Originally Posted by blackrat_scaleyback

I've been thinking about this for a while as i've got nothing better to do. Let me take you back to the days of the good ole' 58 webbing.

I remember, as a Junior Leader, going on numerous exercises and having kit inspections by the DS. What surprises me is the shoite we had to pack into the webbing and the (bizzarely named) large pack. From memory:

Spare combats (jacket & trousers)
Spare boots
Jumper
Shirts
Chinese combats
Waterproofs
Robin Hood thermals
Spare gunts & socks
PT Kit (FFS??)
Tinned rations

To name but a few. As for the webbing, god knows how all that cack got in there. Now, down my ACF unit the other night i attempted to try and cram some of this stuff into a large pack (as an experiment) and try as i might, i didn't even get close.

My question. How on earth did we manage to do this and what kit have i missed out? Surely i must have imagined this?

It might be an obvious point, but did you try to pack the same Jnr kit or your current stuff, because 28" combats contain alot less material than 38" ones!!

As soon as you'd left basic trg you fitted it all in by going to the nearest camping/outdoor shop and buying a first generation Cyclos Roc or, as we had in South Armagh in the early eighties, a "Jaguar" (karrimor ?). Seriously, I really don't know what that 58 large pack was supposed to do. One of the mysteries of the universe.

Originally Posted by Dubb_al_Ibn

As soon as you'd left basic trg you fitted it all in by going to the nearest camping/outdoor shop and buying a first generation Cyclos Roc or, as we had in South Armagh in the early eighties, a "Jaguar" (karrimor ?). Seriously, I really don't know what that 58 large pack was supposed to do. One of the mysteries of the universe.

It was clearly to build up character!

I not only remember the first generation bergans, I still use my crusader. (The long back 120ltr version) The thing that grips me most is I paid nearly £200 for it in 1982 from survival aids and you can get a better one for £50 these days.
Was I turned over on that one or what?

Having been frozen in a big glass case marked 'Cold War Warrior - break in time of war' in 1994 by some fluke I was defrosted and sent to Chilwell in 2007. Imagine my surprise when told on the telephone to bring my webbing and uniform as well. Pointed out that a. I had left the army 13 years previously. b. Was no longer the silth like racing snake of 94 and c. did they use '58 Pattern Webbing?'. Pregnant pause followed by 'What's 58 pattern?'.

Having used 37/44 pattern and 58 pattern was somewhat disconcerted by the current pattern but re-assured that it still needed to be superglued/bungied and taped together to ensure it doesn't fall to pieces in use.

As for the old 58 pattern well once you had padded it out with some 44 pattern water bottles, proffed a second bumroll, squashed the metal clips closed so they didn't come unclipped and taped all the loose bits with black nasty all you had to do was lighten the load as much as possible. We used to dump the mess tins and replace with a tin cup and an aluminium plate with the sides bent over to make it square. Must admit the large pack was a complete nightmare but it was possible to get everything in as long as you weren't trying to pack it back again during a contact. And everything inside a black bin bag 'cos it was about as waterproof as a sieve. I was lucky and dumped it for a para/sas Bergen complete with radio frame as soon as possible.

58 pattern was a nightmare to close when wet, cold and in a hurry - have actually had to pour tea on to the closures where it has got wet and then frozen solid. That said the current issue is still a pig if wearing gloves or your fingures are cold - the velcro on the inside is a good idea though. About time some one came up with a pouch closure system that was the size of a belt buckle rather than the size of a pea.

Not 1 single comment on the glories of Wearing Blancoed webbing on exercise , scrubbing it white when you got back to camp and then reblancoing it the next day,or shaping and flattening your belt brasses without denting them, or finding out the hard way when gas,gas ,gas, was shouted, that thespace between gasmask and filter had been filled wuth pepper!!But eeh Bah Gum lads was tuff starting out as a soldier of the 50ms :P

Originally Posted by blackrat_scaleyback

Chinese combats

Pleas eexcuse my ignorance, but what're these?

Yorkie

Originally Posted by YorkieDragoon

Originally Posted by blackrat_scaleyback

Chinese combats

Pleas eexcuse my ignorance, but what're these?

Yorkie

haha right makes sense

chinese fighting suits fcuking great bit of warm kit. Hated 58 pattern as everyone said impossible to close when wet. That shrinking feeling when drying out. Large packs were just a throw and hope affair bum roll that was a mystery of how did that fit in there