Anyone have these? How do you have yours setup? Pics wold help to. Thanks in advance.



ETA: Got mine heres what I put on so far:



3 double mag pouches w/ 6 pmags on front flap

canteen pouch on side plate carrier(left empty for dump pouch)

med pouch on other side plate carrier

benchmade in vertical kydex sheath

black hawk molle camel back holder

Flashbang pouch with multi tool and surefire





i have most of the area above the front unused and i can free up some space on the side plate. Im trying to keep it slim as possible as I will be driving a 1151 or MRAP

The only thing my Company was mandated to have on them was the Improved First Aid Kit. I kept mine on my left side plate carrier. Since I am a transporter, it worked as a natural elbow rest while riding in the truck. With the steering wheel there wasn't much room for anything on the front of the vest, to include ammo.

In our last month I rode with one of my NCOs who was using a grenade pouch to hold his Monster drink. It was high on his vest, requiring little effort to raise it to his mouth. Worked pretty well while driving. I didn't see it spill once... which surprised me.

Kinda depends on what you need on you and your conditions.

I removed the belly band and I make sure that the sides of the back soft panels and plates go over the top of the front soft panels. More comfortable to me. I use a TT MAV over the top of it all. Works out pretty good.

Really depends on your mission and job. Make sure you get the sides adjusted good. Makes it much more comfortable (if there is such a thing!
) I've changed mine a couple of times as far as what's strapped to it.



Things you must have:



AMMO

IFAK

Seatbelt Cutter

Beacon

Flashlight

more ammo

camera pouch (pictures are valuable as souveniers and as proof / evidence and to look over and see what you could have missed.)

Don't have any pics, but I have mine setup pretty well I think. Mag pouches on the front flap, IFAK and LMR pouch on the left side plate carrier, Canteen pouch (BCT SOP for NOD storage) and storage/dump pouch on the right side plate carrier. Grenade pouches on the front for storage. I usually just keep extra ear pro and stuff in those.

I had a guy build me a chest rig that ties in with the quick release.  I have the prototype.  This is the final version:

Link

I'm pretty sure I would have punched that Monster pretty hard if I ever saw that.

You're too old school for my taste, I finally gave in and dropped the MAV.

Not a fan of ingenuity? Or should he hold the can for the 8 hour drive? Maybe not drink anything? My Soldiers were on the road 3-4x more often than anyone else in our BN, and were often sleep deprived. So I don't want to hear that they shouldn't be drinking caffeinated drinks in cans and should have limited themselves to gatoraide and water.

I run mine with the 3 double mag pouches on the front lower flap. IFAK on the left of that, another GP pouch on the right of that (for nods and smoke), keeps everythign up front and my sides clean. Above all that a grenade pouch with headlight, multiool and seatbelt cutter. Clean setup.

Alot of our guys throw 3 or 4 double mag pouches up high ABOVE the flap, then a large wide GP pouch underneath that on the flap. Nice setup.

Couple mods..
The esapi plates on the side ride low and dig in. They protrude about 1 or 2 inches down from the side panels on all IOTV's. Its how the pouch that holds them is made. We undo the release cable from the back and flip the left panel with the right panel, so what is down now is up. When you wear it this way the side plates sit higher up cause that extra 1 or 2 inches extends up instead of down.

Second mod i've seen. Take the Esapi's out the side carriers, place them in the front side pockets, they fit in there very tight, but fit and some prefer carrying them this way.

When it was hot here we would fold the back left and right flaps against the back of the inside of the IOTV and secure it with the belly band or tape. Then fold the front side flaps in against the inside front. This kept the sides more open for air circulation.

An NCO using a grenade pouch to hold a Monster energy drink on his body armor... so he doesn't have to exert himself drinking it.


If you don't see what is wrong with that... I'm not sure I can help you with your problem.

Tweeter - I respectfully disagree. I don't think you seem to understand the context.

Soldier is on the road for 8-12 hours, back to back for days. Soldier is driving an uparmored M915 semi truck. Said M915 comes stock with one cup holder that in 90% of the trucks has been destroyed or removed as it gets in the way of transmission upgrades, or the installation of all our nice OPSEC stuff. So Soldier can either spill his drink all over himself and the OPSEC stuff, not drink anything and get dehydrated, drink water/gatoriade in bottles (but I'd argue the caffeine is a risk reducer given the rest plan), or find a way to keep his drink from spilling as he drives with both hands on them bumpy roads.

It's not like we have the same mission as a ground pounder. We weren't even issued grenades, so it's not like he was neglecting his class V.

