Bushcraft PLCE webbing

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Dougster

Bushcrafter through and through
Oct 13, 2005
5,254
238
The banks of the Deveron.
Then I went to Borneo and got a job there and all my civilian kit was exposed for what it was – Not for jungle use.

I’d really like the belt kit but I think the gutless part of me might win. No doubt I will be punished by the jungle for being stupid.

Indeed, in your wild environment that is important. In the UK, if I met someone without regimental slides wearing that in the woods, I'd move my children away from them.
 

Dougster

Bushcrafter through and through
Oct 13, 2005
5,254
238
The banks of the Deveron.
bushcrafters and ramblers have just as bad a reputation from the general public anyway

Indeed again, with images of either Ray or Janet Street-Porter. It's called pigeon holing and it's what people like to do - to themselves and others as a term of reference or belonging. Wearing certain kit generally pigeon holes you, be it a red Berghaus jacket in the Beacons or webbing in Hampshire.

Asking the question on here implies you do care what others think, doing it anyway means you are comfortable with the decision you have made, even if I avoid you.
 

RAPPLEBY2000

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Dec 2, 2003
3,195
14
51
England
I'm posting this in danger of also putting my foot in my mouth, but don't bushcrafters and ramblers have just as bad a reputation from the general public anyway?

:( uuuugh, "Ramblers"! should we hate ramblers? I'm very waery of them, some wear red socks, and hiking boots even if they're walking through a town!!!!(I'm being ironic).

Funny really, When i was more into Mountain biking, i read magazines that called them "red socks" and hated them, due to them generally getting in the way on footpaths and moaning about bikes.
(Actually i never met any, and wouldn't have done the things that annoy ramblers anyway).

If I meet Bushcrafters, there's often a moan about mountain bikers how they don't care and make off road paths etc. It's fair to say i love biking off road on single track.

and if i talk about webbing to bushcrafters It's seen as a strange thing to use.

I've spoken to some "Survivalists" they think it's strange I don't want to carry a weapon.

do you see the pattern?

People that don't fit into the "brackets" are considered wrong even if the general desire is the same (i.e. to have freedom outdoors)

I don't see why it's such an issue If Bushcrafters use webbing if they want to.:confused:

Basically bushcarfters that use Webbing are nonconformist and subversive!:headbang:

Just face it we're cool!:You_Rock_

(the rest just wish they could "carry off" pouches like us!;)
 

RAPPLEBY2000

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Dec 2, 2003
3,195
14
51
England
Some other webbing pouches with kit I've used:

this is mostly homemade but based on Arktis pouches:
Arktisloadout.jpg


Another arangement of arktis'y pouches:
(I'll try to find the pic)

this is a mixture of PLCE pouches I used when i first joined BCUK (2003):
copyPLCEtypeSASbeltorder.jpg


This is the ALICE gear i used:
OldAlicekit.jpg


this is a black SWAT vest i used for a while (my black stage):
ABApolicevest.jpg
 
Last edited:

Hetzen

Forager
Feb 5, 2009
186
0
West London
Asking the question on here implies you do care what others think, doing it anyway means you are comfortable with the decision you have made, even if I avoid you.

I didn't really ask a question, just merely pointing out the convenience against convention. And to be honest, if you wanted to avoid me because I was wearing PLCE, you'd be missing out on the two spare cups for tea I carry in it.
 

Hetzen

Forager
Feb 5, 2009
186
0
West London
:( uuuugh, "Ramblers"! should we hate ramblers? I'm very waery of them, some wear red socks, and hiking boots even if they're walking through a town!!!!(I'm being ironic).

Funny really, When i was more into Mountain biking, i read magazines that called them "red socks" and hated them, due to them generally getting in the way on footpaths and moaning about bikes.
(Actually i never met any, and wouldn't have done the things that annoy ramblers anyway).

If I meet Bushcrafters, there's often a moan about mountain bikers how they don't care and make off road paths etc. It's fair to say i love biking off road on single track.

and if i talk about webbing to bushcrafters It's seen as a strange thing to use.

I've spoken to some "Survivalists" they think it's strange I don't want to carry a weapon.

do you see the pattern?

People that don't fit into the "brackets" are considered wrong even if the general desire is the same (i.e. to have freedom outdoors)

I don't see why it's such an issue If Bushcrafters use webbing if they want to.:confused:

Basically bushcarfters that use Webbing are nonconformist and subversive!:headbang:

Just face it we're cool!:You_Rock_

(the rest just wish they could "carry off" pouches like us!;)

You're a nut job, if you came anyway near my pub I'd call the police. ;)

Joking apart..

I think you're absolutely right. The further the division goes for people to find their independent niche, the greater the snobbery towards those that don't meet those standards. It's silly really, but then I guess it's a built in survival instinct that's in all of us.

