MOLLE the start of the tacticool

[Lozart]

36 minutes ago, The Waco Kid said:

Cheers, how could I forget the Jarheaded hero's and champions all things brown? Gunny Highway is very disappointed!

 

CLUSTERFUCK

 

[The Waco Kid]

General note on original molle issued gear and collecting.

 

Build quality:

 

Mostly well constructed as with US issues kit. More than adequate for pew pew larping.

 

  Bare in mind it was made to a budget, sometimes in a prison sew shop, rather than skilled Vietnamese children.

 

  There is a variation in materials and sewing quality. Pouch dimensions can be a bit off so you will have, mag pouches typically, that are very snug.

 

  Packs often have a lot of loose threads inside. If you was with them do so with care. Pals grids commonly contain a section that is not square or misaligned. These can some times be overcome by using MALICE clips or similar attachments.

 

Age:
 

 Original stuff still comes onto the market seemingly mint. On worn items  the Velcro and elastic can have lost much of it’s strength.

 

 Colour:

 

  Woodland can be difficult to get everything new as people still actively use it and are less likely to sell it on. Still very popular in the US.

 

Tri-colour desert items often turn up unused. Probably because stock were not immediately rolled out and then UCP came out.

 

UCP, don’t over look it. Lots of it out there still in the packaging. It can be dyed, especially the nylon. 
 

UCP DELTA. Good luck finding genuine items in this pattern. It’s like the A-team, “…if you can find them…”. Expect to sell a kidney.

 

Coyote Brown maybe heavily stained with someone else’s crayon juice. But parts are still on issue as the Corps doesn’t like to get rid of anything. When did they get rid of the pup tent?
 

OCP/skorpion is still current issue across several services so finding it is not a problem. With the complete system in inventory.

 

Edited November 20, 2023 by The Waco Kid

[The Waco Kid]

Sample molle 2 load out based on early issue setup.

 

There are several proscribed kits in the manual but recipients seem to have ignored them from the get go. 😉

 

 

This load out is based on a full molle set rather than the hybrid Molle/Alice/IIFS that was first seen in active service.

 

Rifle M16a2 with an after market three point sling.

 

Vest chassis FLC. Adjusted so most of the load sits on the waist belt. 
 

The front mag pouches are set high to make prone shooting easier.

Back in the day rifle mag pouches are often seen sat above each other as there are a lot of molle rows.

 

RHS:

 

 

Frag pouch with compass

Double magazine pouch

Medical pouch as utility

Bayoney/knife

1 quart canteen

 

LHS:

 

 

Frag

CQB mag

2x double mag

1 quart canteen

 

Dump pouch is a modern add on for skirmishing. A leg bag would be more common at this time.

 

Waist pack on rear with a bit of snivel gear & 24hr sustainment.

 

In period pictures the canteen pouches are often worn further forward as utility pouches or simply for access.

 

The set up allows for eight plus one mags carried, so one pouch could be for a MK18 smoke.

 

In early TAP setups triple singles were commonly run behind the mags so troops are carrying 12-16 magazines on the vest.

 

Example from operations in Iraq.

 

 

Armour carrier with canteen forward and bandolier on the upper chest. The issue sling has been modified to fit the side of the stock and somewhere around the delta ring. The knuckle duster is optional.

 

Edited November 20, 2023 by The Waco Kid

[The Waco Kid]

UCP Delta

 

Just a brief note for those who don’t know what UCP DELTA is.

 

 

The info below is paraphrased from Soldiervsystems articles, PEO Soldier and US militaria forums.

 

UCP camo sucks, but the decision was made to field it.

Reports from Afghanistan were not good so a process was started for possible replacement.

 

UCP, AOR & Marpat are printed using the same screens but UCP used only 3 with a different palette.

 

Therefore variants of UCP with less grey and more brown were simulated.

Of the five (A-E) C & D looked the most promising. After further simulation a version of D (UCP Delta) was deemed most effective. Uniforms, covers (hats and helmets) plus TAPs were made and issued to a battalion alongside commercial Multicam. 
 

The upshot is that OCP was adopted as everyone and their mother had said it should be in the original trials that produced UCP. 🤑🤑🤑
 

 

Edited November 20, 2023 by The Waco Kid

[Scubasteve89]

Sorry, all this Molle talk got me excited.

 

Still not had a chance to wear this one, but this is Molle and her older sister.  In the back is a replica RBA.

 

[The Waco Kid]

What’s the quality like on the RBA?

[gavinkempsell]

Any good souces for reasonably priced UCP Molle II kit please?

[JinxDuh]

44 minutes ago, gavinkempsell said:

Any good souces for reasonably priced UCP Molle II kit please?

 

Militaria events - I saw a LOT of UCP for dirt cheap recently at a reenactment. 

[gavinkempsell]

1 hour ago, JinxDuh said:

Militaria events - I saw a LOT of UCP for dirt cheap recently at a reenactment. 

Unfortunately they seem to be based down south.

[The Waco Kid]

The Finnish dudes at Varustekeka in from time to time and shipping isn’t too bad. 

If you want it from the US it’s cheapest to set up a US postal address with a shipping agent who forward it to the UK in bulk.

 

[gavinkempsell]

Thanks.
 

The US route isn't open to me but plenty based in Germany, just wondered if there was another source in or near the UK, I'll go check out Varustekeka before I comit to Fleabay.

[Cannonfodder]

4 hours ago, gavinkempsell said:

Any good souces for reasonably priced UCP Molle II kit please?

Would this be of any help?

 

http://www.gbfmilitaria.com/shop/us-army/us-molle-ii-lbv-acu-vest-and-8-pouches/

[gavinkempsell]

12 minutes ago, Cannonfodder said:

Would this be of any help?

Thanks, fleabay works out cheaper & with the pouches I'm wanting.