Does Russia even use equipment?

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Drame22

Joined
Mar 15, 2013
Messages
16
Hello all,



I'm starting to get a good set of hunting/camping gear together, and one of the things I ran into was the ALICE and MOLLE packs made for the US military.



Now normally when I search for surplus the very first thing that comes to mind is Soviet Union. But I'm curious, what do Russian soldiers use nowadays, and is it as expensive as MOLLE? I can't seem to find anything on the actual names of the gear(probably because it's all in Russian somewhere).



I'm also curious if anyone has ALICE or MOLLE or whatever the Russian equivilant is, if they are waterproof. And if not, are there any militaries that might be cheaper than US surplus that would be waterproof? I live in the Northwest, and it rains more than shines around here.



I almost bought a small ALICE pack but I read the description and its made of canvas. Not nearly waterproof enough I'm afraid.



Thoughts? Ideas? I'm new to all this, so my only two ideas have been US and Russian surplus.



While I'm here, does anyone know of a good waterproof A-frame tent? I was going to buy the Stansport scout tent, but several reviews mentioned that while it has a tough floor like I want, it isn't actually waterproof, and will leak if you touch it. Considering that the tent was only slightly bigger than me, I was pretty sure I'd be touching it in my sleep, haha.



I suppose it doesn't have to be A-frame. It being black or OD is a big plus though. I like my equipment to match. And I have looked up Army tents, but they don't have any with a floor. And from my civil war re-enacting days, I'm not keen on sleeping in mud again.



Thanks all!

Drame22
 
I thought from memory, that the Alice packs were nylon? I'm actually looking for a medium Alice myself, and I'm a bit surprised how much they cost now.
 
Go to an army navy store and get the waterproof rucksack insert. It has drawstrings like a launry bag. They are cheap.
 
Coad, that was my last resort.

I'm more curious if MOLLE or whatever the Russian equivalent is was designed waterproof.

Jury-rigging a waterproof bag, I can do, I'd just rather have it professionally made.

Starlight, check out online surplus stores. I can't remember where, but a few days ago I found Medium Alice packs for $12(plus shipping). Still, a real steal! The small ones were $10!
 
Yes they are. 100 % nylon and they claim they are waterproof. I was in the us army and was issued the insert, it worked. Thats the only reason I bring it up. Www.russmilitary, if I remember it correctly sells the 20 through 60 litre bags. I have no firsthand experiance if they work
 
Its www.rusmilitary.com, a UK company run by an ex-KGB gentleman

The main Russian companies are SPOSN, ANA and SPLAV

Not that sure if I would trust the gear TBH most of what I've seen is pretty thin but the GORKA mountain suits are well worth looking at
 
I was more asking what the gear itself is called. Militaries love acronyms.

Coad: Did you mean MOLLE is waterproof or that the ALICE pack with insert would be waterproof? Honestly so long as it works I'm not all that picky.
 
Drame22, about tents- I don't know your weight or price range, but look at the Eureka Timberline tents. Green A-Frame, sturdy enough to be popular with Boy Scouts. And they can break anything.
 
For an A-frame tent, check out the Big Agnes Scout UL. They make great very light and compact tents.

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bobs1415 said:
Heck, the Russian army didn't even use socks until very recently.
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Source? This sounds like urban legend.

I know Russian people (living in Russia) and they *all* wear socks. As do Russian mountaineers and alpinists. I'm pretty sure their military does as well - though I have never asked specifically (nor have I asked if they wear underwear, though I suppose they do).
 
Both molle and alice need a bladder to keep your gear dry. Honestly, civilian gear is worlds better than military. We did river crossings, one liner full of gear tied off placed upside down in a second liner tied off, and that kept my gear dry. Sorry I couldnt be of more help.
 
fmajor007 said:
Source? This sounds like urban legend.

