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Old 01-29-2009, 12:04   #1
bravo22b
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Integrating MOLLE Ruck & FLC

This may seem like a stupid question, but here goes anyway.

I was just issued the MOLLE II large ruck and FLC vest. This is my first brush with the new generation of gear. I have been using an ALICE large ruck and traditional LCE with an M-1956 H-suspender since '91. I'm going to have to switch to the new gear, and I'm probably not going to have the option or the funds to buy non-issue ACU pattern equipment.

I've done a fair amount of research via the internet, and I have a current use and care manual for the MOLLE gear. I've set up my FLC similar to how I had my LCE, with two canteens as far forward on the hips as possible, and ammo pouches in front. The MOLLE ruck seems like a somewhat reasonable piece of gear at first glance, but that huge padded waist belt just will not sit comfortably, getting hung up on my canteens.

Obviously, with the old gear, this was also a problem, but I solved it the same way most people have, by either jacking their LCE up over their waist or dropping it down low. I also cut off the actual belt part off my ALICE ruck, since it never got used anyway. That has worked for me for the past 17 years.

With the FLC, I tried dropping it down, but that causes the bar across the back harness to come up and hit my neck. I also tried jacking it up, but I couldn't get it up high enough to clear the ruck waist pad.

Two other ideas come to mind: skipping the canteens (which just seems like a bad idea), or cutting the waist pad of the ruck back to a more manageable size.

I'm 5'10", so I'm guessing if I have this problem, so has everyone else, and I'm sure there must be an infantry-approved way to fix it, and I'm sure someone here knows what it is.

Anything I cut or modify I will have to buy new again someday when I turn it all in, so I'd like to make sure if I'm going to do it, that I'm not wasting my time rediscovering the wheel. Thanks in advance.
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Old 01-29-2009, 15:16   #2
Sinister
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Rigging the new stuff

Good luck.

I've tried rigging my stuff every which-way for both admin and armored-up. There just doesn't seem to be a good way of getting what you need on it.

Take the canteens off and put on a Camelbak or Camel ruck and your stuff is jacked up for rucking. The big IFAK kind of makes a lump and limits either swinging a carbine, natural body swing for rucking, or getting at your pistol.

I've seen kids wearing every which way, including putting some of the bulky stuff like IFAK, GP pouch, pistol and holster, and mag dump pouch on a battle-belt rig.

If I put my mag pouches on top of my rifle pouches I high-turtle when trying to get into or shoot from prone.

You can either configure for fighting with armor or walking with a ruck (armor stuffed in or strapped to the ruck) but I haven't figured out a happy medium yet. Maybe just a plate carrier with cummerbund if moving with a ruck.

Part of the evolution and spin-off of everybody moving around the battlefield in a wheeled vehicle.
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Old 01-31-2009, 08:07   #3
bravo22b
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Fortunately, at this point I mainly need to concentrate on rigging for foot movement. Within a few months, my unit will be a newly "transformed" LRS company, so I am expecting and looking forward to lots of long rucks.

Right now, I've got the FLC adjusted to a sort of compromise position where it seems to interfere with the ruck the least. I can't quite bring myself to remove my canteens. Maybe I'll change my mind after I have a chance to try it all out in practice, but I'm having a hard time with the idea that I would have to keep moving my Camelbak in and out of my ruck/assault pack just to have water at all times. I think the most simple solution may be to add some length to the suspender webbing in the front, so I can drop the FLC down lower, without the crossbar riding up as much.

My duty position involves a lot of the crawling and laying in the prone, so I'll also have to see how much the pouches interfere with that.

I would still be interested to hear if anyone else has any suggestions.
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Old 01-31-2009, 12:19   #4
Sinister
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Modding the FLC

I'm a parachute rigger as well. I'm thinking of just cutting the drag strap across the back (behind the neck) and re-rigging so the straps cross across the back. Some of the 82nd radio operators I had took out the belt, zipped the front of the FLC together, and re-inserted the belt to snap and close in back (like a RACK).
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Old 02-10-2009, 00:43   #5
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Did you get the new RFI gear? Like the vest that goes over your IOTV/IBA. It says US on it. I have some tips on were to put your gear if you have it.
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Old 02-10-2009, 07:20   #6
bravo22b
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Yes, it is the new RFI gear. There are a lot of pouches it comes with, and I have not used them all yet. The way I have it set up currently is that I have the three-pouch single mag carrier down low and front on both sides, with the canteens up tight against them. I then have my IFAK on the left on the front of the mag pouch, and a GP pouch on the right in the same position. I then have two frag pouches above the mag pouches and in the front.

