If you’re like me, there’s always a moment on a trip that you realise your set up could be better.
I remember when I first started camping with my Jimny, how exciting it was, and at the same time how frustrating the gear got as the trip went on.
You’ve pulled up somewhere to camp. Maybe it’s raining, or getting dark. You want to get set up fast and can’t remember where you put the awning straps or your head torch. You’re rummaging in boxes. Stuff’s shifted. The thing you need is under something else. You move one box, then another, then something falls out into the footwell. What should’ve taken 10 seconds turns into a bit of a faff.
That’s the point where you realise the basics of your setup is not working.
Not because you don’t have the right gear. But because you don’t have a system.
That’s exactly why I’ve stuck with MOLLE since 2019 and it’s become a real passion of mine. To a point where I’m design an ecosystem for it.
What MOLLE actually is (and why I believe it’s the best solution for most people)
At its core, MOLLE is just a grid.
A standardised layout that lets you attach gear in a structured way. Pouches, clamps, straps, brackets. If it fits the grid, it works.
The important part isn’t what it is. It’s what it lets you do.
It gives you a base to build your setup around.
Nothing too fixed or locked in. Just something you can adapt as your needs change… and I know from experience mine has changed after every trip.
Forget Tactical. Think Practical.
In my view MOLLE gets boxed into the wrong category far too often. It can be seen as military, tactical, or something that belongs in paintball, because that’s where its origins are.
In reality, for everyday people, I feel like it’s closer to work packout storage system or flat-pack furniture. A simple framework that lets you build something that fits your needs. It doesn’t matter if it’s overlanding or walking the dog, it is flexible to fit your gear, your habits, your style of trips.
Used properly, it doesn’t have to look tactical at all. It just looks organised.
Daily Gear vs Trip Gear
One of the biggest shifts for me was separating what lives in the car all the time, and what only comes along for trips.
Daily Essentials
These never move. They always live in the same place.
- Multitool:
Leatherman as it’s got a little MOLLE pouch and they’re really handy. - Flashlight and head torch:
Can’t tell you how many times these have come in useful. - A pouch full of shopping bags:
Called bags for life if you’re in the UK, maybe the same elsewhere too. - Tie down straps:
I prefer the front runner stratchits but also keep some basic ratchet straps. These get used on trips to Ikea or the garden centres to stop big stuff sliding all over in the flat rear storage area on the Jimny. - First aid, bits and bobs:
You never know. I even keep trauma bandages as they don’t take up that much space. - A fire safety stick:
This works fine for my little Jimny set up and uses half the space of a normal fire extinguisher but on a bigger car I’d use a 1kg one. - Boot Buddy:
A boot cleaner my wife got me years ago. Another item you are thankful for if you get unexpectidely filthy on a walk. - Hand wipes and a micro fibre cloth:
Again, just useful to know where these are at a moments notice.
You shouldn’t have to think about where these are. You just reach and grab what you want.
Travel and Camping Kit
This is where things change depending on what I’m doing. I would typically add these to the set up above and take them out the car after my trip.
- Fire lighting kit:
A large tin full of all the kit I need to light a fire. Not just lighters, I prefer to practice more traditional fire lighting methods, like flint and steel. It’s just a therapeutic timeout in the woods, so this kit is personal to me. - Cooking gear:
I made a leather spice bottle holder with all my favourite spices to help elevate my average cooking skills. An emergency flavour kit that slots perfectly into a MOLLE pouch. - More lights:
While I’m waiting on a new camp light getting made I still take a bunch of smaller USB camping lights. - Powerbanks:
I slot 2 decent capacity power banks as they never go amiss for a quick device top up. - Toiletries:
A pouch dedicated to not being a scruff when I go on adventures. Just enough to be fit for human consumption if I find myself back in civilisation while on a camping adventure. Most of my trips are overnighters, they just fit my lifestyle with being self employed so it’s only a small pouch that I have mounted in a Pack Rack Pro MOLLE panel.
