215 Gear’s Enhanced kit Bag, Large is a remake of the classic A3 US Aviator Kit Bag. Made from 1000D Cordura, the bag has been reinforced on all load bearing points with webbing and heavy #207 stitching. Large #10 coil zippers allow for ¼ top opening access, and the bag has full wrap around webbing handles, as well as fully reinforced side handles.
Bag dimensions: 21″ L x 20 1/2″ H x 11″ W
Available in Black, Coyote, and MultiCam. Made in the USA with a Lifetime Warranty.
Last time I talked about how functional a combat patrolling rucksack the Large ALICE pack was as issued. But at the same time it also certainly falls well short of being my idea of the perfect solution. So I’m going to cover some of the most common and useful tweaks, tune ups and upgrades that can be applied to make the pack itself better. I am limited in my visual aids for this portion since my personal ALICE packs only have a small number of bag modifications. Over the years I had experimented with some of the other options but I settled on those which were most useful for my needs and mission. This is definitely an area in which personal preference and your mission parameters will drive your decisions. If you live near a larger Military base there will likely be local sew shops that can do a professional grade job for you. Right now I think Tactical Tailor is the only place that provides Nation-wide mail in sewing service.
I’m going to start with two additions that are probably the most universally useful. The first is the mounting of fastex buckles on the exterior pockets and the two long cinch straps. This is also probably the most common upgrade and makes getting in and out of the pack much easier. Not expensive and well worth the money. The Army probably would have put fastex on ALICE by the 90s if the emphasis had not been on replacing it with a new system. Instead we continued to purchase the metal buckle version until the contract eventually lapsed. The second addition is a carrying handle. Without a carrying handle people tend to grab the ALICE by the envelop pad and rip it loose. We used to fabricate handles out of 550 cord or better yet 1” tubular nylon and attach it to the top of the frame. Later those sew shops I mentioned stated putting even better webbing handles directly onto the bag itself for their customers. With ALICE, the one handle on top got the job dome. The Large MOLLE II also has a sewn in handle and the USMC’s FILBE even comes with handles on the sides as well.
Let’s talk about pockets. There are a number of high quality ALICE clones that come with 8-10-12 pocket options. Or you can have that many sewn onto your USGI ALICE pack. If you need that many pockets I say go for it. But if you want more pockets because you “want to carry more stuff”, I’d say think again. I would recommend adding only enough pockets to move critical or frequent use items from the interior to the exterior of your pack. I eventually settled on a total of five pockets. Two claymore pockets, one on the back and one on top as shown. A small pocket on top that I kept a survival kit in and two long hydration pockets which I had sewn on the inside on either side of the bag. It behooves you to keep the profile of your pack – any pack – in all dimensions as small as you can manage. And it is especially desirable if at all possible not to expand the flanks of the pack out much wider than your shoulders.
Sleeping bag extensions are a fairly popular option. I haven’t seen the need myself but then again I have not been working in extremely frigid environments for many years. A light bag and a bivy have been enough for my needs and didn’t take up enough space to justify the extension. However, if you expect or need to carry the full military sleep system or civilian equivalent then it would be worth it. And much better than strapping your sleeping bag underneath the pack. Or burying your sleeping gear at the bottom of the pack so that you have to unload everything to get to it. As readers may recall, the first generation of MOLLE was actually a two part system with main pack and a separate sleeping system carrier that could be strapped underneath. The MOLLE II combined the two and has a crescent shaped zippered opening on the bottom quarter for separate access to a sleeping bag. The FILBE has a similar arrangement.
Adding straps to secure 2-Quart Canteens and E-Tools to the sides of the ALICE (or MOLLE for that matter) is also helpful. I used these for many years and recommend them if you are routinely carrying those items. Besides providing additional security these straps keep the items from flopping around when moving. While I was in the infantry I used one of each. In Special Forces it was two of the 2-Quarts since I had much less use for an E-tool. Then eventually I transitioned to Camelbaks carried inside as I already mentioned. PALS webbing or panels are not as common a modification. But they are something that Tactical Tailor offers for the sides of the ALICE or their MALICE version. This will allow you to add MOLLE type pouches to the outside of the pack. As with the directly sewn on pockets I would caution anyone not to add pockets that are not essential for your mission.
