CFP-90 Gov't Issue Pack

Kampfjaeger

Kampfjaeger

Joined
May 21, 2001
Messages
1,668
I found two for sale at a surplus shop here in town for about $199.

Are they any good/comfortable?
Is it worth the money?

Also, I hear good things about the Becker Patrol Pack. Will it fit a sleeping bag?

This is for civilian use.:)

Any suggestions as to whether I should go with one or the other? Thanks!

PS...The pack should be good for about a week on the Appalachian Trail.
 
...I picked up a 'full size' ALICE pack with frame, pads, straps, and tray for $80 at a local gunshow...it makes for a great 'Bug Out Bag' (BOB), and the guy threw in load bearing suspenders too...

By the time I was done with him, I was into it for $200, but that included canteens, canteen covers, cups, MRE's, MRE heaters, fatiques, pancho, paracord, magnesium bar stock, socks, thermies, etc...all USMC used/unused 'stuff'...

"Oh Boy, what a deal" :D

I use, use, use it for camping, carries a ton o'stuff, and it's comfy to pack in too.

Bought the medium ALICE for my wife...same set up, but we use our own down bags...

*Wifey called tonight, we're going rafting outta Yosemite in May...via Idaho* (We're in California...) :eek:

They aren't 'pretty' packs, but they'll go the distance...on the cheap

Mel

p.s. What exactly is a 'CFP-90' pack?
 
...make me go 'poking' around... ;)

All, for the record, I didn't even know that such a pack as the CFP-90 existed until about an hour ago, so keep your rotten veggies to yourself for now...

I do know about the ALICE pack...

here's a link for the CFP-90 http://usmilitary.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.imsplus.com/ims4a.html

and here's a link for the ALICE pack http://usmilitary.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.imsplus.com/ims2.html

I dunno, the CFP seems a little large, but looks like a better fit...

Best of luck bro, wish I could help. Hopefully, more knowledgable forumites experienced with both will come forward to comment.

'sumpin' else before I bow outta this one...

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1073584141

Mel
 
Don't waist your money on it, go spend maybe a bit more and get the Becker or the Large Becker.
We had these issued to us about 8-9 years ago when they first came to Bragg. Fell apart within the first field problem.
The problem is with the stitching and type of thread used.
The ones sent to the Army to test and evaluate were stitched with a nylon thread (double stitched). They passed the tests, when it came time for sending out the packs made after the contract was signed these were made with a cotton tread and only single stitched. The cotton would get wet, dirty weaken and like a kite string, break and your pack would unravel before your eyes. POS.
Thats why you see so many around in pawn shops. They were all rejected and sold off. And were still with the A.L.I.C.E pack.
 
WOW! Good to know!:eek: Thanks Fallschrimjager!

The funny thing is I was just eyeballing one in the shop again today and started to think better of it. I noticed that the top flap was coming unstitched from the rest of the bag... and that isn't even a major stress point.

So... it seems that the Large Becker has a pretty good reputation. Could anyone tell me anything about it? Is it an internal or external frame pack? Will it fit a sleeping bag? Or are you supposed to attach/strap one to the outside? Anything I should know about it, please tell me.

Thanks!
 
I had seen that problem with the original CFP-90s we were issued, but the one I received at Ft Carson and out here at Ft Lewis seem to be of an improved design. Very sturdy, but it sounds like you were looking at an old one.

As for Eagle's pack - the A III Pack and the different Beckers are great!

I have a Blackhawk RAPTOR X-3,

1356.jpg


basiclly the same pack, and love it (I also have a demo for sale - $210). Either way, you can't go wrong.

One last thing - I heard that Eagle was coming out with an even larger pack - but I have no idea when or what it will be called.

Have fun!

Dan
 
Hi Dan, I appreciate your input here! If you had to choose between the A III/Raptor X-3 and a Becker Large, which would you choose? And why?

BTW, they had the A III Pack Large Airborne listed on their site as a new piece of gear. Are you saying that they are going to release another, larger model?

Thanks!

Also, is the demo you are selling Green(hopefully)?
 
I have one and it works for me. I would not get one again. They are to heavy. What do you really need? Check out a couple of packpack shops see wha they have and like then think about it for a few days.
Do you want a internal or external frame,its a trade off, they both have good points. The external frame will sure keep your back cooler!
Do you need a pack made out of Cordura? Its nice but a heavy material.
When you need abrasion resistance you need it but not for everything.
In most cases any nylon pack cloth will be more than strong enough.
Unless you are going to pull your pack up a rock face or drag it on the ground a ways pack cloth will do fine.
A CFP-90 weights 6+lbs without the patrol pack(8+ with) Thats about 20% of your total carry weight. A pack should be more like 4-5lbs.
total. Internals tend to weight more than external packs. A good size will be about 4000/5000 cu.in. If you have extra room you will fill it! Do you want a tall and narrow or a shorter and wider pack.
Check out a few of the ultralight pack sights and see what they have to say. You should be able to get a good pack for $200.00
Try Campmor and Sierra trading post,both on-line They have good prices. If you have money to burn try kelty,they have a internal frame pack made from Spectra. Indestructable,lite weight, and very expensive.My .02<><
 
The new Eagle pack is something that isn't on their web site. Brad at Lightfighter had some discussion about the pack on his forum. Teh new pack isn't the AIII, or the Large Airborne Assault pack. it is something different, and alrger as far as I know. brad can answer your questions about the pack. He is great to e-mail and chat with.

kampfjaeger, I bet Java wil say that he'd choose the X3! He loves his dealer a lot. :) Seriously, though java has a bit of a bias towards Blackhawk gear, he is great at giving honest info about all kinds of gear, military and civilian. I have seen Java recommend Eagle stuff, and much cheaper civillian stuff to guys here on the forums. I hear Go Get 'Em Gear is a great place to get your Blackhawk gear too...
 
