American troops are issued about three pounds of cleaning equipment and materials for their rifles. Many have been spending $70 to buy the half pound Soft Pak Kit. This system uses a flexible cleaning rod, and a set of special tools for dealing with just about any rifle cleaning situation. Troops include a lot of those situations in Iraq and Afghanistan, because of the abundance of fine dust in both places. Thus the kit is not only easier to lug around, but also more capable at what it does. The kit also includes tools and materials for cleaning scopes. The Marine Corps is buying the kits for its riflemen, as have some army units (using special funds made available for the commander to use for items like this.)