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French F1/F2 rucksacks on fleabay

T

teef

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if anyone is into it there is a guy selling these French rucksacks on fleabay at a pretty fair price:

french-f1-rucksack-pic-smaller.png

french-f1-rucksack-side-pic-smaller.png


i got a Supergrade (delivered) for £23 though it seems there might only be Grade1 and Grade 2 left.

these are the "specs" he gives on them:
  • Rubberised canvas, water resistant.
  • Good size main compartment with storm flap and buckle fastening.
  • 1 inner pouch.
  • Outer front pouch with buckle closing.
  • 2 side compartments with buckle fastening.
  • Back canvas pocket with velcro fastening.
  • Strong padded shoulder straps.
  • Bottom straps for carrying extra items.
Click to expand...

they are said to be 20/25L bags but my guess is that might be a bit on the conservative side.
in any case they're pretty decent little rucksacks with nice compartments and good rigging, ideal for "off season" days out because of the extensive rubberization which i must say is in remarkably good nick for a bag that is likely about 50 years old.

afaik these are technically the F2 packs -- because they have the side pockets -- but he's got them listed as F1.
the F1s don't have the side pockets, afaik.

one caveat, if you really do want the F2 -- and you should, it's better :) -- then i'd say so in your message to the seller. specify that it must have the side pockets. when i first purchased they sent me an F1 but were happy to correct that and get me what i'd seen and ordered (the F2).
 
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I have something similar? The Belgian rubberised pack? Maybe more lightweight, but similar....

forcesuniformandkit.co.uk

Belgian 30 Litre Waterproof Cordura Rucksack - Grade 1

Waterproof Cordura fabric rucksack from the Belgian military. Designed with an array of straps and pockets these bags make fantastic choices for hikers and adventurists. Its compact, waterproof design will help you keep your equipment protected in some of the worst conditions. Features: Grade 1...
forcesuniformandkit.co.uk forcesuniformandkit.co.uk

My how things change, mine is as new, was unissued and was £7......... from I can't remember!!

(the Belgian thing is nothing like 30 litres...is about 1/2 LK35 size.....)
 
quite right Lol, looks similar in many ways. looks like the main difference is that the Belgian one is rather boxy and rectangular whereas the French one is much more of a couple-pizza-boxes-on-your-back idea. for me the one thing i quite like about the French pack is the side pockets: nicely tall and narrow, fits my folding saw and blade of choice on the one side and a tall stainless water bottle on the other. just the way i like to organize things but it does require the tall side pockets.

fwiw there is a Swiss pack that seems quite similar:

swiss-m90-rucksack.png


great piece of kit and seriously rubberised. sadly overly wee side pockets but there you go.

to really bore the stuffing out of you there is an Austrian pack that is sort of a bloated version of the Belgian one you've pictured, and i hate it. roughly LK35-sized but way too boxy and floppy to be used without a frame, imho. it's basically a medium ALICE pack in a thin nylon material if you want to cut to the chase.

austrian-rucksack.png
 
Won't bore me!!! That Swiss one, I quite liked, but felt I couldn't justify it over the Belgian one, which I couldn't justify either. I think the Swiss one is better though?
Better straps and pockets on the French one over the Belgian one??? :thumbsup:
 
lol said:
Better straps and pockets on the French one over the Belgian one??? :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
i wish i could say one way or the other but i'm afraid i've never seen the Belgian pack in the flesh.

i can say that the French pack is very well designed and put together, with the slight quibble that the straps are old-school woven cotton instead of the generally more durable synthetics used on, for instance, the Swiss and Austrian bags. i have 3 of these French bags now -- don't ask! -- and generally speaking the straps do show the wear and tear. when it gets bad i'm sorry to say those straps can look REALLY tatty.

as to the pockets on the French pack i'd have to say they are pretty much ideal, at least for my purposes. they measure 7cm x 14cm x 34cm (D x W x H) which makes them about 3.3L. for me the usually generous depth is a godsend because i like to carry a largish saw for wood scavenging -- 30cm blade plus a fixed handle -- and it drops in quite nicely. i'm designing a DIY bucksaw specifically to fit those pockets. there are very few other packs i've seen that can manage that in a fixed side pocket.

the other thing worth mentioning is that the French pack comes with fixed straps in place for carrying a bedroll or whatever underneath the main pack compartment., plus the necessary buckles to do the same on top of the pack. given that the main compartment is only about 20L (stuffed) that's a convenience that is well worth having on this pack.
 
