Old Jump Ruck bag, is it any good?

[Shrek1985]

I got a great deal on a complete, if minimum-standard jump ruck; frame needs work (taken care of) and 82-pat yolk and hip pad.

But the cargo bag is ancient. It's in great shape, but seems to be made of the same material as a rain jacket. this makes me suspicious. It's got three pockets on the outside too. I even wonder if it's not an original C2 pack. Can anyone tell me if this is trust-worthy equipment? The cargo bag I mean.

I am using this as part of project to make go to hell bags for friends of mine.

 

[BDTyre]

The first bag I had for my 64 frame was a"Universal Ruck, C2" dated (if I read it right) Aug 1975. I used it for a number of years and it's quite structurally sound. Yes, there is obvious wear (especially on the outer pockets), and a few minor holes (think pinhole size). The straps are all in excellent shape. I wouldn't go so far as to trust the waterproofness (use a garbage bag), but it never failed me and if I switched back, I would be quite happy with it. It's been through numerous weekend exercises, several week and multi-week exercises and a deployment.

The only reason I switched was that I wanted something bigger and I wanted fastex without having to tear the bag apart. I got the CP Gear original 64 bag. I like it, but at some points I think it's a little too big.

 

[Shrek1985]

I have a CP gear bag too and I really like it. Smaller might be good here, as in terms of prepping I am dealing with some little people here and I can't overload them, I just want to them to have a good pack.

Did you ever try water-proofing and sealing the holes and seams? Garbage bags are a good insurance policy, but I like hedged bets myself.

 

[fraserdw]

There are 2 types of bags, the C1 which is rubberized cotton and uses cotton webbing and the C2 which is nylon (somewhat like cordura 500D) and has nylon webbing.  C2s last forever if you look after them, C1 will rot over time as they are natural product.  The C2 should washed in warm soapy water to get any dirt that will wear the threads out, then rinsed in clean cold water.  Look at the stamp under the bag lid for the date and type of manufacture.  By material as a rain jacket, which type, rubberized nylon or the rubberized cotton?  The only other thing it could be is the US P65-68 series which is a shiny nylon like a cheap rain coat but it will have a "US" on the lid.  The 65 uses the T2 frame like our C Series in the low position but it rare and commands a very high price.  There is a guy who is selling on ebay, he takes USGI ALICE Medium packs and re-stitches them onto ALICE frames in the low position to sell them as Vietnam "jungle rucks".  Again the ALICE is a shiny nylon fabric and should have the "US" on it.

 

[Lerch]

You could seal the seams, or use a drybag.
If you want to "update" the bag, you can look on eBay for Fastex replacement QR buckles, they'll have a broken bar on the female end that you can slip into the webbing loops without having to do any sewing.

 

[Shrek1985]

There are 2 types of bags, the C1 which is rubberized cotton and uses cotton webbing and the C2 which is nylon (somewhat like cordura 500D) and has nylon webbing.  C2s last forever if you look after them, C1 will rot over time as they are natural product.  The C2 should washed in warm soapy water to get any dirt that will wear the threads out, then rinsed in clean cold water.  Look at the stamp under the bag lid for the date and type of manufacture.  By material as a rain jacket, which type, rubberized nylon or the rubberized cotton?  The only other thing it could be is the US P65-68 series which is a shiny nylon like a cheap rain coat but it will have a "US" on the lid.  The 65 uses the T2 frame like our C Series in the low position but it rare and commands a very high price.  There is a guy who is selling on ebay, he takes USGI ALICE Medium packs and re-stitches them onto ALICE frames in the low position to sell them as Vietnam "jungle rucks".  Again the ALICE is a shiny nylon fabric and should have the "US" on it.

Def not rubberized nylon and the fittings are cotton or canvas. I dunno about US markings, but I will check.