Do you also have a problem with people using IPODs with speakers and having snacks in the trucks with them?

Don't worry about him UMD I bet he wouldn't like to hear what I had in my grenade pouches either.

Link to my breakdown of my IOTV setup. I need to update it as my current setup is slightly different.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=6&f=10&t=284042

Depends on your usage. Keep you mag pouches somewhere you can reliably draw from while your weapon is either on you right or left side.

Your unit should already have an SOP on where to mount the IFAK. If it does not, then it would behoove you to pointedly suggest one. 'Time lost when lives are on the line' and all that.

If you have a strap cutter/escape tool keep it where you can get at it no matter which shoulder a seat belt is over.

I like to tie a cheap LED light inside the top of my 'multi-use' pouch so I can see the contents if needed.

Other than that, whatever helps you complete the mission is GTG.

I'm an NCO and I don't see a problem with it at all. If his unit is assigned to convoy security he isn't issued frags so his frag pouch is useless anyway.

The floor of my MRAP was covered in spilled energy drinks. It was almost a rule that every time we left the wire, at least one of my crew would spill something.

Give joe an inch.......................................



Howabout cutting a water bottle to size and velcroing it to a flat surface.

Find me a flat place to velcro something to in an uparmored M915. Seriously. Try.

What happened to "think smarter, not harder"?

It's not like I'm talking about letting PFC Snuffy who is the TC play his PSP in the staging area, and hoping that he'll follow through and turn it off before leaving the wire.

What about people modifying their intercom headsets to interface with IPods and other platforms? How about modding their weapons with personal goodies not supplied by the Army?

Find what works for you, and if it ain't hurting anyone or endangering anyone... roll with it.

I wore a blackhawk enhanced commando over my iotv, fit all my mags grenades , snacks, etc on it ( I used a shotgun shell pouch for holding odwalla bars, oh the horror!).

Unless you do someone job, you have no room to comment on how they do it unless it's obviously unsafe.

My unit did convoy security for UMDRanger's - On routes like Sinjar or down to Taji - Monsters or Ripits or whatever your choice of poison (I was a Redbull Cola guy) is mission essential gear.

I had to jump in and out of a hatch all the time so i had my pistol and mag pouches all on the front

RIPITs FTMFW i cant tell you how many i to drink just to stay awake while scannin my sector all night

We used the dashboard such as it was. Of course that was 1151's ,Maxpros' have insideous amounts of room for shit like that. In my light roll I keep it in the assault pack.



 Oh yeah lighten up Francis

i <3 RIPITs!

back to the topic at hand... i was the driver for my teams 1151 in iraq and im a pretty big dude so almost everything i had was on the sides of my IOTV except for my m9 mags and the grenade pouch that carried my binos.

mag pouches on the front flap, IFAK on my right side plate, utility pouch on my left side plate. two frag, one smoke pouch, upside down timex, nova micro light, pace beads, carabiner all across the top. utility and grenade pouches change roles depending on what I'm doing (they could hold anything from actual grenades...to cookies.)

I don't.

I use the load carrying vest and wear it on top of the IOTV, put all my gear on that. I think the vastly increased flexibility (for use with hatches, coats/jackets) counteracts the extra minute or two it takes to put it on (Also means that there's absolutely nothing front and centre, so going prone is a doddle). My biggest issue with it is that unlike the old IBA, you can't 'feed' the shoulder straps though the IOTV's shoulders, so to stop the gear from riding up the back of my neck, I need to use a small carabiner to hook the nape strap of the vest to the drag handle of the IOTV. Works OK in the long run. I'd say about a third the lads here use the vest, the other two thirds apply gear straight to the IOTV. I think there's only one other person aside from me who puts the vest on with the side-donning method instead of over the head, though.

On the webbing, going left to right, around the hip.
Canteen pouch with canteen cup, used for holding things. Usually my night vision. Also holds earplugs.
Triple magazine pouch (One deep, three across). Strapped to the front of it are (also L-R) the IFAK, a double magazine pouch (One across, two deep), and my Gerber.
Above the IFAK is the flash-bang pouch, which holds my GPS. That's everything on the left side, can also put a radio there if required. I leave room for a tanker holster if I'm predominantly vehicle mounted. (If I'm playing infantry, use a traditional pistol belt with a drop leg holster).
On the right side of the clips, still going left to right, There is the other triple magazine pouch, with the grenade pouch in front of the centre mag. Used for general cargo. (Spare batteries, often). To the right of that is the case for the Ground Commander's Pointer, into which you can also fit quite nicely the IR Strobe.
Canteen holder, with a 1-quart canteen.
Above the triple pouch is the seat-belt cutter and to the right of that, two magazines for the sidearm.
Above the sidearm mags is the family coat of arms, and above that, a very small flashlight.

