WARNING: LONG and PIC HEAVY
Ok, so as promised to some other members I’ve collected some pics for a quick explanation of the Marine Corps ILBE pack system. In light of the new group buy taking place, and the fact that the Corps is currently replacing this pack system we will be seeing these packs flood the market for the next several months at least. They are one of my favorite pack systems and I think this might highlight some of the reasons why. I’ll add pics in the future to really demonstrate its capabilities, but for now this will serve as an introduction to the packs and answer some people’s questions. They make an excellent combination “Get Home Bag” (GHB) and “Bug Out Bag” (BOB) for the preppers out there. Also, it’s my first attempt at posting pictures. Enjoy.
THIS is the United States Marine Corps’ Individual Load Bearing Equipment (ILBE) main pack. Notice at the bottom I have an Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) attached to some molle webbing. That is my choice and not something typically on them. Other than that, this pack is a no frills pack. It is absent the hip belt and “map pouch” AKA “the lid.”
On either side of the molle webbing near the bottom of the pack, there will be a couple of verticle, adjustable straps with clips. These straps are commonly used to strap up the “shooting/sleeping mat” but the straps could be used to carry other items as well if desired. I don’t really use those mats personally, but these straps are available if needed.
At the bottom of BOTH sides of the main pack are two elastic-topped pockets, which hold contents tightly to the pack. USGI canteen and canteen cups fit PERFECTLY into these pockets. You can also use them in combination to some of the side straps to carry a secondary long gun by resting its butt stock in these pockets.
Just above those elastic pockets are a series of compression straps. You can loosen these as needed to allow the pack to fit more gear, or buckle and tighten these as needed to keep contents from moving around on long hikes.
Moving on up the pack, you will see these very long vertical straps/buckles. These are used to attach the “lid” mentioned in the beginning which I do not currently have for this pack. This “lid” is basically just a large zippered pocket which covers the top opening to the main pack to keep water from directly entering. It is not water proof so waterproofing your gear will still be necessary, but it does help keep direct rain out of it. The other thing this lid does in combination with these vertical straps is that it allows you to cinche down the contents in a vertical fashion to keep contents from shifting. It’s important to remember that the tighter everything is, the lighter the pack will seem on long hikes. These straps are also very long. You can actually place additional gear on TOP of the main pack and UNDER the lid and keep it cinched down tight with these straps.
In the following pic I used an extra towel to contrast the “front carry flap” (technical term) from the body of the main pack so you can clearly see it, and how it is used. You can see that there are two diagonal short straps which would wrap around whatever contents you put in the flap. There is also one longer strap which goes over the top of the contents and connects to the top of the main pack near the opening.
Underneath this carry flap you can find a larger surface of molle webbing if that will better suit your needs and you can simply roll the flap up and out of the way of the molle system.
In this picture you can somewhat see how the top strap of the carry flap attaches. It connects directly to a buckle/strap at the front of the main pack opening. There is yet another buckle at the BACK of the main pack opening. The combination of these straps allows you to cram more gear in there and cinche it all down tight while keeping the “flap” contents held tightly in place.
Once you disconnect the rear buckle you gain access to the main compartment. It is closed with a very rugged drawstring which works in connection with the lid by reducing area for rain water to enter directly.
Moving on to the back of the pack (the side which rests against you) you can see the “drag handle” that I’m pulling on. In the top center is that buckle which connects to carry flap strap we previously disconnected. On either side you will notice a female buckle hanging unconnected, vertically. These are the rear buckles for connecting the otherside of the lid, making it 4 lid buckles in total. Also notice the small holes in the black portion of the top of the back to allow some ventilation to your gear.
This pic shows us where there is no external framework. The only things touching your body are heavily padded and reinforced areas. Both shoulder straps, back pad, butt pad, and hip belts are both heavily padded and very comfortable. Notice how on this pack the padding and all the buckles are ALL black. That makes this a Generation 1 pack. These items are TAN on generation 2 packs. They are NOT interchangeable and buckles will not work cross-generation.
