Gear Question: MOLLE or pre-loaded?

[ShelledPants]

I much prefer nonmolle rigs by Eagle, they tend to have a little molle on tge sides for radios and pouches, but their attached pouches are so well made...

[Bolt]

Originally Posted by scurvythepirate

Just out of curiosity, what did you buy?

CIRAS plate carrier, olive drab.

Someone here PM'd me about one that they were looking to sell. I consider myself lucky - the guy was almost exactly my size!

The vest fits like a glove, and is very comfortable. I haven't put it on carrying a full load yet, but for what I was looking for, it's perfect. Admin pouch, triple mag pouch, plus a med pouch and one additional pouch as well. Hydration carrier and camelback bladder on the back all included.

[Bolt]

Originally Posted by MMatersk

Im interested my self as to what you picked up. Im in the same boat cant figure out which route to go

It was a CIRAS plate carrier. From my limited experience with it already, I'd say go Molle if you're on the fence. It's a huge plus to be able to move around and reposition things if they're not quite to your liking.

[Styrak]

What brand though?

[Bolt]

Originally Posted by Styrak

What brand though?

That's the funny part. I bought it off someone here, and he scoured the thing for a brand name, but couldn't find one.

Considering he paid 140 for it new, has gamed it 6 or so times (if memory serves me), and it still looked practically new when I got it (minus some scuffs and a bit of dirt), I'd say it's not some cheap knock-off.

[Gerkraz]

$140 for a CIRAS is pretty cheap, actually.

[Bolt]

Originally Posted by Gerkraz

$140 for a CIRAS is pretty cheap, actually.

Yes, I've seen them for $250 and up, so it may be an imitation, but at least it's a well made one.

I don't plan on getting shot (with actual bullets) anytime soon, so I think it should hold up just fine.

And if it doesn't, well...learning experience, right?

[Gerkraz]

I know what you mean. I wasn't trying to say yours is cheap, but rather that it was inexpensive.

[ThunderCactus]

Originally Posted by Jimski

MOLLE is quite heavy.

The hell is your basis for this? LOL
My FLC vest with pouches on it weighs less than a crossdraw vest

A good MOLLE setup can cost you anywhere from $200 to $800 after pouches. A quality LBV can end up costing more than your gun

[Danke]

A molle vest by design has more material than a fixed vest.

Do the math, a fighting load carrier type vest with the pouches sewn on, vs. a Molle one. The vest and the pouches are the same but the Molle version has the loops on the vest and the straps on the pouches. The extra material make it heavier. The pouches also stick out farther as a result of this.

I use both, I have a Platatac, & Eagle fixed vests and a Pantac RAV & plate carrier. I circulate thorugh all four depending on where the game is, what I plan to carry, and what my role that day will be.

[lurkingknight]

molle pouches also have more material on the back, molle vests are at least 2 layers thick. One thing I do like about my molle vest is that so far that when it's hot, I can unzip the front and open up some airflow from the shirt underneath it. If I were wearing a plate carrier, I couldn't do that.

[ThunderCactus]

Originally Posted by Danke

Do the math, a fighting load carrier type vest with the pouches sewn on, vs. a Molle one. The vest and the pouches are the same but the Molle version has the loops on the vest and the straps on the pouches. The extra material make it heavier. The pouches also stick out farther as a result of this.

That's only a technicality; my plate carrier weighs 35lbs fully loaded, plus a 20lb gun, and that's my 24 hour game loadout. I don't really notice the extra 300 grams of the MOLLE system lol

Also worth noting is the variety of pouches you get with MOLLE. The generic crossdraw style vest has the most horrible M4 mag pouches ever. Huge velcro flaps, really deep pouches, and sometimes way too tight. But some people like spending their afternoon changing a mag, and some people like to do it like they're trying to set a record lol

[Danke]

Weight and bulk is not a technicality, it's a reality.

I wouldn't suggest anyone buy junk gear molle or fixed.

[Scouser]

In all honesty, if you have a molle vest set up right, it shouldnt hinder your movements at all, regardless of how much weight you carry. And something like a ciras can easily be set up to be a bit more streamlined.

[Danke]

I have no problems with my molle rigs, they're setup fine and I wear them 80% of the time. The other times though a fixed rig is what's called for.

What I can't get on with is folks who post their opinion as fact.