As a mission commander, I was responsible for what my troops took afield. So in my personal and professional opinion, this was not a failing, but rather highly commendable:
Among his minor failings, which is still a pretty big one, is that the web gear was to contain nothing not issued.
Having items stuffed into one's gas mask is a tragedy waiting to happen, when donning it during emergencies is time-critical.
I wouldn't let my folks carry gear into harm's way that wasn't Mil-Spec and GSA-approved.
People somehow think that everything one buys from Brigade Quartermasters/REI/Gander Mountain/Cabelas/etc. has undergone all the testing and quality checks that GSA mandates for issue military equipment. Not so. Some off-the-shelf items may indeed survive and function well in the hostile environment, while others may fail and leave the owner holding the bag when he needs that item the most. As combat aircrew, I wasn't willing to take that risk, so my crews carried regulation equipment for their professional gear, be it the issue Beretta M9, helmets, masks, flashlights, boots, and so forth. They were allowed personal gear, as long as it didn't interfere with the function and purpose of their issued professional items. Our biggest concern was safety and flame/burn resistance, hence nomex, leather, and all of about 3 styles of boots that were approved for flight duties.
I did grant latitude in their choice of survival knife, as long as it got the nod from the combat crew survival school staff. Getting shot down and surviving afield puts a lot of emphasis on one's survival knife, and the issue K-Bar wasn't really the best choice, so the regs simply didn't mandate that particular knife as a "must issue" item.
