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rob_s
15 May 2010, 07:00
I still have a couple more photos to take and add, but I'm essentially done with the review and wanted to get it posted.


Fully review with pictures here:
US Grunt Gear Warhog Tactical Padded MOLLE Belt (http://docs.google.com/View?id=drnhb8z_235dq6w3df6)

First portion of the article reprinted below.

I have resisted the "battle belt" or "first line belt" or "padded war belt" or "MOLLE belt" for quite some time. In large part this is due to my belief that for the majority of shooters the handgun is the primary weapon and that all training should be done with the carry method that you use daily. In other words, putting a 5"+ barrel handgun in a drop-leg holster on a padded war belt for training and competition when you carry a 4" handgun in an inside the waistband (IWB) holster every day is not only counter-productive but could even have negative repercussions. It is this bad idea that led to my rejection of the concept of a training-specific rig. I also had previously attempted the concept, prior to the proliferation of the modern padded-sleeve-MOLLE belt, with an Eagle Industries LE duty belt with a padded liner and 1.75"-looped accessories with a Blade-Tech Drop and Offset Holster with 1.75" Stingray loops all set up for a 1911 pistol and provisions for AR15 magazines and a dump pouch. That setup was, for me, painfully uncomfortable and horribly insecure and unsteady after only a few three-hour-long training sessions. To say that I approached the current concept of the first-line belt for my purposes with a great amount of negative bias would be an understatement.

I was persuaded to at least try to change my mind when Blue Force Gear offered me a T&E of their SOC-C belt system to which I added a Raven Concealment holster attached by flattening the belt loops in the oven and attaching through the MOLLE of the belt, and various magazine, tool and dump pouches. Using this system I found ways to address my concerns about training with different carriage systems but also identified a few shortcomings in the system, not the least of which that it is very difficult to keep a belt like this in place on my narrow frame.

After having US Grunt Gear make the chest-rig portion of my Make Holes, Prevent Holes, Patch Holes rig and a few other subsequent projects they, too, offered me one of their MOLLE system belts to try out. US Grunt Gear (http://www.usgruntgear.com/tapamobe.html) makes several different Tactical Padded MOLLE Belts: the Infidel, the Warhog (http://www.usgruntgear.com/wamobe.html), and the SRT. The common thread in all three is that they are designed with a Velcro loop lining to the padded belt that mates to a Velcro hook pants belt worn through the loops of the pants. In addition, whereas most MOLLE belt systems on the market are in fact padded sleeves that are wrapped around a 1.75" wide duty belt the USGG versions are actually a padded belt, around which un-padded MOLLE sleeves are added as needed (more about that to follow). The Warhog was the model that I was most familiar with having seen them on other students in classes, and the contoured nature of the back of the belt was also intriguing to me as it is something one cannot accomplish when simply wrapping a duty belt with a padded sleeve. USGG therefore provided a Warhog belt, a liner pants belt, and a MOLLE sleeve for the support side.

As mentioned, the USGG systems differ from others on the market in that in truth you have a padded belt to which you add un-padded MOLLE sleeves to the sides. The back portion of the belt is covered by 2 rows of 8 columns of MOLLE (PHOTO 01). Each side is made up of 1.75" wide, double-layer, reinforced webbing stitched to the padding in 3" intervals for a total of 9" (PHOTO 02). Having this 1.75" webbing system means that holsters and accessories to not have to be MOLLE-specific. Blade-Tech Tek-Lock as well as Raven Concealment and Peters Custom loops and attachment methods can be attached directly to the webbing provided they are sized for a 1.75" belt. There is not, however, a method for threading on any looped holster or accessory pouch that does not have removable or open-able loops. The buckle of the belt is a 1.75" plastic Fastex buckle (PHOTO 03), but USGG is now offering Cobra buckles at an increased cost for those that desire them.

Over these 1.75" webbing-covered padded side panels the shooter can slide MOLLE-covered sleeves as needed. The sleeve is covered in 2 rows by 6 columns of MOLLE (PHOTO 04). The belt is lined with loop material, and the MOLLE sleeve is lined on the inside with hook material which keeps the MOLLE system from rolling around on the liner belt. The sleeve also replicates the loop material on the body side so that the interface with the hook-covered pants belt is maintained (PHOTO 05). By keeping the loop portion on the padded belt the shooter can choose to forgo the pants belt if desired. My sample came with one support-side MOLLE sleeve as I intended to attach regular belt-mounted holster and accessories on the strong side and MOLLE-attached pouches and accessories on the rear and support side.

tac40
15 May 2010, 10:26
They've got some interesting gear.