seeking a basic MOLLE bucket, 40-60 litres

[Woodlander]

Have you considered the LK35 or 75? Add a load of molle straps and that could cover all your needs?

 

[teef]

funny you should ask. the LK35 was the first real bit of bushcraft kit i acquired. i still use the frame on a regular basis. in fact it's the frame i use to carry the Czech M85 rucksack i showed photos of in post #5 (this thread).

i still have the LK35 bag around the shop somewhere. when i started this thread i had considered the DIY MOLLE webbing idea and it was a toss-up between doing it with the LK35 bag or the M85. at the time i thought the M85 was possibly the better choice because a) i have several of them so if i botched one up it wouldn't be a tragedy and b) because i somewhat prefer the profile of the M85 which sits considerably closer to one's back although it certainly is wider than the LK35 bag.

at this point i have to admit that i've stalled out on the whole project. time-wise it would be smarter to simply buy one of the bags mentioned here that comes pre-loaded with MOLLE. i've done a bit of diy MOLLE by hand and it is a pretty time-consuming. not necessarily a bad thing but obviously it is a commitment.

 

[teef]

An option that may crop up is the British army assault pack ...

@38thfoot , thanks again for this recommendation. i stumbled across a Russian review of the 60mm Ammunition bag on u-tube and soon realized that there is a lot more to this than your average bergen.

as it happens some of it's features -- like the waterproof zip at the top back (see below) to have quick access to the mortar rack inside, and the mortar rack's adjustability -- would be very useful to me. the gods of surplus supply permitting i think there is one of these in my future.

 

[1 shot willie]

Just to throw another idea in the pot @teef

Bought one of these a little while back....and very happy with it so far.
Comes with the pouches attached.....versatile pack....and a descent size and price.

 

[teef]

looks like a nice pack, hadn't realized how large it was.
can i ask what you shelled out for it? i was under the impression that the Snugpak kit was a bit dear.

 

[1 shot willie]

Hi Teef.

Paid about £85 after shopping around

 

[1 shot willie]

Here you go mate.

SnugPak RocketPak 70L Rucksack

A serious rucksack for serious hikers, trekkers and military personnel. Designed primarily for versatility, this rucksack offers three size options: a full 70 litre capacity version; a 40 litre option created by removing the two 15 litre rocket pouches, leaving the 40 litre central compartment...

www.thebathbushcraftshop.com

 

[teef]

fwiw i ended up going for one of those British 60mm Ammunition bags:

i decided on this because:

• i like surplus stuff: tough as nails, excellent value and little/no naff bits.
• i found one at a good price (i think it may have even been the same ebayer mentioned above) so even with buying the side pouches elsewhere it still ends up being cheaper than the alternatives we've been kicking around.
• i particularly like some of the features of this particular bag (eg, top access zip to mortar rack -- good for bush tools! ).

mine's a little grubbier than the one pictured above but same bag.
it's certainly not the lightest bush bucket i've ever bought but given the intended use of it -- mostly harvesting and hauling wood -- the extra 1/2 kilo or so isn't going to be significant in the long run.

many thanks to all for your input on this one. i've discovered and looked at some options i never would have known about if it wasn't for your assistance. and of course i never would have dreamt that a "mortar bag" would be something i would have ended up with. thank you all.

 

[1 shot willie]

Nice pack Teef

 

[teef]

ok, well, i finally took a first kick at what was my original goal: mid-sized bag with large side pockets (MOLLE or otherwise) and MOLLE webbing elsewhere mounted on an external frame, in my case the LK35 frame:

not the final configuration i'm aiming for -- there'll be a second small bag on that MOLLE webbing -- and i'll try my hand at dyeing to take the edge off that Desert DPM of the main bag, but you get the idea: Franken-bag on a rack.

 

[1 shot willie]

Not knocking you kit mate....but that wide all-around waist strap may cause you problems in the end

 

[teef]

Not knocking you kit mate....but that wide all-around waist strap may cause you problems in the end

how so? honestly, i'm keen to hear your thoughts on that. never occurred to me that there might be something amiss there.
i've got other waist belts on hand so it's no problem to swap the current one out if needs be.

 

[1 shot willie]

Actually I may have jumped the gun a bit Teef.
Depends on where the pack sits on you.

I wind my neck in

 

[teef]

Actually I may have jumped the gun a bit Teef.
Depends on where the pack sits on you.