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teef said:
as to the pockets on the French pack i'd have to say they are pretty much ideal, at least for my purposes. they measure 7cm x 14cm x 30cm (D x W x H) which makes them about 3.3L. for me the UN-usually generous depth is a godsend because i like to carry a largish saw for wood scavenging -- 30cm blade plus a fixed handle -- and it drops in quite nicely. i'm designing a DIY bucksaw specifically to fit those pockets. there are very few other packs i've seen that can manage that in a fixed side pocket.
Click to expand...
a couple minor (ish) corrections to that earlier post: in particular, the side pockets are 30cm deep (not 34cm). It's the pack itself (main compartment) that is 34cm deep.
 
I'll sue then when mine arrives.........certainly looking at images on the Varusteleka website, it looks loads better than the smaller Belgian pack. I'll know when mine arrives.........don't tell anyone......;)
 
I'm staying true to my Swiss engineers pack. It's much heavier than either of those. Tough as old boots, rigid with about a 30ish litre bucket design.
What I would like is the green rubberised bread bag that fits the top of it but it seems like they all got shipped to the USA and turned into handbags. 😕
 
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Ystranc said:
I'm staying true to my Swiss engineers pack. It's much heavier than either of those. Tough as old boots ...
Click to expand...
that Swiss Engineer's bag does look a beauty! i'd love to add one to my "collection" but they are scare as hell, and when they do turn up they are ridiculously expensive.
 
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I got mine by chance, ridiculously cheap. Truthfully at the time I didn't even know what it was...it just looked like quality (and smelled like socks)
 
lucky bugger! fwiw the best price i've seen on those in half decent shape is about £100, and those often have missing shoulder straps. complete and in good shape they often go £150 or so.
 
teef said:
lucky bugger! fwiw the best price i've seen on those in half decent shape is about £100, and those often have missing shoulder straps. complete and in good shape they often go £150 or so.
Click to expand...
It was up for sale on this forum for yonks.. 😕
 
teef said:
a couple minor (ish) corrections to that earlier post: in particular, the side pockets are 30cm deep (not 34cm). It's the pack itself (main compartment) that is 34cm deep.
Click to expand...
Mine has just arrived, and the thing is a cracker (same vendor as teef)........really thoughtful design for a day pack, save the impossible-to-use-when-worn shoulder strap adjusters.
Better all round, and bigger (and more expensive, but ok) than the Belgian daysack........
Good call, teef, thanks. Will see use on day walks and in the canoe......
 
lol said:
Mine has just arrived, and the thing is a cracker (same vendor as teef)........really thoughtful design for a day pack, save the impossible-to-use-when-worn shoulder strap adjusters.
Better all round, and bigger (and more expensive, but ok) than the Belgian daysack........
Good call, teef, thanks. Will see use on day walks and in the canoe......
Click to expand...
Back to back with the Belgian pack........the MAIN sack is not really much bigger...but the pockets are much better/bigger, as is the material :thumbsup:
 
lol, did you receive one with the old school metal buckles or the newer Fastex buckles?
the one i received is the old school style, fiddly but functional.
i have a severely clapped-out one of these from a previous flea-bay transaction that has the Fastex buckles, thinking of moving them over to the "new" pack. project #874. :rolleyes:
 
Hiya...yes, sadly? it was an older one, metal fiddly buckles. I have to say, for a Grade 1 (vendors mid grade) it is in very good nick.
All these surplus things have idiosyncrasies, on this bag for example, why put TWO buckles on the side pockets (narrow) and ONE on the back pocket (wide)?🤔
Its only really the shoulder strap (non) adjusters I might look at: if I can do a non sewing mod!!

I would definitely see if the Fastexs could be moved, :thumbsup:
 
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