# Rucksack Weight



## Danny (9 Feb 2004)

Just wondering, what is the  weight of the average rucksack?


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## Slumsofsackville (9 Feb 2004)

50 - 55 LBS average Sometimes, 30 - 40 LBS, and alot for on a tour, Maby up to 100lbs. Really depends on what yah need.


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## humint (9 Feb 2004)

You want to know what ... how much my sack weighs? Gee whiz, I don‘t even know ya.

It all depends on the EX, weather, etc. Yes, average is 50-60 Lbs. But, there are EXS when I get away with next to nothing, that‘s cause I go light, just use a bivy, and try to team up with others for the gucci supplies such as store-bought food, stove, etc. 

Your ruck get‘s pretty heavy when you fill it with a change of boots, combats, binos, water, etc. You really need to figure out what is useful on a given EX and what you can do without.


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## Roger (9 Feb 2004)

It depends or winter or summer. 20 to 30 in summer 40 to 50 in winter.

Remember this is also not combat conditions this is just for a ex. Ask some of the guys from the PPCLI in Afgan how much. With all the extra ammo for yourself and the section it could go near 100 plus the flack jacket and the extra webbing and water.


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## Padraig OCinnead (19 Feb 2004)

But always about 10 kg too heavy no matter what weight.


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## Phillman (25 Feb 2004)

Winter Ex this year mine just broke the 60lb mark. That was before I had the homour of adding some stores to it and the extreme honour of carrying the C-6.    :mg:


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## Jeff Boomhouwer (25 Feb 2004)

What the heck do you need for a 48 hour ex that weighs 40 to 60 pounds? My kit may have weighed that much when I was a gunner and we actually had rounds to shoot. Why are you bringing a change of boots? All I carry is 3x gitch 3x sock 2x t shirts abolutions kit and 1x pants. And of course sleep kit. I would get along fine with a nuke bag. Winter ex is alittle diff but 60 pounds? Mind you I‘m in the mo and regs go into the field alot longer. but if your posting a question like this you are aswell. Soldiers have a habit of trying to be ready for every possible problem and over pack as a result. The more time in you will be able to gage what you do and don‘t need.


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## Phillman (25 Feb 2004)

I‘m not sure how cold it gets in the Toronto area, but I know when its below -40, I want to have my warm kit with me.


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## ArmyAl (26 Feb 2004)

simple math
Train as you fight, fight as you train.

Think what the guys had to carry in afgan, 100 pounds lets say, what good are you carrying 30 pounds and then all of a sudden your in a operational enviroment and you have to carry twice the weight that your used too.
Same for the webbing, I have lead weights in my mag pouches, dummy grenades, etc...
Not only will you be used to the weight, but you‘ll have a better understanding what you really need and what keeps you alive, also your webbing should be a running load, also you should have the bear esentials in your buttpack.


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## Danjanou (26 Feb 2004)

I have to agree with Al here. The old adage train hard, fight easy. As opposed to the opposite, train easy, fight hard, and die. 

I always carried extra kit to make up the weight, or to simulate ammo etc,. Not weights (although I‘ve seen that done) but extra clothes rats for the numpties who never learned.


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## xFusilier (26 Feb 2004)

Funny I always carried a light ruck around to simulate the room I would have to leave to fit ammunition etc.    

That was one of the shortcommings, I always found in the militia, was the 48 hr ex mindset.  As the Sgt. Major has explained carrying what is on the kit list 1.  Simulates the true weight of load bearing equipment when you have to do this for real, and 2.  Assures that every member of the unit has what they require to operate in the climate you are working in/


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## Jeff Boomhouwer (28 Feb 2004)

Well I guess I‘m not as hard as you guys. And carrying nonecential kit to make up weight to sim ammo makes you a better tougher troop. Then good on you. 48 hour mindset? Of course I have a 48 hour mindset I‘m a weekender. And Philman do know what a metrep is? It‘s to see if you need to bring your minus 40 kit. You guys think destroying your body for no reason makes you a real soldier. In an operational environment is a totally differant story. That 100 pounds of weight was probably 75 % ammo and 25% personal. Whats that a 25 LB ruck? I hope you brought the Moltrin.