Near the bottom of the shoulder straps are these heavy duty, redundant emergency snaps. These snaps are absolutely VITAL to the performance of this pack. You do NOT want to be in the middle of a 20 mile hike over a mountainous region with a pack full of about 100lbs of gear and have one of these break on you. TRUST ME. You will literally be holding the pack onto yourback by hand and that gets VERY tiresome. ENSURE these work and snap together/closed tightly and properly, or plan on replacement. The BLUE arrow is pointing to one side of the chest strap, which can help alleviate some weight from your shoulders. The YELLOW arrow is pointing the button snap which keeps the metal buckle locked into place. The RED arrow is pointing at that metal buckle. Both of these must work. You can get by with just the button working well, but it will only hold for so long.
Below you will see the “carry handles.” There is one to the side of each shoulder strap. These can be used to carry the pack a short distance, but more commonly they are used to get a very heavy pack on your back with NO help from another person. Simply lay the pack down with these handles facing up. Stand with your toes touching the top of the pack. Reach down and run your hands through the inside of their respective shoulder straps and grab these handles. Lift up above your head while sort of “flipping” the pack around and keeping your arms straight up. The pack will tend to slide right down to your back and your arms/shoulders will slide right into place. Depending on how much weight, what kind of gear, and how tightly you’ve packed it this may or may not be as easy as this sounds.
This is a view of the side of the main pack. Here you can clearly see several compression straps (both top and bottom). They are easily discernible by the heavy leather-like material that they are ran through. There is also an additional molle webbing section as well as a couple of additional buckle straps for attaching elongated gear to the sides of the pack in combination with the elastic pockets. Notice the long, black handle object near the edge of the molle webbing. This is a heavy duty zipper which gives you access to the main contents from the side so you don’t have to unpack everything. The second picture gives you a zoomed view of this zipper. There is one on both sides of the main pack.
Looking inside the main pack and you can clearly see a camo “shelf”which has a couple of straps. This allows you to separate the compartment into a couple sections. Using these in combination with the side access zippers can save a lot of packing/un-packing time.
Here is a view of the entire main pack compartment. Notice the two side access zippers and the shelf material folded down to allow for one large compartment.
THIS is the ILBE “assault pack” AKA “3 day pack.” Notice the front face of the pack is covered in molle webbing for additional attachments.There is also an exterior compartment just underneath that molle webbing which would be suitable for easily accessible/ often needed items.
Notice the side of the assault pack also has molle webbing, compression/attachment straps, and the shoulder straps have a chest strap just like the main pack.
Here you can see both the front compartment and the main compartment zippers.
These two packs are part of ONE modular system. This means they work well together for ultimate functionality and versatility. It will be hard to see, but in the pic below you can see how these two packs connect together to allow for the maximum one man capacity. You can see how the carry flap (previously discussed) comes in to play here. The circled areas are clearly showing you the two shorter, diagonal side straps of the carry flap, how they connect and wrap around the sides of the assault pack. Notice also, the top-flap strap wraps around the top of the assault pack to keep it from working itself out and it SHOULD be ran underneath the drag handle on the assault pack.
Here is another view of how these packs work together.Notice the small black area at the top of the assault pack which looks like a tear all the way across the top; that is merely ventilation for that pack.
Here you can clearly see the 3 buckles which work together to cinche down the assault pack, utilizing the carry flap.
Finally, to give you some idea as to the size of the main pack, this is holding it up right and touching the measuring tape to its bottom. Pic is taken of the top lip at the drawstring.