Storm collars are common on most top loading rucksacks today, even the smallest. It is a useful modification to consider applying to your ALICE. All of the long packs I spoke of in Part 1 had storm collars. Oddly, the Large MOLLE I & II did not initially come with one. However, the latest version of MOLLE does now have a storm collar as does FILBE. Side compression straps are also common on most packs today whether side or top loaders. However, this has not been a very popular modification for ALICE packs. Partly because you can compress the ALICE down pretty small with the main pack straps. And perhaps also because many people chose to add pockets on the sides instead. MOLLE II had 2 compression straps per side but now comes with 3 per side. FILBE has 2 per side.
RTO zippers are an excellent mission enhancing alteration for any RTO or anyone carrying a larger radio. I tried it myself on one of my packs years ago. Not because I was performing RTO duties, but because I wanted quick access to the radio pouch inside. I used to keep star clusters, parachute flares and smoke grenades in there. That worked pretty well. Later, I added the claymore pouch on top and moved my pyrotechnics there. And that worked even better. As with storm collars, MOLLE did not have RTO zippers until the latest iteration was fielded. FILBR also has a zipper. Likewise, the addition of antenna or hydration tube ports has gained in popularity over the years. Primarily because more and more people started to carry hydration bladders in their packs as well as considerably more electronic gear. A note of caution here. As I mentioned earlier I settled on only a handful of the options that I considered mission enhancing. If you think you need to apply most or ALL of these adjustments to get the pack you want. Then I would say the USGI ALICE is not the rucksack you need to be spending your money on. Look at commercial clones or other quality manufacturer’s products instead.
Piggyback assault packs. For many years I have used the Patrol Pack from the CFP 90 (top left) as what I always called my “actions on the objective pack”. Not to carry more of my stuff. Rather, I used it to collect what we now call SSE material off an objective or prisoner. Otherwise it remained mostly empty but there if I needed it. It was common in the 90s and early 2000s for SFQC candidates to carry a variety of small after-market packs on top of their ALICE for similar purposes. I guess that is considered outdated TTP now. The SPEAR pack came with what could only be described as a full-fledged 3-Day pack that was supposed to ride on the back of the main pack. MOLLE II came with a somewhat more reasonably sized Assault Pack. The problem is that today each of these small(er) packs are usually filled to capacity. And are always additive to the weight and bulk of the main pack’s load.
Load planning and load discipline may need to be a separate topic for another day but I will touch on it now. There was a time when we didn’t have so many options and we organized our gear in three discrete echelons. The fighting load which involved only two ammo pouches for magazines and grenades, two canteens and maybe a buttpack with poncho and a meal. In the rucksack was the existence load which was mission essential gear: comms, ammo, water and some environmental clothing (wet weather and / or cold weather) and minimum sleep gear. Items “common to all” as we used to say. Everything else went into the duffel bag or kit bag to be delivered later because those items were NOT mission essential. I know that is an old school SOP and even then was violated on a regular basis. But the fact is we’ve long ago lost sight of load planning fundamentals. Now, everything and the kitchen sink has migrated onto the soldiers’ backs. Just in case. We’ve added the significant weight of body armor and we’ve removed nothing. And instead of addressing the problem we keep making the packs bigger! There is no commonsense in that and no sound tactical reason to allow that to happen.
I have included a fairly famous photo of a hard charging paratrooper from the 173d ABCT after the jump on an airfield not far from Irbil in Northern Iraq. Note that he is heavily overburdened. The irony is there was no compelling need for his leaders to load him up that way. He jumped onto an airfield already secured by Kurdish Peshmerga and US Special Forces. An airfield where US aircraft had already been airlanding in the nights prior. An airfield that additional US aircraft continued to utilize almost immediately after the jump, exactly as planned. So why did this soldier’s chain of command think he needed to carry all of this stuff on his back during the initial insertion? I don’t know. But I will tell you it is just one example of bad load planning and failed load discipline that was a daily occurrence for US Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. And we damn well know better. We just can’t seem to muster the collective will to reverse this trend and actually manage the soldiers load. In the end, it’s not about what style of pack we issue, it is about leadership.
