New Rucksack

[Fusaki]

Wonderbread,
I WAS in a tactical  situation. Therefore the ruck WAS the ideal item of kit for that purpose.
No one toted a kit bag around in ZP.

That doesn't make any sense at all.  Using a rucksack as a kitbag in a tactical environment doesn't make it a good rucksack. It just means that it's an overly elaborate kitbag.

Can you honestly tell me that a kitbag would not have been sufficient?

 

[George Wallace]

That doesn't make any sense at all.  Using a rucksack as a kitbag in a tactical environment doesn't make it a good rucksack. It just means that it's an overly elaborate kitbag.

Can you honestly tell me that a kitbag would not have been sufficient?

I think you misread his post.

 

[KevinB]

I'm wondering what planet some here reside on.

  For Me, the sky is blue (mostly) 

The ruck is NOT a barracks box, or a oversized lunch container that meanders to and fro.

  The rucksack is for sustained dismounted operations to carry necessary kit, ammunition, water and food, in a tactical environment.  It is ideally not brought right into direct combat, but unfortunately one does not always pick the time and place while on a walk about.

In this day and age of helo support the need for a monsterous ruck, outside of SR missions should be a little limited, and missions are of a more reasonable time frame where a huge fuckmeoff ruck is not needed.  However even for a short 3 day urban sniper op, for a 4 man det, getting dropped off near the house your occupying, water for 120+/40+ degree heat, food, comms gear, imagery equipment (ties to comms), weapons, NODS, monfrotto tripod with grip ball head and centermass rifle cradle...  well thats four rucks right there, and if your lucky you only had to walk a few hundred meters, but you cannot do that with a smaller pack, or a barracks box (well I guess you could...  : ).


For practical use of the ruck for others who may not know -- look at 3VP in 2002 walking in the mountains.
  Can this ruck do that?



 

 

[Jammer]

...and then some.

 

[Fusaki]

...and then some.

Are you sure? Because yesterday you said:

I have yet to have to rely on my ruck to fight out of. It was a means of carrying my worldly possesions around ZP.
The SPS was what I used to "fight" out of.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Jammer,

Thanks for countering the (apparently) prevailing wisdom that the new ruck is no good on ops.

Can you elaborate on why it worked well for you vs. the 64 patt etc?

 

[KevinB]

Thanks for countering the (apparently) prevailing wisdom that the new ruck is no good on ops.

Given Wonderbread's points above I am not sure he did that... 

 

[daftandbarmy]

Given Wonderbread's points above I am not sure he did that... 

The guy needs to be given the benefit of a doubt!

 

[Jammer]

I found the new ruck a lot easier to manage insofar the you have the ability to minimize the amount of loose items that tended to hang on the outside.
I did have to carry it distances on occasion and my back and shoulders appreciated the fact that it rides considerably higher providing it has been fitted correctly.

 

[daftandbarmy]

I found the new ruck a lot easier to manage insofar the you have the ability to minimize the amount of loose items that tended to hang on the outside.
I did have to carry it distances on occasion and my back and shoulders appreciated the fact that it rides considerably higher providing it has been fitted correctly.

So there you have it. A guy who's 'been there, done that' with the new ruck on saying it's OK. That's good enough for couch-borne old me.

 

[Fusaki]

But wait! What about PhilB?

His assessment of the new ruck while using it overseas also falls in line with my own experience with the ruck while using it on ex in Canada.

I have been on HLTA and as such havent had much access to the internet, but my thoughts on the CTS Ruck;

Initially I was very happy with the ruck. In Canada using on PT, both with armour and rigs, and without it performed quite well. Was comfortable, the hip belt/rods transfered weight effectively and as advertised, and the capacity is HUGE! All in all I was impressed, as I posted earlier.

Fast forward to now. We ended up having to ruck into a few locations in our AO, walking around 9km (15 in the case of a few unlucky souls!) or so each time with full battle rattle and rucks. In short, my opinion of the CTS Ruck has done a complete 180. Guys, incl myself, have broken the transfer rods, the stitching at the top of the ruck holding in the aluminum bars has broken, pockets sag and almost fall off when loaded with kit, load lifting straps have broken, and carry handles have ripped off. That is just mentioning the quality issues. The ruck does not fit well at all with full fighting kit and plates over long, hot, stressful distances. Half the guys couldnt even do up their waist belts (the ruck is very unstable IMHO without the waist belt done up), the other half could do up the belts but they wouldnt ride correctly on the hips because of armour and plates, resulting in the belt sitting on the hip "pocket/flexor region". This caused bruising, blistering, and general discomfort. I have ditched mine and gone back to my 64 as has almost all of the guys in my pl.

 

[PuckChaser]

From PhilB's assessment, seems like we've been bit in the ass by the lowest bidder again. Cheaper = less tensile strength in the materials, and we get failures like what was outlined on a presumably normal "army" task of carrying a full ruck at distance over rolling terrain. Its a common trait, not just in CTS to test things for use in Ottawa and not think of the real world. I can think of an equipment air conditioning system that was certified as "more than enough" cooling power when tested in a climate controlled vehicle bay in Ottawa, but the unit overheats and shuts down in AStan.

 

[Jammer]

To play devils advocate, the new ruck has gone through several mods since being introduced.
The stitching has been reinforced as well as more durable stays.
Mine has held up quite well after being bashed around in helos, vehs, and overall abuse being carried and carted around.
Maybe mine was made on Tuesday... ;D

 

[daftandbarmy]

Is this half full or half empty?

Engineers: No, there is not twice as much glass as is really needed. ;D

 

[George Wallace]

Is this half full or half empty?

Engineers: No, there is not twice as much glass as is really needed. ;D

Looks like a time to "downsize".

 

[Lerch]

We did a mass issue at Gagetown today, had guys from 4AD and the RCA school through swapping our old rucks for the new ones.
Delivery was fast and efficient. I walked up to the first desk, signed a paper, signed a sheet for my back-bar, and handed off my old ruck. Got my back sized and shape drawn out, and then grabbed the odds and sodds for the rucksack. All in all, maybe 10 minutes. The class itself was nary an hour long and we went bit by bit through the rucksack, putting the pieces together, bending the frame to our backs and donning and doffing tips.
My initial impression is that it is a well built and thought out rucksack, but perhaps a bit over complicated. Up till now I'd been using my issued 82 or my personal 64 packs for ruckmarches and the field and both didn't take much time to toss on and run off with. This one has about 3x the straps to tug on...oh well. It's still a nice change from the 82 pattern.
I've yet to do a march with it, but that'll probably be this weekend.

 

[NL_engineer]

Well I have a good thing to say about the new ruck, its great for packing all the things you need for up to 2 weeks in a fob before your kit arrives  :

 

[armyvern]

We did a mass issue at Gagetown today, had guys from 4AD and the RCA school through swapping our old rucks for the new ones.
Delivery was fast and efficient. I walked up to the first desk, signed a paper, signed a sheet for my back-bar, and handed off my old ruck. Got my back sized and shape drawn out, and then grabbed the odds and sodds for the rucksack. All in all, maybe 10 minutes. The class itself was nary an hour long and we went bit by bit through the rucksack, putting the pieces together, bending the frame to our backs and donning and doffing tips.

Damn - we're good.

LMAO.

 

[Craig B]

Well, I'll throw my $0.02 worth in here.

I did my 13 km yesterday and I much prefer the new ruck over the 82 pattern. No sore shoulders, just sore feet  ;D

 

[NL_engineer]

It can also easily hold 200 lbs of kit  :  I had fun humping my 125 lbs ruck  : (read my last post on why it was so heavy) on the chopper a week and a bit ago.