Here is an idea of the opening width:
THIS is an ordinary hydration bladder similar to GI. It has the same type of buckles as used on the Generation 2 packs. Below (2nd pic) you can see how one of these packs are included for easy drinking while on long hikes. Notice that the drinking hose exits the bladder on the right shoulder so to give you the most available reach when attached to a pack you should install it on the right side. This pic shows how it is simply attached to a main pack. There are side straps on the sides of the assault pack which allows you to do this as well. With the molle webbing there are probably dozens of ways to attach it to these packs, but this about the easiest/fastest IMO. Notice how it is inserted into the elastic pocket and the strap travels through the hydration bladders carry handle. This ensures it stays with you in case it works itself out of the bottom pocket. Always make sure you run a strap, through a handle on attachments.
On a final note, I have beaten the living **** out of these pack systems. Fallen down long rock filled hills with them fully loaded, dragged through every sort of terrain you can think of, and packed them as full as a 170lb man standing on top of it can possibly pack it… and they’ve held up. You can literally pack them full, stand on top of the contents, grap the top lip (drawstring area) pull up as hard as you can, and jump up and down to pack these things while not having to worry about ripping them. I’ve crammed a whole case of MRE’s in the assault pack on top of all my personal gear in the main pack. While I never had a scale to confirm, I’m pretty positive that I’ve had well over the 120lb spec limit in these things and never had a problem with them. On a short (3/4 mile) training range movement I had; my personal field gear, MRE’s, another marine’s M16 w/ 203 attached on a side strap, and TWO m240spare barrel pouches on the other side strap loaded onto this system with no problems (while carrying a 240 in each hand and my m4 slung around my neck.) If YOU can damage one of these systems while it was previously in good condition, you deserve a job in military testing. Enjoy these packs as they begin to flood the market during this period of equipment change for Marines, they are rugged and worth every penny IMO. My assault packs serve as my GHB and the main pack is my BOB, as previously described. Hope this helps some…
EDIT: In response to some questions that have been brought up, I'm going to add some additional information here regarding accessories.
ADD-ONS:
Below is a shot of some USGI waterproofing bags which Marines are issued. There are two sizes and I placed these next to one of my new assault packs to give you an idea of their size.
These bags DO seal air tight. Below are some pics of their air bleeder valves. The large bag's valve is one which can be opened or closed (sorry, not a very clear pic.)
Here you can see they typically have a "maximum fill line." This simply tells you not to fill it past this point so that you can be sure it will close and properly seal.
To seal these bags, you first must locate the black seal strip near the top. Then fold to one side the excess lip of the bag and hold it flat while you fold it again. Be sure to push out anything which seems like an air pocket and make the the bag material is firmly against these black strips. Continue to fold until BOTH side of the black strip are covered and against the bag.
From there, all you have to do is snap the locking buckles together. Then you can compress the bag until all the excess air is forced out and you're left with a nice, tight and small bag of goodies. .
Before removing the air:
After:
These bags are EXCELLENT for waterproofing your gear. They are very durable and seal well (provided you don't have any holes in them.) That being said, they typically have a price tag which goes along with that quality. If that is unreasonable, ziplocks and trash bags can do wonders and can be doubled up if absolutely necessary.
If you actually need more ways to attach gear, you can probably find these small D-ring clips. They feature a very rigid push button depicted in this first pic on the top right corner. You can see the hole on one side as well as a slot on the hinged side to allow for straps to be ran through it. Simply use you imagination to how you can use these. They're pretty sturdy.
Below is a standard issue camelbak. In this pic you can clearly see how the drinking hose runs through the top of the bag and down to the bottom where the end would be attached to a bladder if this had one..
You can see in this pic that the hose can actually be ran out the top of the carrier on either side that you prefer through the diagonally stitched hole. One where my hand is and the other on the opposite side.
To install a bladder, you simply insert the bladder through any of the large openings with the hose attachment facing outboard and at the bottom of the carrier. Insert the threaded fullfillment opening into the carrier's opening.
Then simply snap down the locking ring onto the threaded bladder orifice. Make sure there is as little room as possible for the bladder threads to move through the carrier opening. The ring should snap down relatively firmly and close to the carrier to prevent any excessive play between the parts. Failure to do this could result in a leaky camelbak.