LTC Terry Baldwin, US Army (RET) served on active duty from 1975-2011 in various Infantry and Special Forces assignments.
Next: Part 3, ALICE Frame and Suspension Upgrades and Replacements.
The X300 was designed with specific input from SF units with a requirement for a strong yet light weight versatile pack which allowed for compartmentalized storage with top and middle opening and exceptional comfort. The requirement was for features such as removable padded belt system, variable height harness adjustment, 5 external storage pouches with large main compartment.
The X300’s narrow design allows for efficient movement in a wide variety of environments (excellent in Urban Environments, Narrow Streets, Door Ways, Houses etc). The X300 has 3 – Man Down handles (1 x Top Center 1 x left side, 1 x right side) which allows for 2 man rapid extraction of a casualty.
Pack access is via a Helmet friendly Top Opening lid with Claymore Style heavy duty zipped pouch on top side, also features map style pocket on the inside. Additional access is via the large reinforced center pocket, this features a heavy duty size 10 sealed seam zip which opens into a medium sized quick access pocket, (the flap opens top to bottom) this main external pocket is lined with a heavy duty air mesh fabric which has a similar zipper which opens (bottom to top) allowing convenient access to the middle and bottom of the pack.
Large MOLLE pouches run down both sides with internal compartments and pockets for storage. The X300 also features a lower horizontal pouch and the underneath of the pack accommodates a final zipper compartment with removable liner bag for separate storage of wet items of clothing etc. in a dedicated compartment.
The entire pack is covered in 1″ Murdock MOLLE Webbing which allows the attachment of various pouches to increase carrying capacity.
Size
Main Compartment
23″ x 11.5″ x 8.5″
No. 1 Outer Compartment
2″ x 11.5″ x 10″
No. 2 Outer Compartment
14.5″ x 10″ x 2″
No. 3 Outer Compartment
1″ x 11.5″ x 4.5″
Capacity
55 Litre (Approximately)
The Warrior Assault Systems X300 Pack is currently available in MultiCam and Coyote.
All Warrior Assault Systems products are made from genuine U.S. Mil Spec materials and hardware.
Natick’s Program Manager Special Operations Forces has issued a Request For Information seeking vendors of Assault, Patrol and Recce Packs (they’ve already selected a Jungle Pack). Specifically, they are interested in information and sample materials for test and evaluation purposes of available Rucksacks with an internal or external frame that are capable of meeting the following Key Performance Parameters (KPP’s):
Overall backpack systems will adhere to the following table:
Failure to meet a KPP will eliminate the product for further consideration.
**ASTM F2153-07 Standard test method for measurement of backpack volume will be used as the baseline.
1. Volume
Volume does not to include removable exterior pouches or top flap. Volume measurement will include internal main up to the spin drift sewn to main bag. Exterior permanent pouches (sewn on) will be measured and added to the total volume of rucksack.
2. Weight
Weight will include main pack with top flap (whether removable or not) and radio retention system. Weight will not include any removable pouches.
3. Must be acceptable and interface with current body armor (BA) and plate carriers: CRYE AVS and Eagle MMAC 2012 and legacy load carriage systems (LCS).
4. Environmental conditions cannot degrade the system to the extent that is cannot be used for its intended mission.
a. Must withstand the effects of the full climatic range of operations. (-50F / +185F)
b. Must be rot, mildew, salt water, UV light and petroleum, oils and lubricant (POL) resistant.
c. Must have a shelf life of not less than five years prior to issue.
5. Color choices should be consistent with current Body Armor Load Carriage Systems (AOR 1, AOR 2, Multi Cam, and Coyote).