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## CrazyCanuck (28 Feb 2004)

"The old adage train hard, fight easy. As opposed to the opposite, train easy, fight hard, and die." - Danjanou

That‘s great


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## portcullisguy (29 Feb 2004)

An AAR from the American‘s first foray in the Afghanistan admitted that the number one change they should have made was to reduce the load they were carrying, and to carry more cold weather kit.

Sounds like a paradox, doesn‘t it!

If I can find the actual document I will quote some of it.


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## Spr.Earl (29 Feb 2004)

> Originally posted by Danjanou:
> [qb] I have to agree with Al here. The old adage train hard, fight easy. As opposed to the opposite, train easy, fight hard, and die.
> 
> I always carried extra kit to make up the weight, or to simulate ammo etc,. Not weights (although I‘ve seen that done) but extra clothes rats for the numpties who never learned. [/qb]


Heheheh,so true!
I was in Dundurn in 95 going through preselection with the 3rd Pat.‘s. for Op. Cav.? 
Well any way when it came to our 12k ruck march the night before B Coy was called to the SQ. with ruck‘s.
Alas there‘s a set of scale‘s.   
We were weighed first with out our ruck then with, those who weighed short were given radio batteries to stuff in and make up the weight.

Yup 55lbs was the guage back then and it‘s still the average weight today if you follow the kit list.


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## chrisp1j (5 Mar 2004)

Want to be a pathfinder? Get ready....140 Pounds by the end of the course (all mission essential kit). I‘m assuming that support weapons fall under that catagory as well.


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## Pte. Bloggins (5 Mar 2004)

140 eh?     

That‘s more then I weigh!  
(guess I‘ll scratch that off my list of possible future occupations)


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## Infanteer (5 Mar 2004)

> Want to be a pathfinder? Get ready....140 Pounds by the end of the course (all mission essential kit). I‘m assuming that support weapons fall under that catagory as well.


...and how would you know that?  Do they offer the Pathfinder course to cadets now?


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## gate_guard (5 Mar 2004)

> Originally posted by CrazyCanuck:
> [qb] "The old adage train hard, fight easy. As opposed to the opposite, train easy, fight hard, and die." - Danjanou
> 
> That‘s great [/qb]


I get the sentiment, but I highly doubt any fighting is "easy".


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## Infanteer (5 Mar 2004)

It‘s probably alot easier if you‘ve trained properly....


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## chrisf (8 Mar 2004)

I always jam my ruck as full as it will go... if I had more room, there‘d be more stuff jammed in... partially because if I stopped doing it, I‘d loose the ability to carry it comfortably, but mostly because if I don‘t jam it full, I‘m afraid I‘ll need the stuff I left behind! Never any problems with the weight.


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## portcullisguy (9 Mar 2004)

I never jam my ruck full, because there is always something else they give you just when you think you‘re carrying it all!

From extra C6 ammo to defensive or OBUA stores to meals, to whatever other crap they didn‘t put on the kit list, I run out of room pretty **** quick if I don‘t carefully whittle down the useless crap I don‘t need out of the ruck.

This last weekend, I almost got burned, though.  We were on Ex at Fort Drum, NY (thanks for setting that one up, QOR!), and I put my longjohns in the follow-up kit, which of course, we only had sporadic, brief access to, and not at all before doing OBUA rehearsals Saturday afternoon.

Fort Drum this time of year reminds me of the northern wastelands of Saskatchewan.  It was cold, windy, and barren flat landscape.  The only thing missing was the 6 feet of perma-snow and there were a few more trees and bushes than the praries, but nothing over 3 metres high.

Luckily another member of the section about my size had a spare set of longjohns he loaned me.

Of course, another lucky thing was that it was an airmobile OBUA exercise, and so the rucks stayed in the platoon biv area.  Everything we needed for the Ex we pretty much had to carry in our webbing, or at most, an extra nuke bag.


