Most likely the buckles are stamped "AB" on account of the Mfr's I.D., and not because the pack is/was intended for the Airborne, which is a single word.

Just a guess.  I've seen items ink-labelled "Airborne" or "Parachutist's", but I rather doubt the Army would go to the trouble of having metal buckles stamped so.

Which says nothing about whether the packs were originally intended for Airborne use, just about the stampings on the buckles.  IMHO, a coinkydink.

Just got my Army (AB) case via ARJJ (thanks!).  Internal pocket is made of woodland camo material, same as pack's outer shell.  No additional padding material over that on std pack.  Pocket appears to have same straps/hooks as USMC unit pictured above.  Internal pocket dimensions are 12" wide X 4-1/2" deep X 12" high.  Oddly, the top edge of the pocket is sewn to the top inside of the pack body in two places: with pack turned inside-out, one point is just to left of center, the other right point is midway between center and right side of pocket/pack.

On close inspection, I believe both of these sewn points were unintentional construction defects/mistakes  The central stitch probably occurred because the top edge of the pocket was accidentally over-run at one short segment while stitching the rear of the pack's back, and the right tack was made by accident while attaching the upper anchor point of the shoulder strap.

It is possible that this example was surplussed because of these (probable) defects.  This is often the case with milsurp, and is to be expected  from time-to-time when ordering milsurp items sight unseen.  I don't blame anyone for this, not even the vendor; such defects (if they are defects) are hard to spot sometimes.   I have myself bought items that later I discovered were defective.

IIRC most ALICE pack radio pockets have a central, vertical strap for cinching up the pocket , and this version has nothing of the sort.  That being the case, the bar tacks might be a mistake in my favor, although their presence makes access to the inside of the pocket something of a fumble.  All things considered, I'll add some GI sleeping pad padding, and probably install some sort of hydration bladder in the pocket, along with other items that are not often used, nor needed in a hurry.  When you have a lemon, so to speak, make lemonade....  The astute reader will note that since my pocket is (IMHO unintentionally) stitched at the top, adding/removing a filled bladder would be problematic, if not impossible.  Fortunately, CamelBak (and possibly other mfrs) offers an accessory tip for the modern Hydrolink drinking tubes which allows for filling a bladder via the hose, as opposed to the cap on the body of the reservoir.  One pumps in the water either with a purpose-built CamelBak hand pump, or the output tube of one's water filter can be fitted with a Hydrolink adaptor so that the pump tube will mate with the Hydrolink adaptor on thedrinking  tube itself.  BTW, older non-Hydrolink drinking tubes can be retrofitted with the Hydrolink retrofit-kit, and I have done so to all of mine.

On the top rear of the pack, the std Med ALICE has grommets evenly spaced along the length of the sewn-on webbing strip for attachment of old-stle hook-attachment items/accessories.  My AB case has but two pair of grommets, more-or-less centered over the two side pockets.  My AB case has the usual two (upper and lower) ALICE accessory attachment straps on each side, to which things can be clipped; the std ALICE has a pair of grommets in each of the four straps, my AB case has none.  It may be that since the AB case was produced much later than my older, std Med ALICE, the need for grommets to attach WWII/KorWar/VietWar hooks was felt to be much less, and they were deleted.

One thing I did notice is that the central bit of webbing on the sides, the one between the ALICE-accessory mounting points, was sewn-on incorrectly––or at least I think so; it will accept ALICE clips (maybe), but cannot be used as a loop for a horizontal compression strap.  A serious defect, in my opinion, and I might have it corrected locally.  If not, the user can still pass a 1" strap through the snap closure webbing straps on the pocket bodies for a lower horiz compression strap.

The antenna flap on the top flap of the pack is there, but I wish it wasn't.  It might have been necessary for an antenna, but its' presence introduces a weak point in the top flap, not to mention a possible path for water ingress.   The antenna flap will shed water OK UNLESS you over-stuff the pack.  At that point the top flap rises up, and the antenna flap can  become a water scoop. Might be handy for routing a hydration tube, but running the tube out from under the side of a regular top flap is just as easy, and altogether a better arrangement.  IOW, don't over-fill the radio case so much that the top flap rises up above the horizontal.  The top flap straps are intentionally made long enough so that strapping items on top of the top flap is easily done.

My pack came with LC-1 shoulder straps, whose lower adjusting straps were installed backwards––an easy fix.  The inferior LC-1 straps turned out to be all right, as I had a set of LC-2 shoulder straps attached to a Condor 100 Oz. Molle bladder-carrier.  A simple switch, and all is well.

The (probable) construction defects on my particular example aside, I don't see where this particular item has any real advantages over the usual std Med ALICE, and in fact, one could make the case that the AB radio case is in some respects inferior (for general, civvy use) to the std item.  YMMV.