It's amazing how many people forget to leave cargo room for the night fight.

NTM

front:
x3 single rifle mag shingles
x2 three-mag pouches (smoke and Harris)
x1 pistol mag pouch
x1 blow-out pouch
x1 utility pouch (NODS)

back:
x1 single mag pouch (left shoulder)
x2 utility pouches (more band-aids)



Maybe I should mount a grenade pouch to my chinstrap for a Snickers bar.

MMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmsnickers

I had one frag and 2 frag pouches as issued with the "Rifleman's kit" from RFI. An atomic pom ripit fits perfectly in the spare grenade pouch. I did not however leave it in there while it was open.

I hated those god damned rip-its.  Their taste was just god awful.  I would rather have one of those shock coffees.

If you're a Tanker, you can skewer your Snickers bar on the end of your mike boom. Nom-Nom-Nom, that spells hands-free chow down.

I have 8 mags center on the chest, with a 9th under my left arm on the side plate. Belt cutter on the chest. IFAK goes upper left. Upper center I have a grenade pouch that I carry a few items in. Under right arm on side plate is my PLB and IR beacon. 9 mm mags are on the left side plate as well.

I try to keep it fairly simple:

Serpa M9 holster in the center
3 double M16 mag pouches in front
IFAK on left side
SAW ammo pouch on right (used to hold misc. crap)

Heres a pict of me a few months into my tour. You can get some idea of How I had mine setup. I took the belly band out. Wolf Hook on my right for the M4 with a one point mount. Serpa on my chest. Eye Pro on a D-ring. Gerber and strap cutter on my left side. Lots of ammo on my belly. I had a camera pouch dead center on my ammo pouches out front for easy reach.

This pic is old, back in May when we first got here. I've made few changes though...

Hard to see... but...
On the front I've got:



Three Open Top single mag holders - mags have Magpuls on them.



One Grenade pouch - usually keep my camera in here. It's now below my name tape and used to hold my sling (GEAR Sector) in place.



Added One Flashbang Pouch - Is where the grenade pouch is in that pic - Great for my flashlight and whatever random bit of mission gear I want/need - flex-cuffs, chem lights etc.



Gerber Multi-Tool



Seatbelt Cutter was removed - I keep this in the truck and mounted for ease of access.

I try to keep my front as slick as possible. Whenever we're mounted I'm either driving or gunning (depending on what we feel like doing that day) so I like to prevent any snags or gear from catching while working. I carry as much on my back as possible when dismounted and have the same pack (below) within arm's reach in the truck.
On the Left... nothing. Not a damn thing. Because it's primarily my support arm for my rifle, I like having that side clean. You can see where I used a drop-leg to bring two dual mag holders to my thigh (all with Magpuls as well) and my SHTF/MRE Opener Knife (Gerber) that my lady friend bought me before I left. I catch hell for this... but it stopped when I stood side-by-side with the haters and performed reloads (while standing, keeping my weapon aimed at an imaginary target) faster than they could. Having the mags on my side is really awkward.
Anyway...
On the Right:



One IFAK (Improved First Aid Kit) - as far forward as I could mount it to be sure I can reach it with either arm.



One Canteen Holder - NODs keeper - since I carry a three liter Camelbak that doubles as my CLS/misc. gear - batteries, clear eye-pro etc./Radio/POGey Bait bag. Even this I could take off if I wanted to. Recently I've kept my NODs in my pack. But it's a good large all-round pouch to keep, so... why not keep it? :)
On the back I originally had the flashbang pouch, but since we weren't issued any I moved it up front.
KISS - as best I can achieve I suppose.
I much prefer the IOTV to the IBA. My IOTV is too large since I've lost weight (I could do with a Medium now) but I love mine. The IBA and I never agreed, on anything.
Hope this helps.


 

i felt that the side plates hung too low, if you flip them, ie put the one designed for the left on the right side and vice versa they ride a lot higher and you get better coverage for the vitals. you have to actually take the vest apart for that but its worth it

This is worth it.  Keeps those side plates from rubbing on the top of my hip bones.

Noted...

