#militarysurplus In this episode, Lucas covers how to get the most out of your FLC, even for advanced folks. Check out our selection: www.venturesurplus.com/?s=FLC... Join our mailing list for 10% off: www.venturesurplus.com/get-10...
this is the gold standard for hiking or bushcraft. you can attach the molle 2 waistpack on the back molle row which can hold a compression strapped poncho and poncho liner. carry some contractor bags in the inner mesh pockets for browse bags and you'll always have a 3 season sleep system on you.
Lucas - thanks for 'throwing some love' at the FLC! Always been a fan of the FLC - endless set ups! I keep the very front slick and buckled open (heat build up) for 'gettin' low' but can still wear enough pouches on the sides to carry what I need. I prefer an assault pack w/water bladder inside/canteens on the outsides to carry extras but as Lucas demonstrated you can wear more kit on the back belt of the FLC. I do that in hot weather - in addition to two canteens and a MOLLE waist pack on the back of the FLC belt I wear a 2L water bladder pack. I keep one FLC very slick to wear some gear concealed under an untucked, unbuttoned shirt - cross draw handgun holster, pistol mag pouches, tourniquet, etc. It holds more gear, is easier to put on than a shoulder holster and more comfortable than wearing a belt holster in a vehicle. Some guys set them up like 'tactical vests' and they do well if you don't need body armor. The FLC was more or less 'skipped over' in the civilian market as 'plate carriers' with PALS webbing (for attaching MOLLE pouches) became available just as surplus FLCs flooded the market. Now 'chest rigs' are the go-to item and again the FLC gets overlooked. Here's a friendly warning - if you get an FLC you will end up buying a crazy amount of pouches! Just buy 2 or 3 FLCs and you'll figure it out.
Great video! I retired from the Army after 28 years. I was a 19 series officer who spent most of my platoon and command time with Scouts. I tried all the cool guy stuff through countless FTX’s and four deployments. I kept going back to the FLC. It just flat out WORKS!!! When I retired CIF didn’t want them back so I ended up keeping four of them- 1x M81, 3xUCP. I dyed the UCP a version of Ranger Green and have all four set up in the Rifleman configuration ready to go if needed. My family and I train with them and my oldest son uses his for airsoft. Are they sexy? By most standards no. Do they work and work well? Hell yes!!!
After I left, I went before my era and picked up alice gear for my range gear. It’s not as pretty as all the tacticool stuff and doesn’t have all the high speed/low drag magic that people go on about, but it’s cheap and durable as hell. Simple, just how I like it. This video does make me reconsider the FLC that I myself called shit during my service.
Forreal. In the service, I hated it. I switched out for a Crye or Shellback right away. Now as a civi, I just want something light and economical, I don’t need plates at the range. I went with Surplus Alice, but seeing the FLC set up like this makes me kind of want to take all the shit I talked on it before.
I have 3x completed sets of US FLC Combat Vests. Very good for 1xday hiking purpose to bring all essential items with me (2x handphone, 2x 1Quart water pouch, 2x Triple M4 mag-pouches + 1x Admin pouch for energy bar) without burden.
Thanks for ideas. Since discovering venture ive bought one in coyote, woodland and ucp. My son (10) loves the ucp, he typically wears it when we go to the range. I don't understand the hate for these, they are solid and comfortable.. of course my only experience wearing these is flat range larp'ing against paper.
The hate all comes from what he said- CSM’s standard that is too micro-managed for Joe to set up the modular system as it’s needed, all for uniformity’s sake in lieu of combat effectiveness.
Also a lot of guys only ever wore them over their body armor, and they didn't know you could size it down so you'll hear a lot of complaints about them being too loose
I didn't care for it when I originally got one years ago, but I did the chest rig flip the belt modification and cut half a pound or more of buckles and mesh out of it just to try it out and it was actually quite comfortable.
Another it's ghetto but works thing is sinching your two point sling tight and buckle the small buckle through it. Now you have a one point sling that won't break a gas mask seal, one buckle to get loose. And you can still sling the rifle over your shoulder to use both hands.