Of the two radio cases, the USMC version is probably the more desirable of the two (reservations above taken into account) because of the additional back padding, and also the much superior LC-2 shoulder straps.

Collector interest aside, I would advise obtaining the Standard Med ALICE pack instead of either radio case.  I don't see any differences in either construction or materials (except as noted above) between the Std pack and the radio case.  If the extra padding on the USMC radio case is desirable to you, a bit of foam from a spare GI sleeping pad can be contact-cemented onto the inside back of the Std pack easily and cheaply enough.  If you don't have LC-2 shoulder straps, they are easily retrofitted to any ALICE pack, and should be as a matter of course.

IIRC the D-rings and accompanying 550 cord laces were deleted in later MEDIUM ALICE packs.  I don't know if the LARGE ALICE pack ever came with them.  You can always use the flap straps to cinch the pack tighter/smaller, and installing a horizontal compression strap is always a good idea.  I don't consider the absence of the D-rings and laces much of a loss.  YMMV.

I love my wife!  

At a nearby gun auction this weekend, there were two auctions going at once.  One side was selling 380+ guns and the other side was selling all sorts of sporting goods, ammo, accessories, and reloading gear as well.

My wife comes up to me, "Honey, I just got these two ALICE packs for $2.50!"

I looked at them, and they're clearly NOT alice packs.  They're much older...  After taking them home, washing off the musty 'funk' smell on them, I got to look at them closer.  Turns out they're WW2 rucksacks.  Canvas with leather & canvas straps.

One larger pack, a little bit sun-bleached, dated 1942, with steel frame, and one 'medium' size pack, and a darker OD green color, and dated 1943!

SWEET deals though for $2.50!!!  

Maybe I'll add pics later tomorrow...  

BTT for untacking. Thread now linked in tacked reference thread.

Thanks Joker!  

yeah yeah yeah...where's the pics of the packs?

I'm actually having a pretty hard time figuring out how TF to put the canvas straps & frame stuff all back together!  

My wife says I look like the Swedish Chef Muppet trying to figure out all the darn straps & buckles...  Voooordy Voopie Dooon!  

Google "mountain rucksack".. Perhaps this link will help: http://www.mountaintroops.us/history_rucksack.html

These items, depending on condition, may be collector's items, so be advised.

Having used the Mountain Rucksack in the past, along with all other types of US Mil Gear from Span-Am War to present, I will say that, for the time, the Mountain Rucksack was a significant advance over the other alternatives then available, all of which were simply dreadful.

Nowadays, only a milsurp-minded masochist would regurlarly use one of these packs.  There are FAR better alternatives available these days, and my advice is to sell your rucks on ebay, and then put the money towards something you can really use.  

KUDOS to the wife, of course, but mebbe better if she had not bought the things.

Her heart was in the right place, and that's what really counts.

Thanks for the great link, RAF!!!

One is definitely a JQD 88B 1942 pack with frame...  It was definitely quite thoroughly used, had obviously been bleached by sun & salt, but is still quite structurally sound.  Almost certainly NOT waterproof anymore, but still quite functional.  Don't think it'll fetch much of a price though.

The 1943 pack appears as though maybe it's another 88B without a frame, or it's an 88F?  I'll get pics of them up soon.  The 1943 pack is still in quite good condition with a decent OD Green original coloring.  The 1942 dated 88B pack with frame is much lighter in color.

I might just put them both up on Ebay or something, and use the money I get from them to buy two more excellent condition large ALICE packs with frames?  Or some other prep stuff.

I have no idea how much they might be worth (if anything).

For those of youi that elect to use a Med ALICE w/o frame, there are a couple of mods you should do first.

1) Go back and see enforcer's Med Alice Mod posts in this thread, which involves installing a rigid tube in the frame pocket atop the back of the pack.  The shoulder straps secure to the pack around this bar, and the bar itself keeps the top of the pack from collapsing, and certainly adds a bit of comfort in carrying.

2) Obtain some GI sleeping pad foam.  Turn pack inside-out, and cut foam to fit backside of pack.  the purpose of the foam is to protect your back.  Using contact cement, glue the foam to the inside of the pack. You will use two pieces: one below the radio pocket, and one within the pocket.  Cut the foam that goes inside the pocket so that it does not overlap the padding already there, namely the material that makes up the external frame pocket .

3) Install the later LC-2 shoulder straps, which are VASTLY better than the older LC-1 units, and which come with a sternum strap.  If you can't gert them for some reason, make up a sternum strap anyway.  This is easy to do with some 3/4" webbing, a couple of tri-glide buckles, and a dual side-release QD buckle.  No more always having to use your hands to play with the shoulder straps; they are free for more important tasks.

