel charger, $20; software plus one data cable, $100; extra data cable, $50 ("They break easily"). Connection time $1.50/minute.
    OR: Inmarsat Thrane & Thrane Capsat® Messenger, $8,600 with data cables and charger. ("For photographers," transmits text and photos at 64 kbps.) Connection time $2.50-$8.08/minute.
  • Laptop computer, $2,000, with duct tape over places sand can get into, stored in large Ziploc® bag to keep out dust. (IBM or Dell, because "there's nowhere to service Macs in the Middle East.") Car charger, $25-$75 ("So you can write during those eight-hour car rides through the desert"). Air cans to blow dust out of equipment, $6 each. Laptop case, e.g., $142 Pelican® plastic case.
  • Triple-band GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) world phone, $250-$300 ("For day-to-day communications").
  • Solar panels, 2 @ $75-$200 each, to charge computer and phone.
  • Digital camera, $190-$1,000, e.g., Canon PowerShot S230.
  • Short-wave radio, e.g., Sony, $100 ("To listen to BBC").
  • Digital recorder, $180-$250, e.g., Olympus DM-1 ("You can send back an entire raw interview [by e-mail] if you're time-constrained").
  • Worldwide adapter plugs, $10 for set of five.
  • Two flashlights, e.g. Maglite® $15-$30, and/or headlamps, $10-$40. ("Bring a red lens, because if you're in a tactical situation with troops, there might a light discipline and no white light will be permitted.")
  • Nine-foot extension cord, $6; 25-foot extension cord, $12; power strip, $10.

Medical/Personal Equipment

  • First-aid kit, $25 for basics to $150 for expedition-style kit that "will do everything short of CPR."
  • Ciprofloxacin ("Cipro"), $5-$7 per pill ("Can buy it over the counter in Bahrain and maybe Kuwait").
  • Atropine injection pens, $10-$15 each. Antidote for nerve agents ("Only if you have proper training on usage").
  • Sunscreen, $10; lip balm, $1.50; bug repellent, $5; shaving razor with extra blades, $30 ("A beard interferes with your gas mask seal").

Camping Equipment

  • Three-season sleeping bag, $200-$400, with cotton insert, $15.
  • Ground pad, self-inflatable, $40-$75.
  • Tent, $100 for a two-person tent ("For one reporter plus gear").
  • Hydration pack, $30-$100 ("Like a backpack with a 70 oz. bladder" for water).
  • A Leatherman® tool, $45-$70, contains knives, scissors, etc.
  • Mess kit, $30.
  • MREs (military "meals ready-to-eat"), $5 each.

Miscellaneous

(Handy extras mentioned by individual reporters)

  • Baby wipes, $4. ("If you're with a frontline unit, it will be days before your first shower. These can be your shower in a can.")
  • Syringes. ("Iraq makes you take an AIDS test at the border. If you can't talk them out of it, you will want to use your own needle.")
  • Music CDs and a book ("Lots of time sitting around, and you can trade it when you finish").
  • Small alarm clock, $25 ("For those 3 a.m. departures").
  • L.L. Bean wrinkle-resistant travel blazer, $179 ("for interviews").
  • Woolite travel packets, 50 cents each ("Easier to rinse" than most detergents).
  • Bluetooth technology for PDA, PC, and world phone. Permits wireless connections between devices.

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