I mean, there was a post a while back, that possed the question of having a load of home made leather pouches on his belt, made him look like Batman. OK. So hang on, if you wear a leather hat, you don't look like a wannabe cowboy? Or if you wear Berghaus red with walking poles, you don't look like a Paul Whitehouse rambler? Or if you have an open top canoe, you listen to country and western?

I'd rather hear about the benefits of why leather pouches are a good thing to make, or how leather hats keep rain off your glasses, or why red ponchos are a good thing to have in the breacons with walking poles, or how much stuff you can carry in an open top canoe. Or why PLCE is a convenient way of carrying your heavier items.
 

andybysea

Full Member
Oct 15, 2008
2,609
0
South east Scotland.
I used to rent a house on private land and the land owner used to let us (me and a few friends) camp/bivi on it, it was a mixture of wooded and open moor land, with hills and the odd run down old buiding on it, and i guess we fell into the survival type thing, we'd all carry kit in bergens and webbing(37,44,58patt,ALICE etc) use a mix of camouflage and one tone combats( 2 of the guys were ex army ,not me) and i have to agree carrying kit in webbing is comfy and supports the bergen weight above it.Having now moved(about 3yrs ago) to a small village with a large tourist population (two caravan parks and numerous b&b's) i would not feel comfortable wearing same kit to get to where im going, i know this gives in to steriotyping but for me now, its civi bergens and sabre's and more commonly used outdoor kit, i do still wear a pair of combats trousers now and again but no one really bothers about that, i do still have some 58 patt kit but i sold most of my kit on ebay and reenactment forums,some of which i regret as i had some nice pieces of kit.
 
May 28, 2009
100
0
42
UK
:( uuuugh, "Ramblers"! should we hate ramblers? I'm very waery of them, some wear red socks, and hiking boots even if they're walking through a town!!!!(I'm being ironic).

Funny really, When i was more into Mountain biking, i read magazines that called them "red socks" and hated them, due to them generally getting in the way on footpaths and moaning about bikes.
(Actually i never met any, and wouldn't have done the things that annoy ramblers anyway).

If I meet Bushcrafters, there's often a moan about mountain bikers how they don't care and make off road paths etc. It's fair to say i love biking off road on single track.

and if i talk about webbing to bushcrafters It's seen as a strange thing to use.

I've spoken to some "Survivalists" they think it's strange I don't want to carry a weapon.

do you see the pattern?

People that don't fit into the "brackets" are considered wrong even if the general desire is the same (i.e. to have freedom outdoors)

I don't see why it's such an issue If Bushcrafters use webbing if they want to.:confused:

Basically bushcarfters that use Webbing are nonconformist and subversive!:headbang:

Just face it we're cool!:You_Rock_

(the rest just wish they could "carry off" pouches like us!;)

WAHOO!!!!! ~~~~Rumbling Applause~~~~ Great speech by the way!
 

m.durston

Full Member
Jun 15, 2005
378
0
45
st albans
this thread is why i love this forum!
who cares whether someone uses webbing or not lol. i personally plan to use my claymore bag to carry a few odds n sods in when i'm foraging about in the woods when i go camping with my son.
does this mean i'm a terrorist cos i'm carrying a bag which was originally used for an explosive device?
as long as your comfortable with it, it doesnt really matter does it?
 

RAPPLEBY2000

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Dec 2, 2003
3,195
14
51
England
More Photo's We'll show em':You_Rock_

this thread is why i love this forum!
who cares whether someone uses webbing or not lol.
that's pretty much the point I've been making for years!
why conform? the early humans didn't, they had to make their own kit and discover new ways of doing things because there wasn't anything else available.
we now have such a huge variety of cultures and backgrounds why not borrow bit's from here and there to improve what you have, or try something new!

i personally plan to use my claymore bag to carry a few odds n sods in when i'm foraging about in the woods when i go camping with my son.
does this mean i'm a terrorist cos i'm carrying a bag which was originally used for an explosive device?
as long as your comfortable with it, it doesn't really matter does it?

why ever not, from a distance and even close up, who would know?
Army ammo boxes always sell well for tool boxes, often seen in the back of cars or work vehicles and they have a far more obvious intended content.

The question has to be asked:
who is making these rules about what Bushcrafters should wear or use?
Is it even bushcrafters? I think probably not, as Bushcraft is a way of life rather than a fashion display.

The only reason we wear what we'd consider to be "Bushcraft type" clothes is because of our interpretation of the media we are exposed to.
I wear a Leather "bush hat" as it makes me feel more Bushcrafty, But i don't recall seeing Ray mears wearing one...

a lot of us use DPM tarps because they are more available and cheeper than other versions(like canvas/Auscam).

