How to pack a rucksack

[Centurian1985]

TCBF: true, that is what they teach, but that depends on the weight. In the case of winter warfare ops, yes you would want the weight lower for balance, but most ruck marches are in black cadillacs.  If the center of balance for the back is too low, each step causes the weight of the ruck to bounce up and fall back down in the center of the lower back.  The belly band helps reduce the effect but this still causes back pain after a long distance.  When carrying a heavy load (i.e. carrying extra mortar rounds, radios, pieces of mortar, on top of your full allotment of gear as per the 'kit-packing' cards), the idea is to get the weight above the lower back area (a concept used by indigineous peoples worldwide, i.e. the ruck-headband used by the Yukon-based Tlingits shifts the weight upwards from the lower back, allowing for carrying heavier weights for longer distances). 

The reason our ruck is not designed this way is so that when you go to ground while wearing a helmet and ruck you can still look up and around, which is very difficult if the carrying bag were on top of the ruck.

 

[William Webb Ellis]

One word...TIGHT.

I don't think it matter the type of ruck you use, '82 or '64 (it's personal preference) but make sure you pack it tight. If the ruck, or things in the ruck, or the valise are bouncing or moving around, it is harder to carry.

I agree with 1985, I think it is better to have the weight ride high. I have always found, during both during military and civie "walks", that it is easier for me. 

As with anything else, nothing beats experience.........to quote one of my daughter's favourite books "Try...Try...Try again".

 

[UberCree]

'82 or '64 (it's personal preference)

Someone actually prefers the 82 ruck? 

Lots of good advice here.  I hope the original poster heeds it.

 

[William Webb Ellis]

Someone actually prefers the 82 ruck?   

Lots of good advice here.  I hope the original poster heeds it.

Hard to believe, but someone, actually prefers the Liberals......(not me)

 

[fourninerzero]

When I go out, here is what I bring. this is for your average weekend where it does not get below -10 or so.

In valice

bivy bag
sleeping bag outer
2x ranger blanket (replaces inner, weighs much less)
hooch kit
extra pair of socks
t-shirt
combat jacket

In ruck

poly pro upper and lowers
fleece jacket
extra combats
3x socks
tshirt
2x underwear

In small pack pockets attached to ruck (they work with a 62 pattern with a bit of imagination)

MSR stove and bottle,
canteen cup
Brew kit
stealth suit
toque
gortex gloves
shemagh

 

[Centurian1985]

(deleted)

 

[fourninerzero]

the OD and black arab style scarf? you bet. I enjoy it, I find the issued waffle scarf too long and found it had a tendency to get unwound and unwrapped and get in the way.

EDIT: I had thought the keffiyah was red and white, and the shemagh is a subdued color version used first by the SAS in the desert, and then it spread to pretty much everyone else. I could be wrong though.

 

[Grunt]

I throw in weight plates in the ruck when I do ruck marches for PT, but in the field try go as light as possible (this doesnt mean throwing out essentials like a weaps cleaning kit tho).

I used to pack lots of snivel kit when I first got in, but being the Platoon's C6 #2 got my priorities straight

I may carry a spare set of combats for a long ex.

Ditch the spare boots in the ruck and get a good pair of Black Jungle boots, lighter and dry out on your feet faster, if its raining use your goretex socks.

Ditch the heavy combat jacket for a stealth suit, this is a major weight and space saver and will help you carry more ammo.

No underwear, go Commando, its cooler and more hygenic then wearing the same pair of underwear over and over again.

Ditch the issued ground sheet and buy the USGI issue Poncho for 30 bucks, less weight and doubles as a hoochie and sleeping bag in warm weather when coupled with the liner.

Pack lots of socks, your feet are VERY important to you, i pack 4-6 pairs.

Keep your personal hygiene kit light, Ive seen some guys bringing leather shaving kits out with massive shaving cream canisters, Deoderant sticks, shampoo :, and tooth paste tubes.  I just pack a cigarrete pack size electric razor, baby wipes, Tooth brush (no tooth paste) and foot powder (doubles as deoderant), in a light little ziplock baggie.  Weighs almost nothing and will keep you from coming down with anything nasty.

Find little things you can ditch to save weight, IE besides winter time, there is no way im wearing the thermal underwear bottoms, so just the top comes along in spring, summer and fall.

 

[zipperhead_cop]

No underwear, go Commando, its cooler and more hygenic then wearing the same pair of underwear over and over again.

You must be one bow legged cat!  How about pack a pair of gitch for each day in the field?

 

[Fusaki]

If you're just going out for a weekend, then you can really thin out your kit. I went out for a couple nights this past January, and I really didn't take much:

1 Sleeping bag, bivy bag, fleece pants, US poncho, and ranger blanket in my valise. Ridgerest instead of air mattress.

Parka liner, 1 pair gitch, 1 Polypro shirt, duffel socks, arctic mitts, and 3 or 4 pairs of socks in the main compartment.

