Question for all the military webbing experts out there!

[Mike8472]

I bought this webbing pouch from an Australian surplus dealer the other day and am trying to get a bit of info on it.
The seller reckoned it was Vietnam issue Australian army Hutchie holder webbing pouch but I have never seen this pattern or camo before.

can anybody shed any light on it? I only bought it because I thought it looked cool!

 

[Nat]

In my brief foray into searching the pattern looks late Australian vietnam issue camo pattern as seen here 3rd pik down but other than that i'm stumped. It also has an alice clip which could lean towards that era aswell.

Not much help i'm afraid

 

[Mike8472]

I can't find any issue label on it which would help massively.
I wonder if they were Special forces issue and were therefore sterile. Or just a stopgap to improve upon the canvas 58 pattern and US webbing they were using which would have soaked up water like a sponge and been a nightmare to wear an work in.

 

[Nat]

From what i can gatehr, the Aussies in Vietnam had a mix, that pattern is Aussie

 

[tombear]

Its the case for the Aussie Hootchie from the late 1960's/early 1970s, and if you could let me know where you got it i would be profoundly grateful as i need one to go with

The Aussies are notorious among collectors for not labelling kiit, I've several mystery bits in the issue camouflage rain coat material

It is, if you want it precise
"Carrier, shelter, individual, S59 8465-66-025-1419"

I've a nice shiny plain green "Shelter, individual, S59 8465-66-013-5032" to go in one

Cheers

Tom

 

[robadams]

It is definitely a pouch for the old style green Aussie Hootchie. I did an exchange with the Aussie forces in 1992 and left with a couple of those pouches and hootchies. Still have them knocking around somwhere.
I also have one of their mossie nets to go with it, great kit!

 

[Melonfish]

Australian 2 colour camo 1971-1986.
http://www.kamouflage.net/camouflage/00108.php

late nam era

 

[tombear]

Just to make sure I don't have one (and to avoid house work) I dug out my 1960s Aussie webbing to check that I don't have one. Heres what i could find.

I'd like to get another set of their mess tins as users as they are smaller than the UK ones.

I think I have one of their steel mugs to fit on the waterbottles aswell but I'm damned if I can find it...

ATB

Tom

 

[R.Lewis]

That Aussie rig looks pretty good, Tombear. I'm impressed, like it a lot. Been looking into webbing more since digging out my 72 pattern to use or sell... Still thinking!

 

[tombear]

Cheers!, I've a mate or two down under that swaps me their kit for ours so its only realy cost me the postage on the stuff I've sent to get. Like wise the Kiwi outdoorsey stuff like my DPM Swanni I swapped with a guy in NZ for.

"Saddle Up" by Rick Landers is a good introduction to Aussie webbing.

ATB

Tom

 

[LennyMac]

I believe the Australian webbing is loosely called M-56 and is patterned on the US stuff of the era. The pouches are certainly L1A1 SLR pouches and the pack is what they called a 'Nam Pack'- sleeping bag compartment at the bottom and approximately enough space at the top to fit a ration pack, with two smaller compartments either side. This is like the first set of webbing I ever owned and it was great. Having used pattern 58 for the last 4 years, I can say that the M56 stuff didn't absorb as much water.

The sleeping bag pictured is in a 'spider', which is what I currently use in place of a pack with my PLCE webbing in the UK. It is passed through the shoulder loops on the yolk which seem to be common to M56, patt 58, PLCE and ALICE type webbing and is secured by press- stud type attachments.

Ahh the memories! I would really like to acquire a full set of it again. On a trip back to Oz in 2009, the surplus stores seemed to have varying amounts of the ubiquitous pattern 37 and lots of the new cordura- type webbing, but very little of this kind of stuff.