The MOLLE Military Backpack and Vest
Today, the U.S. military standard load bearing apparatus for personnel is the MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment) system. The roots of this system go all the way back to the Vietnam war, when it was determined that a new apparatus was needed to lighten the load on the common soldier. After exhaustive study and revision, the progenitor of the MOLLE system came into being: ALICE.
The ALICE (All-Purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment) system relied on a basic foundation of a web belt and Y-shaped suspenders. To this basic framework was added ammunition pouches, entrenching tools, first aid kits, canteens, and rucksacks in a standard configuration. This system’s main change from previous designs was that the use of heavy materials such as steel fasteners and cotton canvas fabric was discontinued in favor of injection molded plastic fasteners and nylon fabric.
The MOLLE system was introduced in 1997. Rather than relying on suspenders to support loads, the MOLLE system utilizes a vest with an integral belt. Numerous load bearing strips of nylon cover the front of the vest horizontally to allow distribution of weight to the torso, and weight loading on the shoulders is distributed over the entire width of the shoulder. The vest is constructed with an H-harness in the back to allow for better ventilation, and every vest comes with a built in hydration bladder.
The main rucksack attaches to the MOLLE vest using a fairly conventional waist belt system. This is in contrast to the first generation MOLLE pack, which used a integral ball and socket apparatus that proved difficult for some users to manage. All larger pouches are supplied with D-rings and the pack has two 6 foot long lashing straps for carrying large items. The rucksack frame itself is now constructed out of ABS plastic, whereas before in the ALICE system the frame was made of metal tubing.
MOLLE system components and MOLLE compatible equipment accessories have become fairly standard in the last 5 years, and can be found in military, law enforcement, and even civilian applications, such as hunting and hiking.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.