REVIEW – Mystery Ranch 6500
ITEM: NICE 6500 Expedition Pack
MANUFACTURER: Mystery Ranch
DESCRIPTION:
A top loading expeditionary sized, NICE frame compatible pack, of 107L. The 6500 is suitable for missions up to ten days. The 6500 is the NICE frame compatible version of the Tactiplane.
Posted in Civilian, Long Range, Military, Mystery Ranch, Packs & Webbing by 22F with 4 comments.
REVIEW – Wilderness Equipment Jagungle
ITEM: Jagungal Pack
MANUFACTURER: Wilderness Equipment
DESCRIPTION:
An internal framed, 48L technical day-and-a-half pack, comparable to the military concept of a 3-day pack. The Jagungle (I believe it’s pronounced Jer-Jungle) is intended as a heavyweight daypack, for such outdoor professional such as outdoor guides, search and rescue teams and others who carry heavy but compact loads such as canyoners and climbers.
It’s essentially a full-size alpine style hiking pack scaled down to a daypack size package.
Posted in Civilian, Overnight, Packs & Webbing, Short Trip by 22F with 3 comments.
REVIEW – Smamit Combined Operations Infantry Rig
PRODUCT: Combined Operations Infantry Rig
MANUFACTURER: Smamit,Israel
DESCRIPTION: A custom made non-modular, split front chest rig. The layout is very reminiscent of the old South African M83 vest that has mated with the TT 2-piece MAV. All of my mates who have examined this rig describe it as a cut down M83, stripped down to bare necessities.
Posted in Custom, Military, Packs & Webbing by 22F with 2 comments.
REVIEW – Source Assault 10 Hydration Pack
ITEM: Assault 10L Hydration Pack
MANUFACTURER: Source Tactical
DESCRIPTION: A small assault combination assault pack with inbuilt facility to carry a 3L water bladder and 10L of cargo capacity.
Posted in Civilian, Crossfire, Military, Military Gear, Packs & Webbing, Short Trip by 22F with 10 comments.
REVIEW – Mystery Ranch NICE and AUSNICE Frame
ITEM: AUSNICE and NICE Pack Frame
MANUFACTURER: Crossfire (AUSNICE) and Mystery Ranch (NICE)
DESCRIPTION:
A detachable, hybrid external modular pack frame that is the cornerstone of the Mystery Ranch military pack range. Can also be fitted as an after-market upgrade to a great many other pack bags.
Posted in Civilian, Crossfire, Military, Mystery Ranch, Packs & Webbing by 22F with 15 comments.
INDUSTRY NEWS – ADF Issues New Load Bearing Tender
Or
A Dashing Lighthorseman is Absolutely Flabbergasted!
Well, I’ve just seen the new tender document for individual load bearing equipment.
Although a very long, dry and somewhat boring series of documents at some 640 pages, some interesting facts become apparent. This is for the next generation of load bearing equipment.
Multicam is in. There is no call for Auscam. Surprise, surprise, surprise.
Even bigger surprise: “The load bearing equipment system is intended to maximise the User’s ability to carry combat loads efficiently, minimise discomfort, and increase the combat effectiveness of the User. When used in conjunction with the hip belt and shoulder harness, the pack will distribute the load contained in the pack onto the User’s hips and shoulders. Packs will also need to integrate with body armour systems and other elements of the SCE.”
So, I am rather pleased to see that the system has finally woken up to itself and is moving ahead to a hip loading system.
It’s a bloody big change in mindset. I’m very impressed that the ADF procurement system has made this leap. In a nutshell, this means we (the Royal “We”) have gone to an alpine styled hip loading pack. The ALICE pack, team, is finally dead.
From my limited reading so far, it would appear the following are part of the ensemble:
Tier 0:
A belt with sleeve for attaching pouches to (ie. Light weight war belt)
Some sort of chest webbing for hot & humid jungle ops (looks like a system that can be worn as traditional belt webbing, or jacked up as a split front rig). Makes me wonder if someone has been channelling my thought processes there…. I remember saying something like this should be in service years ago.
Tier 1A: Concealable body armour, soft armour and ballistic plates.
