Velocity Systems continues to refine their Mayflower Jungle Rig. Those of you familiar with pre-GWOT British load carriage systems, particularly those used by British SF, will recognize the design inspiration at work. For example, a bungee is routed through the pouches in order to reduce bounce.
Below, you can see the pad. While it’s stiffened, it has spacer mesh and ventilation holes cut in the stiffener. Additionally, you can see the use of Blue Force Gear’s Helium Whisper.
Material selection was very important. The ULTRAcomp fabric is stiff enough to give the pouch and lid body so that the rig doesn’t flop around, despite its light weight. This construction also makes it easier to insert magazines. The Mayflower Jungle Rig offers both 2 x 7.62 magazine and 3 x 5.56 magazine pouches. In addition to Velcro closures, they’ve also incorporated Side-Release buckles for use during mobility, maritime and air operations on the magazine and GP pouches.
This photo gives you a different perspective of the pouch construction. The ULTRAcomp wraps around bottom of the pouch. There are also drain holes in the bottom of the pouches.
The sides of the Magazine Pouches feature PALS webbing for the attachment of grenade or other pouches. Although it’s not specifically addressed in this article, there’s also a Grenade Pouch which will hold the M67. It can also be used for a compass or other items.
The GP Pouch is quite versatile. The pouch has a skirt to keep debris out and will hold jackets up to Arc’teryx Atom LT in size or the Velocity Systems Basha with bungees and pins. The GP pouch is also sized to accept several models of canteens including the Nalgene 32 oz, 44 pattern (or later) water bottle, and Canadian cold weather model. It will also accept the British two-piece mess tin.
While the shoulder straps are low profile for wear under packs and armor, they’ve introduced removable padded sections.
Considering the amount of carrying capacity, it’s extremely lightweight. I didn’t get to weigh it, but it was obvious when I picked it up. Much of this is due to the materials used in its construction.
No release date yet. They are still working a few components such as a 40mm pouch which integrates with the shoulder straps.
Tags: Velocity Systems
There are some slick solutions in this one. The HW reinforcement that turns into the side PALS and lip reinforcement is probably my favorite.
Is this supposed to be sold as a complete kit or as individual pieces?
Their will be individual components but it was created as a full solution.
Very nice, I’d have thought that the orientation of the QR clips on the pouches would be better reversed, the male fixed to the pouch with the female on the lid to enable one handed operation?
They females are fixed QR buckles
he means fixed on both ends, usually with these:
http://www.hudson4supplies.com/media/catalog/product/cache/4/image/9ebd23a41c9de1b19e657e7af735b464/3/5/35z-gtsr100qasm-tan.jpg
Now that’s what I’m talking about. Love belt kits. Keep all that gear off your chest for better cooling.
I like it. A lot
Solid work!
Velcro is a huge no-no on a belt rig. Also, the belt pad where pouches are mounted on needs to be wider, or the bottom and rear of fully loaded pouches will start chafing.
Lastly, not sure adjustable buckles are a good thing especially when trying to do up or undo (usually in a hurry) fully loaded pouches in the prone position.
The low profile 6 point H-harness looks great though, so are the dust collars on the pouches.
In a jungle environment, that wide pad you want will chafe.
My personal experience was the opposite, especially when wearing a belt rig with a heavy pack. However I suppose different solutions exist for different individuals and all in all this is like any other Mayflower product; solid and GTG.
I agree on the wide pad around the sides, I’ve had the outside of my thighs shredded from magazine pouches rubbing on them. It’s just gravity, heavy mags in a pouch wanting to hang down will then rub against whatever they are hanging against. It’s specifically arse in the jungle where a small graze will turn on you the next day. The Brit hippo pads like the Wyvern etc came to be because of that issue.
Disagree on the velcro though, never had an issue with it myself unless I intentionally rolled around in the mud with it exposed.
No it won’t, used a belt kit for over 20 years in jungles arctic desert temperate a well designed pad see dixies corner/ dragon supplies etc is a bonus not a negative particularly when heavily loaded Velcro silencer tabs like on the issue plce kit mitigate Velcro issues
This is looking nice, and just after building a very similar setup with a HSGI belt/suspender…
Can anybody attest to the effectiveness of that bungee cord? I really really want that to work, I’ve spent the last few years trying to come up with a MOLLE belt kit that works and the horrendous bouncing effect while running seems impossible to irradicate.
It would make sense that someone has finally come up with a solution just in time for the ADF to transition completely away from belt rigs…
a 3-row molle belt is the least bouncy solution I’ve found, still not perfect.
having a bit of angle on the belt (super shallow “V”) helps a bit too, a perfectly straight belt just can’t contour as well.
The bungee cord was really popular with British guys in their PLCE kit and it worked.
Para cord/550 cord?
Or a 25mm webbing strap running behind the pouches?
The bungee works, you can also run a 1″ strap around the inside base or the ultimate is sewing them all together. A 3 row belt will do the same thing, using the bungee in conjunction with will keep the contents of the pouches from flopping around when you assault/BCD etc.
