This is how you use the MOLLE system that you'll find on many military backpacks

If you're a military fan or own a military-style backpack, you'll have noticed that it has a series of parallel strips of fabric on some surfaces.

The video of a US Army sergeant showing how to configure an ACH helmet
Mitznefet, the history of the helmet cover used by Israeli Army soldiers

The military is already familiar with this system, called MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment), and popularly known as "Molly" by members of the US Armed Forces, but it is less well known among civilians. This system was introduced in 1997 and popularized after 9/11, in order to replace the Alice system, which was used for more than 30 years in the militaries of several countries.

The MOLLE system consists of a series of 25mm wide strips of fabric, separated by a 38mm gap (above). They are used in backpacks and tactical vests to facilitate the attachment of all kinds of accessories. Recently, items incorporating the MOLLE system with laser-cut slots on the fabric are being produced (below), which looks better aesthetically than typical parallel strips of fabric, if only - for example - because a camouflaged backpack does not have to carry a bunch of fabric strips that hide its camouflage pattern.

The risks of not using MOLLE correctly, as told by a Navy SEAL

In military circles, there were some setbacks in the beginning due to not using it correctly. Navy SEAL Mark Owen, in chapter 3 of his book "No Easy Day" (2012), recounts what happened when he and other DEVGRU operators, along with some members of the Polish GROM, participated in a heliborne assault on a dam in Mukatayin (Iraq). By not having their equipment properly strapped to the MOLLE system of their bulletproof vests, a SEAL lost a radio backpack (it went to the bottom of the dam) and a medical assistant also lost a briefcase full of morphine.

The Polish company Helikon Tex, which makes very good military-grade equipment, has published a video explaining how to use this system:

As you can see, the key is to interlock the straps of the accessory you want to attach with the MOLLE system of the backpack or vest. Some people only attach the straps of the accessory to the first MOLLE straps, and at most, to the last. This increases the risk of the accessory coming loose.