Load Bearing Equipment

[lionking]

Whenever I have ventured into the woods to shoot or hike I have always prefered using a ALICE belt for a canteen,pouches and specially a Bianchli UM series holsters which I really like.

I was just gazing different surplus sites for magazine pouches and stuff.Came across load bearing vests for sale....like this photo down below.Seems like a alternative to ALICE.Then I wondered what is currently used by the military,came across MOLLE.After that the search led to body armor,which led to the next photo,nterceptor body armor,says MOLLE gear attaches to it.

So was wondering,if you use military gear like ALICE or other like me,what are your takes on ALICE compared to MOLLE.Those that are current military do you like the MOLLE ,and do you favor the body armor or not?

If you had a choice of ALICE or MOLLE and load vests what do you prefere and why?

Also,in cold weather when wearing jackets or coats,what is the prefered way to wear mag pouches,holsters and other equipment?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interceptor_body_armor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOLLE_(military)

 

[spartan55]

tactical tailor

look into tactical tailor.com

 

[theken206]

T.T. makes GREAT stuff.

I have one of there QR Tac-Slings and have been looking to pick up one of there packs. Have to use that as an exscuse to drag my butt out to lakewood and browse around a bit.

 

[jobu07]

I wear the stuff every day... IBA, Molle gear, LCE, LBE, etc... None of it is fun to wear. But, the molle is by far the most comfortable worn over the IBA or worn without it.

I prefer the molle for comfort and stability. It doesn't tend to shift around nearly as much as the LCE or LBE crap does. But they're all set up to hold 6 to 8 mags standard. More if you add more ammo pouches, but it gets heavier. Ideal is just alice clipping mag pouches straight to the IBA and wearing a camelbak over it. Man that's the cat's meow.

 

[jjminch]

I've worn the ALICE, then I purchased a LBV, then I went with MOLLE. They all have their advantages and disadvantages.

ALICE- Great for light duty work, hiking, range cadre, etc I you only need 6 mags and 2 canteens this is it. You don't get hot or unconfortable since it's a light load around your waist. Now if you add a buttpack and another 6 mags, it gets uncomfortable since you just have thin suspenders supporting all that weight.

Loab Bearing Vest: This is a decent rig. Holds frags and 6 mags in fixed pouches on your chest. If you need to carry more then pouches must be attached to the pistol best. More confortable than the alice gear for a heavy load.

MOLLE: This is my favorite. I have the US GI H-Harness with 30 or so different pouches to choose from. You can configure it however you like relatively easily. This issued version doesn't use a pistol belt, rather a special MOLLE belt. So using some holsters might be an issue. I use this setup for training without IBA. It looks "tacticool" and holds my gear very securely. There are plenty of aftermarket vests if you don't like the H-harness style.

IBA-Like jobu stated, all this crap gets tossed when you're wearing IBA on a deployment. You take ALICE or MOLLE pouches and just attach them to the IBA itself.

Hope this helps

 

[jjminch]

Ohh and in cold weather you wear the gear in the same fashion. Just throw on you poly pros and other snivel gear, and your BDU top, IBA/vest goes on top of it. I've never worn a field jacket or anything really heavy like that, nor have I seen anyone else do it.

 

[rero360]

I've worn it al as well, molle gear is the best in my mind, although it does take the longest to set up, weaving the fasteners into the IBA or vest. I have both the current issued equipment and a full tactical tailor set up, the t.t. wins out every time, awsome gear, love it, would spend the money on it again if I had to.

 

[yayarx7]

The TT MAV is the heat for both over your armor or just your clothes. There are other such chest rigs that differ from a vest as they usually are not worn with a belt. SKDtac sells a nice inexpensive one.

The modularity of the molle/pals system allows you to configure it for what ever you need, and reconfigure it as your needs change.

I can set mine up for my assault rifle and pistol, a machine gun and pistol, or a sniper rifle and whatever.

That being said, if I am just carrying/shooting a pistol, not in a vehicle, I do wear just a USGI belt w/ BPG pad and a holster and stuff.

 

[mgdavis]

I stopped by the Tactical Tailor retail store a couple weeks ago. The staff was super-friendly, a guy came out from behind the counter and talked to me for a couple minutes about their operation. They had some cool stuff there, but not nearly the inventory you can get from the website. It seemed like there was mostly pockets out on the floor, with some slings/bags/cases/holsters around the walls. There was also a rack or two of apparel, including some Tactical Tailor logo shirts and fleece Gore-Tex liners. All the merchandise I pawed seemed well made. One of these days I'll go back when I've got some spending money. I did get a very nice free catalog. It seems they also have a de-milled tank somewhere that I missed.
Sorry for the thread drift.

 

[PvtPyle]

If you want the very basic plain jane gear, vests like the FMCO pictured above will work. But if you want to be able to configure your gear to fit your mission or activity you need something else.

Alice was very revolutionary when it hit the supply rooms, then the SGM Mafia got involved and it became standardized and really no better in the big picture than the old stuff. There are still guys that use it, I know some guys who have Alice gear older than I am and they still hump it the same way they have for 30 odd years. It works for them, and that is what matters.

Now of course the new hot ticket is the MOLLE equipment. There is a greater array of pouches available than ever before, and you can get the carrier that suits you to a T.

But before you buy ANYTHING you have to decide how you will be using it and how it is going to enhance your effectiveness. If it does not ENHANCE your capabilities, it should be dropped.

Most people have multiple sets of kit. What works well for a day patrol will probably suck in a vehicle. What works for 3 gun will not work well for a DA mission. Once you sort that out, you are half way there.

If you are on a budget, borrow a friends gear and see what you like and don't like about it, before you spend a dime on anything.