MOLLE Gear
Build out a vest, belt or pack with MOLLE gear that weaves onto standard PALS webbing. This department holds Rothco's modular pouches and the platforms that carry them, so you can set up a loadout around the way you work.
Magazine pouches make up a big share: triple, double and open-top rifle mag pouches, an open top six rifle mag pouch, a triple kangaroo rifle and pistol mag pouch, double and triple pistol mag pouches, a lightweight 3 mag elastic retention pouch, and 100 and 200 round SAW pouches. Utility and medical options include the MOLLE II canteen and utility pouch, roll-up dump and breakaway pouches, a tactical trauma and first aid kit pouch, a fast action medical pouch, a tourniquet and shear holder, radio, compass, strobe/GPS, handcuff, EDC and water bottle pouches.
For platforms, look at the MOLLE Modular Vest, Operators Tactical Chest Rig, Tactical Assault Panel, Battle Harness, Tactical Battle Belt, Lightweight Low Profile Belt, Drop Leg Utility Rig and MOLLE Drop Leg Panel. There's even a Tactical Car Seat Panel with MOLLE webbing for gear in the vehicle, plus LACV side radio and armor pouch sets for Rothco's lightweight carrier.
A note for service members: MOLLE is a load-carrying system the military fields as OCIE, and DA PAM 670-1 authorizes OCIE in OCP and older patterns. These are commercial pouches, so use them for training and personal kit unless your unit approves them.
What MOLLE Gear Is
MOLLE stands for Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. The attachment grid it uses is PALS, the Pouch Attachment Ladder System: rows of 1-inch nylon webbing spaced 1 inch apart, bar-tacked to the backing every 1.5 inches. Pouches carry matching webbing and straps that weave between the two, which is why MOLLE gear from different makers usually mounts to the same vest, belt or pack.
How to Mount MOLLE Pouches
Line the pouch up on the panel, then weave the strap alternately through the panel's webbing and the pouch's webbing, top to bottom, before snapping or tucking the end. Skipping a channel leaves the pouch floppy. Count the columns a pouch takes before you plan the layout; a pistol mag pouch might use one or two, while a six-mag rifle pouch uses most of a chest panel.
How to Choose MOLLE Gear
Pick the Platform First
A plate carrier or modular vest offers the most attachment space. A chest rig or assault panel is lighter and keeps magazines up front. A battle belt or low profile belt keeps weight on the hips, and a drop leg panel or rig moves pouches to the thigh so they clear body armor. Choose one primary platform, then add pouches.
Magazine Pouches
Match the pouch to the magazine. M16/AR-15 style rifle magazines fit our rifle mag pouches; pistol mag pouches are sized for double-stack pistol magazines, and some include inserts so single-stack mags sit snug. Open-top and elastic retention pouches are faster to reload from, while flap-closed pouches keep mags secure when you crawl or run.
Medical and Utility MOLLE Gear
Mount your trauma kit or IFAK pouch where either hand can reach it, and keep a tourniquet in its own dedicated holder rather than buried in a pouch. A dump pouch on the belt catches empty magazines. Utility, compass, radio and water bottle pouches fill the remaining space.
Weight and Balance
Load the heaviest items closest to your center and keep the front of a chest rig shallow enough to get prone. Wear the full setup around the house before an event, then trim what you don't use.
MOLLE Gear and Military Regulations
Load-bearing equipment is part of OCIE (organizational clothing and individual equipment). DA PAM 670-1, paragraph 4-1, authorizes Soldiers to wear OCIE in UCP, OEF-CP and OCP patterns, and OCP OCIE is bought as the replacement when older items become unserviceable. Paragraph 4-3 lists OCIE among accessories worn with the combat uniform "as determined by the commander" under the common table of allowances.
That means your unit decides what goes on your issued vest and belt. Commercial MOLLE gear like ours is common for personal training, airsoft and MILSIM, and some units let Soldiers add personal pouches; ask before you mount anything to issued equipment. DA PAM 670-1, paragraph 4-7, also makes Soldiers who buy uniform items commercially responsible for meeting military specifications, and paragraph 4-7j lets commanders authorize a camouflage, black or solid color personal hydration system in the field, in high-heat areas or on work details. Unit and command policies can be stricter.