Making a tactical vest?

[Lizander]

I have tonnes of OD green canvas laying around, and I'm still in need of a tactical vest, so I was thinking of making a molle tactical vest. Does anyone have any diagrams of a vest? or know of a web site that shows how? Are the vests usually padded? How far apart are the stitches holding the Molle stips on? any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks

[FOX_111]

That website is great for making your own stuff.
http://www.diytactical.com

Their forum is full of gear makers showing their stuff step by step.
You have to make an account to view it and they have a very strick NO BULLSHIT aproach, so don't lie on your account profile.

They are airsoft aware but mainly, they aim for real steel.

[Cleric]

Your best bet is to borrow one you'd like to duplicate. They may look simple at first, but tac vests tend to be relatively complex.

Molle strips are bartacked 1.5" apart for channels and are placed 1" apart horizontally.

Webbing is17337 nylon for standard, and 43668 for heavy duty.

You'll need a machine that can handle 68 weight nylon thread and multiple layers of cordura / webbing.

You could certainly try making one, but it's cheaper to buy one if you don't know what you're doing. You'll need to devote a fair amount of time to trialing designs since you haven't built one yet and have no template to work from. Building gear is like putting up a structure; everything has to be done in a specific order.

[Alex Le Chef]

as for the machine.. what kind we talking about exacly here ?
i got a industrial pfaff 55...some cant remember. similar to this http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgur...%26um%3D1&um=1

and i get a hard time when it come to 4 layers of canvas or more.
and for the piping what do you guys use ? Give it a try Lizander the patern itsef isnt realy complicated its more the making.

[CDN_Stalker]

Since you have canvas, why not make a chest rig like the old ChiCom ones the VC and NVA used in Nam?

Originally Posted by Alex Le Chef

as for the machine.. what kind we talking about exacly here ?
i got a industrial pfaff 55...some cant remember. similar to this http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgur...%26um%3D1&um=1

and i get a hard time when it come to 4 layers of canvas or more.

I use a Juki walking foot industrial for heavy material work. It zips through cordura, webbing, and multiple layers of both.

and for the piping what do you guys use ? Give it a try Lizander the patern itsef isnt realy complicated its more the making.

1" nylon binding tape with a binder foot attachment.