Pouch Attachment Ladder System
Encyclopedia
Webbing
Webbing is a strong fabric woven as a flat strip or tube of varying width and fibres often used in place of rope. The name webbing comes from the meshed material frequently used in its construction, which resembles a web...
invented and patented by United States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center used to attach smaller equipment onto load-bearing platforms, such as vests and backpacks. It was first used on MOLLE
Mölle
Mölle is a locality situated in Höganäs Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 725 inhabitants in 2005.It is best known for its scenic harbour and its location adjacent to the Kullaberg Nature Reserve...
rucksacks, but is now found on a variety of tactical equipment, such as the American Improved Outer Tactical Vest
Improved Outer Tactical Vest
The Improved Outer Tactical Vest, or IOTV, is an enhanced version of, and a replacement for, the older Outer Tactical Vest variant of the Interceptor body armor, as fielded by the United States Army...
, Interceptor body armor
Interceptor body armor
Interceptor Body Armor is the United States Army's primary bulletproof vest. The Interceptor design replaced the older fragmentation protective Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops body armor system, introduced in the early 1980s...
, USMC Improved Load Bearing Equipment backpack and Modular Tactical Vest
Modular Tactical Vest
The Modular Tactical Vest or is a bulletproof vest originally adopted by the United States Marine Corps in 2006. The MTV was designed as a solution to shortcomings in the current, decade-old interceptor body armor and was selected after a rigorous proposal and examination process by the Marine...
. It is used to attach items such as holsters, magazine pouches, radio pouches, knife sheathes, and other gear. A wide variety of pouches are commercially available, allowing soldiers to customize their kit. There are also a variety of attachment methods including the Alice Clip, the Natick snap, and soft, interwoven straps. The PALS system has begun to be adopted by other forces, such as the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, who use it on their Osprey body armour
Osprey body armour
Osprey body armour is a system of body armour used by the British Armed Forces. The system is in its fourth iteration following extensive development and engagement with front line users.-Heritage:...
.
PALS consists of webbing sewn onto the load-bearing equipment and corresponding webbing and straps on the attachment. The straps are interwoven between the webbing on each of two pieces and finally snapped into place, making for a very secure fit which can be detached with moderate effort.
Specifications
The PALS grid consists of horizontal rows of 1" Mil-W-43668 Type III nylon webbing (most commercial vendors use Type IIIa), spaced 1" apart, and reattached to the backing at 1.5" intervals.Commercial products
A wide variety of commercial products have been created to interface with the PALS grid, such as hydration bladders from CamelBakCamelBak
CamelBak Products, LLC is an outdoors equipment company known primarily for its hydration products, such as hydration packs and water bottles. CamelBak is also a supplier of hydration packs, protective gear, and other products to the U.S. military and law enforcement agencies around the world.The...
and backpacks from Arc'teryx
Arc'teryx
Arc'teryx is an outdoor clothing and sporting goods company founded in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in 1989. The name and logo of Arc'teryx refer to the Archaeopteryx, the earliest known bird...
. There is even a vehicle seat-cover made by Smittybilt that has PALS webbing to attach pouches and other items to the back and sides of the seat.