58 pattern webbing 1958 - pattern webbing was a modular based personal equipment system issued to the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom from the 1950s up until the mid 80s . It replaced the 1937 Pattern Web Equipment that had served the UK ' s Armed Forces through the Second World War and the first decade of the cold war . It was in turn gradually replaced in the 1990s by the current issue ' 95 Pattern Personal Load Carrying Equipment ( PLCE ) . Components . A general issue of 1958 Pattern webbing consisted of a belt , yoke , ammunition pouches ( left , with provision for an SLR bayonet , and right , with a pouch to the rear for the ENERGA rifle grenade adapter ) , a water bottle pouch ( also able to be fitted with a mug while containing the waterbottle ) , a pair of kidney pouches ( for the storage of personal items - underwares and socks , washing and shaving kit , boot cleaning items , tewnty - four hour ration and any other items that the user may need to have secured ) , a poncho roll and a large pack . The standard webbing could be altered to take additional pieces of needed components , an anexample of which is the attachment of a sleeping bag or kip mat and blanket and torch . There were a number of ancillary pouches available for specialist tasks , e . g . pistol holster to hold the issue Browning Hi - Power , compass pouch . All components in the system are made from a sturdy and tight - woven canvas fabric in a dark olive green . The metal fittings are aluminium , anodised dark green . In its basic and standard configuration , each of the belt - mounted components is secured to the belt by a pair of double hooks ( one double hook only in the case of the compass pouch ) at the rear , hooked over the belt above and below , with the ends of the hooks further retained in canvas pockets on the inside face of the belt . However , variations are to be found - including water bottle pouches and ammunition pouches for non - standard personal weapons fitted with a canvas loop into which the belt is threaded , rather than the metal hooks . This method of attachment allows the pouch to be moved around the belt for the comfort of the user , for example when sitting for long periods . Several of the individual components evolved over the lifetime of the 1958 Pattern system . There were three iterations of the standard ( SLR ) ammunition pouches , and two of the water - bottle pouch , poncho roll and yoke . Usage . The equipment was worn in a series of combinations . Weapon Training Order ( or Skeleton Webbing ) consisted of Belt , Yoke and Ammunition pouches . Combat Equipment Fighting Order ( CEFO ) , was the term used for the full webbing system and once the Large Pack was attached , it became Combat Equipment Marching Order ( CEMO ) . Over the course of its service , there were a number of developments and modifications . When the system was originally designed , little scope was given to Nuclear , Biological , and Chemical ( NBC ) warfare and when this was addressed , the system gained a respirator haversack to house the then issue S6 NBC Respirator . 72 Pattern webbing . " 72 pattern webbing " A proposal to replace the 58 pattern was the 72 pattern . Current uses . 58 Pattern is held in stores by a number of County Cadet Forces to replace aging stocks of 37 Pattern webbing which were still on issue in the late 1990s . The belt in particular seems to survive as an unofficial form of dress ( replacing the general issue Working Belt ) by older soldiers when worn with Combat Soldier 95 clothing .