Austrian rucksack alice pack

[Kernowek Scouser]

Well I can't say I wasn't warned.

What a great bag the Austrian Alice is, solidly built, big, deep main compartment, two side pockets that can easily accommodate a 58PWB or mess tins with room to spare, ditto a front pocket with a SM Trangia and a couple of interesting external attachment points for things you may want to attach to the outside of the bag.

I am really happy with the bag

But, what a blood awkward carry it is. Whoever designed the harness/yoke should be taken out into the street and shot, in the foot to teach them a lesson.

I appreciate these bags were intended to be worn with webbing, but even with webbing, I imagine it would still be a bloody awkward carry.

Such a shame.

But not a total write off.

Before I was seduced by the Alice, I had already been nurturing a rather nebulous idea about pimping my carry, based around a home made version of the Kifaru platform frame, with various 'pods' for sleep gear, shelter, water, clothes, food, first aid, tools etc.. The introduction of the Alice into the equations removes the need for all of the pods, except for sleep gear, which would be situated at the base of the frame, in a dry bag, attached to and below the Alice which would provide a home for everything else.

I have the dry bag to house my sleep roll, I now have the Alice, I have a waist belt with kidney pad, I have shoulder straps and I have a couple of harnesses. So all I have to do is workout how best to put them all together, determine whether or not I need a frame and then make it happen... EASY

The only thing holding me back is I'm a lazy so and so with a habit of thinking of making something, umming and ahhing, then buying something like what I was thinking about making to save me the hassle.

But as I have devoted a fair bit of thought to this particular idea and have been piecing together the various component parts, over the the last couple of months, I have a feeling that this particular project (along with another to fashion a homemade sleeping bag expanda panel, to bags more tolerable) may actually make it beyond the procrastination stage and into production, mainly because the is very little product out there like what I have in mind and what little there is is bloody expensive. So if I want the bag I have in my head, I am going to have to make it myself. It won't happen overnight, but I reckon I could have the KS Carry System MK I, knocked up and ready for testing in a month or so.

Wish me luck.

[alvino78]

good luck!! and don't forget the pics lol

[AL...]

Sounds like a great wee project mate
Look forward to some updates as ye go . All the best with the KS mk1

Cheers
AL

[Tony1948]

Wots this first post and its a company advertising it's own gear.

[David_JAFO]

hello,
The original 'Bergens' were A-frame rucksacks made by 'Bergen of Norway' and issued to Commando and Airborne Forces,
SAS and units and formations involved in Arctic and Mountain Warfare. These people got an issue rucksack because they
were much better for load carrying than the issue '37, '44 and '58 pattern large packs.
Nobody sensible has yet been able to explain what the advantages of 'large packs' for other formations were.
In the 1970s, the rucksack GS and the rucksack SAS began to be issued as above, but also to units conducting
rural patrols in NI. These rucksacks featured a butyl nylon sack mounted on an external GS manpack frame
which was also used for Clansman radios and ECM equipment.
The GS rucksack had a capacity of about 60 litres whilst the SAS rucksack could hold about 120 litres.
They carried the weight high on the back above the '58 pattern kidney pouches.
After the Falklands War, where transport problems led most soldiers to carry all of their equipment,
most of the time; the Army began to get sensible about rucksacks.
A large number of Berghaus and Karrimor rucksacks were purchased 'off-the-shelf' whilst a new infantry
rucksack was designed, based on (read stolen from) the commercial 'Crusader' design.
This was followed a few years later by the smaller 'other arms' rucksack, AKA the 'REMFs Handbag'
Hopefully of some interest
Regards
David
Ps Thanks to British Army Rumour Service ARSSE http://www.arrse.co.uk for the details.

A significant problem with big bergans is that soldiers stuff them with all kinds of unneccesary bollocks which they never actually use, and the trend now is towards intermediate sized rucksacks, like the superb Infantry Patrol Pack which is now on limited issue.