6. The Assault, Patrol and Recce Packs will provide for a removable radio retention system capable of being mounted high against the internal pack capable of holding a suite of SOF radios to include but not limited to the AN / PRC 117 (3.2 in H x 10.5 in W x 13.5 in D).
There are numerous other requirements in the full RFI located here. As of right now, there is no requirement that a vendor must offer all three solutions to participate but Natick wants your sample packs by 5 Jan 2016. You can deliver up to two entries per category but the samples must be void of any logos or other branding. SOCOM wants the best technical solution rather than a popularity contest.
I am going to talk mostly about the ALICE Large Combat Field Pack (rucksack) (bottom right) because that is the version that I used almost exclusively during my time in service. But I didn’t always have one. During my tour in Germany (75-78) I never saw them. We were issued strictly M1956 Load Carrying Equipment (LCE). I discovered ALICE when I rotated to Ft Lewis in the fall of 78. In stateside infantry units at that time we were issued medium rucksacks with frames and only RTOs got the large rucksacks. However, the large packs were sold at Clothing Sales. I don’t remember the price, but it was cheap. So just about every NCO and Officer bought their own for the field. And that was basically how it worked on my next tour in Hawaii. But it seems to me that when I inprocessed at the 82nd in 1983 everyone in the infantry battalions got issued the Large. In any case, in Airborne and Special Operation units the large ALICE rucksack was the standard.
The Army and USMC experimented with various rucksacks in WW II including a “Jungle Pack” that looked a lot like some of the new jungle packs that are being tested today. There had also been a popular “Mountain Rucksack” issued to some specialized units. Versions of that ruck were used quite a bit by Special Forces in the 50s and early 60s. But conventional units in WW II and Korea mostly did without. Small packs carried the soldier’s fighting load and perhaps a minimal bedroll and everything else went into the duffel bag to be moved by transport. That worked after a fashion but usually left the foot soldier shivering in the cold in both conflicts. But even that less-than-satisfactory experience didn’t convince leadership to make a rucksack general issue to the troops. So the post-Korea M1956 gear was fielded without a rucksack component.
Then came Vietnam. The long movements and extended operations in the jungle terrain kept adding more and more weight onto the soldiers’ backs. So eventually two different rucksacks were fielded during that conflict with mixed results. One is the Tropical Rucksack also called a Jungle Rucksack that I have on display (bottom left). As you can see it is nearly identical in size and pocket configuration to the medium ALICE. It has a spring steel X frame that is longer but similar to the frame on the canvas ARVN Pack. The other issued pack was the Lightweight Rucksack which came with a tubular aluminum frame. I don’t have one but if you have seen Platoon or some of the other Vietnam War movies this is the one the actors usually carry. Neither was entirely satisfactory in service but features of both were eventually incorporated into the ALICE packs.
ALICE was very much a product of the hard lessons learned from extended infantry combat in Vietnam. It is what I would classify as an excellent combat patrolling rucksack. That is it was optimized to fight and live out of for long duration dismounted operations. Despite its origins, it was also definitely not just a jungle ruck. It was intended for worldwide deployments and functions equally well in the desert, mountains, jungle or artic. It is simple and adaptable and can readily meet the load carriage needs of the Paratrooper or the Marine and anyone from conventional riflemen to Green Berets and SEALs. The ALICE rucksack is probably the closest thing to a truly universal piece of kit the US Military has ever developed.
A number of packs have been tested or fielded in the interim intended to replace the ALICE. The first contender I encountered was the Lowe LOCO pack (top left) which came out in the early 80s. That eventually morphed into the CFP 90 (top middle) which in turn led to the Gregory SPEAR pack (top right) and the USMC’s Arc’teryx ILBE pack (not shown). All of these were high end backpacks designed by leaders in the civilian backpacking industry. They had suspension systems that were much more comfortable than the ALICE. Yet none remained in service very long or were ever very popular with troops who live, work and fight with a rucksack on their backs. And the reason for their rejection was simple. None of them were very good combat patrolling rucksacks. The very features that made them attractive to civilian outdoorsmen made them less than ideal for soldiers as compared to ALICE. Three common characteristics in particular were problematic. Their height, the internal frames, and the extended padded waist belts.
