Alice pack, large, framed...???????????????

[shootertutor]

I just assembled a third one.

??? What is typically carried in the top flap pouch?

I was thinking maps???

How is weight best distributed?

Also in non-framed packs?

We have a large frameless alice and a few other small packs for the younger ones.

Thanks

[Big_Saw]

some like the weight high...some like it low...I prefer 60/40 high...low = comfort...high = agility...

[kenno]

The A.L.I.C.E. pack Large was intended for use with a frame in artic ops and the extra room was for stoves, shelter, fuel, clothing. These packs were designed in a time when rations were C-rats, and required more space to carry them than MRE's. The pack was not intended for loads over 80 pounds, but was commonly loaded over 100 lbs, a severe mistake in deep snow that could actually drown a man in snow. I used the A.L.I.C.E. medium with a frame, loaded to 60 pounds with X-Country skis on a X-Country infil and found that in soft snow it was a killer. Either pack with-out a frame was torture when loaded over 35 pounds in long marches unless loaded very carefuly. With skies the load is never correct as the weight will over ballance the man and a ski will dig into snow, lower weight is the best of a few bad choices. As a X-country skier I found that packs designed for mountain climbers worked best with X-country skies and snow shoes.

[Mags]

Yeah, it's a "map" pocket. I normally kept a hunk of a VS-17 Panel in the and some 550 cord. Lrg ruck = frame. "younger ones," med rucks, no frames, keep hard objects away from their backs.


Here you go trying to answer a packing question. (Disclaimer; I’m not an expert!)

I converted to all internal frame packs years ago. Then I drank the Kifaru koolaid. They (Kifaru Packs,) are rugged as all get out and very modular. I can run my pack slick or load it up with external pouches as needed. (That is the joy of having packs covered in PALS webbing.) Of course there’s always a trade off. Since they are so rugged they weigh much more than their lightweight commercial counterparts.

Pros for internal packs; Lower center of gravity, keeps load in close and tight to your body, & a narrow/slimmer profile, mine have a removable top pocket/pack, are more comfortable with heavier loads, & an extendable snow/bivy sleeve. (People have used their emptied pack with the snow sleeve extended as a bivy for many years.) Most of these “pros” really help when it comes to bushwhacking, and cross-country travel. They are not such a big deal on groomed, established trails. (What will be your most traveled routes?)

External packs normally have more pockets providing better gear organization. Well, my Kifaru Packs covered in PALS webbing, as stated above, totally negate this. They are even better far as I’m concerned because I can pick pockets & pouches that perfectly fit the gear I want to pack.

After I put together a packing list, (normally I print one out from my various saved packing lists,) I lay it all out and look it over. I like to keep heavier items, (clothing bundle, food bundle, fuel etc,) low maintaining a lower center of gravity, packed between my shoulder blades and the bottom of my rib cage. This seems to work best for me over most terrain. I keep hard items and corners away from my back, strictly for comfort. I do not have items hanging off the outside of my pack. I am not a hobo; it is unsightly, inefficient, and not tactical! Clanking down the trail, no way!

When loading my pack I follow the above and put in items in the opposite I will need them in camp. I keep much/daily used items packed on the top of the pack or in outside pockets. Items like first-aid gear, rain gear, beanie, gloves, signal gear, snacks, bino’s, TP/trowel, headlamp etc. are on the top or in outside pockets. Several of these items I pack and carry in the same place all the time. My first aid gear, rain gear and headlamp, (in a carryover from my military training,) are always in the same place. I want to be able to find my rain gear in the dark by feel even if I’m dead tired and it suddenly starts raining sideways! Same goes for first aid and cell phone, (possible lifeline.)

I do have Outdoor Research pack covers for all my packs that help keep them dry whether I’m carrying them or they are stowed outside my hammock or bivy overnight. I do have pack liners and use them some but prefer to use waterproof stuff sacks and compression bags inside my packs. I try and waterproof all my gear with at least two layers. (One is none, two are one.) Example is an undershirt/underpants/sock bundle in a freezer ziplock bag stuffed inside a waterproof stuff sack inside my pack with rain cover on it. Overkill, sure, sometimes, but I won’t worry if I chuck my pack off a cliff and jump in behind it. (Bad example but you get the point. Too much Bear Gryls……D-bag!)

Couple rules I live by…..Never lay gear on the ground or around, you’ll lose it. Example, you get food gunk on your multitool from opening a can. Instead of cleaning it and putting it away you lay it aside until you can clean it. In the mean time you move around for your stove, fuel, bowls etc and now can’t find your multitool. Shame on you! Only get out what you’re using and put away what you’re not. This will keep your gear organized, cleaner, and drier should you get hit by a sudden shower.