The information contained in these writings represents the opinions of the author. The author assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of the information contained herein
What if tonight you had to get up and walk out of your home for an undetermined period of time with only those items you carried in your hands and on your back?.
Before 9/11 it was unlikely, today it is quite probable.
This article is dedicated to: Jesus Christ who gave his life for me, My Father who taught me honor, My Mother who gave me life, All of my Children, My old S.F. Buddies, Americans All, and Survivors.
Why the Survival Rucksack? Ah, that is the question!
For one thing, it’s a really great place to keep all your gear so you can find it the next time you need it!
Mindset:
Your mission is to survive with your loved ones for whatever period of time necessary, with what you carry on your back and in your hands. Think of yourself as the tortoise, at home, totally self sufficient but all the while knowing you must be prepared to act as the Hare, able to scamper away quickly, with the tools needed for survival.
Below, you will find my ideas on what the best packs are for the money, how to rig them, and what to put in them for the purpose of survival.
My opinions are formed from 44 years of backpacking, both as a kid, and in the U.S. military with 26 years combined service as a Marine, an Army Special Forces soldier and a Combat Engineer Trainer in the Army National Guard. I hope there is something within these writings that you find useful. Mine is by far not the last word on this subject. I invite your comments, good, bad and ugly (hopefully not too ugly).
You know what they say about opinions. Some of you will agree with me, others will not. I do not claim to be an expert at anything, only a student. Experts worry me. I was once asked by an old S.F. Sergeant if there were any experts present. Naturally I eagerly raised both of my hands along with several other young troopers.
Wrong! The old Sergeant then proceeded to explain that there is no such thing as an expert, and we were incredibly foolish to assume we bore that title. We were students and hopefully would someday become good ones; a point he made very clear. The definition of an expert he said is: Ex: a has-been, Spurt: a drip under pressure! I never described myself as an expert again. “Experts” can get you killed.
Survival is the same way. With a positive attitude, a fair amount of knowledge, and a little luck; mixed in with a dash of humility and some good common sense, you have an excellent chance of coming out on top.Once upon a time an “expert” told me “Don’t waste your money on expensive survival equipment, you probably won’t need it anyway”–only moments before he broke the hollow pot metal handle off his Chinese made “Rambo Survival Knife. This was an unwise man. My experience has proven that you should always buy the best quality equipment you can afford. The low price paid for cheap equipment will quickly be forgotten when it fails at the time you need it most. Remember that cheap discount store rain poncho that ripped the first time you used it?
Note: The 3 Levels of survival as they pertain to the Survival Rucksack.
Think Modular.
Each level below allows you to survive, although with a diminishing level of certainty and comfort.
1. Rucksack with attached patrol pack and web gear.
2. Patrol pack and web gear
3. Web gear
For the sake of redundancy to make a point I may repeat my self occasionally, plus I am an old guy and sometimes I tend to forget what I have already said.
.
Commercial or Military surplus packs, a dilemma.
U.S. Military (surplus, but in new or excellent condition).
Civilian
Foreign Military
Civilian or Military equipment: Pros and Cons of each
Civilian, Pros: Usually more advanced
Usually very comfortable
Lighter than military
Cons: Usually not as rugged as military
Usually much more expensive
Fewer places to hang gear on outside of pack
Often times available only in bright colors (do you want to be seen)
Military, Pros: Much less expensive than civilian
Widely available
Very rugged
Subdued colors
More places to hang equipment on outside of pack
Generally more pockets for storing gear, easier to access more items of equipment
Some packs can be made quite comfortable with certain after market modifications
Cons: Often times not as comfortable as civilian packs
Usually heavier than civilian packs
Often not as well designed as civilian packs
For the money, I generally prefer the military pack over the civilian pack if it meets my criteria, but do not misunderstand, money is not the most important issue. If a military pack has the comfort and versatility or can be modified to that end to perform adequately, I will almost always go with the military over the civilian pack.
Some basic terms:
Rucksack: Same meaning as backpack.
Haversack: A small frameless pack like the ones used by the U.S.M.C and U. S. Army during WWII, Korea and the early days of Vietnam. Not recommended as a Survival Rucksack, but can be used in a “Daypack” role, attached to the Survival Rucksack.
Packboard: As used by our military from WWII, through Vietnam. As the name states, it is a contoured board, usually of plywood, painted OD to camouflage it and protect it from the elements.
Butt Pack: Just like the name says. You have seen the commercial ones, usually with a couple of water bottles attached whenever you have gone for a day hike.
Frameless pack: Essentially the same as a haversack, usually just bigger. I do not recommend these as your main Survival Rucksack or for carrying weights of over about 25 lbs.
External Frame Pack: Just as the name implies, it has the frame on the outside of the pack. I prefer the external frame pack as my Survival Rucksack of choice. They are usually more comfortable and the frame makes it easy to attach extra needed equipment. Additionally, the external frame holds the Rucksack away from your back, providing cooling to your body.
Internal Frame Pack: This pack has it’s frame on the inside of the pack, next to your back, usually in the form of aluminum stays that can be bent to fit the contour of your back. If you get this pack and the stays properly fitted to your back it can be a very comfortable pack to carry. One advantage of this kind of pack is that if fit properly it moves well with your body. A big down side to this pack not often considered is that it makes you sweat very badly where it contacts your entire back. This often accelerates overheating in hot weather and it can lead to serious chilling in cold weather when you take the pack off. Even during winter weather, your back will get wet with this pack
Patrol Pack: Usually a small frameless daypack that clips onto your main rucksack and detaches for patrolling or getaway purposes. It usually carries enough food and gear for 1 – 3 days.