First, they were simple too tall. Extending above the shoulders as high or higher than the top of an individual’s helmet and blocking head movement and vision. Not necessarily a significant issue if conducting an administrative roadmarch for physical conditioning but a critical problem on a tactical Movement to Contact – even if just in training. Paratroopers probably disliked those long packs the most. None of them rigged very readily for airborne operations and because of their length they inevitably drag on the aircraft floor for even the tallest jumpers. And the shorter the jumper the more of a safety hazard the long packs became. I recall my ODA jumping the CFP 90s just one time not long after Desert Storm and that experience was so unpleasant that we went back to ALICE for good the next day.
The internal frames are also not as suitable for combat operations as an external frame. Soldiers routinely carry heavy and odd shaped loads like mortar bipods and baseplates secured to the outside of their rucks. Tying items like that off to a rigid external frame rather than just to the exterior of the rucksack bag keeps the load much more stable and manageable. And as with the height issue mentioned above, internal frames are not conducive to easily rigging these packs for jumping as compared to external frame designs. Internal frame packs intentionally hug the wearer’s body when worn and do not leave space between to facilitate ventilation. Although admittedly this criticism is perhaps not as relevant today when body armor is routinely being worn. The tall internal frame packs also do not naturally sit upright like the short and squat ALICE with its external frame. Soldiers have to find something to lean the long packs against in order to load or unload items or even to put the rucksack on or off. The internal frame packs are simply less user friendly and can actually make the job harder rather than easier.
The long packs all had extended padded waist belts that were intended to distribute part of the load onto the hips. Assuming an individual’s waist and hips were actually clear of fighting load gear. This wasn’t and still isn’t usually the case. In short, while well intentioned and sound in theory, wrap around padded rucksack waist belts always interfaced poorly with LCE / LBV or body armor and tended to get snagged or tangled up with the other gear. That made donning and especially dropping the backpacks much more complicated and troublesome than it had been with ALICE. And getting tangled up with a rucksack can be more than just an annoyance; it can be dangerous. Therefore most experienced troopers kept the waist belt / pad wrapped back around the frame or pack body and as much out of the way as possible. All the time. And from what I have observed that still remains true even today.
Lots of people look at older gear as clunky and unsophisticated…and therefore deemed to be less effective than newer kit. I prefer to think of the ALICE pack as a flexible, rugged, classic design. And like all classics it continues to enjoy popularity at least in some professional circles because it always functions reliably. It gets the job done. When I retired a few years ago ALICE packs were still a fairly common fixture in many Team Rooms (I expect they still are today). Not because there were not newer “sexier” alternatives available or that people were adverse to change. But rather something that works as well as ALICE just doesn’t go out of style until something that is proven to be much better comes along. So far that hasn’t happened. It is no accident that the USMC’s current FILBE pack clearly shows its ALICE roots. And many of the complaints I have heard about the MOLLE II Large Rucksack could be fixed if it were actually a little more like ALICE (something I intend to discuss another time).
Some might take umbrage if I called ALICE the gold standard of combat rucksacks. I agree that is probably too grandiose a characterization for the old girl. But I do think it is fair to say that the ALICE pack still remains the baseline standard by which all newcomers will have to be judged for many years to come. ALICE packs were obviously not perfect. That is also a fact. But I submit that if tasked to develop a single multipurpose or “full spectrum” combat rucksack today. One that could be versatile enough to effectively fill so many diverse roles for so many people in so many different combat environments. I have no doubt the resulting rucksack would look a lot like ALICE. And rightly so.
LTC Terry Baldwin, US Army (RET) served on active duty from 1975-2011 in various Infantry and Special Forces assignments.
Next: Part 2, Common ALICE Pack modifications.
ONTARIO, California – Hatch announced today that it has released its S7 Sling Pack featuring three key design elements to create efficiencies in the field for law enforcement and military personnel. This new quick-action bag—designed to carry an officer’s essentials in a less bulky, easier-to-access, and more streamlined way—features a C-clip which attaches to the belt to reduce bouncing, a top flap that opens outward and away from the body, and a contrasting interior color.
