Desert MOLLE II FLC Vest question

[Nkomo]

I picked up some new gear that belonged to a SAW gunner in the 3rd ACR. I found his DCU colored FLC vest today and noticed something odd about it when I got it home. He installed the waist belt BACKWARDS!!!! Now....I thought that someone else had put it back together wrong, but that is not the case. The dirt/grime markings indicate it has been used this way quite a bit. When the SAW pouches and canteen pouches are placed on the vest, it is very difficult to unzip the set-up to take off. The way it is set-up is that all you have to do is to unbuckle the back and slip it off. Very practical in my honest opinion. My question is this....has anyone heard of this set-up before? Thanks!!!

Arch

p.s. Forgot to mention that the SAW pouches are green pouches that have been spray painted tan camo. They have the ALICE type clips on the back.

[CamoDeafie]

could you post a picture? reminds me of the "chest rig"set up for the FLC i've read about in Mil photos website..i think there even was a thread on the various set ups someone did with the FLC....one being a backpack/webgear

 

edit; found it

 

MOLLE diversity

[DocRick]

Like any gear issued by the military, someone will not like it and change it to a way that suits him. Yes, I was one of those guys who always wore my stuff different, used private purchase gear, sometimes even non-issue gear if it served my purpose. But remember as a Corpsman I could get away with more then the average Marine could.

 

Or they don't know how to wear it "properly" so they put it together however they can.

[hawkdriver]

Or they don't know how to wear it "properly" so they put it together however they can.

 

Probably the best thought so far. When this gear is issued, rarely is there a "class" on how to put it together properly. Most of the time, its thrown at you and you take it home and assemble it. The MOLLE gear is not always the easiest to figure out either. How many folks here can remember basic training in the ALICE days and when we had to take our rucksacks to the range, someone always had their padded straps on upside down, the foam pad up with the weight bearing strap and buckle against the shoulder, complaining how much the "damned thing hurts"

[Nkomo]

Thanks for the responses. I picked up a large grouping of a soldier who was a SAW gunner with the 3rd Armored Cav. Regiment. I was able to pick-up most of his items (DCU's, SAW pouches, Wiley-X glasses, combat gloves, small ALICE pack, large ALICE pack with Coleman Peak 1 frame, etc). All of his webgear has been spray painted a tan/brown color. His large ALICE pack has his name, last 4 digits of his SSN (I'm assuming), and his blood type. Even his desert boots have the same information written on the tongue. The soldier seems to be squared away. Judging from his webgear, it looks like it has been used quite a bit. I was just really suprised at how the FLC was put together. It appaears to be a functional set up and would work.

Arch

[taucco]

it's actually a quite common way of wearing the flc ("chest rig" style).

 

If you read this document you will find the answer. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/8738974/Modern...bat-Load-Report

 

"Many Soldiers prefer to wear the FLC’s belt backwards so that they can use the reversed FLC

belt as a rack system in their front for MOLLE magazine pouches. 2-504 PIR incorporated the

backwards FLC belt as a battalion standard operating procedure (SOP). When the FLC is worn

in this manner, however, the extraction handle on the FLC is pulled forward due to the weight on

the front of the FLC and this nylon handle digs into the back of a Soldier’s neck and creates

considerable discomfort."

[Mercenary25]

could you post a picture? reminds me of the "chest rig"set up for the FLC i've read about in Mil photos website..i think there even was a thread on the various set ups someone did with the FLC....one being a backpack/webgear

 

edit; found it

 

MOLLE diversity

 

It's a crap example.

[Nkomo]

it's actually a quite common way of wearing the flc ("chest rig" style).

 

If you read this document you will find the answer. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/8738974/Modern...bat-Load-Report

 

"Many Soldiers prefer to wear the FLC’s belt backwards so that they can use the reversed FLC

belt as a rack system in their front for MOLLE magazine pouches. 2-504 PIR incorporated the

backwards FLC belt as a battalion standard operating procedure (SOP). When the FLC is worn

in this manner, however, the extraction handle on the FLC is pulled forward due to the weight on

the front of the FLC and this nylon handle digs into the back of a Soldier’s neck and creates

considerable discomfort."

Very interesting article. Thanks for posting that link. :thumbsup:

Arch

[vzemke]

Arch,

As others have pointed out, wearing the MOLLE FLC vest in the "chest rig" configuration is pretty common. It was my old units SOP too. This way you can wear it with or without the body armor under it and you don't have to re-adjust it too much. Its also a pain in the rear to get the FLC to fit propery over boby armor, and the chest rig certainly makes that easier.

[Nkomo]

Arch,

As others have pointed out, wearing the MOLLE FLC vest in the "chest rig" configuration is pretty common. It was my old units SOP too. This way you can wear it with or without the body armor under it and you don't have to re-adjust it too much. Its also a pain in the rear to get the FLC to fit propery over boby armor, and the chest rig certainly makes that easier.

Thanks for the information. Do you know how a SAW gunner would have had his FLC set-up? What is odd about these SAW pouches is that they are not MOLLE....rather they are the older pouches with ALICE clips. I know everything came from the same guy. Was it common to see older style pouches on the FLC's?

[CamoDeafie]

my friend in the NG in California has a chest rig or similar, with a single ALICE saw pouch for use as a general purpose/FAK pouch on his MOLLE equipment....I'd think it might be more common to see the old ALICE SAW pouches on some gear......since they hold 200 rounds rather than the smaller 100rd MOLLE pouches i've found....havent really seen the 200 rd MOLLE pouches.....I;m not sure how would a SAW gunner have his FLC set up, chances are they're not gonna be standardized unlike what USCAV catalog showed for the old MOLLE II kits.....

[pezboy]

When soldier's ALICE was replaced with MOLLE, most of the time they didn't get everything new. I have seen ALICE pouches attached directly to IBAs and ALICE pouches attached to MOLLE vests. He was probably issued the basic rifleman set and not the 2 200 round and 2 100 round SAW pouches he should have been. Instead, he probably just used the ALICE SAW pouches. There are MOLLE to ALICE adapters, but he probably didn't have those either. 550 cord and the ALICE clips would have held them on fine. Some soldiers purchased their own of any brand if they weren't issued them. A SAW gunner is supposed to carry 200 in the gun and another 600-800 on them. If he only had 2 SAW pouches this could mean he carried 400 rounds on his vest and the rest in an assault pack or that he only had 600 rounds total. As far as the reverse belt thing, it is very, very common. Most of the people in my units did it that way.

Dustin

[Blake89]

Heres my FLC chest rig,dont know why the US mark was blacked out.