Austrian KAZ03 Bundesheer Pack

The_Taffinch

Full Member
Mar 31, 2014
292
0
Hungerford, Berkshire
Does anyone know where I can get hold of one of these packs? I can't find them in stock anywhere and I find that I need to spend some cash that I don't really have on one. Damn you Decorum!:)

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decorum

Full Member
May 2, 2007
5,064
12
Warwickshire
Does anyone know where I can get hold of one of these packs? I can't find them in stock anywhere ...

The nice folk at RTI Military Surplus in Lutterworth have at least one pack and a few of each of the three sizes of side pouches ~ but, to date, I pounced on the sole belt I've found in their stock :D .

They also have a version which is _very_ close to the one I have which has a different lid and doesn't take a belt ~ and the occasional internet search doesn't bring up information on it :dunno: :eek: :confused:

Unfortunately their website is trade only (but anyone can register ;) ) but their bricks and mortar shop is open to the public Thursday through to Sunday :)

Linky thing ~ http://rti-militarysurplus.com/

All the usual disclaimers ~ just a happy, repeat, customer.
 

decorum

Full Member
May 2, 2007
5,064
12
Warwickshire
And there's a 'Baby' version too. About 20L I guess ~ roughly half the volume of the pack in post #01. The same method of attaching pouches. A non weight bearing waist strap with no capability to attach a hip belt ~ which also removes the need for adjusting back length ;) . The shoulder straps detach at their bases and can be stowed away in a pocket running the length of the pack ~ the pocket is closed with a Velcro strip. As with the larger pack, there's a zippered pocket in the base which is accessible when the pack is worn; I still assume that this is for hat, mitts/gloves, and scarf.

A quick and fairly* easy repair to a seam was needed to bring it back to fully usable :D . They all needed some level of work ~ but having repaired the seam on this one I'd be happy to work the magic on another ;) (the stitching had come adrift, it hadn't torn the fabric). Judging things wholly on this single pack, the seam allowance is pretty good and makes it a whole lot easier to line things up correctly :D

* It's easy enough to turn these packs inside out ~ remove the removable foam pad and push the base up and through the main body ;) . I had to sew through multiple layers, including webbing, which was made a lot easier by pliers to pull the cheap, standard, fabric needle through in some spots.

Pics to follow (could be a few days :eek: ). A pic of the repaired seam to follow shortly ...


(And yes 'Baby' also came from R.T.I Military Surplus ~ still no connection except as a repeat customer)
 

decorum

Full Member
May 2, 2007
5,064
12
Warwickshire
Two repair pics ...





Not too easily seen? The repair runs from almost the top of the pics down through the webbing strap at the base ~ a few inches ;)

(I missed tidying away a bit of loose original thread ~ it's visible just above the bias binding of the pack's 'hidden' pocket :eek: )
 

The_Taffinch

Full Member
Mar 31, 2014
292
0
Hungerford, Berkshire
Hi All,

I sort of struck out for a while on trying to get hold of this pack. RTI were very nice when I contacted them but seriously suggested that I need to visit them to pick out the pack I needed, but then life and stuff got in the way and I never got round to it and it's a bit of a hike to up to Lutterworth for me.

But, a few weeks ago when I felt the need to feed my addiction to buying packs, I rekindled my interest in the KAZ03 and took the plunge on this:

https://www.essl-rucksack.at/produkt/essl-ru90-alpinrucksack-50-liter-oliv/

http://www.steinadler.com/de/shop/product/GEESRU90/1620/essl-kampfrucksack-90

A search for 'Essl RU90' will also bring up some results.

I understand that Essl produced the original KAZ03 Bundesheer Pack for the Austrian Army. This is the civilian version of that pack and is exactly the same (as far as I can tell) except for two points. Firstly, the material used which is very dark olive (almost brown) cordura-type stuff and also this pack comes with a stitched on padded waist/hip belt. For some reason the metal attachment bar to connect in to the original KAZ03 belt is still included but is pretty much redundant. It cannot be removed without cutting a cord lanyard which prevents the bar from falling on the ground. If weight was an issue for me, I might do this but the bar isn't uncomfortable when secured in its slot so I will leave it be.

So other than this, all of decorum's description above rings true for the RU90 too.

A few pics:

IMG_20170515_211816.jpg

IMG_20170515_212036.jpg

IMG_20170515_211851.jpg

The pack compartment is 50l (although I think with thr 'floating top' design it can expand to far beyond this) which is fine for a short solo trip, but I wanted to expand the capacity for longer adventures and when I take my son out and about. And herein lies a problem; Essl don't make side pouches for this pack and you can't get the original's now for love nor money. Actually, I have seen as couple online but they were of the smaller size, quite pricey and even if I could get them, the colour difference between the original and the new pack versions would mean that they would stick-out like a sore thumb. I did look at whether I could add a large molle water bottle pouch as a side pocket but the one I could find were only 1-2l.

So as desperate experiment, I ordered:

http://www.endicotts.co.uk/content/berghaus-military-side-pouch-olive-green

From Endicotts, and what do you know, the bag's side compression/mounting straps are the same distance apart (or as near as damnit) as the front mounting points on the Berghaus pouch and the straps are just the right width to go through the pouch strap slots...so the pouch fits perfectly on the side of the pack and adds a handy 8 litres of space. For that added level of secureness, I took a piece of spare strapping and ran it vertically from the top attachment loop of the side pouch, behind the two mounting straps on the pack, and then through the bottom pouch attachment point. That thing isn't coming off anyhow now.

There is a slight colour variance obviously, but it's not too garish and I can live with it. So big result...especially at that price.

IMG_20170515_212130.jpg

Got give Endicotts a big shout out here. Communication was excellent, despatch was super rapid, and Kevin was really great when I explained what I was trying to achieve...he even bundled a few extra spare straps to help together with a hand-written note wishing me good luck with my experiment. Top notch service!

Incidentally, I also bought a S10 Respirator bag (http://www.endicotts.co.uk/content/british-gen-2-s10-resi-haversack-new-olive) as a front pouch for the pack. The top belt-fixing on the S10 bag attaches perfectly to the front mounting loop on the RU90, but I need to play around further to try and find a way of fixing on at the bottom. I don't think it will fall off if just mounted at the top, but I think it might flop around a bit.
 

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