An Old War Belt

This is the 1st line load that I used to run for a while. It consisted of:

(1) ATS Tactical War Belt, which is essentially a "sleeve" going over your pistol belt to give you the benefits of MOLLE modularity
(1) Pistol belt (riding inside the War Belt)
(2) Blackhawk! 1911 magazine pouches
(2) USMC issued canteen pouches
(2) USGI canteens
(1) USGI canteen cup
(1) Safariland 6004 holster with belt attachment point
(1) Gemtech pistol lanyard
(1) Black Leatherman Wave w/ pouch
(1) HSGI HSLD Suspenders
(1) VTAC large utility pouch

Contents carried on my last drill:

           
Laid out flat, it looks like the pistol is crowded up against the canteen pouch. However, when the belt is worn and everything rounds out and spreads apart, my pistol presentations were not impeded at all by the canteen.

As you can see, the layout of this battle belt is very reminiscent of the ALICE/H-harness rigs of generations past. You may have noticed that I wasn't running any rifle magazines on this rig. My intention for the rig was very simple: a minimalist grab-and-go belt. If I only had time to grab one thing, this belt would leave me with a pistol, ammo, water, canteen cup, food, and a multi-tool. This rig also fit nicely under the back seat of my truck, accessible when needed.

At the time, my 1st line load was set up to feed my pistol and provide survival essentials. My 2nd line load was set up to feed my rifle and provide tactical essentials. I will go over my current 1st and 2nd line loads in a future post, but this is where it all started for me.