I was browsing for some gear on eBay and came across this item and though it was a fantastic bargain:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320477330419&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

Please note that I do not have any affiliation with this seller but simply wanted to share what I think is the cheapest price I've ever seen for a complete brand new set up. Plus they come fully assembled which is worth some good money if you don't know how to do it yourself.

I've noticed this seller has different Molle packs available. I'm not familiar with the Molle packs - can someone provide a summary of each type of Molle pack?

MOLLE (pronounced MOLLY as in the female name) is an acronym for MOdular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. It is used to define the current generation of load-bearing equipment and rucksacks utilized by the United States armed forces, especially the United States Army, and its use is also growing in the British Army in the form of the Osprey Modular systems. The system's modularity is derived from the use of PALS webbing, rows of heavy-duty nylon stitched onto the vest as to allow for attachment of various MOLLE-compatible pouches and accessories. This method of attachment has become a de facto standard for modular tactical gear, replacing the click and stick system used in the earliest modular vest systems (which is still in use with most Western police departments). It is produced for the United States Government under contract by several contractors, such as Specialty Defense, Armor Holdings as well as Eagle Industries.

As far as the gear there is really no easy was to describe all the various systems. The gear is broken down into various components. The two main components are the tactical vest and the large pack with external frame. The other components are typically smaller pouches and packs that attach to either the vest or the larger packs. The military issues the large pack and frame to all and then different pieces depending on the soldiers role/job. The gear is nice because you can customize your set up any way you like and all the different pouches can be used for whatever you need since they come in all shapes and sizes. For instance, I use the "fragmentation grenade" pouch to carry my lensiatic compass in. It fits perfect. Also the various single clip ammo pouches are great for flashlights. I have one (I think its an M1 ammo pouch) and it holds my Surefire flashlight nicely.

Also, more and more companies are now offering MOLLE compatible pouches for their gear. Leatherman and Surefire both have pouches that can attach to MOLLE systems.

One thing I would make note of is that if you are going to buy a MOLLE system for your gear. Get true MOLLE gear. made by SDS or one of the other military contracted companies. There are a ton of cheaper knock off MOLLE packs out there that are just simply not the same quality. You can get a ton of trule military issue or surplus MOLLE gear on ebay at really decent prices (hence the link in the original post here). The DCU or desert camo is the easiest to find as the military switched to the ACU camo pattern within the past few years. A bit surprising is the fact that the traditional woodland camo MOLLE gear is rather hard to find. I guess it is because the military doesn't really use that camo pattern much these days.

This is a link to SDS and the various MOLLE parts that they manufacture. Like I said above, you can get the gear cheap on ebay (even new pieces) but this will give you an idea of how many different combinations you can create.

http://www.specialtydefense.com/c-24-load-carrying-equipment.aspx

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If it's in your pack, but you don't know how to use it...it's useless. So, always test your skills as a form of preparation...Don't wait until your life depends on it. That's a lesson you don't want to learn the hard way.

What's the difference between a MOLLE II pack and a MOLLE III pack?

They are different "generations" of the gear. For instance the external frames are on the 4th generation (last I knew anyways). If you get one of these setups make sure you get the IV generation frame as they were redesigned for more comfort and much better durability. The latest frames do not have the issue of previous generations.

As for the packs themselves, if you are referring to the Gen II and Gen III main packs, I believe the differences are that the newer main pack is larger because it included the sleep system carrier as part on one large pack where the Gen II pack had two separate parts (the main ruck sack and the sleep system carrier) that could be attached together and then to the frame together. The new ruck has a zippered compartment inside that is used for a divider between the sleep system carrier and the ruck portion.

Someone can correct me if I am wrong on this distinction between Gen II and Gen III but I am fairly confident that is the biggest difference/improvement between the two.

This pack in the ACU pattern (which also shows the sustainment pouches on the side) is the newer one piece pack:



This is the older style with two separate packs:

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Please don't take my avatar to seriously. I'm really not a bible thumping armageddon prophet.

Thanks Matty. In my own research on this, i found out the very first versions of the MOLLE packs (which I guess you'd call MOLLE I) did have some design flaws, and were fixed with the release of MOLLE II. I did see a referernce to a MOLLE II, generation IV, which I assumed were further improvements on the MOLLE ii after its initial release. I also saw a reference to a MOLLE III pack, which I'm guessing is an upgrade from MOLLE ii and the latest version of the MOLLE pack.

Just an FYI but there is a new Generation V MOLLE frame. Looks like they trimmed out some excess and made it lighter. Wonder if that came at any cost to the frame's durability.

For those of you with Molle packs, you might want to check out these Speed Clips. It allows you to quickly attach or remove Molle pouches from your pack without any of the weaving normally involved.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0vj8lRmW74

Incidently, I did contact the ebay seller, and he said he does use a Generation 4 frame on this pack he is selling. The older versions of frame used on the Molle 2 packs (Generation 1 & 2) were known to break in cold temperatures.