522 Radio (and batts, antennas, ect) in my Smallpack strapped under the main flap of the ruck, snowshoes bungied to the outside with white ruck cover.

I was wearing combat pants and windpants, polypro, fleece, stealth suit, and the parka shell. Black socks and mukluks with oversized goretex socks over my duffel socks. I also had a couple pairs of issue and non-issue gloves. Fleece Toque, Neck Gator, and Whites.

That was it. And I'm confidant that by adding a couple more pairs of gitch and a few more pairs of socks I could have done a week easily in much colder weather. If I was rich, I'd get a softie and a softie sleeping bag and ditch the parka liner and issued sleeping bag. I'd also replace the polypro with Underarmour Coldgear. I doubt the arctic mitts were necessary (or would be very usefull), but it makes me feel better just to know that if my hands ever get REALLY cold I can still find relief. The fleece pants are another "Just in case" type thing, because I figure that if my 1 sleeping bag isn't enough I can always throw them on with my fleece top, or use them as a pillow in the mean time. Same story with the parka liner. I didn't even bring a combat shirt out, and I usually wear polypro pants instead of combat pants under windpants . I went with the combat pants because it offered the flexibility to strip the windpants off and not look silly by rucking in longjohns (Robin Hood, anyone?). The parka shell is the most underrated piece of kit in the army. With polypro, fleece, and a stealthsuit you get more flexibility with adding or shedding layers. The cut is more flexible in the arms, and the pockets are bigger and easier to get at under the TV. I only use my goretex jacket in garrison.

This is a winter kitlist, and in the summer you should be able to go lighter. High speed, low drag all the way baby!!

 

[fourninerzero]

It should also be noted that no one kit list is good for every application, and what works for one person may not work for another. There are many many conciderations to take into accout each time your packing your kit to go out. Are you humping around, or are you getting driven around alot? What is the weather going to be like? You need to take the suggestions you get, and adapt it to what your needs are depending on the situation.

my $0.02

 

[kyleg]

It should also be noted that no one kit list is good for every application, and what works for one person may not work for another. There are many many conciderations to take into accout each time your packing your kit to go out. Are you humping around, or are you getting driven around alot? What is the weather going to be like? You need to take the suggestions you get, and adapt it to what your needs are depending on the situation.

my $0.02

I agree with everything except this: "Are you humping around, or are you getting driven around alot?"

I was on Polar Strike I and before heading out we were told "make sure you pack a lot of warm kit. Our rucks are getting sent out by snowmobile, so you won't have to worry about humping them." Well, long story short, we ended up humping them back out of the sticks. Luckily most people had packed with this in mind, but a few had really taken the "pack a lot" to heart, and they paid big time.

One man, one kit. Make sure you can carry it.

Cheers,
Pinky

 

[Centurian1985]

How are the CSM's on these alternative packing lists? Still trying to charge people for not bringing kit that soldiers dont use but are on the 'official' items list?

(I.e. like the old wet weather overboots, they were always on the list but they were never used; there was the odd CSM who would still charge soldieres for not bringing them!)

 

[fourninerzero]

I agree with everything except this: "Are you humping around, or are you getting driven around alot?"

I was on Polar Strike I and before heading out we were told "make sure you pack a lot of warm kit. Our rucks are getting sent out by snowmobile, so you won't have to worry about humping them." Well, long story short, we ended up humping them back out of the sticks. Luckily most people had packed with this in mind, but a few had really taken the "pack a lot" to heart, and they paid big time.

One man, one kit. Make sure you can carry it.

Cheers,
Pinky

Duly noted. Good advice.

 

[DG-41]

FWIW, here's my usual loadout:

But first, a few assumptions:

1) I assume that I will need to be able to move all my kit, unassisted, in one trip, for a short distance. That doesn't mean I have to be able hump everything for 20k, but it should be possible to carry everything for about a kilometer if need be.

2) For a short ex, assume that I will be tied to my vehicle (or operating out of it) for the duration. For a longer ex, I assume that there will be some sort of base camp or biv site that will be operated out of where extra kit  can be stored while deployed out on a mission.

3) It is better to have and not need, than need and not have. Note that this may be less true for light infantry where weight is important.

4) Everything - and I do mean EVERYTHING - is *individually* sealed in its own ziploc bag. This keeps things waterproof, isolated (important if something is wet or dirty) and it is easier to pack.

5) I'm currently playing around with using the new Small Pack as a ruck, with the valise mounted up top. I have the extra pouches from the tac vest mounted on the sides, the two "side" pouches mounted in the lower back, and one of the long "buttpack" pouches mounted above that. I'm somewhat mixed about this setup, and I wonder if a 64 pattern doesn't do this better....

6) Everything has my name on it in great big letters that are easy to see. This is somewhat of a fetish with me... but it helps prevent losing stuff and accidental mixups.

