Missing Stitch: The Original ARVN Rucksack

[@MichiganSilverBack]

My dad left Nam in Oct 68. He was a 120lbs Marine. He brought home a Russian made mosin nagant and an arvn back pack. I used the pack for scouts in the early 80's. At 75 he still uses it as a day oack for deer hunting. He said they threw away the frames cause of weight. Its a great pack for a nimble day hike indeed.

[@onseki1774]

This was positively light speed in the 60s, just wow. I remember when I was 16 I obsessed over these, they were $300 as long as I've been looking at them

[@alanrice39]

I’ve had the ARVN pack for many years, makes a great light weight pack for day hiking, bushcraft etc, I took the frame out due to the weight, replaced it with a thick foam pad like a hunter sits on and that gives the pack form and doubles as a sitting pad. It’s my understanding that the Velcro on the straps was for it to cling to the suspenders of the solders web gear to keep the straps from sliding off, it does seem strange to see Velcro on such old school gear of that period , Velcro back then was a space age product just like the space blankets

[@chadalanwest]

I rucked a large ALICE with ALICE belt kit for many miles. I am just now realizing that the packs used in Nam were smaller.

[@BaconstheName]

Marines in Vietnam used these a lot when they could get their hands on them cause they carried more than the haversacks.

[@greedman6791]

The ruck will not fit a mess kit, and the canteen in the front pockets just tested mine and mine also has the velcro on the straps

[@Stoney_AKA_James]

We (Rangers) must have had the next generation of the ruck. The body was very similar, but lid had a velcro closure pocket and the frame was tubular with rounded "wings" at the bottom.

[@EODFish]

Any idea what bag that would have been?

[@3inTrooper]

Sounds like you had a lightweight rucksack frame with the bag of a tropical rucksack. The LW ruck had that type of frame while the other had a frame similar to that what in the video. The bag of the LW ruck had a pocket in the lid but no velcro. The tropical ruck bag does, and looks very similar to the ARVN ruck.

[@MrSwccguy]

I'd just go to a surplus store get a medium Alice and make it into the day pack configuration.

[@EODFish]

That’s like three times as big though.

[@fisherchanKSK]

S.O TECH also make Modern Version.

[@EODFish]

Good to know

[@jaredh5448]

For comparisons sake because I think they would fill both roles fairly well at first glance, size comparison to the Platatac Spur tropical pack?

[@EODFish]

I’ll have to pull mine out but I think the Spur is just larger.

[@MG_Monkey]

Heck yeah!

[@deadeye5155]

Raptor tactical is making the “MARVN” rucksack. Its a modernized version of this ARVN ruck.

[@EODFish]

That sounds delightful. For whatever reason there is a glitch in the matrix and we can’t see each other on Aisha.

[@EODFish]

*on IG

[@deadeye5155]

@@EODFish its pretty cool looking. It replaced the alice loops with molle all over and uses their own x harness that seems kinda cool. Easily adjustable inlike the old ones

[@timp3931]

"Alice Webbing" ? Get your head out of the 80s. This pack is circa 1965. Alice came later. The webbing is for pre-1956 and m1956 attachments.