Re: Molle vest setup? PB Interceptor type(armor)
Okay, been down this road! First off, in our Stryker unit when all this gear came out in around '01, we were allowed to pretty much set them up how we wanted. They had a recommended setup that came with the gear, and some douchebag garrison commanders were more concerned that we all looked the same in field and wanted that.
Eventually most of them came around.
The whole Molle setup actually came with a LBE sort of like a Harris vest but better. An old "ranger" trick as it was called, was to loop the front of the vest together with one of the three double mag pouches that came with it, and then put it on "backwards" (like a snuggie?) and cinch it up high where the mags were on your chest (or however high you like it) and I think we set it up so we could clip the belt in the back sort of on the side. This worked a LOT better than wearing it the regular way and a lot of people did this once it caught on.
But right outside the Madigan Gate at Ft. Lewis in Tillicum is where Tactical Tailor is located. They'd make custom stuff and they have a whole line of gear. Many folks got those, and to be honest, they were the best things going at the time. They made gear infantrymen wanted. I would have plopped down the $200+ to get one myself, but the "ranger" trick worked well enough until I got out. But if you want a good setup for mags and gear, I'd look hard them. Blackhawk made some good stuff too, I used one of their vests with a built in camelback when I was a SAW gunner. I got it at the surplus store used for like $30-$40 I think. It just worked better for me with those pouches. That drag handle held up pretty well too, and I suppose with armor and gear, I weighed a good 300lbs. if not more and one time I think I was dragged about a quarter mile.
I also would sometimes use SAW pouches for regular mags too. They hold seven 30rd. mags perfectly. I'd usually put them on the assault pack or the ruck though, as I usually carried 21 mags on me.
I liked to keep the armor bare. It was much easier to doff the junk and put on the important stuff like your ammo and water if need be. Also, the original Molle armor vests came without loops in the middle. For me, this was a total no-go, as I like my mags up high just below my tits (some like 'em on the belly) and straight across, not with a big gap in the middle that puts the mags at the armpits basically. The newer ones have loops all the way across. They came with doubles so that is what I used at the time, and to be honest, they were pretty nice because you only have the breadth of three across instead of six (which will put them under the pits, hard to reach).
No matter what I wore, I always had my compass in a bandage pouch and a little aluminum cylinder tied on the left vertical strap or whatever was there to tie it to. The cylinder had ear plugs and other little shit. I kept a good size buttpack and kept extra socks, a poncho and liner, cleaning kit and some other shit. I never drew my bayonet, but have a K-Bar with one of those plastic sheaths and it would go on the rigger belt I wore. I'd also carry an extra compass tied off to the rigger belt too. The helmet had maps, protractor, pictures, that kind of stuff.
Some folks, a lot of folks actually, just put all the shit on the vest itself. It was just easier for them and they figured they had to wear it all times anyway (and many of them did, especially plain 11B). If that is the case, go for it. Some put their mags ridiculously low if you ask me, but to each his own. Lost of them didn't use the canteens in leiu of camel backs, but the Molle kit came with both. They put the 'teens on the ruck or the assault pack usually. Not very smart ones would leave them off altogether. Putting the camelback on separate to all the gear is smartest, and some folks even put it under the armor. You don't want to lose the water no matter what. Some folks wore the camelback and had another in the assault pack on in the ruck (which didn't get used except at Ft. Lewis in field exercises really, they eventually got tied off to the Stryker).
Most of the snipers did what I did. They carried the armor everywhere, but didn't always wear it, hence no gear on it. But they sure as hell wore the vest or LBE or whatever they preferred.
The pistols got carried in leg holsters a lot. They just didn't get used all that much if ever. Nobody wanted to draw them. Many had a few holsters. The Galco Miami Classic was very popular for going to the shitter at a base and with officers. When I had to wear one, I liked to put it right across my chest up high, but not so it interferred with mag changes, and I liked a good kydex holster. I forget what I had, probably a Blade Tech? They are close by, but then I had to modify it to fit. Now they make one that fits Molle and is VERY adaptable. Even will take a light. For mags, I wore four 20rd. R93 mags in an army boresight pouch. They fit perfectly. I liked to wear on my left leg one of those Tactical Tailor pouches with the rubber tops to dump mags in, those were the bees knees if you ask me. Good for shotshells too if you need 'em. Some of the Molle ones will now hold armor, magazines, and the big dump pouch all in one. You can get that for the right leg too and put a good kydex holster on it. I think Point Blank makes the Molle leg armor, but I could be mistaken.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that to each his own, and there is an infinite combination of stuff. Try and figure out what you THINK will work best for you and do it, then train with it and you'll learn from experience and others what works best for you. Kind of like conceal carry holsters I guess, you end up with a bunch of junk until you find the right one. I have a box of LBE's and holsters too. BTW, the old school LBE and WEB belt is not really a bad setup. I like it a hell of a lot better than those Harris vests they used to issue, now that was real junk.
To use holsters as an analogy again, I ended up going with Milt Sparks. I have three black VM2's for three different pistols. Likewise, I think Tactical Tailor makes some of the best gear around, or did anyway, been awhile since I donned it. You get what you pay for I guess, as always.
I tried to find pictures of us in gear, but couldn't really find any. Most of 'em were us just screwing off and pulling pranks on each other. We weren't really into the GI Joe poses it seems.
Sorry to be so longwinded, hope it helps.
