Army Selects New Pack for Afghan Ops

The Army has selected a new backpack designed for operations in Afghanistan, an environment that has demonstrated that the current the assault pack is often too small and the large ruck too bulky for some patrols. The so-called "medium rucksack" will be issued first to Soldiers deploying to Afghanistan late this summer.

Military.com obtained exclusive details about the new pack, which features a large internal pocket and two exterior pockets on the front, interior organizer pockets, and a high-impact plastic external frame. It has a 3,000 cubic inch capacity, enough for up to three days of equipment and food.

"Soldiers initially asked us to modify the assault pack, which is primarily used for 24-hour ops," said Capt. Terry Kirkwood, program manager for the Army's Modular Lightweight Load Carrying Equipment, in a May 5 interview. "With the current system, they're issued the large ruck and the assault pack. The assault pack was too small, the large ruck too large, so they wanted something in the middle."

The new pack was one of three designs engineered at Natick Soldier Systems Center, Mass., late last year. The two others featured variations of internal frames while the winning model, version "B," has a hefty external frame similar to the Army's large ruck.

Old school Joes might recognize the new pack as a modernized version of the beloved All Purpose Individual Lightweight Carrying Equipment, or ALICE, pack.

"One of the big things that came back from our post-combat surveys was … to bring back the old ALICE pack," said Sgt. First Class Will Corp, the top enlisted advisor for equipment modernization at PEO Soldier.

See more pics of the medium ruck at Kit Up!

"This essentially brings back the old ALICE pack but with the newer materials and the more rugged frame."

Officials at PEO Soldier were quick to say there could still be some tweaks to the final medium ruck design since they have yet to test it during airborne jumps (planned for mid-July). But experts insist those potential changes won't affect the basic construction.

The medium ruck's internal layout was inspired by packs used by medical personnel who need to separate bandages, medicines, and other tools for specific wounds in easy-to-find places within the bag. Each of the three main pockets features smaller internal ones for organization. There's also a sleeve for a hydration bladder and an internal harness for a radio.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the new pack is its external frame since few multi-day packs in the civilian market feature external frames. Officials insisted that the Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division and the 173rd Airborne Brigade who tested the three prototypes preferred the external frame.

"If you try to use an internal frame, the internal frame is going to be sitting up against the material of the pack," Corp explained. "If I put four drums of [squad automatic weapon] ammo in there, I'm not going to have to worry about that stuff digging into my back because it's setting it off a little bit."

To coordinate with the surge of Army units to Afghanistan this year, PEO Soldier will field the current version of the medium ruck to two Brigade Combat Teams deploying in late summer to the war zone patterned in MultiCam, Kirkwood said. Those packs will be made by Eagle Industries and BAE Systems.

The pack should ultimately cost about $160 each and will be available to the entire Army by late this year.