Do you want an M81 Woodland Load Bearing Vest, but are too straight for angled pouches? Good news--we've unearthed a load of first-gen M81-LBVs--from before they went all curvy. These pouches are straighter than a black and white crosswalk.
Is M81 Cool yet? Oh yeah.
Worn in conjunction with the ALICE Standard Equipment belt, this was about as high speed as you could get from the US back in the 80s and 90s., This is the Load Bearing Vest or just LBV for short. It was our first attempt at making proper chest-mounted equipment, taking a few notes from South Africa's successes with pattern 83: Velcro pouches for easy access to magazines, ITW fastex buckles, and light weight. We just made it a little more complicated because we're America.
The vest is constructed with a woodland cotton material, ITW Nexus Fastex buckles on the front, and a corset-style field repairable back (it literally uses paracord, which you could easily replace yourself). The shoulder harness is a padded slightly angled H harness with loops for routing radio cords/antennas but also comes in handy for routing hydration if you're using a more modern pack/carrier. Lastly, with an ALICE belt, you can loop it through the snapped loops on the bottom of the vest and even attach a M81 buttpack.
Antiquated? Yeah, a little bit. But that's the fun of M81 gear — It's in its golden years now which means it's cheap, plentiful, and aesthetic as hell.
Specs
- Made in the USA
- 4 Piece construction: Shoulder harness, left & right mag panels, and back
- Corset-style paracord adjustment on back
- Holds 6 USGI Aluminum magazines. Outer mag pouches hold 2, inner holds one. No guaranteed fit with other rifle platforms.
- 2 grenade/compass pouches
- ALICE belt compatible snap-closure loops around base of the rig
- Padded shoulder harness with snap-closure loops for routing cables/hydration
- Rear panel has 2 D-rings for attaching M81 Style Buttpack (will need ALICE belt)
- Reinforced stitching on all load bearing points & wear areas
Condition
Serviceable: Vest retains a significant amount of its original function, but may have broken (but fixable) hardware such as a button, etc. May have minor pinprick holes.
Good: Load Bearing Vests are fully functional with only minor blemishes, abrasions, or other signs of use. May have field repairs. M81 Woodland pattern may be faded.
Excellent: Load Bearing Vests have seen next to no use, with no fading or wear present.