4) Lastly, install a belly band.  This will NOT take any appreciable amount of weight off your shoulders, as a proper waist belt would do, but WILL help prevent the pack from shifting (while making fast/violent movements, such as running, etc.), and if the pack moves too much, your balance could be thrown off.  I have posted on ways to make one of these belly bands previously in this thread, but there is now a much simpler, no-sew method.  Simply obtain the waistbelt from a MOLLE FLC vest, which are both common and dirt cheap.  The belt is comprised of a rear/side portion with 3 rows of PALS webbing, and a smaller nylon front belt, with QD buckle.  Simply use the 1" straps and buckles on the ALICE pack (which were intended to secure the ALICE pack to its' frame) to fasten the pack to the waist belt.  You will have a decent, semi-padded bally band, which might have some PALS attachment points left over after the pack is attached.

I remember your posting some pix, and discussing this a while back.  The Mountain rucksack can certainly be made to perform decently with some minimal mods, but as they are collectible, one has to weigh the advantages of modding one already in hand vs. selling it and using that money to buy something poerhaps a bit better.

If one's Mountain rucksack is still serviceable, but so scuffed-up that collectors scoff at it, then proceed.  OTOH, if one's Mountain rucksack is in good condition or better, then maybe selling it is the wiser course.

It is worth mentioning that these rucksacks are of cotton canvas material, so a good cleaning, plus exposure to sunlight inside and out (to kill/prevent mildew), is a very good idea.  Test the material thoroughly for dry-rot, which is almost invisible to the unpracticed eye.  Sew PATCHES on rips in the material, as simply stitching tears wi generally fruitless––the material will unravel once strain is placed on the sttitched repair.   After the sunlight/UV treatment, wipe down the leather straps with some Pecard's leather treatment.  If the leather is not dried out and cracked, this will preserve the leather and waterproof it.  If your pack has leather straps, and they are not supple and still "alive", so to speak, then they are beginning to die, and WILL fail.  so think ahead.

After all this, spray the thing, inside and out with some water-proofing spray certified OK for cotton.  Let dry/air out, and you're GTG.

The frames are usually of steel, so wire-brushing of a rusted frame and re-painting with the proper shade of paint is probably better than letting rust have its' way.  The proper shade of paint can be had at model/hobby shops, and a couple of small cans should do the trick.

Again, if your Mountain rucksack/frame is in good, or better condition, there is very likely someone out there who will pay a fair amount of money for it, as-is.  You might give that some thought.  As a collector, it disturbs me to see good gear that is collectible used as field gear instead of preserved so that others in the future can see it.  YMMV, but they aren't making this stuff anymore.  I'm speaking generally, here, and not at you, Morg.  Just offering advice, and YMMV.

If you are going to upgrade an ALICE with frame, I suggest you get the MOLLE packframe waistbelt while they are still both cheap and available.  You can experiment with it, and make a decision afterwards, but only if you have the waistbelt to begin with.  Personally, I think the waistbelt adds so much to the whole system that not using it is a serious mistake, but YMMV.   FWIW, the waistbelt is tensioned, and serves to keep the frame and pack off one's back as would a simple tensioned band.  What the waistbelt does do that no band can do is take a great deal of the weight of the pack/frame ensemble off one's shoulders, thus improving both load carrying ability and comfort.  Give it a try, and I think you'll like it..  The benefits of using the MOLLE packframe waistbelt on the ALICE frame are so great that you will have to experience the difference for yourself.

Both.

In my first post, I discuss removing the waistbelt from a MOLLE FLC vest, and using it as a belly band for an ALICE pack without frame.

In my post immediately above, I'm suggesting to Morg, and others, that the Molle pack waistbelt, installed/retrofitted onto the ALICE packframe is something very much worth considering.

Yes, I've examined them some time ago.  They are NOT a backpack, but more of a glorified duffel bag.  The pix are carefully taken, and they do not reveal that the shoulder straps are minimal.  I don't even recall is they had any sort of belly band; certainly not a load-carrying waistbelt.   They are made of reasonably stout material.  I suppose if one of these bags dropped in one's lap, it might be worthwhile to see how it could be carried on either an ALICE (upgraded, hopefully) frame, or a MOLLE frame, but since the tanker's bag was never intended to be attached to either platform, and considering that other, more readily adaptible, not to mention cheaper packs are available, the exercise seems rather pointless to me.  No doubt some very clever person will find a way to make me out an ignorant jackass at some point, but unless most of this stuff is gotten got very cheap, the numbers don't work for me. YMMV.

Speaking as someone who just came from three days living out of a 60lb ruck, let me say: FUCK-THAT-SHIT!  148lbs?  Just shoot me now.

This setup is basically what I used at the end of my eight years as an Infantryman, and I am absulutely comfortable with it....the belt is a bit longer now, and the BH belt is so much more comfortable than the plain pistol belt....

Excellent Setup, TimJ!