R-PROJECTS - KIRK NGUYEN - GORUCK EDC No3 50/50


R-PROJECTS - KIRK NGUYEN - GORUCK EDC NO3 50/50

From - @mellowsmoothe

Kirk sent me [YOMP NOTES] these beutiful images of his GORUCK EDC 50/50 variant.
I was interested to see his variant on this config using a full size GREYMAN TACTICAL Rigid MOLLY Panel (RMP) with the Field pocket swinging over it, giving his GR1 some extra rigity. "Very Nice" : )


Kirk's FIELD REPORT;

Having been inspired by the modifications of Neil Stevens at YOMP NOTES, I set out to recreate exactly what he did with his GORUCK bags.

The mod in question is his 50/50 rigid internal panel configuration (FOUND HERE): 
The added stability from the panel itself along with the systematic organization of modular attachments made a lot of sense to me.


 
In the pictures, I’m using the following gear:

GORUCK GR1 26L
GORUCK GR1 Field Pocket
ONE TIGRIS HUNTERZ Water Bottle Holster
NALGENE 38oz Wide Mouth Steel Backpacker
REMOTE EQUIPMENT Org Kits (2x)


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In his breakdown, he devised a quick release system which allowed him to secure a GR1 Field Pocket inside of a GORUCK bag without the hassle of weaving it through the MOLLE webbing. This allowed him to have the pouch as a de facto part of his bag kit, while giving it the modularity to detach it from the mothership in order to attach it to a shoulder strap for quick carry. Pure. Genius.


The descriptions on his blog were clear and easy to follow, though I did have one hangup: the reinforced ends of the MOLLE straps on the Field Pouch were too thick to feed through the passthroughs of the side release buckles. On a whim, I tried a different buckle, and those accepted the strap ends fine. Lesson learned: not all buckle hardware are standardized. If one option doesn’t work, try another.

I then noticed that the tri-glide slides I bought only had two passthroughs instead of three, as the ones Neil used. Mine worked fine, although I can see that they may be more prone to slipping, which would then require some manual adjustment. His strapwork is much more secure and stable. If you do this mod, get the slides with three passthroughs.


This is where I found an opportunity for some fine-tuning!

1 - On the Field Pouch mod, I set it up just as Neil does, with the exception of recessing the female buckle a few millimeters lower. Doing so allows me to have a bit more clearance to the side release buckle mechanism (though not much). My instincts propel me to access the side release buckle at the rounded “top” of the male buckle, which means I need to go in from underneath the MOLLE webbing instead of from over top. It’s a small adjustment, but still one that makes the system work a bit more efficiently for me. If you prefer to access the buck from the top side, then do the mod as Neil did it! Both ways work fine.

2 - With the male buckle on the strap attached to the backing of the main bag, I extended the length by about 2.5 inches. This allows me to have enough strap to clear and drape over the top of the RMP. This was a significant adjustment for me because it allowed me to use a full-sized RMP (which affords me more uniform added stability to the entire height of the main bag), as well as negated the need to affix the RMP with a strap system - with the weight of the Field Pouch hanging over the top of the full-sized panel, it was plenty secure! This is a great blessing because those 1x1 sternum buckles are a bitch to find. Should I ever feel compelled to secure the RMP even more, I could do so simply with shock cord toward the top, strung through the MOLLE webbing of the bag.


With this variation on Neil’s 50/50 configuration, I have the option of running the Field Pocket along with roughly half of the RMP for modular add-ons, or extracting the Field Pocket and having a full panel to which I can customize for whatever the mission calls for. And on top of that, I get the benefit of the additional stability through the entire height of the bag!

This was such a fun project. It’s so resoundingly satisfying to have a platform that can be set up in any number of ways. Also, I had a great discussion with Neil throughout the process! I was extremely flattered that he enjoyed my slight variation on his amazing idea.



Hope y’all can get some mileage out of what this fantastic mod can do. Big ups to Neil and YOMP NOTES!





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