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25-514: The Pouch Attachment Ladder System or PALS is a grid of webbing invented and patented by United States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center used to attach smaller equipment onto load-bearing platforms, such as vests and backpacks. It was first used on MOLLE rucksacks, but is now found on a variety of tactical equipment, such as the U.S. Improved Outer Tactical Vest , Interceptor body armor , USMC improved load-bearing equipment backpack and Modular Tactical Vest . It

50-799: A nut (or chock or chockstone or wire for the smallest versions) is a metal wedge threaded on a wire that climbers use for protection by wedging it into a crack in the rock. Quickdraws are clipped to the nut wire by the ascending climber and the rope threads through the quickdraw. Nuts come in a variety of sizes and styles, and several different brands are made by competing manufacturers. Most nuts are made of aluminum . Larger nuts may be threaded on Dyneema cord instead of wire, but this has become unusual. The very smallest nuts are known as micronuts and may be made of brass or other metal, and typically have their wires soldered into them, instead of looped through drilled holes. They are mostly used in aid climbing , and their value as protection, arresting

75-478: A climber's fall, is marginal because of both their low breaking strength and their tiny surface area (the HB 0 measures about 4 x 7 x 2.5 mm) in contact with the rock, though this can be offset if several are placed at a time. Other names used include RPs (the brand name of the first commercially available micronuts) and brassies . They are available from several manufacturers in a variety of styles. British climbers in

100-615: A combination of ammo and utility pouches. It is unusual for western armies to fight while wearing a pack, and so prior to anticipated contact with the enemy the pack is usually stowed away from the forward edge of the battle area and webbing is used instead. Webbing belts are also used frequently by modern cadet and scout groups, as well as police and security forces. Tie downs , tie straps, cargo straps, E-track straps, cargo hoist straps, tow ropes, winch straps, cargo nets , and dozens of other items are used by thousands of shipping and trucking companies every day. The transportation industry

125-555: A great deal in auto racing safety for a large variety of items. Racing harnesses restraining the driver have used nylon webbing for years, but since the death of Dale Earnhardt , polyester webbing is becoming more popular due to its increased strength, and lower rate of elongation under load. The nylon commercial type 9 webbing generally used in racing harnesses stretches approximately 20 to 30 percent of its initial length at 11 kN (2,500 lbf) while polyester only stretches 5 to 15 percent. Window nets to prevent objects from entering

150-884: A range of 35–40 mm (1.4–1.6 in) considered acceptable in practice. Newer styles come in various laser cut fabric, most commonly 1000D cordura nylon (some vendors use 500D–600D). The benefits often quoted for laser cut single piece style is significant weight saving especially on plate carriers/rigs and items with large amount of ladder area as well as less bulk. Another consideration is fabrics can be made in new popular patterns without need to source webbing in compatible shades including viewing conditions under night vision devices. Many of these specialist patterns are also available in NIR treated forms for optimal camouflage viewed through such night vision devices. Webbing It may be made of hemp , cotton or linen , but also synthetic fibers such as nylon , polypropylene or polyester . Webbing

175-466: A suitable crack. In an article called "Artificial Aids in Mountaineering" dated Oct-Dec 1956, G Sutton wrote about jammed knots for direct aid. He also compared the use of slings, chocks (rocks) and jammed knots to artificial climbing (aid climbing) and that "there should be no illusion that the use of a chockstone is in any way more admirable than that of a piton." By 1967 Royal Robbins saw

200-415: Is 25 mm (1 in) but 38 mm (1.5 in) and 50 mm (2 in) are also very common. Narrower webbing is frequently looped through chock stones , which are jammed into cracks as safety anchors. In other cases, webbing is looped over rock outcroppings. Webbing is less likely to loosen itself off the rock than tubular rope. Note that webbing construction is either utterly flat or flat-tubular;

225-417: Is also made from exceptionally high-strength material, such as Dyneema , and Kevlar . Webbing is both light and strong, with breaking strengths readily available in excess of 10,000 pounds-force (44 kilonewtons ). There are two basic constructions of webbing. Flat webbing is a solid weave, with seat belts and most backpack straps being common examples. Tubular webbing consists of a flattened tube, and

250-500: Is commonly used in climbing and industrial applications. Some examples of common webbing materials are: In rock climbing , nylon webbing is used in slings , runners, harnesses , anchor extensions, and quickdraws . Webbing is used in many ways in hiking and camping gear including backpacks , straps, load adjusters and tent adjusters. There are two types of webbing: tubular and flat. Some common webbing widths found on backpacks and hiking gear are: The most popular webbing width

275-767: Is generally sold with recognizable brand names, webbing manufacture is typically generic. Climbing shops sell it off of a spool on a per yard or per foot basis. Webbing is cut with a hot wire as is nylon rope, which prevents fraying and unravelling. However, when webbing does fray and unravel, the result is less disastrous than with rope, providing a modest advantage. Webbing suffers the drawback of less elasticity than perlon rope, and it may be more difficult to handle with gloves or mittens on. Slacklines often use flat or tubular 25 mm (1 in) webbing, or flat 50 mm (2 in) webbing. Other widths are used, but are less common. White water rafting boats use tubular webbing for bow lines, stern lines, "chicken lines" (around

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300-452: Is known as personal load carrying equipment . Americans use modular lightweight load-carrying equipment (MOLLE). Typical contents of military webbing equipment include cooking equipment, 24 hours' worth of rations, water, ammunition, first aid or survival supplies, cold weather/rain gear, anti-gas/CBRN gear and sheltering equipment (such as a tent quarter/ shelter half , poles, rope, etc.). Items are generally stored in an ordered fashion in

