Posted: 1/12/2008 10:09:28 AM EDT
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yea or nay ? pros and cons please ETA: I guess a bit of "what for" info might help huh. Basically a grab and go, overnight to 2 day, gear organizer bag. Im old enough to be out of the "climb the highest mountain cross the widest stream" phase of my life, and just looking for something to keep the essentials in one place to throw in the truck when I go or strap on my back for a day or two in the brush I live at my BOL so this is at most a patrol rig so to speak |
Probably but for 40 bucks ??????????????? Military Surplus Molle II Main Pack, Sleep System Carrier, Shoulder harness, waist belt and Molle II frame. pack, carrier, harness and belt, 2 short tri-glide attachment straps and 2 of the ladderlock buckles, a desert camo pack cover and a Radio Pouch in woodland camo, Molle II manual on CD. figured I could seperate the units and use as needed when needed |
I got my MotherLode off e-Bay, BRAND NEW, for $75 shipped. The A-III cost about the same on the EE. Don't skimp on gear. You'll end up buying twice. |
| I was issued this pack but never used it other than for one or two inspections. When I checked into my first unit they had just returned from their previous deployment and had used this pack. The Marines bitched about it so much the Battalion CO had supply reissue out Alice Mountain Rucks to everyone. Like I said I never used it myself but my NCO's and the older guys who had said it was painful (I suppose even more than the Alice as they wanted that over the Molle pack). Also the plastic frame bent and some even broke under heavy enough loads. Hope this helps. |
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The Molle ruck is very large, with all the pockets added, something like 6000+ cubic inches. I bought it since I was looking for external frame pack and wanted versatility with the setup. The pack with harnesses, 2 sustainment pouches and sleep carier weights 10LBS, commercial internal frame packs that have same capacity are about 6 LBS. You probably could shave a lb of if you remove the sleep system carrier and cut some lenght off some of the straps. The plastic frame is suppose to bend so they don't break over say and alice pack frame if dropped There is a molle 1 which has a different frame and hip belt setup. You can drop the pack and the hip belt stays on with the load bearing vest connected to the hip belt. The Molle 2 frame seems a little stronger and I think they improved it further I believe a couple more revs out there. It suppose to be able to carry 200+ LBS, there is a picture with a soldier carrying another soldier on his back. The shoulder and waist belt are very comfortable and it is versatile in their adjustments. One reason about it is parts can be replaced or changed out and the packs can be removed and you have a bare frame which you could hitch a package the size of a small refrigerator too if you had to. the government spends something like $600 for them, A steal in my book when you can pick one up for 1/10 the price. deffinately a pack for 72 hours plus adventure |
For $40.00, if it's the pack pictured, go for it. It is larger than you'll need for a "three-day" pack, so resist the temptation to overload it. The MOLLE system has gone through three stages with the military. The first generation was designed for the Marine Corps, and had the detachable waist belt and the integrated fighting load carrier (vest), which suffered from such a high incidence of failure in the field that the manufacturer was forced to come back with a major redesign, which is the ruck in your pictures. If you go with that ruck, be sure you lace the sleeping bag carrier through the webbing on the bottom of the ruck - the floppiness of the carrier is extremely annoying otherwise. There were lots and lots of issues with both first and second generation frames breaking under load. The most recent redesign was for the Army when they chose MOLLE to replace the ALICE load bearing system. The Army's main ruck is larger than the one in the pictures, eliminating the separate sleeping bag carrier in favor of a bottom entry in the main ruck for the sleeping bag. As a military ruck, the concensus among muddy boots warfighters is that MOLLE is pretty crappy. As an average joe external frame rucksack, I've been happy with mine. YMMV. BTW, if you want the whole 6,000 cu in., try Supply Captain, entrygear.com or look on eBay for a pair of "sustainment pouches" that bookend the sides of the main ruck. |
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i'm rocking one as my grab and go, don't look back bag... much bigger than i need to transition from my place to my B.O.L.. i keep this in my truck and have it on hand incase getting to my B.O.L. is not an option. i can either take a long long way around, or if necessary head off in other directions... it's set up with enough food for more than a week, at reasonable consumption levels, maybe a lot longer if i stretch it a bit, i also have a full set of b.d.u.s complete with a full four seasons of clothing(minus boots), and enough lights, comms, batteries, cooking and water carrying/purification gear, sleeping and sheltering gear,(most med gear is in a M3 pack, seperate but also in truck), and enough other stuff to not have to look back for a good long while... but i'm sure i'm over 40lbs, and this dosen't even include any line 2 loadout. this pack is a huge pain in the ass to put together, if it's recieved in unassembled parts, i've got mine together, and it's pretty sturdy but i'm not sure it's correct... if anyone buys the molle II pack, or already has the vhs or dvd on the proper assembly of this pack, i'd be glad to buy it, or pay for shipping to borrow it, or trade something for it, thanks K. |
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Kar, you ought to be able to find the .pdf manual for assembly someplace. I haven't seen one of the VHS tapes since we first got them in '02. Most of the 101st got the MOLLE III in ACU rapid-fielded before they left this last time. I have a II, I'm not taking my III out of the plastic and it's going right back to CIF in the plastic. Mine's been modified with more PALS webbing, a Coleman flex-frame rather than the stock GI frame, and some buckle tweaks. As for the stock GI frame, most of the ones I saw break were shock-damaged, like dropped out of trucks or thrown on hard surfaces so guys could get in the prone behind them. It's a bit much for a BOB. Fully loaded, it'll weigh more than you really want to carry, but it was the first USGI ruck that really allowed effective use of the waist belt. The ALICE waist belt was decoration and we all know it, particularly how it tied up in your pistol belt and canteens. It's one of my two packed bug-out rucks. The second is a tweaked Alice that needs some more work done. |
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I have two of them, and I bought them from the same guy on Ebay that I think you're looking at. I use them as canoe duffels, and they're good for that. Very rugged, and they'll hold enormous loads. Good for short portages, but I wouldn't want to backpack with one. I'm a minimalist, and I go as light as possible. The MOLLE II empty weighs seven pounds. The frame with just the shoulder straps and waistband makes a good packboard. Wish I'd had one for the moose I've packed out. |