Army surplus

Dave Herbal

Striker
Looking at rucksacks and there are some army bergens that are considerably cheaper than the camping shop equivalents.
Are they any good for the occasional camping trip or is all MoD stuff shite?
 


Decent quality gear, or at least they used to be. I’ve got an older bergen which is still going strong.

Not as fancy as the civvy stuff, but definitely built to last. The one I’ve got is modular too, so the side pouches zip on and off and can be used as a stand alone day sack with the correct yolk.
 
I have a Bergen, which I must of had for 20 years. Still going strong. On the other hand some of the civvy rucksack just drop to bits after a couple of years.
 
Get the newer dpm pattern stuff.

The action man gear is sturdy, but my normal work shirts have gone from being 100 % cotton Ben Shermans to 66% polyester 33% cotton over two decades. Every expense spared.
 
It depends what size you want mate. I have three.

I've got a Karrimor SF Sabre 45 with the two additional side pockets which add another 25 litres of storage so that's 70 litres in total. It's a cracking back pack if you're going camping.

If you want something a bit smaller, I've got a 35 litre 5.11 Tactical Rush pack, much smaller than the above, but still big enough to carry camping gear. You can add molle pouches if you wish.

I've recently bought a 20 litre mil-tec backpack that's 20 litres, it's just a day pack really but if you're creative, you could definitely use it for camping. You'd have to customise it mind as it wouldn't fit all camping equipment inside, unless you rely on a hammock instead of a tent.
 

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