First choice for the average young man is surely the Dutch army Sting.
It's an all purpose rucksack that can be bought used really cheap. It's not too large for summer use but can be fitted out with additional outer MOLLE pouches for winter use, for example 2 x British army MTP water bottle carrier pouches and 3x British army MTP utility pouches that are offered everywhere very cheap. Easy access to smaller stuff is pretty practical in all conditions of course, but these pouches are relatively heavy, rather an option for shorter hiking distances an more camping or journeys by car, bus or train. For summer hikes I surely would leave them at home.
Dutch Army 80L Backpack with Side PouchesOriginal backpack designed for the Dutch Military. It is well equipped and a high quality bag. The bags capacity is 80L and will carry enough clothing and gear for a 4/5 day camping or hiking trip. Please note these are sold as used and have been in use...
www.goarmy.co.uk
I recommend to take that and now!
A bit too large for just a weekend in the jungle at the end of the bus line in front of your house is the Berghaus Atlas 4, that is offered in several body sizes like clothing because it's less adjustable.
That's a good choice for winter use, independent longer hikes in remote areas, long journeys by train or on foot.
You can manage to fit in here all you need, you can live out of this rucksack all the year round if you choose intelligent compact packing stuff. But it also can be compressed very well if you need just a smaller capacity. It's the lightest real military rucksack in this size. It's relatively cheap if we talk about factory new equipment because it's made in China. Nevertheless it's issued in the German army, also to special forces. That's my own large rucksack by the way. But if you are unable to avoid sparks from the camp fire you risk to damage it at the first weekend.
That's why it's probably not the first choice for green horns.
Army Surplus UK store by Nicks Kit based in Manchester UK. Supplying Military gear, combat clothing and genuine British Army surplus supplies. Call in and talk to Nick or order securely online.
www.nicks-kit.co.uk
A Dutch army Saracen offers even more capacity, is very similar to the Sting and can be found used relatively cheap, but it's pretty heavy.
Another option is the Berghaus Vulcan, that is the predecessor of the Atlas 4, also offered it several back lengths.
Here offered affordable because used from a Dutch seller. No idea what's about import taxes and shipping costs to Britain. Perhaps you can also find it in Britain via e-bay.
Berghaus Vulcan Cyclops 2Berghaus Vulcan with Cyclops 2 in cedar green The Berghaus Vulcan with Cyclops 2 is a serious expedition backpack for those who like to go the extra mile. A popular backpack for years, and was the standard for the Special-Forces of the Dutch Army. The Berghaus Vulcan with C
www.xmilitarystore.com
And last not least, if you just want a large pack for camping rather than long distance hiking the large British army infantry bergan, long or short back can be of course found cheap in Britain. That's large, well organised and robust and cheap, but not the most comfortable one in the world.
If you burn your first spark holes into that, you probably will not collapse immediately. But I think that's rather a good choice for camping than for hiking, but only if you can get it used and very cheap.
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