Crayola - darn it if you didn't make me blush again :D

I did choose between the two. A guy on my team has a large Becker. It is a really nice bag, I just like the multiple interior compartments of the X-3 (IIIA) as opposed to the one big top loading one. Both have a bunch of outer pockets and both accept an internal sheet frame (I made mne from a sheet of lexan and aluminum strips -- works great! and the demo comes with one also).

Either way you go you'll be happy, it was the big pockets tha zip open on 3 sides (and that it is all set up to jump) that did it for me.

And sorry - the demo is black.

Have fun out there!

Dan
 
I just wanted to say that I really appreciate everyone's advice here on my questions. There's nothing like getting good info from people of all different backgrounds - SF to outdoorsmen, who really enjoy emparting their knowledge to others. BFC really is a great community full of great people. Thanks Guys!

David
 
http://www.northernmountain.com/index.html
This is a great place to check out for backpacks. They have a lot of previous years models at way discounted prices. I picked up a $250 Dana designs external pack for about $100.00 a few months back. I've purchased a couple of items and never had a problem with shipping delays for anything else (even sent to an APO without problems).
Regards,
DHall
 
As I recall the Cfp 90 was a inital failure (good concept) It took a while to get it right. I would probably buy one If I could be sure that it were of recent government contract manufacture. However this is a bit difficult unless you can refrence national stock numbers also there have been alot of these made in pacific rim countrys that are not at all well built, They are often advertised as CFP90 "Style"
be careful when reading ads. Even the original contract models were made too light for the loads the were to carry and quickley fell apart. One failure that I specifically remember is the fastener that attaches the top of the two shoulder straps to the pack would often spontaniousley release, giving you a big ugly duffle bag. I assume this problem was solved in subsequent design changes.

The best bet is something from Blackhawk or Eagle. The Alice .... Well she is strong and reliable, and I even own a large one, but with all the packs avaliable now that are much kinder to your spine you would have to be a Sado-Masochist to want to strap that momma on.
 
I have never heard of the intial issue of these being shoddy, but the SF guys would know if they tested them. The ones we were issued at the USAF Survival School were very good and mine has lasted 7 years now. It was pretty much the only pack I used. The only drawbacks I saw to is were the large size if you didn't have enough gear to fill it and that your back would get hot during a long hike. I also found that most of us that were shorter preferred it while guys that were around 6 feet tall didn't like it because it was uncomfortable. I don't know what this was, this was just something I noticed. I don't know why it was called the "Vector" pack but that was what we always called it.

Imagine this pack totally packed full width and heigth wise, now imagine it with two legs walking through the woods. That was me with a full ruck. Due to the pack's size, and mine, if I had my pack full all you could see was my short legs. The pack would be wider and taller than me. AAAHHH Good times :)
 
My rule is that the bigger the pack the more air you can pack into it. I like to pack big and lofty rather than small,tight, and dence.

If you wear belt order/waist webbing then your pack needs to have a short back. Its good to be able to distribute some weight onto the hips, and my belt order allowed my bergan to sit on the rear pouches. European climbing ruck sacks with built in hip belts are the best, but don't work with webbing order.

A couple of external pouches are nice, but why is it that whatever you want to put into them never fits efficiently; either too big or a squeeze. The most important consideration after comfort is to have a big empty main compartment with an accommodating lid. I used to package all my goodies into four bags. Therefore, I only ever had to get four things out at any one time; that being what I wanted was invariably at the bottom. Most living could be achieved with three packages packed and one out in use. One package for cooking/personal hygiene, one for sleeping, one for clothing and one for my stuff.

Items tied to the outside get hung up, period.

The lighter the load the more you can enjoy life. Bin the kitchen sink and smell :D

I checked out some American stuff when last over a couple of weeks ago. I thought they were beautifully light weight, but some how not as well finished/build quality as I had expected. I think in Europe we are well supplied and spoilt with seriously good equipment. It must be an Alp thing. Someone who has been equipped both sides of the Atlantic might like to comment as I might have missed something: wrong outlet. If I told you the maker I would be flamed.
 
Actually, I have one of these that has seen less than a dozen outings (8 maybe???) - very light use at that. I bought it because my unit was still making us use med. ALICE packs for winter training and they were simply too small for the job. We are now all being issued new MOLLE packs, so I am going to be selling my pack.

I have the main pack & the patrol pack...both are in excellent condition. Further, they are both the newer variety with the good stiching & thread. I will be posting them on E-Bay & in the "For Sale" forum (officially) in about a week. I will probably be asking about 1/2 of what they go for when new to encourage a quick sale...just giving you guys interested in these a heads-up.
 
As a civilian, not going to battle, I'd go with the biggest/best Gregory or Dana Design I could afford, if you want carrying capacity and comfort. As a cushy civilian, I cringe just looking at that picture of the CFP-90, or even the Blackhawk design. I'm sure it is AWESOME for battle gear, though.
 
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