U.S. Packs I have used during my military career:
WWII Marine Corps Haversack:
An abomination then and now. Told we could carry up to 45 lbs it felt like 75. Very uncomfortable, the only advantage to this pack was that you could run well with it. It really tore up your shoulders and under your arms. Not recommended except as a patrol pack.
WWII Army Haversack:
A couple notches up from the Marine Corps pack. It had better padding but that is about all. Not recommended, except as a patrol pack to be used in conjunction with your main Ruck Sack.
WWII Army Packboard:
I carried up to 110 pounds on this packboard daily. I attached two Jungle Rucksack bags, one
above the other. This was a pretty good system for the day, but it lacked properly padded shoulder
straps and a good padded waist belt. This system carried a lot of gear if you were up to the task
but was a terrifying contraption to jump out of an airplane with ——-but that’s another story.
WWII Army Bergens Pack:
This was a knockoff of the Swiss alpine Rucksack and was used by U.S. Special Forces during the 50s and into the 60s. It had three outside pockets and one large main compartment. This also was a pretty good pack for the day, but it too lacked well padded shoulder straps, a good waist belt and it did not have ample attachment points to hang extra gear.
Jungle Ruck Sack, circa 1960s:
This was for it’s day, the most poorly designed, uncomfortable piece of junk the U.S. Military ever palmed off on the American G.I. A rather small nylon main bag with two outside pockets, it fit poorly, bounced up and down like a jack hammer when you ran, and carried all it’s weight on your shoulders. After about 35 lbs, it became extremely uncomfortable. A code of honor in Special Forces stated that you never donned a rucksack that weighed less than 70 lbs. That amount of weight compared to today’s standards with modern equipment was equal to at least 120 lbs. There are still some of them floating around out there. Stay away from this one unless you have a Chiropractor in the family.
ALICE Pack:
One of my all time favorites. The ALICE often gets a bad rap, but I have some ideas on how to
make it into a first rate Survival Pack. There are two sizes of ALICE Pack. There is the Large
ALICE, and there is the Medium ALICE. Where is the Small ALICE you ask? I don’t know. In
fact I have never met anyone who has ever seen one. There are civilian knockoff’s (mostly
imports) that are called Small ALICEs, but I have never seen a U.S. issue Small ALICE pack. Very interesting.
CFP 90 Internal Frame Rucksack:
Not a bad pack, I guess, but if you don’t get the fit just right, it can be pretty tough on your back.
This pack was designed as the Special Ops pack for the Army about 15 years ago. It was
designed by a good civilian pack manufacturer, but by the time the Army got done messing
around with it, they had pretty well ruined it. A big pack with internal aluminum stays, it comes
with a detachable patrol pack. It’s not great, but it’s okay if fitted properly.
MOLLE:
This is the new “Hoo-Yah” do everything for everybody modular rucksack that the
U.S. Military invested over $20,000,000 into developing at last count; and still don’t have it right.
Soldiers often complain of it not fitting right and hurting their backs. Most of the old timers who
know what they are doing still won’t give up their beloved ALICE Packs for this one. This
system is highly overrated and very pricey. If you can find a complete system for less than $500,
you should consider yourself as having found a bargain. An overpriced bargain that really looks
cool and often hurts your back , but a bargain just the same.
Italian Army Mountain Rucksack:
Current issue in woodland Camouflage with detachable patrol pack. I have found a few foreign
military packs I like, but not many. For one thing, most I have tried are not very comfortable.
This is an excellent pack that is comfortable and will carry a huge load. The only thing it is
seriously missing is a sternum strap, which is easy to fabricate or buy at a backpacking store. This
pack sports a very interesting external – polycarbonate half frame that works very nicely. These
packs usually run from $129 – $159 in new condition. It’s probably the best foreign rucksack I
have ever used; a real winner. I have several brand new in the wrapper that I will sell for $135
each (sorry for the commercialism). In case you are wondering why I have so many of these
things it is because I wanted a sample to test and I refuse to pay retail so I bought several of them
and saved a bunch of money (?). Things to consider when buying a Survival Rucksack:Comfort
Load bearing capability (how much weight does it (you) have to carry)
Cost
Color
Ruggedness
Versatility
Before we go further, let’s discuss the Rule of 3 (or 4 depending on who’s talking)
You can live:
About three minutes without air
About three hours without shelter (in an extreme cold climate)
About three days without water
About three weeks without food
Allow me to digress a moment. I would also like to add security. Without security, you may live only about 3 seconds.
So, what are the priorities?
1. Security – first and foremost, always, immediately secure you area!
2. Air – probably not an issue here unless someone is choking you.
3. Shelter, probably not as critical an issue, unless it is snowing or worse yet, you are in a freezing rain
4. Water next to security will likely be your most urgent concern.
5. Food, although listed last, be sure you have plenty in your pack.
Remember, #1or #3 are no more important than #4 or #5. All are equally important; you can not live without each one of them. I have only prioritized them in the order death normally occurs without them.
(To be continued, tomorrow.) – FDG
e-mail: Freezedryguy@lanset.com, Copyright 2003.