@@owenbentley9287 no kidding, lol. was in Jackson late '21. I'll be damned if the last couple days of my cycle wasn't spent cleaning the shit out of every piece of kit, every helmet, FLC, IOTV, every pouch, accessory, piece of wet weather gear, and all of that, to be turned into the CIF so the next cycle could get new kit, though.
Here I am as an E-5 and just astounded that no one bothered to explain this to anyone. This is life changing, had no idea that I could preset my IOTV with those spare buckles.
Not a lot of people know how their gear works. Those that do, don't bother to spread the information once they learn it. I remember discovering how my assault pack connects to the MOLLE large rucksack, instead of having to stuff it in. Literally everyone thought I was crazy until my 1SG walked by and was like "Yeah, he can do that". They just give you all this shit and expect you to figure it out. I think that's bad leadership. I used to throw so much extra shit out that I had no idea what it was for, and nobody else did either. To bad the manuals only come with some CIF, and never get handed down with the gear to someone else.
@@MCLambily327 Just never heard that before. My sponsor ETSed before I got to my unit and everyone I served with considered sponsor program a joke. Only guys who helped new privates was a specialist from your respective section. Its really cool your unit had real sponsors. Great video.
I’m about to ship to ARNG OCS and I have to say, 1) thanks for explaining how to assemble the TAP and 2) the tips you throw in regarding your gear setup (magazines flipped down, compass pocket, etc etc) are invaluable. Thank you and HOOAH!!
If you attach pull loops on your mags, they’ll be easier to pull for faster reloads. Plus, just FYI, 7 mags are NOT enough if you’re ever caught in a heavy fire fight. During my 12 years, I never carried anything less than 500 rounds. Just saying. Good luck at OCS. Don’t let the power of rank go to your head, and remember where you came from. Troop morale is key. Take care of your troops, and they’ll take care of you. Been there, done that. RLTW
Thank you!!! I was asking a few of my battle buddies they didn't know how to set up a new Taps or Flick is what we call it at basic training. Excellent video!! New soldier 🪖🇺🇸
I've had a TAP for a little over three years now. Not a bad system for Army issued equipment. I have both canteen pouches mounted to the far ends. In the past I used the left one to hold my NODs, rhino mount, and J arm with the canteen cup inside. Good protection for all of it. Next to that one is my radio pouch, then a double-mag pouch. Center is a TAD OP-1 admin pouch. Last is a TAD GP-1 pouch as my IFAK. All of that covers the whole panel. It's worked really well for me. Recap from left to right AS WORN: Canteen pouch w/ cup, radio pouch, double-mag pouch, OP-1, GP-1, canteen pouch. You mentioned the outer slots holding a DAGR/MBTR. I found that to be way too bulky. Never kept much in the back mesh pockets.
Thank you so much. I just received my TAPS from CIF and had no guidance on how to set it up. Reading the comments I realize just how much of a blessing this video is. Saving this for later. Thanks!
Wow, thanks for the super in-detail video man. Got mine from CIF the other day and got a text at 2000 saying I needed it ready to roll first thing in the morning lol. This video saved me God knows how much fumbling around with this thing.
Awesome. The only thing I would do different, is mount the canteen pouch only 2 MOLLE rows up from the bottom so I can reach it easier( still very secure) And stack the grenade pouches on my throwing/ firing side. One above the other. Bottom one on one MOLLE row, top one on two MOLLE rows.
biggest upgrade u can do is shoulder straps. spiritus makes a cool kit but for what it cost u can buy a badass chest rig and still have some beer money. i ran one of these for years and even when i worked as an operator. dudes used to make fun of me cause we could buy anything and i ran this but i had a unit rigger make me a set of shoulder straps and a waist belt for it. i ran a 152 in the first left pocket and my ifak in a ziplock in the first left pocket, other 6 held mags and i had 2 tourniquets rubber banded on the front panel ,one one each side and then i kept small bottle of clp and a weapons part kit with a Gerber eod in the main pocket and then fire starter ,lighter compass and map pens. also took a small doule ended biner and hung it on my left shoulder strap and hung my gloves from it. love this set up and it stays nice and flat so u are able to take more advantage of micro terrain in a firefight then u would be able to wearing one of those other monstrosities, lol. great vid man.I also had a roll up dump pouch on the left rear that i hung from the waist belt and a piece of velcro so i could wear a ir patch on the front panel and rear of my shoulder straps. i was able to fold this in half loaded and carry in a small backpack with a 300 black out that had a law folder. these things are only limited by your imagination and skill set.
Thank you so much for making this video, it’s so informational and helpful. I’m leaving to Europe next week and had to figure out how to set it up and your video really helped.
Quite similar to the RAK that was issued back in 2001. They sucked because they flopped round on then the IBA. What worked better for me was the Condor Chest Rig in Iraq during 2006-08. Works great for all body armor systems including the IBA i wore back in the day.
I first say that this is an EXCELLENT video on how to set up and what the parts are all for. The best video to date. That said, I can say for certain that this is the most useless system the army created. NEVER ever will I wear my mags up front like that. Moreover, I carry pistol and REFUSE to use drop leg holsters. I wear hip holsters reversed, so that I can draw with the support hand if necessary. The old ACU Molle vest was so much better....so much so that the Marines still use it in coyote color. Moreover, I could adjust waist strap backwards so that the entire system could be adjusted to fit over any sized plate carrier and then very, very simply dumped by simply unclicking from behind, throwing it over your head and dumping it. I hate this new crap.
Thanks. Very helpful. I'm used to the old FLC system and when I got issued this I wasn't even aware I was missing pieces. How CIF missed that on the other person's turn in idk. They're usually anal about that crap. Now I get to pay for it :D
Are you covering Army AND the Corps, now? I like it. Also, I have been looking, but have yet to find a comprehensive guide for physical readiness before OCS. I personally would love a video discussing the day-to-day regimen of PT while at OCS- and maybe a workout routine to help prepare for it. Love the vids, Semper Fi
I’m the only one in my entire unit know how to set up the system, minus ammo pouches, ifak, canteen pouch, grenade pouches. Like no one in the unit would wear these on the field and the NCOs got their old FLCs. I guess I came in near the end when they started to switch gear so I’ve got new gear and new camo.
If my math is right, that's 6 X 30 = 180 bullets. We never put full load because of the weak springs in government issued magazines. What's the standard now? Back in '77 we carried two 3-mag (20 round) pouches (120 bullets) plus bandoliers to re-load. I bought M14 pouches and carried four vertical and one across the top so I had ten magazines.
Mag securing straps are kinda ass, tuck those into the pouch, also don’t preset your iotv, but better pouches, best mag pouches are the ones with elastic mag holders, easier to mess with compared to the issued pouches and the taps.
One thing I'm wondering is why do you need a canteen pouch when you've got a Camelbak? Seems a bit redundant to me. Wouldn't that space be better used with something else?
I was in the 82nd airborne and we didn’t get a special TAPs system. Whatever you saw was probably using “paratrooper” to make it sound cooler or something.