Ok, so as promised to some other members I’ve collected some pics for a quick explanation of the Marine Corps ILBE pack system. In light of the new group buy taking place, and the fact that the Corps is currently replacing this pack system we will be seeing these packs flood the market for the next several months at least. They are one of my favorite pack systems and I think this might highlight some of the reasons why. I’ll add pics in the future to really demonstrate its capabilities, but for now this will serve as an introduction to the packs and answer some people’s questions. They make an excellent combination “Get Home Bag” (GHB) and “Bug Out Bag” (BOB) for the preppers out there. Also, it’s my first attempt at posting pictures. Enjoy.
THIS is the United States Marine Corps’ Individual Load Bearing Equipment (ILBE) main pack. Notice at the bottom I have an Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) attached to some molle webbing. That is my choice and not something typically on them. Other than that, this pack is a no frills pack. It is absent the hip belt and “map pouch” AKA “the lid.”
On either side of the molle webbing near the bottom of the pack, there will be a couple of verticle, adjustable straps with clips. These straps are commonly used to strap up the “shooting/sleeping mat” but the straps could be used to carry other items as well if desired. I don’t really use those mats personally, but these straps are available if needed.
At the bottom of BOTH sides of the main pack are two elastic-topped pockets, which hold contents tightly to the pack. USGI canteen and canteen cups fit PERFECTLY into these pockets. You can also use them in combination to some of the side straps to carry a secondary long gun by resting its butt stock in these pockets.
Just above those elastic pockets are a series of compression straps. You can loosen these as needed to allow the pack to fit more gear, or buckle and tighten these as needed to keep contents from moving around on long hikes.
Moving on up the pack, you will see these very long vertical straps/buckles. These are used to attach the “lid” mentioned in the beginning which I do not currently have for this pack. This “lid” is basically just a large zippered pocket which covers the top opening to the main pack to keep water from directly entering. It is not water proof so waterproofing your gear will still be necessary, but it does help keep direct rain out of it. The other thing this lid does in combination with these vertical straps is that it allows you to cinche down the contents in a vertical fashion to keep contents from shifting. It’s important to remember that the tighter everything is, the lighter the pack will seem on long hikes. These straps are also very long. You can actually place additional gear on TOP of the main pack and UNDER the lid and keep it cinched down tight with these straps.
In the following pic I used an extra towel to contrast the “front carry flap” (technical term) from the body of the main pack so you can clearly see it, and how it is used. You can see that there are two diagonal short straps which would wrap around whatever contents you put in the flap. There is also one longer strap which goes over the top of the contents and connects to the top of the main pack near the opening.
Underneath this carry flap you can find a larger surface of molle webbing if that will better suit your needs and you can simply roll the flap up and out of the way of the molle system.
In this picture you can somewhat see how the top strap of the carry flap attaches. It connects directly to a buckle/strap at the front of the main pack opening. There is yet another buckle at the BACK of the main pack opening. The combination of these straps allows you to cram more gear in there and cinche it all down tight while keeping the “flap” contents held tightly in place.
Once you disconnect the rear buckle you gain access to the main compartment. It is closed with a very rugged drawstring which works in connection with the lid by reducing area for rain water to enter directly.
Moving on to the back of the pack (the side which rests against you) you can see the “drag handle” that I’m pulling on. In the top center is that buckle which connects to carry flap strap we previously disconnected. On either side you will notice a female buckle hanging unconnected, vertically. These are the rear buckles for connecting the otherside of the lid, making it 4 lid buckles in total. Also notice the small holes in the black portion of the top of the back to allow some ventilation to your gear.
This pic shows us where there is no external framework. The only things touching your body are heavily padded and reinforced areas. Both shoulder straps, back pad, butt pad, and hip belts are both heavily padded and very comfortable. Notice how on this pack the padding and all the buckles are ALL black. That makes this a Generation 1 pack. These items are TAN on generation 2 packs. They are NOT interchangeable and buckles will not work cross-generation.
