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The Pouch Attachment Ladder System

Electronics & Technology


The Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS) was originally meant to attach ammunition pouches to the Modular Lightweight Individual Load-carrying Equipment (MOLLE Backpack System). Since its first fielding, however, it has spread to many other kinds of tactical equipment. It allows for flexibility of use, greater customization, and increased comfort due to better weight dispersion.

PALS History

The US Army first used the MOLLE system in October 2001. Surveys of soldiers and Marines revealed the difficulties of attaching gear to the earlier All-purpose, Lightweight, Individual Carrying Equipment (ALICE) systems. In ALICE systems – basically unchanged since the 1970s – pouches were attached by metal clips, which often came loose or cut fingers when adjusting. PALS was developed to address this problem and has since completely replaced the older ALICE clips. Its innovative design is both more flexible and more secure, which has led to a widespread adoption for load-bearing equipment and accessories.

PALS Construction

The PALS grid is comprised of horizontal rows of one-inch-wide nylon webbing, spaced one-inch apart. This is attached to the backing – body armor, a pack, and so on – at 1 ½ inch intervals. It can attach holsters, ammunition pouches, radio pouches, along with many other things. To attach something using the PALS system, one inserts the attachment strap down the 1 ½ inch channel and interweaves it with the horizontal webbing until it’s fully secure and snapped into place.

Attachment

There are three means of final attachment: the Natick snap, the Malice Clip, and the weave and tuck. The Natick snap uses a strap made of polyethylene reinforced webbing with a push snap for final security. The Malice clip uses the same type of strap, but instead of a snap it uses a semi-permanent polymer clip that requires a screwdriver disengage. In the weave and tuck method, the strap is tucked into the attachment’s backing.

Many types of commercial products have been produced using PALS as the standard attachment method, though some use the terms PALS and MOLLE interchangeably. PALS is so efficient it has begun to be adopted by other military forces, like the British Army, as well as by civilian law enforcement.