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Posted: 3/27/2007 10:52:22 PM EDT
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Over the course of the past few years, I have tried all sorts of gear. I've tried the various vests. I've tried some of the chest rigs. I have tried duty belts. I have tried some things in combination. But it just seems I have never found anything that I really truly liked. The vests can be cumbersome, some are very stiff and the biggest downside I have found is that they will ROAST you during warm weather (it doesn't even have to really be hot to get you cooking with one of those on). But the plus is, you can carry lots of stuff on them. Chest rigs have their place, but it just seems my natural reaction when reaching for a mag or other items is to go down toward my belt, not across my chest. And I find chest rigs a bit in the way when going prone. But I still prefer those to the vests for reasons mentioned above. I have also tried duty belts, but when using the belt only, your loadout is kind of limited. To be sturdy, you need to anchor it to a trouser belt as well. That makes getting to items a chore while wearing a coat. So this option isn't ideal either. So, I got to thinking about the first purchase of gear I ever made back in the 90's. It was simple and cheap. It consisted of a USGI type web belt (made in Korea), a set of Y style suspenders, 30 rd USGI mag pouches, an M12 holster, 9mm mag pouch, canteen covers and a buttpack. I loved the way this setup was organized, but I found the stuff lacking seriously in many areas. The suspender attachments were a pain in the ass. The belt wasn't rigid enough under heavier loads to suit me. The Y style suspenders left a great deal to be desired. It in effect had the feel of what could have been a great item had it not been mass produced on a budget to be just good enough to work but remain inexpensive. But that's what it was. So I just never was fully satisfied with that setup either and never gave any other belt/suspender LBE setups much consideration after that, opting to try other stuff. But just recently, I started eyeing some of the Blackhawk LBE gear and noticed that it retained all the qualities of GI web gear, while eliminating many of the troubled areas and improving comfort and performance. It's more expensive. But it corrects nearly all the issues I had with the mil issue type stuff.  So that is basically what I am going back to. This is the concept I started out with when I first became interested in gear. However this time, it's made the way it should be. The Blackhawk enhanced web belt is far superior to the old mil style web belt I had. The pouches and pack are also improved. And the Blackhawk H style harness is perhaps the best part of it all. However, I may stick with the M12 holster, as it fits nearly all of my full size handguns, from 1911's to Glocks to Rugers, Berettas, etc. But in my use, I won't be needing any more than 2 of the 30 rd AR mag pouches. Therefore the pistol holster and pistol mag pouch will occupy the right side of the belt. Having 6 of the 30 rounders on the belt will be all I ever plan on carrying in that fashion. In less worst case scenarios, I may in fact stick to one rifle mag pouch. But should I wish to add more rounds, I have found the perfect compliment to add more rounds without making things very cumbersome while being quick to don:  A fella over in the magazine forum designed these and had them produced. He's selling them for $24 each, shipped. They are basically an improved version of the Vietnam era 7 pocket 20 round mag bandoleers. Since I have a bunch of USGI 20 rounders (I just love those damn mags for some reason), these are something I will be stocking up on. So depending on what I wish to do, I could carry a max load of 320 rds of 5.56mm ammo using that setup, plus handguns and extra ammo for it. And I would not be as restricted as wearing a stiff vest of some sort or hampered as much when going prone. And much less heat build up in the torso region is also another very nice bonus. I can mix and match, add or take away, to my heart's content. And quickly. So created a custom load in a matter of seconds tailored to my needs at the time will be a pinch. If I don't want to carry 12 mags and a ton of other gear , I won't have to and I will have the bonus of not having to be stuck with a setup designed for carrying the more huge loads. What's funny, I am essentially using all Vietnam era concepts (I also wear OD BDU's), but with modern components that are of much higher quality and functionality. But then again, I am very much a KISS type person, so this comes as no shock. Back to basics I have gone!  |
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CH: I think your idea is valid. We all get caught up in the newest and latest must HAVE...not need gear and bling  , I myself am just as guilty.Eventually after spending boat loads of money I find that a basic simple setup no matter what it pertains to (guns, gear, cars, etc) is always better. Good post CH. |
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Ditto, seem like your not alone, also have tried many many different gear line up's. Have always held onto my Alice gear set up, pretty much like what you have pictured. Far as simple & affordable, I like using this vest pictured below, still have alot of high speed gear, gradually ridding myself of stuff that isnt me.  This system, along with my molle first line belt, seem to work well together. Also, can handle back pack or camelbak, without having to re range my pouches. TG |
