A mobile ad hoc network communication system is disclosed with a medium access control (MAC) protocol that combines features of contention and reservation to provide a hybrid MAC protocol. Gaining initial access to a channel is achieved using random access, such as a carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) type protocol, in which contention for a channel occurs among users only over available (non-reserved) channels. Once communication between nodes is established over an available channel, the channel is reserved by indicating its use in packet headers, and other users do not attempt transmission over the channel until it is released. Communication on reserved channels does not require backoff or delay, creating a virtual pipe that improves throughput and delay over standard multiple-access protocols.