I know Russian people (living in Russia) and they *all* wear socks. As do Russian mountaineers and alpinists. I'm pretty sure their military does as well - though I have never asked specifically (nor have I asked if they wear underwear, though I suppose they do).
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I doubt it's a myth. In many northern armies footrags and leather boots were the norm before socks caught on. It was just a piece of cloth wrapped around your foot in a way so there were no hot spots and was easy to wash and dry. Some of the old timers swear by them and say going over to socks and modern boots was a huge mistake.

As for the surplus russian gear. Well if it surplus you probably do not want it. Soviet clothing was build for durability and cost effectiveness at the expense of end-user comfort. Lots of rubber and poorly designed pieces among the good stuff. Someone already mentioned the GORKA mountain suits which seem to be ok allweather gear. The russians also made a copy of the finnish m05 uniform that provides admirable camoflage in nothern wooded areas. Then there are the ushankas and shearling overcoats that can be had at a portion of the cost of buying such items new. Shearling has fallen out of mainstream favor and to get a good shearling overcoat you have to look at designed labels and sky high prices.
 
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Drame22 said:
I was more asking what the gear itself is called. Militaries love acronyms.

Coad: Did you mean MOLLE is waterproof or that the ALICE pack with insert would be waterproof? Honestly so long as it works I'm not all that picky.
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Careful if you're weight conscious. An inside liner will keep your stuff dry but could add water weight. A wet pack is a heavy pack.
 
I have been very happy with both German suplus and Swiss surplus. I think I would look there befores searching for Russian. I do not see much Russian equipment available.
Bill
 
Carried the ALICE pack for 24 years. We were issued MOLLE but you couldn't jump it, so it collected dust.

Never seen a small ALICE pack. The Medium is the radio ruck that was issued with the PRC-104. The Large is what we carried with modified shoulder straps and kidney pads.

A can of Scotchguard to the outside every now and then; Tent floor sealant to repair/replace the urethane that peels off.
 
tobi: That's a last resort for me. I'd rather just have a factory-made waterproof pack. However, good idea.

As to the tents, I have no set weight or price limits. Obviously, lighter and cheaper are good, but I want a tent that will outlast me, and I'm wiling to pay extra for that kind of quality. So long as it has a floor, that is. Three years of civil war re-enacting has given me a hate/hate relationship with open floor tents. At least in floored tents I don't wake up inhaling water. And the A-frame I suppose is optional. I just don't like the look of those new modern tents, that look like someone threw up a bunch of plastic walls and rods into a pile. But if they work, I'd be ok getting one.

German and Swiss were my first choices actually, but I didn't find much. Just a few scattered items on US websites.

Well, that's exactly why I was thinking Russian. Because it was built for durability. I'm ok with a little discomfort if it means my equipment won't fall off my back.

Really? I always thought military would be better. Does anyone know some good cheap civilian gear sites? Preferably ones that are slathered with logos, but beggars can't be choosers!

Cheers all, thanks for the info, and I will definitely be looking up those two A-tents!

Drame22
 
By the looks of it the newest russian packs are copies of western designs, with a finnish jagel pattern slapped on it. It is not surplus and not cheap.

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Here is another site that has what look like smaller russian packs. They do not have hip belts though so they only work well when paired with the fighting rig under it.
http://rus.mil.pl/main/pl/artykuly/139/plecak_rg_40_diewiatka.html

My advice is to choose the backpack last so it is measured to exactly fit the load you will be carrying, and like with shoes you should try before you buy. A pack that distributes the weight right makes a big difference. Also it's one of those pieces of equipment you can save lots of weight on if you do it right.

People who make rafting gear (ex. ortlieb) make packs that are 100% waterproof rubber, the downside is that for all the marketing talk they are not that ergonomic. I'd take a pack that fits with a garbage bag liner over a poorly fitting pack any day. YMMV
 
Hmm.

Well I was just going to get the largest pack available. At least, that's what I was looking at in ALICE's. I know for a fact I can carry a fully loaded down ALICE pack, so I figured what I can't fit in that monster, I don't really need.

I find it hard to believe that no military has made a waterproof pack. What about SEALS? They swim don't they? :)

Cheers all,
Drame22
 
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