What does everyone here do to keep their rucks dry? when it rains the pack itself can become fairly heavy from rain.

In the past I have treated my TT with hydrophobic spray, but it needs redone every so often.

The other week I saw some higher speed individuals with what appeared to be 1606 frame and a seal line baja water proof stuff sack... anyone every seen a waterproof setup? I like to go back packing in the rain, might be good for 2 day trips.

edit:

Just got to looking around and seal line makes packs. I am thinking it could be rigged into a frame and have the waist/shoulder straps added in. It was smaller than the pro portage, so it was possibly the black canyon or a boundary portage.

Nothing high speed or low drag, but..
All pockets, pouches, etc get a ziploc for contents. A gallon size zip lock can fit a USGI t shirt, socks and drawers.

Main pack gets an ALICE pack waterproof bag.

Worked since basic training.

THIS

I had a guy I served with treat his with Camp Dry once.  The water just ran off the pack as the rest of ours got soaked through.

I "think" we may have used camp dry once on the old shelter halfs during basic.
As for the Ziplocks, I learned that in basic as well. From what I remember, a set of BDUs if folded correctly could fit in a gallon size bag as well.

Two questions for you guys

1.  Anyone know a good source for reasonable priced SAW pouches?

2.  I'm debating between using an LBV88 vest and a normal harness for an ALICE load system.  The one concern I have is this would be worn in winter as well.  Would I be better off just dealing with the Y Harness all year, of having to adjust the LBV over winter layers?  What do you guys prefer?

A popular trick is to remove the shoilder pads from a lbv and put on the adjustment straps from the h harness gives you the best of both worlds.

I hope this thread is still active. I'm trying to find some info on attaching a hydration pouch to my ALICE LC-2. The Spec Ops H.U.M.P. is currently out of stock, so I need some sort of substitute.

My current setup is as follows:
-Blackhawk load bearing suspenders
-Marine Corp style pistol belt
-2 magazine pouches
-M12 holster w/ issue pistol lanyard
-OKC-3S bayonet
-a MOLLE dump pouch
-2 1qt canteens (one with cup)
-butt pack (the later issued nylon one in woodland, not the old Nam-era canvas one in OD)
-one first aid pouch w/ israeli bandage
-compass pouch with issued lensatic compass
-a TUFF products inline 1911 magazine pouch that I attached with MALICE clips (5 mag).

If I could get a hydration pouch attached to the back, above the butt pouch, I could ditch the canteens and use the space to add a couple of SAW pouches. I figured I could use one for a proper bleeder/blowout kit,, and the other as an all purpose ditty bag.

Anyone have a recommended hydration pouch to suggest, as well as directions on how to attach to my ALICE gear? Also, if I do this, will I still be able to wear an ALICE pack with the hydration pouch attached? Thanks in advance for any replies.

Sounds like you need a Spec-Ops Brand H.U.M.P.

I'd love to get one, but they're out of stock.  Maybe they'll have them in soon.  Hopefully..

I love ALICE gear.  A 1st line MOLLE setup would put me back hundreds.  For less than $100, you can get everything you need in ALICE.

EDIT:  I found some for sale from 3rd party vendors/ebay.  For a lot more than $5, sadly.  Anyone know if I can use this with my butt pack attacked as well?

I picked up a couple of HUMPs a while back, but as it turns out will
probably not be using them.  The
instructions that come with the HUMP tell you how to attach it to either
a belt & suspenders rig or inside the front face of the Alice pack
frame (between the frame and the pack).  The frame protects the HUMP and bladder from getting squashed by the pack.   Don't know if you're using a frame on your pack or not.  If the pack doesn't crush the HUMP against the frame then I imagine it probably wouldn't crush one attached to your suspenders either, but I'd think the pack would tend to roll back and forth against the HUMP.  In any case I'd be
perfectly willing to part with at least one of my HUMPs if you want to
go that way.
One other thing I found with the HUMP was that while some hydration packs incorporate the bladder's filler cap into the pack itself to hold the bladder in place, the HUMP doesn't have a hole for the filler cap and doesn't seem to provide any other way to secure the bladder to keep it from sliding down as it drains.
Seems like you've got a lot of stuff on your belt.  Do you hang some of it, like the compass and first aid pouches, on the suspenders or is it all on the belt?





