Travis Olander 12.21.22
We cowl plenty of webbed gear (like Vanquest’s Katara 16 EDC Bag). Nearly all fashionable tactical luggage, packs, vests, and pouches use the MOLLE system, or a variant of it: Grids of cloth that act as connectors for extra gear. So, it begs the query of: what’s MOLLE precisely?…
What is MOLLE, Exactly?
Officially, MOLLE (“Molly”) is the acronym for the U.S. navy’s Modular Lightweight Load-Carrying Equipment. It’s the current-issue normal for all U.S. navy and NATO branches’ package, together with rucksacks, journal pouches, first assist kits, and so forth.
Except MOLLE stuff isn’t technically what we civilians use after we’re shopping for a brand new 5.11 bag, some AR-15 magazine pouches, or a plate provider. All the webbing you discover on backpacks and “civvy stuff” is definitely PALS, or Pouch Attachment Ladder System gear. PALS is the de facto normal for all of the modular gear that we all know and love – like 5.11’s TacTec Vest.
The PALS Webbing Standard
If these measurements look oddly acquainted, it’s as a result of that is the usual PALS webbing setup: Rows of 25mm tall nylon, stitched to offer 38mm rectangular attachments, with 25mm of spacing between every row. If you ever discover that some PALS webbing is a bit unfastened, that’s as a result of one patent dictates 40mm spacing between every sew. To enhance modularity, most PALS gear consists of material rows the place there would usually be 25mm areas. This gives extra vertical attachment factors; the person merely must skip each different part when threading their gear by the webbing.
History of MOLLE/PALS
We take these attachment programs as a right. But the simple-at-a-glance PALS webbing is the results of a long time of U.S. navy analysis. The Nineteenth-century soldier needed to carry spare uniforms and undergarments, cooking gear, navigational aids, ammunition, blankets and lengthy, heavy, unwieldy rifles. These issues have been exacerbated, even untenable, in World War I. The inclusion of fuel masks, filters, helmets, optics, crew-served weaponry, and entrenching instruments meant foot troops have been typically relegated to performing as mules greater than marksmen.
By World War II, the usmilitary needed to tackle these shortcomings. Germany’s Blitz techniques and mechanized troops pressured the struggle right into a excessive tempo. The U.S. Army had begun its pursuit of a standardized, modular load-carrying setup to assist the fast-moving warfighter.
The M-1945 fight pack, M-1923 cartridge belt, M-1936 pistol belt, and M-1937 Browning BAR magazine belt offered pouch attachment programs and straps that distributed weight throughout the waist. This freed up valuable house in rucksacks and shoulder rigs. But even these belts had shortcomings: They have been specialised and served single functions. They needed to be issued to people primarily based on their fight roles.
The Individual Load-Carrying Equipment (ILCE)
The U.S. Army needed a really modular system: One standardized base attachment that might be issued to all infantry, with by-design pouches and containers that might simply be swapped in or out, dictated by personnel’s’ roles. This new modular system included a common belt, shoulder straps to distribute weight, and pouches that served varied functions, like storing water, ammo, and first assist. Collectively, it was designated the M-1956 LCE (Individual Load-Carrying Equipment). The ILCE setup is the primary iteration of what many people acknowledge from Vietnam: The ALICE system.
ALICE (All-Purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment)
The ALICE System — which does, certainly, embrace the legendary ALICE Rucksack favored by hikers and preppers to this present day — is taken into account the primary really fashionable, light-weight, modular load-carrying system. It’s the direct predecessor to MOLLE and PALS gear. The ALICE system begins with a base, the Individual Equipment Belt (#1) and Belt Suspenders (#3), adopted by an array of pouches that might be put in, doubled or tripled, or excluded primarily based on the person’s position: The Small Arms Ammo Pouch (#2), Trench Tool Carrier (#4), Canteen Pouch (#5), and First Aid/Navigation Pouch (#6).
This was utilized along with the famed ALICE Pack system itself.
The ALICE Pack was the primary modular, framed pack fielded by the U.S. Military. It included the aluminum body (#1), cummerbund (#2), and waist strap (#3) to distribute masses. The shoulder strap system (#4, #5) included quick-release latches to ditch the gear in a rush, whereas an optionally available cargo shelf (#6, #7) was included for carrying heavy gear. The packs got here in Medium and Large (#8, #9), issued primarily based on the person’s measurement.
PALS (Pouch Attachment Ladder System)
Developed earlier than the navy’s current-issue MOLLE gear, the Pouch Attachment Ladder System was first examined by the U.S Army in 1975. The PASGT, or Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops, was the first-ever plate provider to include nylon webbing throughout both facet of the vest’s entrance. Each acted as easy attachments for grenade or compass pouches. But it wasn’t till 1997 that the Army’s Natick Labs, a analysis and growth group, formally launched PALS alongside the primary MOLLE gear.
The multi-row PALS setup was made to get rid of the shortcomings of all prior modular setups. The CLE and ALICE programs allowed gear to sway, bounce, and are available unfastened throughout vigorous motion. By utilizing rows of straps to safe a bit of apparatus, PALS largely eradicated these points and allowed for extra weight to be carried by a single attachment. The new system was largely adopted by floor forces within the early 2000s, throughout Operation Enduring Freedom.
Continuous Improvement
No gear system is ideal, which is why corporations like 5.11, BlackHawk, and MaxPedition have made additional updates to PALS webbing.
MaxPedition’s new “ATLAS” system makes use of laser-cut grids and composite supplies to additional enhance weight distribution and type a good tighter connection between two items of substances. This thinner, lighter, stronger materials additionally gives for bodily smaller and fewer cumbersome connectors.
This author nonetheless prefers the O.G. PALS/MOLLE setup. It will get the job completed and it’s the commonest sort of connector you’ll discover on luggage, packs, and pouches in the present day. I really like my RUSH 2.0 Bag for its countless rows of webbing. Check them out right here.