Near the bottom of the shoulder straps are these heavy duty, redundant emergency snaps. These snaps are absolutely VITAL to the performance of this pack. You do NOT want to be in the middle of a 20 mile hike over a mountainous region with a pack full of about 100lbs of gear and have one of these break on you. TRUST ME. You will literally be holding the pack onto yourback by hand and that gets VERY tiresome. ENSURE these work and snap together/closed tightly and properly, or plan on replacement. The BLUE arrow is pointing to one side of the chest strap, which can help alleviate some weight from your shoulders. The YELLOW arrow is pointing the button snap which keeps the metal buckle locked into place. The RED arrow is pointing at that metal buckle. Both of these must work. You can get by with just the button working well, but it will only hold for so long.
Below you will see the “carry handles.” There is one to the side of each shoulder strap. These can be used to carry the pack a short distance, but more commonly they are used to get a very heavy pack on your back with NO help from another person. Simply lay the pack down with these handles facing up. Stand with your toes touching the top of the pack. Reach down and run your hands through the inside of their respective shoulder straps and grab these handles. Lift up above your head while sort of “flipping” the pack around and keeping your arms straight up. The pack will tend to slide right down to your back and your arms/shoulders will slide right into place. Depending on how much weight, what kind of gear, and how tightly you’ve packed it this may or may not be as easy as this sounds.
This is a view of the side of the main pack. Here you can clearly see several compression straps (both top and bottom). They are easily discernible by the heavy leather-like material that they are ran through. There is also an additional molle webbing section as well as a couple of additional buckle straps for attaching elongated gear to the sides of the pack in combination with the elastic pockets. Notice the long, black handle object near the edge of the molle webbing. This is a heavy duty zipper which gives you access to the main contents from the side so you don’t have to unpack everything. The second picture gives you a zoomed view of this zipper. There is one on both sides of the main pack.
Looking inside the main pack and you can clearly see a camo “shelf”which has a couple of straps. This allows you to separate the compartment into a couple sections. Using these in combination with the side access zippers can save a lot of packing/un-packing time.
Here is a view of the entire main pack compartment. Notice the two side access zippers and the shelf material folded down to allow for one large compartment.
THIS is the ILBE “assault pack” AKA “3 day pack.” Notice the front face of the pack is covered in molle webbing for additional attachments.There is also an exterior compartment just underneath that molle webbing which would be suitable for easily accessible/ often needed items.
Notice the side of the assault pack also has molle webbing, compression/attachment straps, and the shoulder straps have a chest strap just like the main pack.
Here you can see both the front compartment and the main compartment zippers.
These two packs are part of ONE modular system. This means they work well together for ultimate functionality and versatility. It will be hard to see, but in the pic below you can see how these two packs connect together to allow for the maximum one man capacity. You can see how the carry flap (previously discussed) comes in to play here. The circled areas are clearly showing you the two shorter, diagonal side straps of the carry flap, how they connect and wrap around the sides of the assault pack. Notice also, the top-flap strap wraps around the top of the assault pack to keep it from working itself out and it SHOULD be ran underneath the drag handle on the assault pack.
Here is another view of how these packs work together.Notice the small black area at the top of the assault pack which looks like a tear all the way across the top; that is merely ventilation for that pack.
Here you can clearly see the 3 buckles which work together to cinche down the assault pack, utilizing the carry flap.
Finally, to give you some idea as to the size of the main pack, this is holding it up right and touching the measuring tape to its bottom. Pic is taken of the top lip at the drawstring.