Love the video; flcs are still great pieces of gear. I've worn a flc hiking before as it's a great way to carry a couple liters of water, an ifak, gp pouches, maps, etc. Plus it's nice to unzip it and wear it looser when it's hot.
Loved milsurp since I was a kid but didn't know about the FLC until BCT. We used the interceptor vest and FLC in 68W AIT and it was my favorite setup. I used the shoulder clasps to keep everything together and it was super easy to throw on because they both secure up front instead of having to throw over your head. Hella bulky though.
Btw fantastic alternatives exist out there that are well made. Like Dutch army Molle surplus vest that is similar to this in DPM. Also German made mil-tec modular vest system is what I have & it's like one of these on steroids in terms of fit & features, some level of modernization & additional improvement & Molle amount & better fit adjustment then the chinese knock off ones etc. The mil-tec vest I have also came with 600D nylon pouches lined with a PU coating for weather resistance. There is some fully mesh & molle like vests out there as well that are made by respectable companies to a decent high quality. Btw you can easily in a old-school but modern & effective manner can just overlay these on top of a slick lowest profile plate carrier as possible.
These things are great! I use them for bushcraft and general woods piddlin'. Can't beat the price and modularity of it. They're cheap enough to have different ones setup for various tasks. Gotta lov'em.. Thanks for y'all's efforts in making this vid. 🤠👍
I honestly love the flc so many different types of setups are possible while remaining light weight without armor while also being able to be run it with a slick vest if you do want armor... I've started by pouches for mine recently picked up 6 40mm pouches (3 of which are in DCU pattern and I got em cause they're a lot rarer to find) and 2 triple mag pouches (which I've set on the front along both sides for good weight balance and to maintain a low profile)
I had an old FLC and they're not bad as tac vests. What I did was reverse the belt so it buckles in the back, and I liked that setup better than stock. I really prefer the RACK vest and that's mainly what I use, but I'm thinking of getting another FLC because they really are good, versatile pieces of tactical gear. Venture Surplus is always great. They are more than honest about the condition of their used gear, with many/most items being better than what they're advertised as. My USGI MOLLE 2 Large ruck and all the pouches on it were bought at Venture in supposedly "defective" condition. They all look brand new, except for 1 of the canteen pouches that was missing the drawstring. I have recommended them to lots of people and continue to recommend them. Great company
I didn't use the FLC much on active duty, I just wore everything on my IOTV. I did use it in the reserves and I liked it okay, I set mine up pretty much the way you have yours. My reserve unit didn't really have any unit standard. I think FLC's are good to go, especially for the money.
*Looks at background* "Hey that looks like Rampart/Deckers area....holy crap you guys are located in the Springs!" Cheers from (unfortunately) Denver! I'll have to stop in the store sometime soon-thanks for giving the flick some love!
Just made my new flc, 6 single mag pouches in the front, 2 smoke grease pouches under the arms. Put it to the test in my airsoft game ( live in the uk) can’t do the normal guns in this tyrannical country. But really pleased low profile good for long engagement no issue getting low to the ground and really good bit of kit. Cheers for the inspiration
I wear one instead of a pack for day hikes. Weight is better distributed, don't lean forward to compensate. I wear my plate carrier slick, and have my gear on the FLC. I can drop the vest while in between events. Works out well for me.
Great video, might have to grab one of these with the next order. Can't wait, got that notice your shipping the Afghan 3 desert set today. Those look super neat.
I used these but don’t remember calling it an FLC. We still referred to all of it as 782 gear. I’m a big fan of the platform even though it was only really useful without body armor (slick), dismounted (not in a vehicle) and without a large ruck. I have one set up with a MOLLE waist pack on the back section that I use with a small assault pack. I go to a chest rig when using a large ruck or anticipating being in a vehicle.
It’s a great piece of equipment. The only problem I found was that MILES equipment attaching was difficult and would mean you couldn’t take off the FLC off; which is not something a Bradley PL.
@@VentureSurplus you did a solid job. The only downside is you can’t throw a pack right over it. Without taking the pouches off the back. But there are trade offs in everything. Good job.