ETA: Yes, you can use a butt pack with the HUMP, but either the HUMP will push the top of the butt pack out a bit or the butt pack will press the HUMP against your spine, depending on how stiff the contents of the pack are.  I suppose you could somehow attach the bottom of the HUMP to the top of the butt pack, but then the HUMP wouldn't have enough vertical room to fit correctly (unless maybe you're REALLY tall).






 


 

Could any of you be kind enough to check out my set up

Got the specs on the upgrades you made to the medium ALICE?

MOLLE belt and shoulder straps, Fastex buckles on the pockets, paracord "drag handle" on the frame.... Am I missing anything else?

Starting a Hellcat type mod using a medium ALICE and an old small Coleman Ram Flex frame I got at thrift store and cut down. Past mods I have sewn in Fastex buckles but now a days the fastex repair buckles are available. Do you guys think the repair buckles make for a better option? Seems they are easier to add and easier to replace if they break.

Also will the MOLLE belt work with this frame?

I've used fastex buckles that I cut to the repair buckles configuration on most, if not all, my Alice packs. They've held up well and haven't failed. And they're much easier than sewing each buckle loop back together.

As for the Molle belt on a Ram Flex, I have no idea. I've never seen the Ram Flex in person. But I'm sure it "could" be done, just might require some creative thinking.

That's a good Idea. I've already got some standard Fastex buckles laying around. I'll just cut off the metal glides and slit the Fastex.

Just found more info on fitting Molle II straps and pads to the Ram Flex and the guy says it works like it was made for it!

In my last job I had to toss a lot of nylon gear that had fastex buckles in various sized but tons of 1" buckles. I cut them all off before tossing. So I had a crap ton to experiment with.

Glad to hear that the Ram Flex works with the Molle belt.
I found this photo online.
Molle on a Ram Flex frame

Great link thanks!

This is the link I found on Molle II and the Ram Flex, I found that the Alice frame envelope should still fit over the cut down frame after the straps are installed too. I have a large Ram Flex as well that will be staying intact as a cargo frame and getting Molle II as well when funds match.

http://www.nuggetshooter.ipbhost.com/index.php?/topic/28663-resurrecting-an-old-coleman-peak-1-pack-frame/

I just spent a weekend camping out of a large ALICE pack on an ALICE frame with MOLLE belt and shoulder straps.  And MOLLE sleeping bag sack on bottom.

Very comfortable to hike in, lots of room.  ."Would camp again!"

I'm not familiar with the Blackhawk suspenders or how they are exactly configured, but at least with U.S.-issue suspenders it is possible to do what you want.  I use a Camelbak with my own setup.  The first pictures are of the rig that inspired me to go that route.  Below that are a couple of examples from this thread.  Then there is one of the older versions of my rig.  I started out using ALICE M-16 pouches on a pistol belt but switched to a BAR belt, but I moved away from that due to how much work needed to get it to be useable with a pistol belt instead of the adjustment strap on this variant.  I then switched to Canadian Pattern 82 pouches for FAL mags on a pistol belt (my gear is set up for use with a FAL and Hi-Power), which I've found to be the most satisfactory pouch for this purpose.  I've thought about switching to an older-style pistol belt and making a couple of other changes.  Anyways, my rig involves attaching the Camelbak to my M1967 suspenders.  They have some convenient clips on the padded part for attaching stuff (like the field pack, aka as the "buttpack"), although they are annoying if you don't use them at all.  As shown in some of the pictures below (mine are at the bottom), the top D rings are attached to the clips.  The straps are then run through the middle D rings and then clipped to both the buttpack and the bottom set of D rings.  I then ran the hose under my right arm and have it held in place with a Web Dominator (I forget who makes those) attached to the front strap on the right side.  The Camelback itself is a 2nd generation Thermobak, 3L.  It is basic but does the job, although I've thought about adding some webbing so a small pouch or something can be attached to it (Camelbak makes a similar pack with a small pouch sewn on).  If your yoke sits high enough (or you have a long enough torso) and you have a way of attaching the Camelbak at the top (or a similarly configured bladder carrier), I imagine this could be made to work with the Blackhawk suspenders.

