My Alice Pack

[garethw]

Gareth, do you rate the DEI frame? Is it worth it? It looks slick and probably a better match for the Molle ALICE hybrid than the stock ALICE frame, but I'm not sure it's worth it.

The biggest problem with the original Alice was the frame.. its is heavy, cumbersome, squeaks, the rivets pop out... The DEI 1606 frame is basically a version made for the Molle ll Airbourne Assault system. due to demand from troops they put out a version that was compatible with the Alice, as so many still used them.
Personally I think it is light years ahead of the Alice frame, and definitely worth the money. It needs to be used with the Molle bits though as it won't work with the Alice belt and straps.

cheers
Gareth

 

[Mastino]

Funny, one of the great feautures of an original ALICE is the metal buckles. They won't break at sub-zero temperatures....Fastex will.

 

[johnboy]

Funny, one of the great feautures of an original ALICE is the metal buckles. They won't break at sub-zero temperatures....Fastex will.

Also funny is the fact that Acetal (Delrin) is rated for temps as low as -60 degrees c So if you buy buckles made from Acetal say ITW Nexus SR25's then you're probably good to go for most mortal stuff.. Plus there less of a pig to use with gloves on...

 

[santaman2000]

Also funny is the fact that Acetal (Delrin) is rated for temps as low as -60 degrees c So if you buy buckles made from Acetal say ITW Nexus SR25's then you're probably good to go for most mortal stuff.. Plus there less of a pig to use with gloves on...

Actually the old metal buckles aren't hard to use IF you use them the way they were designed to be used in cold weather; just tie a loop a (few inches of cordage) in the hole at the tip to make an "handle" that's easy to grasp with gloved hands. That said though, the ones on the pouches only need to be set once anyway; after they're set for the load just open/close the flaps using the studs.

 

[garethw]

That said though, the ones on the pouches only need to be set once anyway; after they're set for the load just open/close the flaps using the studs.

Personally I still prefer the plastic buckles over the metal ones and press studs...

 

[dean4442]

Garethw where did you source the frame and straps from and what was the cost? If you don't mind me asking, if you do then just ignore me I'm a cheeky git!!!
Colin.

 

[Mike8472]

Gareth I'm interested aswell.
just looked on downeast's website and shipping $45 frame $35. mental!

 

[santaman2000]

Personally I still prefer the plastic buckles over the metal ones and press studs...

True enough, they do give it a more modern look. I suspect it would be lighter overall if you could easily remove the metal studs when installing the fastex.

 

[santaman2000]

Garethw where did you source the frame and straps from and what was the cost? If you don't mind me asking, if you do then just ignore me I'm a cheeky git!!!
Colin.

I may be wrong but I don't think he replaced the straps, just the buckles.

 

[Martyn]

True enough, they do give it a more modern look. I suspect it would be lighter overall if you could easily remove the metal studs when installing the fastex.

I prefer the retro look of the poppers. I was just making the point that with regard to replacing the pouch buckles, their isn't the same clear functional advantage that there is with doing it on the main straps. That's a no brainer, but the pouches are perfectly functional with the existing metal poppers. I bought the buckles to do the mod to the pouches and was going to replace the press studs with pop rivets, but decided to leave them as they were. It's an option if they irritate me, but at the moment, they dont.

The glove thing is a fair point and if I was somewhere that taking your gloves off was a risk, I would probably swap em, but it doesnt get that cold here.

 

[Martyn]

I may be wrong but I don't think he replaced the straps, just the buckles.

Did he mean the MOLLE straps? I dunno where Gareth got his, but I got mine off ebay.

 

[garethw]

Gareth I'm interested aswell.
just looked on downeast's website and shipping $45 frame $35. mental!

Wow that does seem steep for a 790g item, suppose it depends who they ship with.. but its still only £50 for an excellent frame.

You need the following items to make one up:

1x Medium Alice pack
1x complete set of Molle ll shoulder straps
1x Molle ll kidney belt
1x Molle ll sleep system carrier
1x DEI 1606AC frame

Oh and my buckles were 3€ a pair in Decathlon

Most can be picked up on ebay, but the frame you have to order direct from Down East. The components are all pretty cheap, 15 or 20$ each for good grade surplus. The frames are about 35$. You can therefore get all the bits for less than 100$ which is only about £65. (you'll obviously have shipping on top, but any pack ordered online will have P&P extra. It does though bump the price up quite a bit).
I'm in France and most of the gear I want needs to be ordered overseas, and shipping from the UK is not a whole lot cheaper than from the US. Surplus items don't seem to catch the eye of the tax people either...well mine didn't.

When all is said and done I ended up with a pretty large capacity pack, that is extremely tough, it may be an old design but it has a lot going for it, which is I guess why the US army still uses them and Down Eaqt came out witha new frame for them.
If an item breaks you can repair it. None of the main carry points are sewn, all are straps and buckles.

It has a cool retro look, is comfortable to carry and set out in a way that is great for packing your gear. I like the way I can change it around, add pouches, take the sleep system carrier off and use the pack as a day pack.... I can even take the frame off and still use the pack.

I've looked at the Karrimor packs or a PLCE Bergen, but many of them cost double what this cost me.

cheers
Gareth

 

[santaman2000]

Did he mean the MOLLE straps?...

Yeah, I think your right.

 

[Kernowek Scouser]

Apologies for the necro post.

I have found my way here from here then here.

I have my own Alice type bag project on the starting blocks and the picture in my head of the finished bag looks a lot like what you have put together here Gareth. And, although I'm not working with the same bag (not actually a proper Alice at all, but the frameless Austrian copy courtesy of MM) this thread will certainly be very useful as I cobble it all together.

Cheers,

Colin