Eyes, Ears… and the Rest
When you’re in a live fire setting whether at a local range or out in the woods with friends—most shooters today follow a familiar routine. Before anyone sends a round downrange, someone looks around, checks the line, and calls out loud enough for everyone to hear: “Eyes and ears.”
That simple phrase has become standard. It means eye protection anything from basic shooting glasses to full ballistic-rated options and hearing protection, whether plugs or electronic muffs. Most shooters take this seriously, and that’s a good thing.
But it’s worth asking: is that enough?
I’d argue there are a couple more items that should be just as routine gear that belongs in the range bag and gets used on nearly every range day.
First up: gloves.
There’s no shortage of good options on the market. If you’ve been shooting for any length of time, you probably own at least one pair most of us own several. But for whatever reason, very few people actually wear them on the range.
The advantages far outweigh the downsides. Yes, you lose a bit of sensitivity in your hands, especially for fine manipulation. But that’s something you can train through quickly just by wearing them consistently.
What you gain is real protection. Repetitive drills, especially reloads, manipulations, and extended range sessions can beat up your hands faster than most people realize. Add in temperature extremes, and the case gets even stronger. A good pair of gloves keeps your hands functional in cold weather and protects against heat, hot surfaces, and sun exposure in the summer. On top of that, they help when moving targets, carrying gear, or working around rough terrain.
It’s simple, throw them in the bag and start using them.
Next: knee pads.
This one gets overlooked even more, and it probably shouldn’t. Modern knee pads stay in place once they’re adjusted correctly, and the benefit is immediate the first time you drop to a knee on uneven ground.
Without them, all it takes is one bad spot a rock, a root, or anything hard in the wrong place and you’re effectively out of the drill or out of the fight. With them, you stay mobile and protected.
I’ve been using knee pads for shooting for over 20 years, and despite the number of products out there including pants with built-in protection it’s still rare to see anyone else running them at the range.
There’s not much downside here just a habit most people haven’t built yet.
So maybe it’s time to update the standard call.
Not just “eyes and ears.”
Eyes, ears… gloves and pads.