For those interested in my rig, I'm using the M1967 suspenders with an ALICE pistol belt.  The front ends are attached to Canadian Pattern 82 pouches for the FAL; on the left side, to keep the other pouch from sagging, I followed raf's advice and used a piece of paracord to attach the pouch to the suspenders and support the weight.  I have a Brazilian FAL bayonet frog and scabbard, a Belgian Hi-Power double magazine pouch attached with a wire hanger with an ALICE compass/bandage pouch attached just above it (with a lensatic compass inside), a Belgian Hi-Power holster (holds a spare mag, too; I have it attached using the wire hanger, but it also has belt loops big enough for ALICE gear and hooks for use with British style pistol belts), a repro of a M1961 field pack (the waterproof liner unfortunately tore and had to be removed) modified by adding fastex buckles, which make life much easier (I have my rain gear rolled up and strapped to the bottom), on the sides of which I have what I think are M1967 canteen covers with canteens and a canteen cup, and on the belt there is also a bandage pouch with an Israeli bandage.  Sometimes I replace the canteen on the right with other stuff.  Radio pouch is the smaller size from Tactical Tailor, but is not ideal for that radio or this setup, but is serviceable.  I'd like to eventually get a decent IFAK to replace one of the canteens as well as a better radio pouch.  I've thought about modifying the butt pack a bit based on ideas I've gotten from looking at other such pack designs as well.

Heads up, just got this from Amazon.

With an extra Mystery Ranch frame laying around and too much time on my hands, I put together the poor mans version of the MR ALICE attachment kit.  Worked out nicely, a little more streamlined on the large one but manageable on the medium.

Raf, thanks.  I linked to another source and it worked.  Still dont know why.

Bump for a thread

Anyone have any good, reasonably priced sources for Alice pouches?

Looking for more butt packs and mag pouches, would love to find some holsters, SAW pouches, medic kits.

I've had reasonable luck at flea markets, and a surplus store about an hour from me has mag pouches and canteen covers, just takes a lot of my day.

Check ebay,

I think there are several sellers there that have them.

Definitely ebay. I just made some good scores a few weeks ago on a holster and magazines pouches.

Any links?  I have an old Belgian Motorcyclist Coat where the rubberized lining is doing that.  It's useless to me in that condition, so I'd be ok taking a risk on the fix.

Hmmm...was hoping for something more like "soak in highly volatile, poisonous, really bad stuff that is only available in Kazakhstan that will dissolve the rubber but leave the cotton untouched."

But I can probably live with that.

I never thought of simply accelerating the process with intentional UV exposure. Thanks!

I'm thinking:

• Clothesline
• N95 mask or half face
• Tennis Racket
• Oilless compressor with a long nozzle air gun.
  

Not ALICE gear but I have a rain cover for my large KELTY pack.  packs to about the size of a wallet maybe smaller and goes over the bag like how a shower cap would go over a womans hair in the shower.  Works really good.   Would go over my Medium ALICE on a frame easily and do the same job.  I think it's grey on oneside and black on the other but would be easy to "fix" with a can of spray paint.

Not sure what color you need

6 color desert

multicam

Artic White

Marpat Woodland

IMO the rain cover is going to be much easier to pull off even though it takes up a little more space than trying to waterproof the bagitself.  There's simply way too many seams.  Again IMO.

Going though some totes trying to condense and thin out some things.

Put this together for this thread.

The mag pouches are from Brigade Quartermasters I bought in the 90's for a MAK90.

Attached File

Dug this out of one of my footlockers. Switched over to racks in 2000, so this hasn’t been worn in about 18 years. But it still works!

Attached File


And Russia’s more modern ALICE-esque setup.

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That is my current set up. Your right it does the job.

You take better pics.

Is that the Blackhawk H-Harness ?

Not sure which rig you’re referring to, but the ALICE gear on top is with standard alice y-suspenders. The Russian rig below that comes with some fairly high speed h-types from the factory.

Well I guess I posted before your post fully downloaded.
Yea I was referring to the Russian setup.

The bottom of the suspenders made me wonder that's why I asked.
I liked the H-Harness better than the H-Harness but was never able to find one.

Doubt I would of been allowed to use it anyway.

Thanks

Just updating a pic from the earlier post .

Attached File

Nice! I just finished my set up a few days ago I'll post pics tomorrow.

Wow, never that much about it.
Just called a  Vietnam quick release buckle as far as I knew.
It did come undone at least once on me that I remember for sure, but undoubtedly it happened more than once.

Thanks for the info raf !

Edit for pic

Your right @raf

Attached File

Beretta with 3 mags
6 m4 mags
survival knife