Webbing - Military

Military

Webbing is used to make military belts, packs and pouches, and by extension also refers to the items themselves. 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 more advanced materials. The webbing system used by the British Army today is known as Personal Load Carrying Equipment and is informally called "webbing".

In the British Army, this webbing system is designed to be light enough to carry the vital things needed in battle and for outdoor survival. It is made so that if the backpack or bergen is lost or abandoned, the soldier can survive on emergency rations carried in the "webbing" for up to 24 hours, although this can be extended if supplies are rationed. Typical contents of webbing include cooking equipment, 24 hours worth of rations, ammunition, first aid or survival supplies and sheltering equipment. Most webbing systems incorporate a degree of modular construction consisting of a yoke (a type of shoulder harness), a belt and a variety of pouches specific to different tasks, for example pouches designed to carry ammunition magazines may have dividers or special waterproofing. Different combinations of pouches can be used to customise webbing to better suit the mission it is needed for. Generally it is unusual for western armies to fight with a cumbersome, complete backpack or bergen and so prior to an anticipated battle the main backpack is usually stowed away from the forward edge of the battle area and "webbing" (a day pack,) is used as the immediate load bearing equipment instead.

Webbing belts are also used frequently by modern cadet and scout groups, as well as police and security forces.