On one of Ray's films he wore a DPM jacket(RAF episode) and perhaps more shocking for those that didn't know...
ray Mears back in the 80's wrote and appeared in some articles for the well known "Combat and Survival" magazine. some of which he appears wearing DPM again, even webbing and some promoting the Wilkinson sword survival knife...of which he was one of the designers...that sounds more like a survivalist to me...;)

Ok so he's sold us the "Bushcraft world", but did it depend on what he wore?
Yes, i think it does, he is famous and in the media, he can't afford to cause himself contraversial problems.
not mentioning names we have to also remember that it's fairly obvious people in the media get given things to wear and have advisers on the same subject (Bear Grylls's and Ray's jackets always look new don't they:rolleyes:...but that's another issue).
should it matter what we wear or use to do the same thing,
no.


I could fully understand there would be issues if The army pouches I wear had badges or logo's that were:
incitefull of violence:AR15firin
or discrimination :argue:
or were pravocative :twak: ......but they're not.


We're just using some army pouches , and If i get the odd look from a paranoid passer-by so be it.:theyareon there are far more things to worry about in the world than someones choice of bag.

Why not just accept the difference, and cellebrate the fact we're all different:grouphug:.....I can't believe i just said that:yuck:

as for being challenged by police about webbing, in 20 years never, as i said all times of day in the town in the country, it's never happened....oh but there was once.....I used to wear it to work to keep fit (Blacks in Norwich) and My boss was the "cross the T's" sort of guy, He'd been told he had to security check staff bags randomly, one day he decided to check my webbing....LOL It must have taken him 20 minutes!:lmao: He then suggested i didn't bring it back because of this...I did :rolleyes:

w00dsmoke (on page 1)said:
Hey don't get me wrong webbing is fine but if I was landowner and saw someone with that on on my land it would be the cops straight away however if I saw them with a cammo backpack I wouldn't be so alarmed...you know what I mean?

simple, don't trespass:confused:
You could assume they are both lost, or taking a short cut, but no one should be on private land without landowners permission. If a policeman turned up In my garden, I'd still would ask him why he's there!
My father in law is a landowner, on occasion the odd migrant worker (in casual clothing and no bag) takes a short cut across his land, Let's just say he is never happy to see people wander across his land without good reason.:rant: webbing or not!

That "cammo backback" could be filled with your silver or car stereo !:naughty: or he might be a poacher with a sack full of salmon! you can't effectively conceal anything big in webbing.
lets assume that insted you are walking "past" someones land yes the guy with pouches rather than the rucksack may get a funny look, so?
I challenge anyone to take a 40l+ rucksack to work with out being asked: are you going camping?
It's the same thing very generalised preconceived ideas about kit.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,990
4,639
S. Lanarkshire
I suspect that in amongst all the conversation on this thread we would find two common strands among all of the folks who post.
Practicality and a general desire to somehow blend into the natural environment,

Frankly, as a little middle aged housewife I look a right iijit in dpm :eek: I look even more ridiculous wearing either webbing or belt kit :rolleyes: Especially the places I normally wander :D
Wearing OD trousers and tshirt last year a neighbour, obviously struggling to be polite about my attire, told me, "You look very.....ethnic!" :confused: :lmao:

Army surplus is cheap, well, certainly cheaper than civvi alternatives. It's meant to take punishment and still function. Technically it sometimes leaves a lot to be desired, probably why most folks like to adjust and footer around with belt kit and side pouches and the like. It does however have it's time and place.
I can't wear it anywhere except camping, many others feel it too noticeable to be comfortable anywhere else too.

If you can wear it, find it comfortable and practical, fine, go ahead, but it's not the be all and end all of kit carrying.

It's back to this fitting into one's environment again :D So my 'belt order' is a handbag or a wee rucksac. Though I got one of these recently :cool:
http://www.thehealthybackbag.co.uk/specialeditions-hbb/specialedition-earth

cheers,
Toddy
 

Melonfish

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 8, 2009
2,460
1
Warrington, UK
i've worn camo for years, and worn webbing before and never been stopped by the police or anyone, simple reason being its commercialy available. if you can buy it over a counter then why should anybody care.
in fact i've regularly taken my airsoft gear on public transport, through train stations and the like and never been stopped. i've been wearing combat trousers in woodland, with an OD jumper and floppy woodland hat. full military backpack and a black canvas rifle case.
never once been stopped.

anyhoo we should stop arguing about whether it gives the right image. if your out walking you should be enjoying the country not caring what people think of what you look like!
loving the recycled packs btw toddy, my current new found love is hemp!
www.sativabags.com
also getting some hemp trainers. ;)
 

gregorach

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 15, 2005
3,723
28
50
Edinburgh
Wow - see what you miss if you don't log on all weekend? Not much to add, except:

So how many of you guys are ex squaddies?