Tier 1B: Low profile body armour.
Tier 1D: Specialist diver body armour/ load bearing vest.
Tier 1E: Diver close combat body armour/load bearing. It’s actually a plate carrier.
Tier 2: Close combatant body armour/load bearing (Plate carrier).
Tier 3: General Combatant body armour (TBAS)
Pack, Small Assault (PSA): Platatac Bullock Echo.
Pack, Medium Assault (PMA): Mystery Ranch 3DAP/BVS.
Pack, Field Mounted (PMF): Currently unfulfilled, approx. 60L pack. Shall be fitted with ergonomic shoulder suspension system and waist belt to enable efficient carriage of heavy loads on the User’s back.
Pack, Dismounted Field (PDMF): Currently unfulfilled, approx. 80L capacity.
Pack, Light Sniper: Mystery Ranch NICE Overload and Eberlestock G3.
Pack, Heavy Support (PHS): Mystery Ranch NICE Overload and Eberlestock Dragonfly.
Pack Bag, Carry All (PGB): roller assault bag.
The PMF, PHS, PLS and PDMF shall use a common frame, shoulder suspension system and waist belt so that the pack components are interchangeable. I can only hope that this means the NICE frame is here to stay in Australian service. If this is the case, I’m pretty flabbergasted at the strides made. It means we truly can claim to have the best in the world.
There’s some thought with people I talk to about the packs to fulfil the roles of the PMF and PDMF, which I’m willing to bet will be the Wolf Alpha for the PMF and the 6500 (or maybe even the new DG-6) for the PDMF.
Pouches of various descriptions.
It would appear that what a lot of people have been calling for has finally happened: a system of components and platforms to be individually setup for individual requirements. Again, I’m glad such moves have been made, but am very cautious of how introduction into units with dinosaurs who make the assumption that everyone should have exactly the same equipment setups, no matter the load or role.
The work though, is only just beginning. In order to achieve this introduction of such a huge change in mindset into units in the ADF, it will take a very hard and sustained effort to fully introduce and convert dinosaurs and educate the masses. I don’t envy the command of this task. But I applaud them for taking such huge strides.
It would appear we live in exciting times.
Posted in Military, Packs & Webbing by 22F with 4 comments.
REVIEW – First Spear Exigent Circumstances Pack
ITEM: Exigent Circumstances Pack
MANUFACTURER: First Spear
DESCRIPTION:
New kid on the block, this is First Spear’s offering of an Assault Pack that can be worn attached to combat body armour, or stand-alone with shoulder straps.
Posted in Military, Military Gear, Packs & Webbing, Short Trip by 22F with no comments yet.
REVIEW – ATS 7.62mm Modular Chest Rig
ITEM: 7.62mm Modular Chest Rig
MANUFACTURER: ATS
DESCRIPTION:
A one piece set of chest webbing or “battle bra” in Australian parlance. The rig has MOLLE channels for customising of equipment loadout and integral magazine pouches.
Posted in Military, Packs & Webbing by 22F with no comments yet.
REVIEW – Crossfire DG-6
PRODUCT: DG-6 Pack
MANUFACTURER: Crossfire Pty Ltd
DESCRIPTION:
An external frame, large patrol pack with external pockets and a veritable tonne of features.
This item is the Australian company Crossfire’s entry into the non-modular long range or general purpose tactical backpack market. Capacity is listed at 85L (um, 5187 cubic inches).
Posted in Crossfire, Long Range, Military, Packs & Webbing by 22F with 9 comments.
REVIEW – Mystery Ranch IFAK
ITEM: IFAK Pouch
MANUFACTURER: Mystery Ranch
DESCRIPTION:
A self-contained IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit) pouch to be worn on the man for immediate emergency use. Generally loaded with medical supplies to deal with immediate trauma such as gunshot, blast or breathing problems caused by those anti-social interactions between people we has seen so much coverage on the television in the last few years. I know for some of the readership however, that they haven’t been watching the television too much, they’ve been creating or living in the very news stories the rest of us have been watching.
Posted in Military, Packs & Webbing, Specialist by 22F with no comments yet.