Have installed canteen and medic pouch onto the back of the vest,since these pix was taken. If a back pack isnt needed & going on a small outting, I can use this on my molle belt.  Have many assorted molle pouches, can use pending on what Im doing, also have a Conflict molle back pack,also built it bladder pouch.  .jpg) TG |
where can I get a vest like this? |
Thanks & you right about being much cooler than your average LBVs, comfortable as well. Here in Texas hill country, LBVs and Interceptor is too hot to wear during summer months. This is the best set up, that works well in my AO, Im sure others would agree. Most of this can be had for very little money, it will surely outlast CTD gear and other knock off gear. TG |
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Stay away from those Black Hawk 30 rd mag pouches! I used some in Kosovo (2000-2001) and it is very hard to retrieve mags from the pouch. The G.I. 30 rd mag pouches are stiff so when you lift the lid it moves easily. The G.I. pouch also is very rigid maintaining its form. The Black Hawk 30 rd pouch is very soft and doesn't hold its shape very well which makes it a pain in the ass to retrieve mags in a hurry. I felt that they were a death trap! There fine for using as a general purpose pouch but not as a mag pouch. Just my two cents! RLTW |
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Black Hawk canteen pouches! Sorry guys this stuff is coming back to me. The canteen pouch attachment on the canteen is attached much lower on the pouch then that of the USGI canteen pouch. When the canteen is full of water it gets very top heavy, leaning out from the top, away from the body. On the USGI canteen pouch the attachment is much higher giving it a lower center of gravity and letting it hang more naturally against the body. Not life threatening, but it always bugged me when moving about because I could feel the canteens pulling away and sticking out from the body. The H strap was OK but I replaced it with the Eagle Ranger H-Harness which is much wider and doesn't cut into your shoulders quite as bad as the narrow Black Hawk straps. The simplicity of a basic set up like this has merit, especially for "patrolling" type ops rather than direct action, kicking down doors etc. RLTW |
Yep! I started out with some aftermarket mag pouches cuz I wanted tan. But I quickly found out the the Genuine USGI was insanely higher quality.... the import stuff is NOT EVEN CLOSE! |
What can I exspect to pay for one of these? new and used. I found new ones on ebay for about 75.00 shipped but that seems a bit high. is it or am I just a cheap skate? thanks for the help. sorry it i hijacked the thread. |
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I used to think going to the field in the late 80's,early 90's sucked having to use Alice gear but after enduring the weight of added armor, all sorts of vests, pouches and other "advanced" gear I set up a new Alice rig for my personal gear. I am using now: Blackhawk Ranger H-Harness w/hydration capability Web pistol belt 2x GI M16 pouch 2x AK mag pouch (for misc storage) GI Enhanced butt pack m12 holster 1x 2 mag 9mm pouch it's light, fast and functional. and will make the next deployment with me. When I first joined the Army there were plenty of Vietnam Vets left and they passed on a lot of fieldcraft that has been lost in the rush to modernize every aspect of the soldiers field kit. |
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I ended up pulling my old USGI pistol belt and Y-type suspenders out of the closet this evening and fooled around with them for a bit. I made a few adjustments here and there and added some GI pouches and I finally ended up getting even that rig to feel somewhat comfortable. I thought that would never happen. What I ended up doing was adjusting the suspenders where the belt was held lower than normal. That seemed to take all the weight off my hips and put it all on my shoulders. This ALICE gear is so cheap, I may buy enough stuff to put together several complete sets for different purposes.....one for AR, one for AK and maybe one for an M1A or shotgun. Plus, the ones I am not wearing could always be used as "handouts" in the event a Cat 5 hurricane ever strikes Kentucky (yes, I am kidding)! 
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| Back when I was active duty Army (1988-1994), we used to be on the lookout for the older style pistol belts - the ones with the metal connections, ie one side had a loop with a "tit", while the other end had the hook that you "hooked" into the loop/tit....as opposed to the plastic clip-type connections. The reason for this was that we could then fabricate a "belt extender" with 550 cord. A loop of 550 cord (however long you wanted/needed) was attached to one end, and when you wanted the belt looser, you used that instead of the metal-to-metal connections. Of course my different battalion commanders HATED seeing those 550 cords (even if it was only 3-5 inches long) hangin off the front of our LBE's! |
| Personally my current setup is an old Y set and pistol belt that i have had for some 6 odd years assembled from the various pouches and parts i found while still active duty. The only addition has been a better FAK and some AK Mag pouches..it works great and is comfortable as much as i may drool over the latest and greatest like any other guy in the end i know this works for me and im comfortable with it. |
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