Here is an idea of the opening width:
THIS is an ordinary hydration bladder similar to GI. It has the same type of buckles as used on the Generation 2 packs. Below (2nd pic) you can see how one of these packs are included for easy drinking while on long hikes. Notice that the drinking hose exits the bladder on the right shoulder so to give you the most available reach when attached to a pack you should install it on the right side. This pic shows how it is simply attached to a main pack. There are side straps on the sides of the assault pack which allows you to do this as well. With the molle webbing there are probably dozens of ways to attach it to these packs, but this about the easiest/fastest IMO. Notice how it is inserted into the elastic pocket and the strap travels through the hydration bladders carry handle. This ensures it stays with you in case it works itself out of the bottom pocket. Always make sure you run a strap, through a handle on attachments.
On a final note, I have beaten the living **** out of these pack systems. Fallen down long rock filled hills with them fully loaded, dragged through every sort of terrain you can think of, and packed them as full as a 170lb man standing on top of it can possibly pack it… and they’ve held up. You can literally pack them full, stand on top of the contents, grap the top lip (drawstring area) pull up as hard as you can, and jump up and down to pack these things while not having to worry about ripping them. I’ve crammed a whole case of MRE’s in the assault pack on top of all my personal gear in the main pack. While I never had a scale to confirm, I’m pretty positive that I’ve had well over the 120lb spec limit in these things and never had a problem with them. On a short (3/4 mile) training range movement I had; my personal field gear, MRE’s, another marine’s M16 w/ 203 attached on a side strap, and TWO m240spare barrel pouches on the other side strap loaded onto this system with no problems (while carrying a 240 in each hand and my m4 slung around my neck.) If YOU can damage one of these systems while it was previously in good condition, you deserve a job in military testing. Enjoy these packs as they begin to flood the market during this period of equipment change for Marines, they are rugged and worth every penny IMO. My assault packs serve as my GHB and the main pack is my BOB, as previously described. Hope this helps some…
EDIT: In response to some questions that have been brought up, I'm going to add some additional information here regarding accessories.
ADD-ONS:
Below is a shot of some USGI waterproofing bags which Marines are issued. There are two sizes and I placed these next to one of my new assault packs to give you an idea of their size.
These bags DO seal air tight. Below are some pics of their air bleeder valves. The large bag's valve is one which can be opened or closed (sorry, not a very clear pic.)
Here you can see they typically have a "maximum fill line." This simply tells you not to fill it past this point so that you can be sure it will close and properly seal.
To seal these bags, you first must locate the black seal strip near the top. Then fold to one side the excess lip of the bag and hold it flat while you fold it again. Be sure to push out anything which seems like an air pocket and make the the bag material is firmly against these black strips. Continue to fold until BOTH side of the black strip are covered and against the bag.
From there, all you have to do is snap the locking buckles together. Then you can compress the bag until all the excess air is forced out and you're left with a nice, tight and small bag of goodies. .
Before removing the air:
After:
These bags are EXCELLENT for waterproofing your gear. They are very durable and seal well (provided you don't have any holes in them.) That being said, they typically have a price tag which goes along with that quality. If that is unreasonable, ziplocks and trash bags can do wonders and can be doubled up if absolutely necessary.
If you actually need more ways to attach gear, you can probably find these small D-ring clips. They feature a very rigid push button depicted in this first pic on the top right corner. You can see the hole on one side as well as a slot on the hinged side to allow for straps to be ran through it. Simply use you imagination to how you can use these. They're pretty sturdy.
Below is a standard issue camelbak. In this pic you can clearly see how the drinking hose runs through the top of the bag and down to the bottom where the end would be attached to a bladder if this had one..
You can see in this pic that the hose can actually be ran out the top of the carrier on either side that you prefer through the diagonally stitched hole. One where my hand is and the other on the opposite side.
To install a bladder, you simply insert the bladder through any of the large openings with the hose attachment facing outboard and at the bottom of the carrier. Insert the threaded fullfillment opening into the carrier's opening.
Then simply snap down the locking ring onto the threaded bladder orifice. Make sure there is as little room as possible for the bladder threads to move through the carrier opening. The ring should snap down relatively firmly and close to the carrier to prevent any excessive play between the parts. Failure to do this could result in a leaky camelbak.
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