Alice harness noob questions

[Blowmax10]

I've got a buddy in the army that gave me a prepper care package of gear that he no longer uses. I got some really great stuff from him but I've never been in the military and I'm not sure what to do with this harness

It resembles this one



What is the purpose of this? you wouldn't wear it under a BOB would you?

This is something for when you are in garrison of on patrol to hold mags and a canteen right?

Its looks like it is Vietnam era and has 4 pouches on it that look like they are for AR mags

Any suggestions on how to configure it?

[Matt In Oklahoma]

I've got a buddy in the army that gave me a prepper care package of gear that he no longer uses. I got some really great stuff from him but I've never been in the military and I'm not sure what to do with this harness

It resembles this one



What is the purpose of this? you wouldn't wear it under a BOB would you? Yes

This is something for when you are in garrison of on patrol to hold mags and a canteen right? Yes I will try and modify your drawing for you

Its looks like it is Vietnam era and has 4 pouches on it that look like they are for AR mags 3 mags apiece

Any suggestions on how to configure it?

As shown



tape the metal clips to keep tem secure and from rattling, play with the configuration and try and drive with it on too. Wear your BOB and see what needs to be moved. tape the adjustments down once they are set. leave the buttstock area empty for your rifle. Add stuff and se how heavy you can make it:) have fun

[Blowmax10]

Nice one matt - that is very helpful

[Matt In Oklahoma]

The grenade pouches can be cut off or used to hold maglites etc. just watch where the light swings down there as you run.
A camelbak will hang on the Y in the back. My knife hung upside down on the gun shoulder side but didnt bother where the buttstock fit. I also hung the first aid pouch upside down so it was easier to acess with one hand but it's a trade off when crawling thru the bush cause it will pop open if your in deep. Let me know if you need anything else, I wore one for quite a few years before we switched and then switched again and I still have one my son inherited.

[610Alpha]

Just don't be wearing it like John Wayne...lol....heard that a lot in Basic.

These are very personal, just like a tool belt in construction, put stuff where you want it and where it is the most comfortable for you. Wear it as much as possible until you get it all situated so that you get used to it and to where you have stored all your little goodies. You will want it to become second nature to be able to grab X without looking. My 2 copper pieces

[1Admin]

Ole skewl baby!!

But sometimes old skool is still good!

The "H" harnesses were more comfortable than the "Y" harness IMO. We would carry three or four (3) 30rd. M16/AR mag pouches (see I mention carrying AR mags, so you know this was a hella long time ago) depending on waist size. Some of the skinny guys could only fit (2) mag pouches plus their other stuff.

In general- if your right handed, mag pouches (or most) go on the left hand side. That way you can manipulate mags for changes with your non-shooting hand. We trained to never take your right hand off the pistol grip when changing mags. Learned the old skewl pop the mag release with the right pointer finger while the left was retrieving and inserting the new mag. Left hand gave the bottom of the mag a pop to be sure it was seated than palm striked lightly the bolt hold open release finishing the reload.

Balance the weight with canteens on the right hand size, pistol if so inclined to carry on the LBE, knife, blowout kit, etc.

Center of back was a buttpack. Clips of the harness held the top up and the ALICE clips near the bottom held it to the belt.

Like Matt said the clips were noisy and occasionally failed on you. Some kooldaddy figured out if you ditched all the ALICE clips and went to electrical tie wraps you could save 1.595 ounces on your LBE. I said "Whooptee doo Basil!" LOL

I do like using tie wraps with the newer MOLLE stuff after seeing someone's magazine pouch go flying 5 yards ahead of him during a live fire course.... Maybe he will fess up, or maybe he will choose to remain "anonymous with guys no one really cares about..." ;)

Man this thread has made me nostalgic. Maybe one night I'll have a couple beers or something and let my guard down a little bit. I was just thinking about posting some old training pics from when I was a teenager.... Some are downright hillarious.

[Grand58742]

Just to piggy back on what the others have said. Get a configuration you are comfortable with. I've never been one that bought into the whole "if it's standardized, you know exactly where to look for things on your dead battle buddy."

I'f I'm not smart enough to know what an ALICE ammo pouch looks like, I probably shouldn't be carrying a gun. Anyway, off topic...

Get a configuration you are happy with. Like Matt said, fire with it on, drive with it on, move with it on, carry your pack with it on, etc. And once you learn where everything is you want/need it becomes second nature at grabbing the items.

I do find it more comfortable than MOLLE gear chest rigs or vests. Maybe that's because I'm old school and started out with it in the military, but still love it to this day.

And one thing about putting the mag pouches up front...be careful about that placement. Going prone in a hurry + six mags in pouches right on the front of your hip bones = OUCH! I tended to put mine off to the sides more than the front and used the compass pouches for other stuff since it didn't quite hurt as much when slamming into the ground. Hard earned lessons of pouch placement on ALICE gear.