Why?: Lone Survivor (2013) is one of my all-time favorite war movies, factual inaccuracies aside. I’ve always appreciated Peter Berg’s attention to detail with the rifles and gear and the beautiful scenery of the mountains. Once I learned that the film was shot on location in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico, I had to go see the site in person.
Finding the Site: The behind the scenes footage from the Blu-Ray special features established the crew filmed at Ski Santa Fe, but I used Google Earth to narrow down the precise filming locations. Using this large boulder for reference I was able to determine one scene was filmed at 35°47'35"N 105°46'47"W, elevation 11,658ft (3,553m). Here is the same boulder from the other direction. For comparison, here is the same location in person. Once there, I found several crimp-nosed 5.56 blank cartridges cases..
The Hike: Luckily, this area is located in the Santa Fe National Forest and is publicly accessible. The elevation at the parking lot is 10,295ft (3,138m) and the hike from there is about 1.4 miles (2.3km). Expect very steep slopes as this is a ski area after all. The most direct route was blocked off for construction when we visited, but we managed to find our own way. Regardless, this was the most physically difficult thing I’ve ever done. Why?
The Loadout: I have something of a hyper fixation on the loadouts in this film, so I wanted to recreate them as authentically as possible. Feel free to skip this section if you do not share the same type of autism.
This blog has an extensive breakdown of all 4 kits in the film and is a great resource. Overall, I did not clone a specific kit but rather borrowed elements of both Luttrell and Axelson’s kits.
Apparel – USGI M83 BDU blouse that I raid modded. Added a subdued-tone Texas flag patch to the right arm and a two US ODG US flags to the left arm, one IR visible. Propper BDU khaki trousers. Merrell Moab 3 hiking boots. Green & black shemagh. USGI khaki boonie hat. Mechanix woodland gloves (unfortunately not the black woodland ones as seen on screen)
Equipment - Eagle Industries Rhodesian Recon Vest, khaki (the filmmakers cut costs by using Pantac instead, likely why their equipment appears a tan shade). 5x Eagle Industries double M4 mag pouches. 10x 30rd ar15 magazines fully loaded. 2x Eagle Industries pistol magazine pouches. 2x P226 magazines. 2x Eagle Industries frag pouches. Eagle Industries MBITR radio pouch (unfortunately no radio). Eagle Industries admin pouch with another Texas patch. Eagle Industries horizontal utility pouch. CAT tourniquet rubber banded to the right shoulder strap. Cold Steel SRK-C, the sheath spray painted desert tan (in the film they used SOG Seal Pup knives). 10x12 RMA Level IV ceramic plate (I’m aware none of the Seals wore plates, but I imagine they regretted that). 2x kevlar inserts from groin protectors (pro tip, you can slide these into the lining of the vest to act as additional fragmentation protection). Safariland 6004-77 drop leg holster. W. German Sig Sauer P226 (in the film they used M9s, but the MK25 would have been more authentic). Kelty Map 3500 backpack with some camo netting strapped to the bottom. Pro-Tec skate helmet with rachet NVG mount. I spray painted the helmet in the pattern of the flag of Texas but in ODG, desert tan, and earth brown (the film anachronistically used Ops core helmets iirc)
Rifle - MK12 Mod 1 cLoNe
DS Arms MK12 Mod 1 upper. Allen Engineering AEM5 suppressor. H&R M16A1 lower. KAC 98474 rear sight. KAC 99051 front sight. KAC 98060 bipod adapter. P&S broomstick foregrip. PRI M84 gasbuster charging handle. Harris bipod with KWM Pod Loc. Larue MBT-2S. Ergo pistol grip. B5 Sopmod Government stock
This stuff is all pretty straightforward for a MK12 Mod 1 build, but I decided to go a different route with the optic. The Leupold MR/T 2.5-8x36 scope and ARMS #22 scope rings are outclassed by modern options. To imitate their appearance without sacrificing quality and functionality (and my wallet), I militarized a civilian Leupold VX-R 2-7x33 scope. I added Kenton turrets, Butler Creek scope caps, MK Machining throw lever, and Larue LT123 scope rings. A little less magnification and a basic duplex reticle, but it’s still quite functional for how little it cost.
I spray painted the rifle with Majic camouflage desert tan and earth brown. I highly recommend this paint. To better balance the front-heavy 12lb rifle, I added two 7oz steel rods to the battery compartment of the B5 sopmod.
Notable missing items- Adventure Lights VIP IR strobe (lost the eBay auction) PEQ 2a IR designator (I don’t even have nods yet) PRC-148 radio, Davies TEA PTT, and Invisio M3 earpiece (Too much money for outdated comms) M67 frag grenades (thanks NFA)
TL;DR: 65lb of gear + 12.4lb rifle and I live at sea level.
Despite training with the vest at the gym, I was woefully unprepared for the altitude. I was gasping for air every 50 feet or so exacerbated by the vest constricting the expansion of my lungs. I drank 3.5 liters of water on the way up. On the way down, my legs actually trembled with each step. Word of caution, walking downhill in the vest also blocks your line of sight to your footing so you cannot watch where you step.
Bonus: On the way up to the boulder, we stumbled upon another filming location.Pictured here is the behind the scenes notes from the location scout. Note that the cliff on the right, where Murphy makes the call, was added in post-production. Here is the same area in person. The pictures really don’t do the verticality justice, I cannot believe they filmed out here.
TL;DR: I hiked to where Lone Survivor (2013) was filmed, wearing full kit. Beautiful hike, definitely recommend.
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