The ALICE military backpack, or all - purpose lightweight specific carrying equipment, is a military backpack that was developed in 1973. The pack was a necessity for garrison engaged in the Vietnam war. The ALICE backpack was the main pack in use by the United States Military throughout the 1970 ' s and 1980 ' s. Currently these backpacks are now longer in end and are being replaced by the MOLLE backpack.
The ALICE pack was designed to remove some of the weight that a gi had to manage with older backpack systems. The development of this pack moneyless the weight of the pack to 3 lbs. This higher a soldiers portability and made long patrols more comfortable for each man-at-arms. The backpack tidily used different and lighter material than the past packs which made it successful. The backpacks that were used in WW I and WWII were made of heavy cotton and steel. While not incredibly heavy at 5 lbs. the backpack would often retain water when wet and make it cumbersome for most military personnel. The cotton in past packs was changed to water proof, light weight nylon and the steel components were switched to aluminum. These changes allowed the pack to be lightweight and less of a problem for soldiers.
The design of the backpack, with two wide shoulder straps and a mid section strap, was to take strain on a soldiers shoulders and back. This allowed soldiers to march and patrol more comfortably. The size of the pack allowed soldiers maximum carrying capability and allowed each soldier to carry a change of clothes, firearms and ammunition and a field first aid kit. The pack also allowed soldiers to pack more specific equipment given the soldiers objectives and missions. The rucksack came in three sizes to suit the soldiers needs.
Although the ALICE back was supposed to be replaced in 1988, the popularity of the pack in the military has made this transition slow. The pack and components are easily interchangeable with the newer packs.
The ALICE pack is not only the favorite pack to soldier, but to campers and hikers as well. They are easily found in army surplus stores and are available at reasonable prices. The strap system and the lightweight components make this pack a favorite for a wide variety of adventurers. Although new packs are slowly taking the ALICE backpack ' s place in the military it will be a long time before this backpack is no longer available.
