I'm thinking of getting a US Army rucksack. Does anyone know anything about his bags?

Are you talking amout military issue backpacks?

yes

well then...in that case I would say DON'T GET IT! They are OK at best and not all that good for traveling. They are a bit out dated and you would be better off looking at companies like Marmot, Dana Design, etc.

I'm not talking about the old ones. I'm talking about the ones that are being issued now. They were recently changed.

even the new ones are not as good as ones on the market made for backpacking. Do you have a link to the one you are looking at?

I assume you're talking about the MOLLE packs that replaced the traditional ALICE pack. They've evolved some and are leaps and bounds better than the ALICE, but still not as good for extensive backpacking as a proper backpacking backpack. Army packs are built for durability at a low cost, not necessarily for comfort. Think of how long it took for the armed forces to upgrade the standard combat boot to something with a decent sole ;)

Remember too mate that army packs are made to carry a couple of uniforms, a sleeping bag, a bit of food and a hell of a lot of water and ammunition. In short they are crap for backpacking as they are not comfortable to wear at all,carry bugger all clothes and with all the attachments that go onto the pack make it hell for plane trips.

Yeah fellas, you are all right. I borrowed one from a friends yesterday to try it out and it sucked. I'm going to go get a North Face Terra 40. Does anyone have experience with this one?

For those that think about investing in the MOLLE packs... they were scrapped by the Army years ago, because they didn't hold up... The frame packs that are mostly used by the military are durable, but they're not comfortable, or all that useful.

Most of us military that are doing any sort of packing all have civilian packs (that happen to come in military colors) - there are fewer choices and they tend to be uber expensive, though....

I wouldn't recommend much in the way of military gear - there is quite a bit of better civilian stuff, and the military takes forever to adopt new gear.

I agree. I went to some surplus stores and didn't see anything that I would want to backpack with. I would go with Dana Design or Eagle Creek packs. I used an Eagle Creek this past summer and KCL Swears by Dana (and that is what I am going to buy really soon for my next trip).

Good luck!

Foo

:cheers:

I just got discharged from the army less than a year ago, and as of a couple months the army and marines were still using molle. It the new molle2, but still molle. Only basic trainees use alice. But, civilian backbacks are still far superior. BTW, to get a full set of MOLLE 2, not just the main pack, it can run you near 1000 USD.

Stick with civilian style. For long periods of time wearing a ruck, you'll get a raw spot on the back of your neck and it's not that great for your back, unless you are familiar with the tricks of packing it. They can be cumbersome on trips, scrape stuff with the metal frame, won't hold as much stuff as you would think, and most of them smell distinctly like an Army Supply Depot... or a surplus store.

Not to mention... nothing says goofy like someone carrying an ALICE or MOLLE pack.

Save your back, shoulders, and dignity... get a good civilian pack.