Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/929822
FS34084 Carrier, Entrechning Tool (up to 1990's) FS34087 Carrier, Entrechning Tool (since 1999) The overall design of e-tool carrier remained the same and the only thing changed over the time was color. Initially, the carriers were FS34084 color. In MIL-C-43831B published on 26 February 1988 it was changed to FS34087, yet the production of cases was ceased after DLA100-91-F-EC65 contract awarded 8 March 1991. The pro- duction was resumed on 22 July 1999 (SPO100-99-D-EC47) and the color was changed again, this time to FS34088. The last carriers were delivered on 2 September 2008 (SPM1C1-07-D-F026). In prac- tice, the color of the carrier depended on the batch. There could be various shades of one color from the MIL-SPEC. Carriers from late 1980's are usually in a color similar to Olive Green. The 2000's runs are darker and their color is similar to the classic Olive Drab. The LC-1 marking was never changed. E-tool carriers are the only element of ALICE, which is not stamped with US letters and does have any stamp with item description. Inside the flap, there is usually a circle with the manufacturer's stamp and the year. The e-tool carrier was so good that several NATO countries produced its local copies. Parts in Woodland Camouflage and plain Tan/Sand From time to time, there are speculations that ALICE was not only produced in OG106 and CG483 colors. Collectors are looking for less common, sometimes unusual and experimental parts of ALICE. Some of the speculations refers to the specification of materials used and the manner in which the color of the items changed due to expo- sure to sun. Some elements simply become brighter, other change their color to brown, while some discolor to pink and violet or even gold. It leads sometimes to a confusion whether a particular item was originally, e.g. in Sand. What is more, the pictures of soldiers sometimes show non-issued elements produced in different colors. During "Desert Storm", GEN Schwarzkopf used, for instance, a black canteen cover. As a matter of fact, in the 1970's and the 1980's, US companies also produced ALICE for Saudi Arabia in solid Sand color. All those parts were awarded Defense Logistics Agency contracts, but they were never used by the US Armed Forces. Moreover, they were always marked with black SAA stamp. The only issued nylon element of USGI equipment manufactured in sand color was the 2qt water bladder cover produced since 1982, but it was never a part of ALICE. Any information on production of ALICE parts in Woodland camouflage, except for Medium Field Packs, is also false. At the end of the 1980's, the S&S Garment company produced Woodland camouflage canteen covers for the retail market. They were made from the very same nylon cloth used at that time in Medium Packs. The fake was just per- fect because S&S Garment was US gov contractor in the very same time and even stamps on the covers were almost accurate. In famous "US Army Combat Equipment 1910–88" book by Gordon L. Rottman and Ronald Volstad published by Osprey Publishing, the author includ- ed drawing of IIFS equipment with Woodland camouflage canteen cov- er. And that's the way a myth about trial Woodland canteen covers for IIFS (but never introduced) was born. Many years after the pub- lication, on Internet forums, it was possible to find information that the author simply made that up and based the assumptions only on a well-prepared fake. Whenever we find such an unusual item, we should bear in mind that it is probably a commercial product and that in the 1980's, there were many US companies that had on-site productions of perfect equipment, made of the same materials that were used for the issue products. Apart from contract production, a lot of non-NIB manufac- turers also dealt with non-issue production. One may also hear opin- ions that back in the 1980's there were not too many contractors that would refuse deals with surplus stores equipment