ALICE Pack!

bltjr1951 said:
Umm.. I was quoting dberry.

But keep up your good work. I bought my mods from USCAV for about $10.
The latest posts on other sites is to stay away from alice packs, they look too military.
Had my first alice pack back in 80s, my newest one is woodland camo. Have shelves on them too.
Got straps and bungie cords to use for cargo pack.
Click to expand...

Ah, sorry about that! I understand the "they look too military" concept--my fiancee actually said the same thing. I actually think that covering that US logo helped that a bit, plus the fact that it isn't camo.
 
That's just the problem, the military uses digital camo. Not woodland anymore. Plus they use MOLLE gear too. But someone once asked: what's the difference in alice and molle, they're both army packs?
I'm a little afraid of being tagged as a member of a militia group, some of which are nuts.
 
Common, it's a 20 dollar nylon pack... break out the krylon and turn it pink if you have to. Flat gray, black, dry earth, international orange... who cares? The whole idea of bugging out is getting AWAY. If there are so many people where you are "AWAY" that you have to worry about people picking you out, then you aren't away enough. Besides, I highly doubt that no matter what happens people will be so worried about themselves that they aren't going to care what you have hanging on your back, unless desperation overcomes their pacifistic social upbringing enough to kill you for it. And to be honest, in today's western society, I bet 2/3 people would rather die than have to kill other people to survive. As for recreational use, well... I don't know what to tell ya. If you're honestly recreating and following leave no trace and being a moral woodsman, do you really have to care about what anyone else thinks?
 
Know what?
I did a little informal study on this "too military" BS.

It involved wearing several packs over different days to some latte-slurping yuppy havens, walking down a busy city street and riding a bus.

Packs were:
Lg ALICE, OD
Med ALICE, no frame, OD
Med ALICE, no frame, Woodland camo
Kifaru Zulu, Foliage green (very much a military pack, covered in PALS webbing).

The one (and I mean the ONLY one) that got me the stink eye was the Med ALICE in woodland camo. Solid colored packs, military or not, OD or not, do not attract attention. Camo does.
 
Lots of posts where folks tell newbies to ditch alice and get $100 backpack so they won't "stick out".
All the posts with alice packs as BOB, there will hundreds of folks wearing them.
I've got pack covers to switch around for "blending in".
One guy even bragged he could talk different to do the "gray man".
But, this is my BOB, there are many like it, but this one is mine.
 
bltjr1951 said:
Lots of posts where folks tell newbies to ditch alice and get $100 backpack so they won't "stick out".
All the posts with alice packs as BOB, there will hundreds of folks wearing them.
I've got pack covers to switch around for "blending in".
One guy even bragged he could talk different to do the "gray man".
But, this is my BOB, there are many like it, but this one is mine.
Click to expand...

How many 'Nam vets and families of 'Nam vets, or any military vets for that matter, that have been passed down through the generations will be utilized to get the heck out of the going gets bad? Our country was built on milsurp gear. If you don't believe me, ask the post wwII farmers that used PT17s to cropdust, or bought Jeeps for farm utility purposes...
 
You're preaching to the choir, if you're trying to convert me.
I'm still using my old M1956 web gear and some WWII stuff.
The alice packs are the newest gear I have.
I'm just mentioning some of other's ideas, even if they are wrong.

BTW, on another site, the mil vs civilian pack thread is 7 pages now.
 
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No, I'm just agreeing with you. I really like seeing how people rig their ALICE packs... lots of room for ingenuity and customization.
 
You my friend are in some need of Tactical Tailor Super Straps. I cannot stand the standard ALICE shoulder straps, the newer longer/thicker ones are nice but you can jerryrig a set of external frame pack starps on or just get the super straps. It'll make heavy loads much nicer to carry.
 
I recently started using ALICE Packs and really like them. The medium pack is the perfect size short term BOB pack. There is just enough room to stop me from packing too much and keep it light for fast travel yet there is enough room for essentials.

I was very surprised at how comfortable they are. I had herd terrible things about how uncomfortable they were so I stayed away from them. I guess the frame must fit me just right to ride on my hips perfect. The things I really like about them are the outside pockets and the large main bag area.

The large ALICE is a great long term BOB pack.

The other great feature is my vision is not blocked when I look over my shoulder and the pack does not get hung up on branches when in a confined space. That’s what makes it a great BOB pack.

Geoff
 
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