Suggestions: ALICE and MOLLE Systems

1903Collector

1903Collector

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Forgive me if this has been covered here before, if it has point me in the right direction. I am starting to put stuff together and thinking of packs. Looking for opinions from people who have used the ALICE and MOLLE systems as I have no experience with either of them. Appreciate any input and sources etc.

Thanks,
Walter
 
Read my post #9 Here I talk about packs, what I have, and why. ALICE packs are great. They have a ton of storage, a nice sturdy frame, and are widely available for short money. MOLLE is the new attachment standard, therefore, you will find that most external accessories are made to fit that platform. I feel the design of the newer packs give you the advantage of organizing things much better, but it all comes down to personal preference.
 
The MOLLE pack is horrible, mostly due to the frame. It absolutely will break at some point. I went through 4 frames in one year in the Marines, and I was in artillery. We never humped our packs, just stuck them in the truck.

ALICE, on the other hand, that's what we used in bootcamp. Those things are effin' durable. The external metal frame and double stitched webbing survive years of the harshest abuse that recruits, and drill instructors, can put them through. Not extremely comfortable for extended wear, but they can definitely take a beating.

If you can find one, the new ILBE packs that are in service now with the Marines are EXTREMELY comfortable, and pretty durable too. It's pretty much a civilian pack with digital cammie fabric. Only issue I had with that was the 200 straps that connected to nothing and seemed to serve no function. Duct tape fixes that, though.
 
I have no MOLLE experience but place me in the "I hate humping ALICE" camp. I toted one around for a number of years in the service. Mostly I used a large with the frame but in Basic Training and AIT (Infantry) we used mediums with no frames (1982).

If you are using one to store a grab and go bag or a GHB for your car then they have the advantage of being affordable and durable. If you are planning to carry a lot of weight in one for several days or more I would recomend a commercial backpack.

ALICE puts all of the weight on your shoulders....I've never found the waist belt to be satisfactory. A good commercial pack with a good waist belt will place the weight on your hips, have better designed shoulder straps and a sternum strap that helps keep the weight centered on the tops of your shoulders. Unless you are doing night parachute drops into a forest or helocasting a lot it should be durable enough for most uses. I've had mine for nearly 20 years and it's been around....and around and around and is only now showing its age....

Again, if it's for a grab and go kit-something that will sit around more than it will be used, then the ALICE pack is pretty good for that. I always liked the pocket layout of the large, plus the fact that you can attach other pouches/gear to it via the provided mounting points. The frame is plenty durable-I've seen them fail but only after much abuse. The frame design does allow air to circulate between you and your pack, which is much welcome in hot climes. You can get a lot of accessories for them to at places like the Cav Store or Lightfighter.com, too.
 

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