Alice packs
- Thread starter Tengu
- Start date
-
Come along to the amazing Summer Moot (21st July - 2nd August), a festival of bushcrafting and camping in a beautiful woodland PLEASE CLICK HERE for more information.
Some info in these old threads....
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45780&highlight=Alice+pack
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41688
Bon chance
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45780&highlight=Alice+pack
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41688
Bon chance
It's a love/hate thing. Seem to be very popular Stateside which seeing as they can get this gear as cheap across the pond as we can get surplus PLCE kit over here isn't surprising.
I have one (medium with frame) from new and used it for the last few months at meets.
I like it a lot. I've just got a Lowe Alpine Sting which will suit me fine for the colder months and long hauls but Alice will be back in for the kinder seasons; either as a complete unit or just strapping kit to the frame.
I've got the enhanced kidney pad from Blackhawk and just waiting for the shoulder straps to become available. Aside from that I've left what isn't broken without fixing.
HTH Tengu.
I have one (medium with frame) from new and used it for the last few months at meets.
I like it a lot. I've just got a Lowe Alpine Sting which will suit me fine for the colder months and long hauls but Alice will be back in for the kinder seasons; either as a complete unit or just strapping kit to the frame.
I've got the enhanced kidney pad from Blackhawk and just waiting for the shoulder straps to become available. Aside from that I've left what isn't broken without fixing.
HTH Tengu.
I got this little baby in the post today
its a large Alice pack these are brand new from strikeforce £46.00 posted with the frame i love it i also have a medium you can see in the pic the size difference
the frame can be used with both packs and the medium can also be used with out the frame i love mine 
its a large Alice pack these are brand new from strikeforce £46.00 posted with the frame i love it i also have a medium you can see in the pic the size difference the frame can be used with both packs and the medium can also be used with out the frame i love mine
Marmite for sure, you either love em or hate em. my medium makes a good cycle pack as it site high on the shoulders and i can get a fair amount of stuff in there.
i loved my medium one, with no frame, og green, didn't realise how much until it was gone. now have a large pack, have to have a frame for that one, very good also, use it for the fishing gear, mine came from 22's stores at hereford but nothing special about it apart from the sand in it!
i have to say, i do prefer the medium pack dimensions, and have thought about having a padded back fitted by a kit modder to make it a soft carry job, thought about having the snugpak rocket pak back and straps added.
they are bomb proof as you'd expect from military, they aren't waterproof though, we're talking jungle warfare/desert equipment here, drainage holes in the bottom and only the lid has a water proof backing on it which decays if abused.
someone said earlier a marmite thing, i love them, but be aware, they do creak with age and heavy loads.
i did get a GSbergen which is similar to the medium alice pack, doesn't take as much, and the fframe being steel and not ali as in the alice packs case weighs a tonne!
i'd give 'em a go. plenty of og ones available. fairly cheap. last forever. cult status.
i have to say, i do prefer the medium pack dimensions, and have thought about having a padded back fitted by a kit modder to make it a soft carry job, thought about having the snugpak rocket pak back and straps added.
they are bomb proof as you'd expect from military, they aren't waterproof though, we're talking jungle warfare/desert equipment here, drainage holes in the bottom and only the lid has a water proof backing on it which decays if abused.
someone said earlier a marmite thing, i love them, but be aware, they do creak with age and heavy loads.
i did get a GSbergen which is similar to the medium alice pack, doesn't take as much, and the fframe being steel and not ali as in the alice packs case weighs a tonne!
i'd give 'em a go. plenty of og ones available. fairly cheap. last forever. cult status.
when i was trying to get my hands on frame etc first time round, the hardest thing to get hold of was the lumber pad, i've seen all sorts of belts cobbled into use, but the genuine ones are more difficult to get hold of. shoulder straps come on the medium usually, but not on the large as the logic is you should already have them attached to the frame. or use your medium pack straps.
i think the australian army packs of the same design use identical or near identical parts so no need to limit your search for US stuff. also, if you want to pay a small fortune look at plat-a-tac combat packs, they do ALICE type stuff, or have it modified direct by searching under MALICE packs.
this link is to someone i have bought from before, very good service, often has US stuff, has this frame, all it would need is a paint if you want it pristine.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/US-Army-alumi...Collectables_Militaria_LE?hash=item27af971f44
i think the australian army packs of the same design use identical or near identical parts so no need to limit your search for US stuff. also, if you want to pay a small fortune look at plat-a-tac combat packs, they do ALICE type stuff, or have it modified direct by searching under MALICE packs.
this link is to someone i have bought from before, very good service, often has US stuff, has this frame, all it would need is a paint if you want it pristine.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/US-Army-alumi...Collectables_Militaria_LE?hash=item27af971f44
I have one. Its a medium in US woodland camo and I think its one of the best packs going. I must admit, I originally wanted one because its the pack John Locke uses in LOST 
but once I got one and started to watch reviews it is trully versatile, its lightweight, basic and tough as old boots. If you can get one for the right price, I would deffinately reccomend one. Infact Im after a second pack in OD if anyone has one. dont use the frame either pack it right and its comfortable as it is.
but once I got one and started to watch reviews it is trully versatile, its lightweight, basic and tough as old boots. If you can get one for the right price, I would deffinately reccomend one. Infact Im after a second pack in OD if anyone has one. dont use the frame either pack it right and its comfortable as it is.
A counter point view.
I have some experience with a Large ALICE pack.
Large ALICE packs are horrendous to carry normal camping load weight in for a reasonable walking type day in my experience. For the cash there are far better packs/ rucsacks/ bergens on the market for a similar outlay and you don't have to sort out different straps back pads and modifications.