Maybe I'll post a picture tonight when I get home.

Although I think the modularity is a good concept, in practice, you just don't have as many choices as it would seem. I guess it's good so you can rig it for vehicle use, putting everything up front, but as Sinister pointed out, it then creates a problem for wearing it with a ruck or trying to lay in the prone.

I'm also not crazy about all the loose straps that the new gear has. I guess once I get more comfortable with it, I'll end up cutting a lot of the excess strapping off, but I hesitate to do it right away because I don't want to limit my options later. That said, old habits of not having a bunch of crap dangling off your gear die hard, and I don't trust those stupid little elastic bands to rein it all in.

I also assume once my unit starts jumping that there will be additional requirements to tie stuff down and limit flapping straps.
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Old 02-10-2009, 07:22   #7
Hostile0311
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bravo22b View Post
This may seem like a stupid question, but here goes anyway.

I was just issued the MOLLE II large ruck and FLC vest. This is my first brush with the new generation of gear. I have been using an ALICE large ruck and traditional LCE with an M-1956 H-suspender since '91. I'm going to have to switch to the new gear, and I'm probably not going to have the option or the funds to buy non-issue ACU pattern equipment.

I've done a fair amount of research via the internet, and I have a current use and care manual for the MOLLE gear. I've set up my FLC similar to how I had my LCE, with two canteens as far forward on the hips as possible, and ammo pouches in front. The MOLLE ruck seems like a somewhat reasonable piece of gear at first glance, but that huge padded waist belt just will not sit comfortably, getting hung up on my canteens.

Obviously, with the old gear, this was also a problem, but I solved it the same way most people have, by either jacking their LCE up over their waist or dropping it down low. I also cut off the actual belt part off my ALICE ruck, since it never got used anyway. That has worked for me for the past 17 years.

With the FLC, I tried dropping it down, but that causes the bar across the back harness to come up and hit my neck. I also tried jacking it up, but I couldn't get it up high enough to clear the ruck waist pad.

Two other ideas come to mind: skipping the canteens (which just seems like a bad idea), or cutting the waist pad of the ruck back to a more manageable size.

I'm 5'10", so I'm guessing if I have this problem, so has everyone else, and I'm sure there must be an infantry-approved way to fix it, and I'm sure someone here knows what it is.

Anything I cut or modify I will have to buy new again someday when I turn it all in, so I'd like to make sure if I'm going to do it, that I'm not wasting my time rediscovering the wheel. Thanks in advance.
As Sinister said, "Good Luck." We were one of the first units in the Marine Corps to get the Gen I then Gen II Molle back in 99-2001. Fortunately we had a Bn CO who didn't like the MOLLE so he req'd us the Alice Mountain Rucks which you said are no longer permitted in your unit. If I remember correctly, when we had the Gen II, mounting the canteens on the padded waist belt was a pretty effective common practice in addition to the Camelback placed inside the pack. I agree that ditching the canteens is not the brightest thing to do. But if you ditch your pack you still have the Camelbak (I had the Vector model which is streamlined and rode comfortably in between the pack and my back even with armor on so I always had water with or without the pack). Unfortunately with this stuff there is no easy fix. I just played around with it until it felt "right" which was few and far between.
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Old 05-27-2009, 22:58   #8
Aoresteen
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In my year in Iraq I only met two persons who used the vest to mount their gear. They were tankers and they wore bare body armor. When needed they would put on their vests over their BA.

Everyone seemed to use a CamelBak for water (no canteens on BA) and had pouches for 5.56 and/or 9mm. I used an ACU bladder carrier that attached directly to the back of my BA and I attached a mag pouch to it that carried an AK mag (I was on an Iraqi FOB with lots of AK-47s around). Most everyone carried the First Aid kit on their BA as well.

Good luck trying to get it to work.
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