Certainly not me - I'm a long-haired hippy peacenik, have been all my life, and I'm about as devoutly non-militarist as you're ever likely to meet. But the kits works.

I really don't understand this idea of calling the police if you see someone wearing webbing - why on Earth would you do that? Mind you, some mates and I were once approached by police in Holyrood Park after someone had reported seeing people with guns on the crags... We had big day-glo super-soakers. I guess there's no accounting for some people.
 

RAPPLEBY2000

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Dec 2, 2003
3,195
14
51
England
Certainly not me - I'm a long-haired hippy peacenik, have been all my life, and I'm about as devoutly non-militarist as you're ever likely to meet. But the kits works.
I was brought up that way, but went in the army anyway.

I really don't understand this idea of calling the police if you see someone wearing webbing - why on Earth would you do that?
...it has to be assumed the person was breaking a law, otherwise it wouldn't matter what they were wearing.
does anyone really think the police have got the inclination, that they have the spare time, to check up on people in the countryside just for wearing army pouches.
how could you justify making the phone call?

" hello, which service do you require?"

" Police please"
"I'll put you through......"
"hello this is PC plod what seems to be the trouble?"
"Erm, I've seen someone acting suspiciously"
"right what were they doing?"
"they were walking past me and they had army pouches on"
" sorry? they were wearing army pouches?"
"Yes, and they were suspicious..."
"how? did they have a weapon? did they threaten you?"
"erm, no......they were walking past and said hello...but they had army pouches!"
"right and how is that a threat?
"they might have had a weapon!"
"Goodbye!"

Sadly they'd ahve to send round an officer if it's a 999 call!
(It's as bad as people ringing up the firebrigade to open jam jars.)

Mind you, some mates and I were once approached by police in Holyrood Park after someone had reported seeing people with guns on the crags... We had big day-glo super-soakers. I guess there's no accounting for some people.
That's a perfect example of the riduculous lengths people will go to in our Nanny state, I expect the thought was:
"If they have water guns this time perhaps they'll have BB guns next time then what, having parties, fun, and enjoyment outside without supervision..., oh, wheres my Werthers Origionals gone, damn ones fallen into one of my red socks!":lmao:
Yes, I'm making the judgement that the person in question was older and didn't know what a super soaker looks like)
 

RAPPLEBY2000

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Dec 2, 2003
3,195
14
51
England
Are you taking the mickey or did that really happen? :eek:
I can't quote the jam jar call but, I've heard worse...Just Google "stupid 999 calls"!


POLICE have revealed their wackiest 999 calls as the service celebrates its 70th birthday.

Hoaxers and timewasters have plagued the emergency line since its launch on June 30, 1937.
They include a man who demanded help with his CROSSWORD, a woman with SHAMPOO in her eyes and another with a bleeding SPOT.
One prankster ordered a pizza, another complained his mobile battery was dead and an old woman said she could not reach her TV remote.
Police were also urged to investigate “a large OWL sitting on a telegraph pole”.
Cops said 40 per cent of the 560,000 calls to 999 each week were hoaxes or time-wasting.
A spokesman said: “We are using the anniversary to remind people the service is for emergencies.”
The service came in after police stations found they were being swamped with visitors.

I think a call about someone wearing webbing would join the list!;)
 

andybysea

Full Member
Oct 15, 2008
2,609
0
South east Scotland.
Hey why were are on about stupid 999 calls my misses used to work as a 999 operator,
heres two of her most stupid,
one guy rang up for a ambulance for his budgie,
and another time a lady rang up to ask if the police would go round to the chinese takeaway she'd just ordered a takeaway from and cancel it for her as she just relised she didnt have enough money in her purse to pay for it. True i assure you and theres many more believe me.
 
May 28, 2009
100
0
42
UK
I originally made this thread to get suggestions on my kit but now its gone from that to telling about stupid 999 calls. It wasnt exactly what I had hoped for.
 

gregorach

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 15, 2005
3,723
28
50
Edinburgh
Ha! Sorry about that mate... ;)

If you're looking for suggestions, I find a PLCE double ammo pouch surprisingly useful - easier to keep small items compartmentalised, but surprisingly capacious. And if you need a larger pouch, the S10 respirator pouch works quite well as a butt-pack.
 

andybysea

Full Member
Oct 15, 2008
2,609
0
South east Scotland.
I originally made this thread to get suggestions on my kit but now its gone from that to telling about stupid 999 calls. It wasnt exactly what I had hoped for.

OOPS didnt mean to offend! i find the best pouches from the plce system are the utility pouches, there plenty of room for a 58 bottle and mug,or a poncho,or brew kit etc,etc, some of those on a belt would allow you to carry quite alot of kit.
 

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