FireForce tactical made a strap-in back panel to attach other items like hydration bladders to the upper back portions. They shouldn’t be too hard to make if you can sew a bit, but I think they’re out of production
great tip and review: at 51yr old and a busted up back, bad knees & no military background or training. (self taught) I have been trying to figure out a kit, that I can use, that would serve the purpose of a general bugout, or survival kit. without feeling like it is overly busy, unbalanced, or bulky. with easy weight distribution. I kinda like a TAP's at the same time I would prefer a vests & Flc's, but I am a poor, and cannot afford to try different kits to try out. More is less, and less is more. Do ya have any ideas for what I previously mentioned? any help would be appreciated.
I would recommend going with the FLC between those options. In my opinion the taps requires some upgrades that the flc doesn't, the FLC is basically ready to use out of the bag. For pouches, obviously check venture surplus, I'd stick to the double m4 magazine pouches because you don't have a lot of space and the retention is good enough that your mags won't come flying out when you open the top to pull out a new mag. And don't forget you have real estate on the back as well, there's a molle 2 butt pouch a lot of people run, good for keeping miscellaneous stuff or a rain poncho. I'd also recommend getting at least one canteen and pouch for the canteen to give yourself some water, more water will always extend your time away from a resupply, if for some reason you need it. The internal pockets are great for documents, commo cards, maps, pens, and land nav tools. Round it out with an external pouch with some medical in it and you have a well rounded setup for under a hundred bucks for sure. 8 mags, if you go with doubles, medical, water. And like he mentions in the video, load it up, then get someone to help you adjust it. You want it to be snug but not where it constricts your breathing
FLCs don't have any attachment points on the rear shoulder straps - only on the waist belt. You would need a bladder carrier which is like a thin and narrow backpack. I wear one when in hot weather with canteens on the belt of the FLC.
I don’t think there is necessarily a “better way”. Like Venture said, I keep mine on my left because that was the SOP my unit had, so I just keep it there 🤷♂️
Trying to think how to adapt this to my old woodland FLC that doesn’t have a zipper. Wonder if the zipper would make it more comfortable. Have all the pouches so willing to try.
I've got a woodland as well. I really like it. These are cheap enough that you could pick up a coyote if you want a zipper feature. I've used both and honestly really like the woodland as a true split rig. On my coyote, I took the bottom buckle off and use it zipper only.
All about preference there. The buckles give a little more spacing for heat dumping and getting in the prone if that's something you're going to be doing.
I had multiple generations of the FLC…including the all buckle variant. I personally liked the zipper gen because it brought it all together tighter, and I could do the reverse belt trick to turn it into a rack type system. I went away from the FLC for years after trying all the cool guy stuff. I’ve slowly been migrating back to using it more.
FLC was officially phased out around the time OCP was adopted in favor of the TAPs. Both are solid gear. The only Multicam/OCP FLCs I’ve ever seen were made by FireForce. They used to be affordable, but the last time I checked, the base FLC was over $100.
@@ab5olut3zero95 Thanks so much man, I had a feeling they weren't issued anymore. I even talked to my buddy in the guard and he thought he was getting an FLC but they gave him a TAP so it makes sense.
Older person here, can I get a boonie hat like the one you're wearing,the stiff ones, I was in the 82abn ,73--80,now days most stuff is imported and crumby,, I will keep searching for the hat, Airborne all the way brother 🐓☠️
I'm wearing one of the Propper Boonies we carry, the OCP IHWCU one specifically (which are USGI). It's fairly well broken in which has helped the brim stiffen some.
Two things I don’t like about these. Too long to wear a belt. Too easy to overload. Otherwise, well designed gear. Thanks for not saying you “run” gear every two seconds.
Have an FLC in coyote brown one of my favorites vests, got a 782 and an LBT Rhodesian chest rig as well as a fereday and sons chest rig and a webtex flecktarn chest rig. Great gear but the FLC vest is a classic and should be part of anyone’s buyout kit for the price you can get them brand new for like 20 bucks no excuse not to have one
