You have to remember this about the 64 pattern webbing. 1964 is also when Canada acquired the M113 APC. The concept behind the 64 pattern webbing was that troops would generally not be far from their APC and there was little need for serious load bearing equipment. Rather, the 64 pattern webbing was designed to be minimalistic, with no gear on the back which allowed easy seating in and exit and entry out of and into the APC. That went to the chest rig for 4 x C2 magazines and the chest and side pocket for 6 x C1 magazines (now those magazine pockets were a class of torture device beyond parallel. We didn't need that many magazines because we were better shots in those days with bullets that carried a punch so didn't need as many
) We were light and agile in those days unburdened by body armour and tac vests and 50 lbs of extra gear. We could even fire from the prone position
Yes, there was also a great big f'in' 64 pattern cargo pack for lugging around the kitchen sink and sleeping bag for those rare occasions where one had to leave the comfort of their track for extended periods (previously shared ancient photo below) Or for those unfortunate light units without their own track.
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I don't wax nostalgic for the 51 pattern webbing with the exception of the Bren magazine pouches. They held more beer cans than the mess tin carrier. Hardly anyone carried mess tins - we had Melmac. The worst thing I can say about the 64 pattern was that the Velcro loops holding the yoke and mess tin carrier and canteen carrier tended to slip around a bit but you could fix that with a bit of gun tape or a strong needle and a bit of sturdy thread.
Yeah. I'll give you that the 64 pattern webbing wasn't good for a lot of things for the serious dismounted folks, but for those of us who were wedded to the comfort of our tracks (or even 3/4 ton trucks) it was light, simple, comfortable (especially inside a vehicle) and did what it was principally designed for.