With MOLLE, you’re not rebuilding your entire setup. You’re just adding kit or swapping modules.
That flexibility is what makes it so useful.
Why “Everything Has a Home” Matters
This is the part most people underestimate.
When every item has a fixed place:
- You stop thinking about where things are
- Setup and pack-down gets faster
- You don’t waste time digging through gear
- You don’t leave things behind
And more importantly, it removes stress and frustration.
You’re not ruining the pleasure of a trip just to find something simple and ending up with a huge mess of boxes emptied out in the back of your car.
This is why I designed and created the first ever under lid MOLLE Panel for the Wolf Pack Pro storage boxes from Front Runner. They’re great boxes in many ways but I needed better organisation not just a big space to dump stuff in.
For kit I need access to most it’s a case of…Pull up. Open the door. Grab what I need. Done.
Especially in bad weather, that makes a bigger difference than you would expect.
Rigid Panels vs Cloth MOLLE
There are loads of ways to use MOLLE, but they’re not all equal.
Soft MOLLE setups, like seat backs and bags, are a great but rigid panels are better for vehicle and storage box mounted MOLLE panels. They don’t sag, move around, and lose structure over time.
Rigid panels give you a fixed base. Everything stays exactly where you put it. No bounce, no shifting, and from my experience less irritating noises from pouches flopping around over bumps.
Remember, MOLLE pouches need feeding through the panel properly to weave them on securely.
Dozens of so called MOLLE panels are designed with all sorts of weird hole shapes and sizes and have not adopted any kind of standard fitment protocol. For example, hexagons are not MOLLE/PALS compatible designs. Neither are just massive slots that look cool but force you to loosely attach a pouch as the weaving of the straps doesn’t work.
There’s a reason the military made MOLLE/PALS standards.
Build It Your Way
One of the best things about MOLLE is how open it is.
You don’t need to rely on off-the-shelf solutions for everything.
- Use purpose-built accessories where they make sense
- Add straps, clips, and velcro
- Modify existing gear
- Even design and 3D print your own mounts, if you’re handy with that kind of technology
You end up with something that actually suits how you use your vehicle, not how someone else thinks you should. Here’s some customer set ups on our popular Defender Cubby Box MOLLE panel. It’s a small panel but even this small it can make a big difference to organising the small and particularly rattly items you take with you.
My Jimny Setup
Over the years, I’ve refined my setup to keep things simple and repeatable.
The goal isn’t to carry more. It’s to make what I carry organised and therefore easier to put my hands on.
- Smaller, everyday items live on accessible panels
- Frequently used tools are always within reach
- Travel gear gets added depending on the trip
Some things have stayed consistent. Others have changed as I’ve learned what actually gets used and what doesn’t.
For example, I made a bracket to mount an Optics for my Whiskey at camp. Talk about an unnecessary and elaborate MOLLE accessory. I’ll not lie I do still use it but I’ve stitched to a suction cup mount that I store in a box while travelling, as I was a bit concerned how that might look to any boys in blue.
That’s the point.
A good setup evolves and I’ll be sharing my new set up soon.
Start Simple
The mistake most people make is trying to build the perfect setup straight away. The best setups come from real use, not overthinking it.
However, the Out There Equipped MOLLE ecosystem is meant to take a lot of the set up hassle away from you. It can take time to get it right and our system can save you time by making sure everything is spot on with assured fitment! All the basics and more covered.
Be Ready, Not Reactive
Good organisation might not feel exciting at first, although I really enjoy laying out a MOLLE panel.
But once you’ve got it right, you notice the difference straight away.
Less time searching.
Less hassle setting up.
More time actually enjoying being out there (another little brand easter egg).
If you’re heading out this year, it’s worth sorting before your next trip.
Because once everything has a home, the trip will be better.
Reach out direct to me if I can help. Out There Equipped may be a new company but I’m running it like an old one. Old school, pick the phone up and talk to me if you need to and at the very least expect a reply to emails and DM’s that day.
Happy adventures, Paul
