Hi,Ive just registered so am a newbie here.I am thinking of buying a large Alice pack from the US and having it shipped across the pond.Are they any good?Do you have any other alternatives?I will be using it to carry all my emergency bug out kit that I have collected over the years.Many thanks in advance!!
Britboy

Why alice pack? I used to hump one on my back for a long time until I bought one of the internal frame climbing packs and I never looked back...

Matt

i have no experians with those packs, but i can tell you that you can properbly get a beter pack for the same price. Alice packs are very old indesign and i have heard that many people ditch there's and bought a diffrend pack. Personally i think a large Alice pack is WAY too big. A BOB ( bug out bag ) should be kept small and light, so it will be there wenn you need it and won't wear you down. Remeber a BOB is there to save your life, not for a luxury camping trip. I would suggest to pack all you equipment in a daypack.

If you want sturdy millitary spec packs in daypack format looks at manufature's as Snugpak ( rocketpak or sleeka ), karrimore ( there sabre range ), berghaus ( munro ), etc. I personally own the karrimor sabre 45.

if you still want a bigger pack millitairy spec pack, look at the berghaus vulcan, the bigger karrimor sabre's, PLCE, etc. There are plenty of good european manufacture's that make excellent packpacks and still being cheaper than the Amerikan counterparts ( import taxes and shipping costs, etc ).

Ofcorse civilian packs are good too, what i would suggest before ordering any backpack is to try it first, a well fitting packpack is very importent, you will be sorry if you get the wrong fitting packpack, you will start to feel it quite quickly, especially wenn hauling heavy things with them. So go out and try all many packpacks out first, before buying one.

btw, if you really want a Alice pack i suggest you to go to your local suplus store first. I have seen them in almost every suplus store i have visited.

You can get a lot better pack than an ALICE. The MOD issue new backpack is better than an ALICE and there are several others as well . I wouldn't totally discount buying a civie pack either. Try SASS, Silvermans, BCB. If you have trouble, PM me and I'll track down the webb sites for you.

ALICE packs are tough, and not all that expensive. That said, I would rather carry my gear in a duffle bag that carry an ALICE again. And the large is WAAYYY too big for what you want. If you just gotta have an ALICE stick with the medium...

www.bushcraftuk.net

hey britboy :WELCOME to the forum....on the subject of the alice packs like some of the folks that have already answered i to was a former infantryman and have humped both the med.and large many a mile...the packs are hardwearing and easy to repair and modify...and depending on where you shop they should be cheap at least for the med.size with shoulder straps used excellent cond....they tend to be abit more for a largeruck and frame...remember to carry the large ruck you NEED to use the frame.....if you have your heart set on a alice pack make sure it's gov't issue ie..U.S. made there are alot of far east copys around be aware...having said that yes i stil use a large alice pack and some times a med.size to ....it depends on the weather and what i plan to do... i also own a berghaus vulcan and munro both are outstanding british made packs......what ever you get allways buy quality kit... alot of folks do'nt like military o.d. gear for one reason or another if your not that kind of person go for what you know <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />.....vince g. 11b inf...

Now we know how many former grunts there are on the forum !! But seriously, there are a whole bunch of better packs/rucksacks out there than the ALICE. Things have improved and I would not even consider the ALICE at this point for my use.

I would investigate a quality internal frame or even frameless backpack from Gregory, Kelty, or the like. I don't know what brands are populous over the ocean, but I'm sure both of those would be available.

I think that in the case of a major societal breakdown, one may not want to have what appears to be "military" looking gear. I have heard of people's O.D. green canteens and BDUs being confiscated in Africa as well as South America after some moderate harrassment. I would think this kind of event to be a small chance, but...

Also, the others here are right. An ALICE pack is heavy, uncomfortable, and outdated.

I've got a medium alice and a small (Brigade Quartermaster), love 'em both. I'm sure others will answer that they're the worst thing in the world. The old tried and true ALICE is like that... you either love her or hate her.

Blimey,what an excellent response! I will def have to review the amount of kit i have and then decide what rucksack to get.I will be visiting a few outdoor shops this weekend to have a good look at Karrimor/Berghaus etc.Once again thank you all for your kind and helpful advice.
Cheers
Britboy

Hi Britboy

Welcome to the Forum.

A lot of good advise here already. As to the pack my brother-in-law is ex Army Staffordshire Regiment, all his kit now is Berghaus. Swears by it or is that he swears at it <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />.
I don't camp or hike as much as I used too but when I did the old adage runs true " Buy the best you can afford" quality lasts, my pack is LOWE and is a med to large, additional pockets give volume and versatility. I've had it 10 years now and it's still going strong.
Not sure which corner of the UK your from but I shopped around the four in my town and tried them all, go with what feels right when it's on (and loaded if you can). Nothing worse than hiking with gear that rubs and pokes in you, takes the fun out it.

Sunny Colchester is where I'm from so I know all about Squaddies(Paras being based here).There are several shops here(Millets,Blacks etc) plus the usual small ex army surplus shops.Hoping to have a good look around and hopefully spend some hard earned cash!!
Cheers
Britboy

First off, I have never hauled out any game animals, whole or quartered on my back heavier than a ring-necked pheasant and that was in a shooting vest game bag.

Secondly, I have never had to haul radio equipment, crates of food, crates of ammo, or anything of that nature as a matter of necessity on my back.

Thirdly, I have never had to drag anything or anyone in a roughly made sled out in the back country as a matter of necessity.

With an external frame pack, all the above are possible. The frame could be a solid base for addition of native material to make a decent hauling sled.

I own a humongous Wegner (Total cubic inches unknown.) with 6 side pockets and an aluminum ladder style with turnbuckle cross tensioned external frame. I have a medium sized Hillary with 4 external pockets and an aluminum ladder style external frame. A boy scout small frame backpack (Which I will be selling soon or give to my nephews if any of them show a proclivity for the outdoors.) with ? external pockets and an aluminum external frame. An alice medium backpack with 3 external pockets, hydration bladder pocket, and an L1 steel external frame which I will be buying an equipment lip for.

I know from having been on this forum that most of you go on trips and do things that I would have been physically challanged to do even in my youth when both my knees worked well. I understand the preference for internally framed back-hugging packs that usually do better for balancing when you climb or hike meandering paths. I do not dispute those advantages and for the most part your selections make good sense.

What I like about external framed packs is the OPTION they offer for everything I mentioned at the beginnig of this post. Some have written in the past that your own legs will be your last available mode of transportation and wheels for lugging what you take along would make sense. With an external framed backpack, you can even jury rig an axle to the frame to support wheels.

One more thing, I like being able to hang the packs on a tree limb without having them sag, and to put the pack on wet ground where the frame keeps the pack from touching ground.

I do have a Jansport (Rucksack, Bookbag?) for in town use.

Bountyhunter

I carried a medium alice pack for eight years in the Corps. I'd say that trying to carry anything extrodinarily heavy, bulky, or of a wierd size, then its a great pack frame. As a pack, it is one of the worst choices. With the large pack the weight sticks out three feet from your back giving thus putting you off balance. Why they didn't make it long and flat like conventional packs is beyond me. I've thought of using my frame to carry 5 gallon cans.

I currently carry a CFP 90 that I have heavily modified. With its internal frame and balistic nylon it weighs in at a mere two pounds and its designed to hug your center of gravity. Plus it carries twice as much gear as the Alice Pack.