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## dano (9 Mar 2004)

The suicide straps are my new best friend


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## chrisf (9 Mar 2004)

As of late, I‘ve been thinking I need a solution to lug more kit around... been thinking about working out a way to strap a few pouches to the ruck... any suggestions?


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## cdonnelly (9 Mar 2004)

Just a Sig Op,

I‘ve used an extra valise at times, it works great for stuffing kit in real fast. I use the old 64 pattern, the extra valise is secured by a couple of bungy cords on top...it hasn‘t failed me yet.


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## tacsit (30 Jun 2004)

Train hard, fight easy. Or another adage: the more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat. Any leader worth his salt will ensure that his troops practice with proper battle loads. The Brits do an excellent job of this. They have weighted bandoliers and dummy anti-tank rounds for the troops to lug around. The US Army 7th Infantry Division (Light) which was stood up in the 80s (deactivated only a few years later) ensured there were properly weighted mags, dummy grenades, dummy claymores, etc. Troops need to become accustomed to carrying proper battle loads. All leaders should strive to get their troops carrying realistic combat loads during training, otherwise you're not doing your job. For example, doctrinally the wartime ROI for M72s is one per soldier. On ex's units should attempt to get as many dummy M72s into the hands of their troops. If you don't have enough (I'm sure reserve units definitely don't have many) get a block of wood and have it cut down to the same dimensions as an M72 (or as close as possible while being as close to the proper weight as possible; weight is more important than exact dimensions). Improvise, modify, adapt, overcome. Train your people properly so they can do their job to the best of their ability.

WRT a solution to carrying more kit around, invest in a good apack. I use a Lightfighter RAID pack. Best apack on the market IMO. For an 82 pattern ruck just keep it lashed under the lid. For a 64 pattern ruck I keep it lashed against the frame under the velise. The apack should be kept as light as possible, while still humping the necessities you need for the assault or for a light patrol. I carry my E&E kit on there as well so I can grab my apack and go if I need to drop my ruck and I'll still have a goodly amount of supplies on me.


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## KevinB (30 Jun 2004)

Ruckweights...

 The most I have humped is 135lbs - there is no fun in that, and at that point no matter what your intention you end up head down and trugging along - at that poitn you are combat ineffective.

 On EX you should be simulating combat - I fail to see why reservists only pack for weekend ex's - what is the trg value in that?  
W/O our rucks we are running the 75-90lb weight   (depending upon role in the Platoon)
 C9 gunner are the heaviest hit (well the C6 gunner in reality but there is only two (one in a mech BN) and no one seem to care about PL HQ folk anyways - C6 gunner about 110lbs)

 Keep in mind this is the basic war fighting load.


Add in a ruck with minimal amount of ammo.

 Guys with only 50lbs are kidding themselves badly.


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## tacsit (30 Jun 2004)

Kevin, how the heck do you remain combat effective for any extended period if your kit weighs that much before your ruck?!  You guys must only carry a ranger blanket and a t-shirt in your ruck if you weigh that much without a ruck... jeez... Seriously, what are you guys carrying in light of all that weight?


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## Military Brat (1 Jul 2004)

Kind of off-topic, but on tour how much ammo would one be carrying in their rucksack?(i.e. how many rounds)


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## KevinB (1 Jul 2004)

Depends upon the tour and the mission.


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## scm77 (1 Jul 2004)

There was an article posted a while back that said on Op. Apollo they were carrying 12 mags.  I don't know if thats accurate or not.


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## BDTyre (1 Jul 2004)

It seems to me that if you were on a weekend ex. you would likely pack for three or for days, not two.  In the field, things go wrong.  Sometimes a 1 hour op can turn into a three day disaster.


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## KevinB (5 Jul 2004)

scm77 said:
			
		

> There was an article posted a while back that said on Op. Apollo they were carrying 12 mags.   I don't know if thats accurate or not.



10 mags is the curent established issue.

Some will carry more mags - and all will carry more ammo


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