The Issue PLCE is better ( if you get the correct back length to suit you) for example. A secondhand : Vulcan, Sting, Roc,Saracen, Jaguar is light years ahead of the Large ALICE in every possible way...
It is tough (apart from the frame which pops rivets reasonably regularly) and does float well if you're swimming it across a river and it does drain quickly...
The NZ Army issued OG ALICE packs as standard ( which I had) then a DPM version and now Issues a modified version with massively improved shoulder straps ( ie padded and wide enough not to cut the blood flow off to your arms and with a decent adjusting buckle) and that modern implement of wonder the fastex buckle on the pockets and lid closure. It's also marginally waterproof.
Everyone involved with rucksack design and sales seems to agree that the best way to carry weight in a rucksack on your back is to share the load between your hips and shoulders and pretty much every Rucksack design for civilian use from the late 1970's onwards has adopted this convention with the use of a frame either external or pretty much exclusively these days internal and a substantial padded hipbelt with a mechanisim for adjustment and tightening said hip belt and pehaps a method of adjusting the back length. Rucksacks like the ALICE and SAS/PARA and GS Bergen were of course designed before such 'radical' thinking and are products of a military school of thought. So short frames minimal padding and no waistbelt.
Everyone I know who's used an SAS/PARA bergen modified it in some way to get it more comfortable from 1/2 a kipmat stuck down the back to extra straps pipe lagging on the frame, fitting a set of manpack straps from a MILAN etc etc.. ALICE is the same. The fact that such a large add on an modification market exists for the ALICE should tell you that the standard item is less than ideal. If it was good as standard the're be no need for all of the add on bits would there? It's utter cack when compared to a modern ( or anything made by Berghaus or Karrimor since about 1980) rucksack.
It's also interesting to note the the USMC now issues the ILBE pack which is based on a modern Arcteryx Design ( The Tango IIRC) to replace the ALICE.
I'm not a fan as you can tell.
I have some experience with a Large ALICE pack.
Large ALICE packs are horrendous to carry normal camping load weight in for a reasonable walking type day in my experience. For the cash there are far better packs/ rucsacks/ bergens on the market for a similar outlay and you don't have to sort out different straps back pads and modifications.
The Issue PLCE is better ( if you get the correct back length to suit you) for example. A secondhand : Vulcan, Sting, Roc,Saracen, Jaguar is light years ahead of the Large ALICE in every possible way...
It is tough (apart from the frame which pops rivets reasonably regularly) and does float well if you're swimming it across a river and it does drain quickly...
The NZ Army issued OG ALICE packs as standard ( which I had) then a DPM version and now Issues a modified version with massively improved shoulder straps ( ie padded and wide enough not to cut the blood flow off to your arms and with a decent adjusting buckle) and that modern implement of wonder the fastex buckle on the pockets and lid closure. It's also marginally waterproof.
Everyone involved with rucksack design and sales seems to agree that the best way to carry weight in a rucksack on your back is to share the load between your hips and shoulders and pretty much every Rucksack design for civilian use from the late 1970's onwards has adopted this convention with the use of a frame either external or pretty much exclusively these days internal and a substantial padded hipbelt with a mechanisim for adjustment and tightening said hip belt and pehaps a method of adjusting the back length. Rucksacks like the ALICE and SAS/PARA and GS Bergen were of course designed before such 'radical' thinking and are products of a military school of thought. So short frames minimal padding and no waistbelt.
Everyone I know who's used an SAS/PARA bergen modified it in some way to get it more comfortable from 1/2 a kipmat stuck down the back to extra straps pipe lagging on the frame, fitting a set of manpack straps from a MILAN etc etc.. ALICE is the same. The fact that such a large add on an modification market exists for the ALICE should tell you that the standard item is less than ideal. If it was good as standard the're be no need for all of the add on bits would there? It's utter cack when compared to a modern ( or anything made by Berghaus or Karrimor since about 1980) rucksack.
It's also interesting to note the the USMC now issues the ILBE pack which is based on a modern Arcteryx Design ( The Tango IIRC) to replace the ALICE.
I'm not a fan as you can tell.
Last edited:
I like mine too.
I know it's limitations, but it does what I want it to do...
....and does it very well
Certainly not figuring on buying PLCE anytime soon. There's a lot of replacements and add ons for that as well...
Got a pack for light loads and short distance (Alice)
Got a pack for heavier loads and longer distance (Sting)
Job done
I know it's limitations, but it does what I want it to do...
....and does it very well
Certainly not figuring on buying PLCE anytime soon. There's a lot of replacements and add ons for that as well...
Got a pack for light loads and short distance (Alice)
Got a pack for heavier loads and longer distance (Sting)
Job done
I know it's limitations, but it does what I want it to do...
....and does it very well
Entirely true. It is a great pack for summer use or long hikes when you need that bit extra kit.
Only thing that might make it slightly more comfortable is molle straps but the original ones do me just fine.
i have the medium and now a large and find them great if any one is interested i got my large Alice pack brand new with the frame from here it cost me £46.00 posted just ring them this is the site
http://www.strikeforcesupplies.co.uk/index.php?page=contact
this is the sitehttp://www.strikeforcesupplies.co.uk/index.php?page=contact
according to the US Army Manual : "FM 21-15 Care and use of individual equipment"
FYI just the sack part:
the frame is aluminum, the harnesses are nylon with foam padding nothing really heavyweight compared to the older or British steel frames.
as usual some strong views about Military equipment....yawn....For me ALICE works very well I find it comfy enough and it's tough and highly adaptable.
horses for courses!
Last edited:
