Army and Marine issue MOLLE II

By Soup

After much testing, surveying, and redesigning, Army and Marine Corps units began fielding the MOLLE II load carrying system in 2001. The MOLLE is essentially a system of component parts that can be tailored to a soldier’s needs while in the field. The configuration used by the soldier depends as much on preference as it does on mission requirements. Although the military designed the MOLLE with the idea that soldiers would bring only the necessary components on a mission, experience has shown that most soldiers set the MOLLE up with all of its pockets, compartments, and pouches because changing mission requirements never truly allow him to tailor his load in advance.

The MOLLE’s frame is a large piece of molded plastic to which padded shoulder straps, a padded waist strap, and a top-loading main carrying compartment are attached.

I found the shoulder and waist straps to be a great improvement over the old ALICE system but the frame is quite cumbersome. Although it is far from heavy, in my opinion it is overly large. The main cargo compartment is approximately the size of a medium sized ALICE rucksack and has a separate, removable radio compartment on the side closest to the back. he flap which covers the opening of this compartment is lined with clear plastic into which one can insert a map.

On the outside of the main compartment is a claymore pouch intended for carrying an M18A1 Claymore Anti-Personnel Mine. When I received mine, there was also a bandolier that would hold six M16/M4 magazines in this pouch. In addition to the above the rucksack system also consists of two large sustainment pouches which the soldier can attach to the sides of the main cargo compartment. These are handy for carrying loose pieces of equipment that need to be more readily available than something stored in the main compartment.

In a pinch, they can also be attached to the MOLLE load carrying vest to supplement its normal pouches. There is also a sleep system carrier that attaches to both the frame and the bottom of the main cargo compartment (attaches in both places for stability) designed to hold the army’s sleeping bag/Gore-Tex bivy sack system.

My experience has shown that this is the best use for it – I never carried any other equipment in this compartment. A CamelBak hydration system also comes with the rucksack but it is not at all durable. I recommend buying a separate CamelBak system to replace or supplement the one that is included with the rucksack.

The final piece of the rucksack system is the patrol pack. This is a small backpack that can be worn separately or attached to the back of the rucksack as required. Most soldiers would keep their night vision equipment, a few MREs, weapons cleaning kits, and other essential items in this pack simply because if the rucks came off, they would still need something in which to carry this gear.

Bottom line on the MOLLE rucksack before I move on to the vest? Save your money. Although it improves upon the ALICE in some areas such as weight distribution and the ability to tailor the load, it is overly bulky and its frame is not as sturdy as it should be. The reader would be far better off buying a good civilian internal frame pack.

Unlike the MOLLE rucksack, the MOLLE load carrying vest is well worth the reader’s consideration. It is extremely lightweight, made of a mesh material to reduce overheating, and one can easily set up its pouches in a manner that best suits the individual. The vest consists of a wide, somewhat-padded belt with a fastex clip in front attached to the mesh vest. The shoulder straps of the vest are wide pieces of unpadded nylon. The system is easily adjustable for individuals of different sizes and has numerous MOLLE attachment points sewn across its mesh front.

One can attach any number of various pouches to these webbing points as one sees fit. The available pouches include M16/M4 magazine pouches (each holds two magazines, fig. 4); M9 pistol magazine pouches, fig 7; grenade pouches (these are also handy for carrying a compass or field dressing), fig 9; 100 or 200 round SAW drum pouches, fig. 1&2; 40mm grenade pouches, fig. 7; and medic pouches. I will not recommend a configuration in which to carry these pouches as that is best left up to the individual.

As stated above, the MOLLE vest is worth the reader’s consideration. It is not the end all, be all in load carrying equipment but is shows a vast improvement over the old LBE or LCV.

The reader is invited to direct any further questions to soup@pre-ban.com

Previous Section – Main Menu – Next Section