One for the retro-heads

[Snufkin]

Just spotted these on the Varusteleka site.
https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/romanian-retro-pack-surplus/62292
Already ordered one to fuel my pack addiction!

 

[Robbi]

I like that.

 

[Tengu]

Those are great packs, they look convertable, and smarted up will be very swish.

Are they comfy to use though?

 

[Janne]

They are Romanian. Ever heard about the quality of the Romanian Armed Forces, historically up till now?

 

[Tengu]

If they were dodgy the Varusteleka staff would tell us with inimitable Finn humour.

I sent a link to their site to my Auntie, not because I feel she needs Surplus, but because the humour reminded me so much of her.

 

[Snufkin]

If they were dodgy the Varusteleka staff would tell us with inimitable Finn humour.

I sent a link to their site to my Auntie, not because I feel she needs Surplus, but because the humour reminded me so much of her.

I do find their humour and honesty refreshing.

 

[Nice65]

I do find their humour and honesty refreshing.

Brilliant.

“WHAT! The Romanian army rucksack was already vintage-inspired when it came out in some 70's. Today it will cause spontaneous soiling of the pants among the vintage fanatics, including us.”

Nice pack that is, I’m hovering.

 

[Herman30]

About the romanian pack, I suppose the leather detailsare dry and need some of this: https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/ekol-leather-oil-0-25l/8573

 

[Keith_Beef]

About the romanian pack, I suppose the leather detailsare dry and need some of this: https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/ekol-leather-oil-0-25l/8573

As the site states:

Usually very little used, but old. We strongly recommend wiping the pack clean with a moist rag and treating the leather with generous amounts of grease. The musty warehouse smell will eventually vanish with use.

 

[Snufkin]

Mine turned up. Really good quality. The leather needed feeding and the hooks repainting but apart from that it was in really good nick. The shoulder straps are set quite wide apart, so if you have narrow shoulders it might not be the best fit. Looking forward to trying it out at the weekend.

 

[Wushuplayer]

Hi, I'm thinking of getting one of these, how did you get on with it? Any nice tip, tricks, mods you would recommend?

 

[Erbswurst]

The only nice tip I can give in this case:

Never modify an already antique military rucksack!

If you keep it instead of it in perfectly authentic conditions and tread it well you have a good chance to sell it a few decades later for much more than you payed yourself.

Usualy you aren't more intelligent then the war ministry which ordered it. The old military stuff is just fine how it is.
You just need to learn how to tread and use it correctly.

 

[Tengu]

Is that advice to get TWO examples? One to keep as is and the other to convert?

 

[Erbswurst]

No. Most modifications of old stuff I have seen in the internet did result obviously of a misunderstanding of the construction or an uninformed use.

People try to use the old stuff like the new one and discover that it doesn't work well.
Then they try to change the "faults" of the perfect construction instead of surching theyr own faults by using it.

Such a rucksack must be packed correctly for example. If I don't use spare clothing or tent sheet as back padding for example and put there a pot instead of it, it will not be so funny to carry it...

I also don't saw around at historic furnitures or correct old oil paintings.
That's simply uncivilised in my opinion.

 

[TLM]

Usualy you aren't more intelligent then the war ministry which ordered it.

But beware of majors they have half infinite capacity for FUBAR. If I remember correctly it was some major in Hitlers army who decided over everybody that either Panzer III or IV does not need as big a main gun as ordered. Everybody else was happy but that single major might have affected the outcome of several major battles in WW2.

 

[Erbswurst]

They simply ordered all what looked shiny.
The whole idea was idiotic from the beginning. And the whole project in each step a complete disaster.

 

[lou1661]

Never modify an already antique military rucksack![/SIZE]

Utter rubbish. Think you can make it better for you? The do it. It’s just stuff. Stuff that is used is by far better than stuff that is not. Modifying something new or vintage to meet your personal requirements is a great thing to do. I expect a modified vintage pack is better than anything Decathlon have to offer.

Just my opinion
Louis.

 

[Wildgoose]

The only nice tip I can give in this case:

Never modify an already antique military rucksack!

If you keep it instead of it in perfectly authentic conditions and tread it well you have a good chance to sell it a few decades later for much more than you payed yourself.

Usualy you aren't more intelligent then the war ministry which ordered it. The old military stuff is just fine how it is.
You just need to learn how to tread and use it correctly.

The war ministry which ordered it probably never needed to use it and most likely opted for the cheapest option.
Buying any surplus in the hope it will gain value can be a very long game, there’s warehouses full of kit just waiting to flood the market and make your rare kit pretty much valueless

 

[Erbswurst]

We will see...

 

[Broch]

Usualy you aren't more intelligent then the war ministry which ordered it. The old military stuff is just fine how it is.
You just need to learn how to tread and use it correctly.

I think you misunderstand how a Government Ministry works. The troups did not get the best; they got the budget divided by the number of soldiers that needed the kit. The squaddies often had to modify the kit to make it work for them; there was no 'one solution fits all' for any kit.

I worked in MOD R&D; we had to make compromises based on a load of factors - budget, weight, pack size for transport, durability, material availability, reliability - the list goes on and on.

And, I'm afraid, some of the decisions were made by people that had not common sense and even less 'dirt time'.