New Takes On Load Bearing Equipment

Lighten you combat load with ultralight offerings from Blue Force Gear and First Spear.

Both of these companies have taken a unique approach to the evolution of the MOLLE platform. Let's take a look at Rlue Force Gear's Helium Whisper design.  They have chosen to lighten the weight of the traditional MOLLE pouch system by eliminating all the excessive materials used in the construction of the attachment system. The Natick Snap system, the most common MOLLE attachment backing found on issue pouches, consists of 27 parts at roughly 84 grams or 3 ounces. 

Helium Whisper reduces just the backing down to 6 parts at almost half the weight of roughly 44 grams. Additionally, the attachment straps are integral to the pouch and not sewn on, eliminating the possibility of stitching failure.

FirstSpear has taken a somewhat similar but even more evolutionary approach. FirstSpear 6/12 technology eliminates all major components of MOLLE on both the pouch and vest which achieves a 20%-40% reduction in weight. The FirstSpear team invested more than a year developing and testing the FirstSpear 6/12 Pocket Attachment System. 

It utilizes state of the art fabric technologies to deliver a completely modular system. From adhesive heat-set backing to laser cut precision attachment points, the 6/12 system provides greater fabric flexibility on unarmored platforms. and tighter mounting of pockets to create a cleaner silhouette that aides in enhanced signature management and mobility. 

The 6/12 platform face is completely slick when pockets are removed and allows for easy management of communications cables and wires. FirstSpear's Modular Pockets use micro hook and loop tabs to lock the pouches into the face fabric of the platform through the laser cut slots.

The interlocking of tabs ensures a solid pouch placement with the most minimal weight and bulk.

While both of these systems are state-of-the-art for the modern fighter you may be wondering how these technologies can integrate with your current kit. Well, the Blue Force gear's more traditional design allows their pouches to be mounted on any MOLLE compatible vest as well as their carriers to accept any traditional MOLLE pouches. So with Blue Force you can start upgrading your kit with whatever gear you're needing to replace. 

First Spear's pouches are proprietary to their carriers, but the trade off you'll gain with this system is that you'll have the slickest, fastest and most maneuverable kit out there. So you'll have to start our with a carrier form First Spear, well first. However, the good news though is that the laser cuts in First Spear's carriers are completely compatible with existing MOLLE pouches, so you can still use pouches from your current kit. 

Both companies offer pouches vests and plate carriers in various solid colors as well as multicam. Find the system that fits your needs at uscav.com today.