So then:

Valise: 2x sleeping bag, ranger blanket, bag liner, artic hood, bivvy bag, bugbar, groundsheet,  camp pillow. I always bring the second bag, just in case one gets wet, or in case someone in the crew/troop gets his wet and only brought one - it can also serve to put extra padding around roots or rocks. The artic hood is near proof against getting cold while sleeping and I never leave without it. The bugbar... you only need to spend one night in a mosquito-infested swamp to remember to carry this, and in the tropics, malaria is not your friend.

Main Compartment, bottom to top: 1xset extra combats, 1Xset thermal underwear, 1xfleece top, 1xscarf,  7xt-shirts (less on a weekend) knee pads, elbow pads.

Left side pouch: GPS charger (wall and lighter socket) 16xAA batteries, 2xbootlaces, sewing kit, combat gloves, liquid boot polish, random small extra bits.
Centre left pouch: Toiletries, Gold Bond Powder, baby wipes.
Centre right pouch: 1xRation - never ever ever ever get caught without a ration packed; sometimes food won't make it to you.
Right side pouch (canteen carrier)  - spare canteen (usually the thermos) full of water.
Top "butt pack" pouch: 7xpairs of socks, 7xginch (less on weekends)
Strapped on with valise: air mattress.

Butt pack (the spare small pack butt pack) 1xset raingear, 2xfield dressing, combat gloves, flashlight - I wear this as a buttpack if I am going to be away from the vehicle for any signifigant amount of time, and it can be worn with the tac vest and the ruck and they don't interfere with each other.

Kit bag: spare set of boots, 1xset combats, combat jacket, extra ziploc bags, extra garbage bags, big scrub brush, laundry bag - the idea here is to keep this mostly empty at the start  of the ex, then as stuff gets dirty, it comes out of the ruck and goes into the kit bag. Every day sees a clean t-shirt, socks, and ginch.

DG

 

[William Webb Ellis]

Valise: 2x sleeping bag, ranger blanket, bag liner, artic hood, bivvy bag, bugbar, groundsheet,  camp pillow. I always bring the second bag, just in case one gets wet, or in case someone in the crew/troop gets his wet and only brought one - it can also serve to put extra padding around roots or rocks. The artic hood is near proof against getting cold while sleeping and I never leave without it. The bugbar... you only need to spend one night in a mosquito-infested swamp to remember to carry this, and in the tropics, malaria is not your friend.

Main Compartment, bottom to top: 1xset extra combats, 1Xset thermal underwear, 1xfleece top, 1xscarf,  7xt-shirts (less on a weekend) knee pads, elbow pads.

Left side pouch: GPS charger (wall and lighter socket) 16xAA batteries, 2xbootlaces, sewing kit, combat gloves, liquid boot polish, random small extra bits.
Centre left pouch: Toiletries, Gold Bond Powder, baby wipes.
Centre right pouch: 1xRation - never ever ever ever get caught without a ration packed; sometimes food won't make it to you.
Right side pouch (canteen carrier)  - spare canteen (usually the thermos) full of water.
Top "butt pack" pouch: 7xpairs of socks, 7xginch (less on weekends)
Strapped on with valise: air mattress.

Butt pack (the spare small pack butt pack) 1xset raingear, 2xfield dressing, combat gloves, flashlight - I wear this as a buttpack if I am going to be away from the vehicle for any signifigant amount of time, and it can be worn with the tac vest and the ruck and they don't interfere with each other.

Kit bag: spare set of boots, 1xset combats, combat jacket, extra ziploc bags, extra garbage bags, big scrub brush, laundry bag - the idea here is to keep this mostly empty at the start  of the ex, then as stuff gets dirty, it comes out of the ruck and goes into the kit bag. Every day sees a clean t-shirt, socks, and ginch.

DG

Holy Cr*p, I wished I had know you when I was in.  I would have left the sleeping bag at home and claimed ignorance!  That is a lot of kit!

 

[DG-41]

Well, like I said, "better have than want" etc.

That's actually quite a bit less than what was the Official Standard Load for 1 CMBG HQ back in the day... but we were always operating out of vehicles and never had to hump anything.

DG

 

[William Webb Ellis]

What about "Travel light freeze at night"?

 

[mudgunner49]

What about "Travel light freeze at night"?

Forget that!!  You know how the infantry always say "If it doesn't go in the ruck, it ain't going."???  We on the guns say "If it don't fit in the truck, it ain't going."

Cooler?  Check...

Second kit bag?  Check...

Spare cot?  Check...

French maid?  Check...

Propane heater?  Check...

Gas BBQ?  Check...

i'm sure that I'm forgetting something, but this should do us for now... ;D

 

[zipperhead_cop]

Forget that!!  You know how the infantry always say "If it doesn't go in the ruck, it ain't going."???  We on the guns say "If it don't fit in the truck, it ain't going."

Cooler?  Check...

Second kit bag?  Check...

Spare cot?  Check...

French maid?  Check...

Propane heater?  Check...

Gas BBQ?  Check...

i'm sure that I'm forgetting something, but this should do us for now... ;D

Cappuccino machine and Sony Playstation 2.  What were you thinking?  I'm gonna miss the Cougars!