MORANE TACTICAL
AK ASSAULT VEST
With so many options available on the market
in relation to load-bearing solutions we recently
discovered a thoroughly modern take on a venerable
design in the form of the AK Assault Vest courtesy of
Morane Tactical in Belgium.
A long time ago whilst training in a dusty land far,
far away I first used a cracking bit of kit known simply
as the “South African Assault Vest”. The Pattern 83
webbing system was produced to fill a very specific need
in the South African military; in the latter years of the
“bush wars”, the SADF was hunting for a comfortable,
lightweight, and simple to use load bearing system. As
with much of the equipment at the time, private sector
commercial outfitters helped the military design and
produce an effective solution. The resulting “battle jacket”,
heavily influenced by Rhodesian “Fireforce” webbing, is
still in use today by the SANDF.
The original iconic “Nutria Brown” pouches on the vest
were made of a waterproofed Cordura nylon; inside each
there was also a heavy wear resistant coating. The “body”
of the vest was a padded nylon mesh which a allowed
a good deal of breathability while distributing weight
evenly across the shoulders, back, and hips. In total there
were five magazine pouches, each capable of holding
two standard capacity mags (for a grand total of ten).
Although originally intended for R4 (Galil) magazines, the
pockets were large enough to accommodate most battle
rifle magazines.
On the sides of the vest there were two large pouches
intended for canteens. In a pinch they could be used as
dump pouches for empty magazines; smaller pockets
arranged around the water pouches were intended to hold
grenades but worked just as well for storing cleaning kits
and other miscellaneous small gear. The large lower pouch
in the front could fit even more magazines, or could be
used to store bandages and other bulkier items. Finally,
the backpack pouch featured a roomy upper and lower
compartment, with additional straps to secure a bed roll.
Many companies have produced replicas of this classic
vest design, and in truth you can find these online in many
different camouflage patterns for under £40! This seems
tremendous value, but the fact of the matter is that you
get what you pay for, and the cheap imitations can be very
shoddy in construction. It’s an excellent design though, and
very worthy of consideration if you’re on a budget.
TOUGH ENOUGH FOR THE REAL WORLD
Bringing things up to date Karrimor SF took the old, tried
and tested vest design and came up with their Predator
Combat Vest that is primarily for use in dynamic operations
where speed and ease of access are most critical.
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