Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/901315
FIELd PACk, COmbAT, mEdIum Medium field pack is almost completely made in of 7.5 oz. OG106 olive-green nylon cloth fabric. It consists of a cubic-shaped main compartment with the dimensions of approx. 16 x 31 x 50 cm and cinched in the upper part with adjustable drawstring with cord-lock. It is closed with a nylon flap with rubberized internal layer. Plastic gray cord- locks in first batches were produced by a Swedish company and had the producer's logo (Fixlock 194, Fixfabriken Goteborg). In the flap there is hidden flat pocket closed with hook and loop. It can be used for storage flat items (e.g. maps) and opened easily thanks to small sewn-on webbing. The bottom part of the main compartment is reinforced with an additional layer of nylon fabric and it has two drainage holes. On the outside of the main pack, there are three rectangular-shaped pockets (~ 12 x 8 x 23 cm). Each pocket is sewn to the sack with spacer between the sack and the pockets, where the user slit some equipment (e.g. a machete). Pockets are closed with flaps that have a combination of two snaps for quick opening and a buckle to adjust the volume of the pocket. Each pocket has a double- layered bottom and a drainage hole. Inside the main compartment, there is a padded pocket with 1-inch webbing straps reinforcements for carrying a PRC-25/77 radio. It has strap and buckle closure. Below the radio pocket, there are three D-rings and three drawstrings attached to the inner bottom of the pack which are used to adjust the size of the main compartment. On the outside, a 2.25 inch webbing is sewn on around the main compartment just above the outer pockets and can be used to attach the other elements of ALICE system to the backpack. In the first backpacks, that webbing had a large number of grommets to attach M1910-style equipment. Two short 2.25" webbing straps were sewn on the sides in the middle of the height. In earlier packs, they also had metal grommets. On the bottom there are two more 2.25" webbing straps for sleeping bag attachment. Another two attachment points are on the sides. The upper rear part there is "envelope" pocket for fixing the pack on the frame. In first production batches "envelope" was padded with a plastic spacer. The inner side of the envelope is made from a stronger 12.5 oz. nylon cloth, same as in ALICE magazine pouches. The closure system is particularly interesting. The webbing straps used to fasten the pack are, basically, sewn along its rear part so that they reinforce and surround the whole pack. At the same time, in the bottom part there is a webbing strap to fix the pack to the frame. There is also an additional buckle on the side of the backpack to serve that purpose. Shoulder straps to Medium pack can be fixed via two top D-rings hidden under the "envelope" pocket (reinforced horizontally with a 1" webbing) and two D-rings located on the rear bottom corners of the main compartment. In the first batches, there was also a window for name tag located at the back, just below the contract stamp. The most characteristic element of early packs were the straps and buckles combination used in closures. Those buckles had a spring-loaded mechanism which, when fastened, prevented the webbing from shifting. Buckles were made in at least two patterns - depending on the manufacturer - that slightly differed from one another by the general look, but they served the exact same purpose. ALICE packs from the first runs, produced until April 1976, had a set of waterproof sacks for the main compartment and three side pockets. A brand-new backpack would also include a paper manual. FIELd PACk, COmbAT, LARgE The Large pack has a similar construction, so we will focus on the differences. First of all, the bottom of the Large pack is made as a separate piece (in Medium packs it is a single part with the sides and the front of). The bottom has a trapezoidal shape and three drainage holes. The back part of the pack has the same width as in the Medium pack while the bottom itself has similar depth. However, the bottom is extended from the front up to almost 40 centimeters. Moreover, the sides were sewn to have two pairs of darts so pack expands more than it would be possible with the bottom itself. The total height of the pack is about 6-7 cm higher, but it is about 30 cm wider in diameter of the upper part. Increased size made it possible to take any item from the Large without the necessity of taking out other things stored in it. The capacity of the Medium was estimated at 1.15 ft3, while of the Large - 2.40 ft3, which gives, respectively, about 33 and 68 liters. The two most outer pockets of the Large and the Medium are of the same size. However, those in the Large backpack have additional drawstrings. equipment