JavaScript is disabled
Our website requires JavaScript to function properly. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings before proceeding.
Messages
12,515
Reactions
28,550
Recently, I bought an overrun USMC Chest Rig--the idea is to build up a complete Rifleman Set of gear to go with my M4 and M16A4 clones, as part of a program of "a matched set of loadout for each issue rifle in the collection." Question is, other than a dump pouch, a canteen pouch or two and a couple frag pouches, what all do I need to finish building this thing up, and what attaches where?

Assumptions:
1. This is a standalone rig, I'm using the Y-harness and no vest. This is meant for educational and range use, I'm planning something more optimized to my own personal needs for Serious Social Work.
2. I'm not dealing with the Rucksack or Buttpack, my intent is to replicate how Marines are kitted-out "Lean and Mean."
3. GPS and radio pouches are going to be either empty, ballasted to mimic the bricks' weight or carrying my phone.
4. Frag pouches will be either empty or ballasted, possibly used for those 8oz kiddie-size water bottles that are about grenade size.
5. Bear in mind I'm a southpaw, so please note things "strong-side vs off-side" rather than "left vs right sides."

Some guys may dismiss this as LARP, but one eye is on the classroom here when I get one, assignments like having the student hump a full load of WWII combat gear while engaging targets on the range with a Garand, then repeating with modern gear and M4, then writing a "compare and contrast" paper. There's a reason we use hands-on learning techniques with children, it's called "they work" and hopefully being hands-on with history will make it stick better than the Standard Pedantic Pedagogue who comes off barely less dead than the people they endlessly drone on about.
 
Not a Marine, never served; so take with a gallon of salt ;)

I've never seen overseas deployed US Marines in recent years going without armor, except for photo ops and giving tours or training.

For what its worth... I've not seen a lot of photos with the described chest rig stand alone, always attached to one of their plate carriers.

GP pouches and radios seems to be attached at the sides, while the grenade pouches are next inboard, or on the plate carrier, which also carries a dump pouch, and sometimes a war belt with extra gear.

But understand that it seems to be SOP to require Marines to wear armor all the time when out on patrols and so on...

On the other hand with the recent Africa advisors in the MARSOC groups; they might not be wearing armor all the time and might be using something else.

I do remember a recent thing where the USMC advisors to the Afghan National Army wore old woodland BDUs and requested woodland gear to better blend in so as not to become insurgent targets when out with the Afghans... not sure what came of that.


Also, haven't seen any deployed Marine wearing the coyote FLC vests overseas, seems they ditched them in favor of attaching gear to armor because they're gonna be wearing the armor anyhow.

Seen pics of Marines with the coyote FLC over digital woodlands Stateside, usually on training exercises.

Again, I haven't seen enough photos of the chest rig worn without armor to determine the "usual loadout" for those...
 
Actually, on the USMC rig the mag and GPS/radio pouches are integral to the rig itself.

Did find this about the TAP that the Marine rig is based on... I'd assume USMC practice would be similar.

According to this, I need to add:
Strong-side end canteen pouch
Weak-side end IFAK and tourniquet carrier
1 frag pouch each side, just inboard of canteen/IFAK

Pouches in the TAP obviate the shingles of the old Rifleman Set, but this still leaves the question of where do I attach the dump pouch?
 
Well, I'm trying to build up my M4 to USMC specs and attempt the Marine Annual Rifle Training qual-course just to quantify how much I really suck, and my overall philosophy is to try to have a matched set of issue-correct or battlefield-plausible fighting gear to go with each rifle in the armory--one part of my thinking is so that when I claw my way back to academia I can do "then and now" assignments like having the student gear up in WWII kit and fire the Garand, then OIF/OEF kit and repeat with the M4, then write a compare-and-contrast paper. (Similarly, I found a couple options for the Canadian fighting vest to go with the C8.)

The other is... well, start with basic issue and get familiar with the Good, Bad and Ugly of it firsthand to better inform decisions when trying to plan my own Home D kit. So I guess you could say "one eye on the present, one on the future." :)
 
OIF/OEF kit and repeat with the M4, then write a compare-and-contrast paper.

Well. For OIF/OEF, specifically 2001 through 2006ish; the majority of Marines used woodland armor and pouches (some with the 2nd gen FLCS); or coyote pouches with some woodland gear, on Interceptor body armor in both woodland and coyote, and then Scalable Plate Carriers, Maritime CIRAS, IMTVs, similar armor, with more coyote gear... and they were usually equipped with the solid stocked 20" M16A4 flat tops, with optics and BUIS and Knight Armament's Rifle Quad Rails... (not sure if you can find knockoffs of these that fit Rifle length gas systems with triangle front sights)
Some Marines showed up in Afghanistan wthout adequate armor so they wore local made plate carriers (Kandahar Black Ops Corporation leather tagged examples) that carried front and back armor. Mind, this is mostly worn with three color Desert Uniforms; before the Desert MARPAT uniforms became the norm, and there's two distinct Desert MARPAT uniforms, the older uniforms with full pattern and worn over t shirts, and the newer, current battle shirts thats basically a coyote brown Underarmor type t shirt torso with heavier patterned sleeves, on the basis of wearing armor all the time.

Edit. Gear setups evolved very quickly from 2001 to current for all the ground combat branches, including AFSOC ;) . Compared to the 1970s to 1990s in which theres basically Woodland type camo and ALICE gear to LBVs
 
Re the quad, don't need the knockoff, already have a genuine article from another member here waiting for an URG to slap it on. :) Just to be clear, I'm not talking all the way down to uniform--this is not "LARP A Grunt Day" in any of the plans, just to experience the fighting equipment and techniques. LARP is for incel basement-dwellers... :p though it admittedly can have a place in an educational role when done properly.
 
Rigt but it can be educational to see how uniform technology changed between wools and cottons to nyco twill and the modern setups with armor... but yeah, I's suggest weighted "plates" and armor carrier for the student to see just how bad the current Marines have it with gear overload ;) I see a lot of the USMC FAST drills taking place on ships with plate carriers being worn for the most part... so I assume some of these newer USMC Qual drills will involve having armor on? Maybe not necessary for some courses but its interesting to think about for the students :) call it living history/reenactment, or LARPING if ya wanna ;)
On the other hand, it can be good training because theres quite a few threads in the Preparedness section about body armor :) what better point than to see what USMC/US Army troops have to wear, then decide how far/how light to go?
 

Upcoming Events

Tillamook Gun & Knife Show
Tillamook, OR
"The Original" Kalispell Gun Show
Kalispell, MT
Teen Rifle 1 Class
Springfield, OR
Kids Firearm Safety 2 Class
Springfield, OR

New Resource Reviews

New Classified Ads

Back Top