HOW TO LACE A MOLLE POUCH TO A RUCKSACKS GEAR RAILS - TIP-TAP No3.
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If Your rucksack doesn't have a MOLLE field up-front, but you want it to look like this, with all the super convenient, easy-to-grab organisation that includes? YOMP NOTES TIP-TAP-No3 gets it done, attaching that admin / organiser pouch safely and securely.
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| THE PARTS - A VANQUEST MARKHOR BEAVER TAIL, SHOCK CORD, AND A VANQUEST FTIM POUCH |
To get started you’re going to need:
1 - A rucksack that includes dual gear rails on the front.
2 - Some 1/8in / 4mm shock cord
3 - The pouch you want to attach.
1 - A rucksack that includes dual gear rails on the front.
2 - Some 1/8in / 4mm shock cord
3 - The pouch you want to attach.
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| ARE YOU FAMILIAR GEAR RAILS? |
WHAT ARE GEAR RAILS
Gear rails are the twin, parallel, usually 1” wide webbing straps usually bartaked at intervals to the front of rucksack. These can include shockcord which is laced corset style to create a platform for carrying auxiliary gear. It’s this shockcord we’ll use to lace-up the organiser pouch.
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| SHOCK CORD, CORSET LACE PATTERN IN CONTEXT |
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| YOUR POUCH AND GEAR RAILS NEED TO HAVE SIMILAR WIDTH |
THE POUCH
It’s beyond the scope of this post to discuss what kind of pouch is best for this mod. In my case I wanted a larger organiser pouch to carry small gear that needs to be easily grabbed. I’ve chosen the VANQUEST FTIM 6x9 it’s the right size for me and as it’s made by VANQUEST the same company as my MARKHOR-45 rucksack when fitted it integrates perfectly looking like part of the rucksack. It’s important that your chosen pouch has a MOLLE field on the back of it and that it aligns. For me this is important, basically make sure your pouch MOLLE field is slightly narrower then the width of the gear rails. This makes for a better fit as you’ll be able to get the shock cord lacing nice and tight.
Benefit? Your pouch wont swing around so much when geared-up.
TIP - Quite often gear rails can taper to follow the profile of the rucksack, this means you can move your chosen pouch up or down the rails to the spot where they fit best. Don’t be too worried about discrepancy between the width of your pouch and the gear rails, obviously the shock cord can take up the slack.
LACE IT UP! (How to)
This is pretty easy.
To demonstrate this I’m using the detachable beaver tail from my MARKHOR-45 rucksack, just easer to throw this around and take pictures, than a whole 45 liter rucksack : )
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| STARTING AT THE TOP |
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| ZIG-ZAG IN AND OUT - THINK OF IT LIKE SEWING |
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| WORK YOUR WAY DOWN |
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| STRECHED OUT TO SHOW THE LACE PATTERN |
1 - Basically starting at the top and on just one side of the MOLLE and the gear rail, weave the shock cord in and out through the MOLLE and the gear rail.
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| MOLLE AND SHOCK CORD DETAIL |
2 - When you get to the bottom, bring the cord across to the other rail and do the same again, working your way to the top.
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| FINISHED |
3 - This pattern works best because it pulls the organiser pouch tight against the rucksack.
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| IT'S LIKE SEWING THE POUCH ONTO YOUR RUCKSACK |
TIP - Notice how the shock cord comes from the outside of the gear rail bartacks, before feeding behind the MOLLE then through and outside the bartack again. This lace pattern pulls the pouch nice and tight. Think of it like sewing the pouch onto your rucksack.
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| CORSET LACE PATTERN, NOT TOO GOOD FOR THIS PROJECT |
So this is an easy TIP TAP when it’s explained. Issues can arise when people try to use the corset lace pattern the rucksack might leave the factory with. In my opinion, this config won’t hold the pouch safely enough.
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| DONE! |
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| COMPLETED PROJECT IN CONTEXT |
IN CONCLUSION
If you want more carry options on your rucksack and you have a sad lack of MOLLE fields, this solution could fix-it, or somthing like it. If this solution doesn’t exactly work for you, maybe it can inspire your own solution or maybe the solution to a gear problem that’s quite unrelated. Be creative, think outside the box this kind of problem solving may safe your life one day.
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In the 4th pic, what are those clip+shockcord things attached to the rails?
ReplyDeleteThey are: VANQUEST Elasto Gear Hooks - I've added a link to the Vanquest website, I hope that helps.
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