325-582: Is often rubberised to improve resilience and add elasticity. Many types of outdoor furniture use little more than thin light webbing for the seating areas. Webbing is also used to reinforce joints and areas that tend to flex. Military webbing, or web gear otherwise known as Mil-Spec webbing, is typically made of strips of woven narrow fabrics of high tensile strength, such as nylon, Kevlar, and Nomex . When these materials are used for parachute and ballooning applications, they must also conform to PIA ( Parachute Industry Association ) standards. Mil-Spec webbing

350-545: Is perhaps the largest user of high strength webbing in the world. Belts , suspenders /braces, sandals and handbags /purses are woven from various forms of webbing. Corset-style back braces and other medical braces often incorporate straps made from webbing. Pet harnesses and leashes frequently utilize webbing. These products are often sewn together with cotton fabric. Webbing is often outfitted with various forms of tie down hardware to extend its range of abilities (and create tie down straps ). This hardware can take

375-486: Is the same standard so new lasercut ladders are 100% backwards compatible with older pouches made for webbing strap construction rigs. The PALS grid consists of horizontal rows of 25 mm (1 in) commercial item descriptions (CID) A-A-55301A (replacing Mil-W-43668) Type III nylon webbing (most commercial vendors use Type IIIa), spaced 25 mm apart, and reattached to the backing at 38 mm (1.5 in) intervals. The stitchings are spaced 38 mm (1.5 in) apart, with

400-656: Is used to attach items such as holsters, magazine pouches, radio pouches, knife sheathes, and other gear. A wide variety of pouches are commercially available, allowing soldiers to customize their kit. There is also a variety of attachment methods including the Alice Clip , the Natick snap, and soft, interwoven straps. The PALS system has begun to be adopted by other forces, such as the British Army , who use it on their Osprey body armor . PALS consists of webbing sewn onto

425-535: Is used to make military belts, packs, pouches, and other forms of equipment . The British Army adopted cotton webbing to replace leather after the Second Boer War although leather belts are still worn in more formal dress. The term is still used for a soldier's combat equipment, although cotton webbing has since been replaced with stronger materials. The webbing system used by the British Army today

450-529: The 1950s and 1960s were the first to use nuts as climbing protection. In addition to using pitons , they picked up machine nuts from the side of railway tracks, climbed with them in their pockets, and used them as artificial chocks. This developed to the point where they drilled the thread from the middle, threaded them with slings, and used them in cracks. Nuts or chockstones are named after natural stones occasionally found wedged into cracks. Climbers eventually realized they could insert their own found pebble into

475-515: The driver compartment are constructed of polypropylene webbing, as are helmet nets used to reduce side loads to the head in Sprint cars . The HANS device uses webbing tethers to attach the helmet to the collar, and the Hutchens device is made almost entirely of webbing. Webbing is used in couches and chairs as a base for the seating areas that is both strong and flexible. Webbing used as a support

500-476: The exterior perimeter of the boat), equipment tie down, or floor lacing for self-bailing rafts. Rafters call tubular webbing "hoopie" or "hoopi". Rafters also use camstraps with flat webbing for equipment tie down. Life preservers are also crafted using nylon or cotton webbing that conforms to federal standards and guidelines. Seat belts are an obvious example of webbings used in auto safety but there are myriad other uses. Nylon and polyester webbing are used

525-428: The form of: There is also hardware associated with the various end fittings to attach them to a surface, such as footman's loops, brackets and E-track fittings. While webbing sizes in general are standardized, buckles in general are proprietary. Therefore, if one part of a buckle breaks (i.e. female or male end) both parts usually have to be replaced (female and male end). Nut (climbing) In rock climbing ,

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550-520: The latter tends to handle better but knots are more likely to jam. The most popular knots in webbing are the water knot and the grapevine knot . The latter is stronger, but uses more webbing for the knot. It is customary to leave a few centimetres extending from the knot, and in many cases climbers tape the ends down onto the main loops. Webbing is also less expensive than rope of similar size, particularly kernmantle rope , which requires elaborate and expensive manufacturing. Unlike climbing rope, which

575-435: The load-bearing equipment and corresponding webbing and straps on the attachment. The straps are interwoven between the webbing on each of two pieces and finally snapped into place, making for a very secure fit which can be detached with moderate effort. New types are laser cut out of single piece fabric rather than webbing straps sewn onto fabric. This is common on many new tactical items from backpacks to chest rigs. The spacing

600-594: The need for clean climbing and put up Nutcracker, an all nut protected 6 pitch climb, on the Manure Pile (Ranger Rock), Yosemite. In 1972, when clean climbing became an issue in the US, Yvon Chouinard began manufacturing chocks made specifically for rock climbing, with the familiar wedge shape still in use today. With Tom Frost , Chouinard invented a larger, six-sided nut called a Hexentric or hex. Prominent climbers like Henry Barber and John Stannard helped popularize

625-506: The use of nuts, especially after it was discovered that a nut was lighter and easier to place and remove while climbing, as well as being at least as secure as a well-placed piton, and less damaging to the rock. Nuts are available in different shapes to help the climber find the best fit for a given crack. Curved nuts have a concave face on one side and a convex face on the other. Larger nuts can be placed in either of two aspects (hexes in three aspects) to suit different-width cracks, with either

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