I wind my neck in

ah, i think i get your point. i certainly did have to jig the belt mount up/down a bit before it was sitting more comfortably.
i found that the whole frame was sitting about 2.5 inches too low so all the rigging -- waist belt and shoulder straps -- have been shifted down to have the frame ride higher up. so far seems much better but i need to get a proper load in and put on a few miles before i'll know if i've found a sweet spot.
still totally open to advice on this though, i'm just learning by trial and error.

 

[1 shot willie]

Sounds like you have it covered mate... The first 200 yds will tell you

 

[38thfoot]

Out of interest did you try it with the fitted back systems? I’ve used mine with easily 20-25kg and found it one of the more comfortable military packs I’ve worn including both internal and external framed systems.

38

 

[teef]

Out of interest did you try it with the fitted back systems?

indeed i did. under load -- salvaged Larch, about 20kg -- i found it to be one of the best "frameless" packs i've used. the shoulder straps are excellent, some of the best i've seen. however, i am pretty much in love with the whole external frame experience so that's the primary reason why I pressed on with the conversion.

but, it later dawned on me that maybe i could have it both ways. as you know the pack can be separated into two parts: the back part with the rigging and the lid, and the front part with the main body of the bag including side pockets, etc. so if i had a second back part (unaltered) i could freely shift the front part from that to the external frame thing i rigged up.

i've found that once i've got the main body of the pack -- any pack really -- set up with the side pockets etc i don't change it much over time, i keep coming back to the same configuration. so maybe the convertible thing might be worthwhile. or an interesting faff if nothing else.

so anyway, i'm looking to pick up one of the Bowman Radio Packs which (as i understand it) is basically the same design just that the guts of the back part are rigged for carrying radio gear instead of the mortars. hopefully i've got that right.

 

[38thfoot]

Pretty much; It’s the earlier version so the lid is buckle closed rather than zipped etc.

38

 

[teef]

fwiw there's a half decent 'tuber video of the Bowman Radio Carrier pack we've been discussing:

 

[teef]

thought i might update this a bit based on stuff i've acquired and tried over the last few months.

the British Bowman and Mortar bags previously discussed turned out fairly well: good, solid kit that can be had for excellent prices. big advantages of these bags is the superb shoulder straps and hip belt they come with, and the fact that they accept the British bergen rocket pockets. slight downside (for me at least) was the fact that they have somewhat limited PALS/MOLLE panels. otherwise very nice gear.

next was a British Field Pack (when it comes in Desert DPM). same size and construction as the Bowman and Mortar packs __without__ the separate compartment for carrying those specialized loads. also comes __without__ a hip/waist belt or the means to attach one (without some inventive bodging). guessing around a kilo lighter than the Bowman/Mortar bag when empty. big bonus (for me) is a full PALS/MOLLE panels on the face and 1/2 panels on the sides, and the fact that as with the Bowman/Mortar the rocket pockets are fully usable. damn good bag IMO and it's quickly become one of my favourites. fwiw this bag is called Infantry Pack when it comes in MTP, otherwise it is exactly the same as the Field Pack.

finally i manged to get my hands on a US surplus bag, the MOLLE 2 Rucksack. it's a large external frame pack, far beyond the basic 40-60L range that kicked this all off but i have to say, i love this rucksack! mine came in the usual American ACU camo which is hideous and ended up in the dye bath at the earliest opportunity. the dye job was not an unqualified success -- mine is now what might be kindly referred to as "eggplant camo" -- but i don't particularly care.

the shoulder straps and waist belt on the MOLLE 2 are justifiably famous and are often bodged on to an ALICE frame to make the "Wildcat ALICE". the bag itself is very well made, has a strong zipped divider between the main bag and the bottom sleep compartment which is accessible from the outside via a cresent-shaped zipper. 1/2 panel PALS/MOLLE on the face and sides are totally servicable and there are 7 compression straps scattered across the bag in useful places. overall the thing is very comfortable -- it __is__ adjustable enough to accommodate a 1/2 stack gentleman like myself -- and is rated to carry 100 kilos if you wanted to punish yourself in that particular way. the only built-in pocket is a large meshed map pocket on the underside of the large lid flap.

all in all the MOLLE 2 is easily my favourite pack these days. i've added my preferred MOLLE pouches and have been carrying around a 20-ish kilo load -- plus the 4-ish kilos of the rucksack itself -- and am repeatedly surprised how comfortable the whole business is. it's not perfect of course -- it is NOT a small bag, it rides wide and low, and would not be a great choice for serious bushwacking -- but for me, for now, it's as close as i've come.

and no, that ain't me modelling the pack.