Is everyone that deploys active/NG now being issued the IOTV?? My unit still has the IBA but we are mob'ing in Dec. Haven't heard if we're getting them or not.

you should get em if youre going in december, youll more than likely turn in all your OCIE at your current unit and draw all your new shit at MOB site

Went through a few iterations on mine.
Ended up with 6 mags on front flap
got rid of the belly band
2 frags and a smoke on the left side
IFAK and 100 round saw pouch on the right (this held NVGs/Binos/GPS/ whatever mission dependent)
MBITR and Camelback on the back.
Pistol cross draw across the front (I don't like droplegs).  Droplegs open up a lot of vest options.
Seatbelt cutter left shoulder.
Make sure you have a strobe of some kind.  Helmet mounted is best.  Otherwise strobe on right shoulder.
This was for dismounted operations, which was 2nd time.
1st Time I was driver/gunner so I went with removable rack.
Don't let the rank fool you, we had no secfor.  Majors were gunners.

If you have the choice, get a plate carrier.  IOTV was too long and not well adjustable.  My plates hung too low.

When I got back in country from leave I brought my TT plate carrier with me to replace the "Riflemans kit". My Plt Sgt would not let me take the plates out of my IBA because of positioning but I did put my side plates in the PC and mounted my shingles/pouches to it. Since I did not have an IOTV this allowed me a quick release to shit and get in case I needed to unass an ASV fully loaded and I would still have my armor/chest plates in. I wear a MED IBA so with nothing on it but plates I could skip out of hatches like greased butter with everything else off of me.

That takes a very understanding COC though. Once they saw how simple it was to work and that I still had full armor coverage it was GTG.

This is what worked for me.

Just find what works for you and don't be afraid to try different setups. I was constantly finding problems with my setup and constantly rearranging it. Once you give it some time, you'll find out what works.

I spent MOB wearing mine too low (aka miserable) until the MPRI guys in Kuwait showed us how to adjust them properly. Find someone who knows how to do it. The best way I can describe it is hold the vest up (while wearing it) while having a buddy tighten all the straps evenly. There should be a gap between the IOTV shoulder and your shoulder (so the weight is supported at the waist).

We didnt get our IOTVs until we got to Kuwait. Then we all had an extra vest to keep up with.

Our unit requires space for 7 mags, but I keep one on my buttstock. so I have room for 6 on my gear. 3 on each side over the side plates, and my IFAK in front of the right side mag holders. I have a "sheath" for a flashlight by my name tape and I'm looking for a notebook holder type pouch for my belly. I'm the LT's driver in a route clearance package. So I have lots of different things going on every day, between taking care of radios and our other electronic systems, knowing the routes, and helping her keep up with notes for an AAR when we get back. so my setup might not be very universal for all of you

This was my gear
IOTV
ACH
10 40mm HEDP in 5 grenade pouches.
6 mags  in three 2x mag pouches
1 MBITR radio   in a 2x mag pouch
AN/PVS14 in a Canteen pouch
IFAC pouch

Yes, it was heavy.

Thats because you were RPAC. SecFor was gutted to create additional PMTs. Just another example of the mismanagement of manpower over there. Lets have guys sit in tents at KAF for months on end instead of pushing them out where they can be used on Teams. Lets gut secfor to create PMTs, but then we put Majors in a gun because they didn't leave enough guys available whose job that is. Then instead of colocating people who might need PSDs so they can share the same guys for that mission, we'll let them spread out so that when they need a secfor/ PSD, they pull PMTs off their real mission to play PSD.

Then they yell at PMTs for not getting their work done. Lets pack 25,000 guys onto BAF and 10,000 guys onto KAF and then ask for more bodies. Then you have brass that notice the guys out in the sticks don't have something the Fobbits have, and instead of taking it as a hint to make things better for the guys in the sticks, they want to stick it to the Fobbits...not that some of them don't deserve it...

I finally got home today after 22 months, to answer your last email to me. Didn't think it was ever going to get to the end of the tour. I have to admit that for about 5 seconds while I was wandering around Phoenix I was tempted to extend again. Must have been temporary insanity.

If they have your size you will get an IOTV.

There is a new "lighter" IOTV thats on the verge of being fielded. There was a story about it on AKO a month or so back.

the new lighter IOTV is a just plate carrier

Here's what I finally settled on while I was in Iraq.  Depending on your job your needs will be different.  I often operated out of the back of my JERRV, so the TT MAV worked out really well.  While I was in the truck, I just kept my IOTV on, but I had my MAV easily accessible for when I needed to dismount.  We also did a lot of work in which we needed to wear our IOTV, but didn't have to have our kit on us.  So this saved a lot of weight.  However, I always had my flashlight and Gerber on my vest.  IFAK is on my weakside and GP on my strong side.  Single mags stacked on eachother were in the front.  Oh yeah, the "EASY" button is essential for when Mr. Murhphy decides to come out and play!