“We study the movement and actions of officers and military in the field and constantly look for ways to innovate our products to make their jobs easier,” said Scott Carnahan, Vice President, Equipment. “The features in the new S7 Sling Pack achieve that goal by providing efficiencies designed to simplify tactical movements.”
The S7 Sling Pack allows the officer to carry extra magazines, a trauma kit, spare radio battery and a back-up firearm. Rather than a general-purpose bag, this action bag, constructed of heavy-duty 1000-denier Cordura nylon, features three key innovations:
· The C-clip allows the user to run without worrying about the pack bouncing. The C-clip can also easily be removed so the user can swing it around to the front for easy access when rendering medical help.
· The top flap of the pouch opens outward away from the body so it doesn’t fall in the way when an officer needs to access something quickly.
· The interior color is also designed to contrast with the exterior black color making the contents easier to identify and secure.
The bag contains numerous compartments: three exterior, eight interior and multiple magazine/clip holders. MOLLE loops cover the front of the bag for easy attachment of accessories and the S7 is also designed with heavy duty hardware for significant durability.
The S7 Sling Pack, offered in black, is available now with an MSRP of $49.99.
Virtus is the British Army’s latest Soldier Protection initiative. During DSEI we showed you the helmet component of Virtus band 1, manufactured by Revision. We stopped by the Source Vagabond booth where we got a closer look at the armor and load carriage components of this new system that begins fielding this month to the British Army. Over the next seven years, the entire Army will be outfitted with Virtus which consists of over 50 items consisting of Head Subsystem, Load Carriage Subsystem, Hydration Subsystem, Extremities Subsystem, Torso Protection Subsystem, Chassis Subsystem and Pouches Subsystem.
The Scalable Tactical Vest is the heart of the system and allows the wear of concealable armor, wear as a plate carrier, combining the two as a body armor vest as well as the addition of extremity protection including neck, bicep groin and lower back armor.
The right side of the vest features a Velcro shoulder strap which is used by the wearer to don and doff it under admin conditions. Conversely, the cutaway system is located on the left side of the chest and only releases the left side of the vest. The cutaway consists of upper and lower molded plastic pins that fit through channels in hinge-like buckles, lining up at the left shoulder and left cummerbund area. There is a pull tab that must be pulled outward (perpendicular), away from the vest. To pull up or down means that the opposite pin will not be activated.
Attached to this Scalable Tactical Vest is the Dynamic Weight Distribution spine bar. The DWD is adjustable up and down allowing the wearer to transfer the weight of the STV to the hip belt. We have written about Source’s DWD in the past as it is licensed to Force Protector Gear here in the US.
This is the hip belt along with low profile suspenders for wear under the MTV.
This is the front buckle of the Hip Belt.
The DWD can also be used with any of the pack options. Below is the 90l version.
In addition to the 90l pack, there are 45l assault packs and leader packs.
Source specializes in hydration and they’ve offered two carriers with Virtus.
The program also offers a variety of PALS compatible pouches. All issue items are in Multi Terrain Pattern but there were a couple of items in Coyote in the booth which were easier to examine than the camouflage examples.
Virtus does not include clothing items. The current fielding of Band 1 incorporates existing soft armor and plates. Band 2 of Virtus which will commence soon examines new plates and armor. Band 3 will add power and a databus to the armor and load carriage.
Combining an outdoor industry and military pedigree, Brigantes Consulting displayed several interesting developmental items in the DMM booth.
First up is a NEOshell suit in MultiCam from Montane who also happens to be sponsoring the 2016 British Services Dhaulagiri Medical Research Expedition. The garment was designed for a UK military organization.
Additionally, Brigantes Consulting Ltd displayed a MultiCam variant of the Deuter Guide 45 for mountaineering work.
They are always working on projects like these and it’s the kind of stuff we like to see. To keep abreast of their efforts, visit www.brigantesconsulting.com.