When I use the tried and tested issued 5-Minimi-and-hippo-pad solution, usually in conjunction with a double wide pad, I’d use hootchie cord to secure the bottoms of all the pouches together to the double wide pad. Some guys I used to serve with would actually cut small slits into the issued Minimi pouches and use cord or even zip ties to secure it to the pad. Being an old design that uses the old metal ALICE clips or shitty plastic ICLE (or whatever those are called), you could run zip ties under those clips and strap all the pouches together to stop them from sliding around the web belt or pistol belt (I used an old American GI pistol belt with those oversized front buckles)
What I have now is a custom made 4 row deep PALS belt which allows for the more modern MOLLE TBAS pouches to be mounted. While that’s heaps better in terms of secure fitting and mounting of pouches, the fixed and standard measurement of the MOLLE system prevents small-waisted guys like myself (I wear 28″ trousers) from mounting too many pouches and still allowing space in front of the hip to lie prone flat on the ground.
Bungee cord works well – used it extensively on my UK issue belt kit – you could thread it through the loops on the sides of the pouches and through the fastener – made the belt kit snug and little to no bounce. As pointed out by another poster, when loaded up the pouches on the Mayflower rig are probably going to rub against buttocks and thighs and cause abrasions/rashes, which you don’t want in jungle environment. I’ve used the Sord belt pad in the Australian bush and rain forest and it works a treat. Wide at the back and sides, low cut in the front for leg movement.
Radio antenna ports on the utility pouches be a useful touch.
Good to see that belt kit is still alive and being contemporised – it’s been the mainstay of my field equipment for the past 18-odd years.
Never used bungee cords on my LBE, but did run a bungee through those webbing tabs for the button closure on the three external pockets on the ALICE pack. That helped a lot with bouncing and kept the weight a little closer to your center of gravity.
Bungee cord isn’t needed for a well put together rig put the pouches on a wider hippo pad to reduce Chaff points and solidly hold pouches in place to reduce bounce see airbourne webbing from the likes of dragon supplies for a demonstration
Bungee cord does work – used it extensively on my UK issue belt kit – you could thread it through the loops on the sides of the pouches and through the fastener – made the belt kit snug and little to no bounce. As pointed out by another poster, when loaded up the pouches on the Mayflower rig are probably going to rub against buttocks and thighs and cause abrasions/rashes, which you don’t want in jungle environment. I’ve used the Sord belt pad in the Australian bush and rain forest and it works a treat. Wide at the back and sides, low cut in the front for leg movement. Good to see that belt kit is still alive and being contemporised – it’s been the mainstay of my field equipment for the past 18-odd years.
Radio antenna ports on utility pouch lids would also be good.
As a 10 year user of the heavy solidly constructed PLCE System and a couple of years usage of the older, but very much lighter Arktis belt kit, I would have loved a set like this. All we had at the time was 1000-1100dn cordura with a rubberlike lining for waterproofing, that then over time started to delaminate and fill your mags with rubber material. Hopefully this new gen of materials won’t do that.
As others have pointed out, the bottom corners of the pouches will curl in under weight and chaff your upper legs and ass cheeks. On longer marches, this will suck big time. In the jungles, this will give infections and should be addressed in a production version. Especially since when wearing a short rucksack (Which you must if wearing a belt rig like this) the ruck will sit on top of your pouches pushing them further in at the bottom. Basically your belt kit will act as the hip belt on a regular longer back rucksack.
Wide padded belt pads (As in it covered the entire length of pouches including corners) was a big hit with us and helped prevent chaffing. Ours were with cordura backing and hips got sweaty because of that, but chaffing risk was less than without. Again, hopefully this newer gen of materials and better design can help with that.
Bungees run on the outside of pouches work better than the PLCE built in straps on the back of the pouches for tying pouches together. This just caused pouches to curl inwards and then chaffing would occur.
All in all this rig is a much improved version of a PLCE rig with new lighter materials and if I was going to go with a belt rig again, I would get one in a heartbeat, if the belt pad was addressed to cover all corners on the pouches, when fully loaded.
Points for adding a chest strap on the suspenders, this was also a popular mod on our rigs.
That wide belt pad you want is awesome in Temperate Europe but ends up causing the same issues you think you are preventing in the jungle.
Also, the shoulder straps have a sternum strap already which can be seen in the photo.
Ref: Sternum strap.
Yes I did see that and my comment was meant as an approval of it 🙂
Sorry SSD as experienced as I’m sure you are wide pads are good for all environments as Im Sure uk squads will attest to by the thousand
Really like where they’re going with this set-up. Agree that the pad needs to be wider and/or contoured. Has this type of belt ever been done using neoprene? Or would that be too flexible?
I too would also like to see the buckles that are fixed in place.
Love the scree collars on the GP pouches.
This sure beats my old LBE with the USGI butt pack and two SAW pouches!
Thanks for all of the comments. The design of this set up was made up with input from four units world wide who regularly conduct extended jungle operations. The consensus on the belt pad was to more minimalist then past pads; there is even a more minimalist belt (and a different version with three rows of webbing) then the version shown. At the end of the day it was anticipated by all of the units providing input that these pouches would be used adhoc in conjunction with the bag-o-pouches already issued.
It’s nice and lightbut still behind in terms of construction to most of the UK gear makers.
http://www.jayjaysbrecon.co.uk/PBSCCatalog.asp?CatID=2089350
http://www.britishtactical.com/
http://dixiescorner.co.uk/jungle-webbing-590-p.asp
http://www.militarysystems-tech.com/files/militarysystems/Pilgrim%20Catalogue%202015.pdf
British Infantry train regularly in the jungle, and manufacturers like Jay Jays have been SF favourites for years so all the designs are tested on OPs and in extreme environments.