New Rucksack

[daftandbarmy]

It can also easily hold 200 lbs of kit  :  I had fun humping my 125 lbs ruck  : (read my last post on why it was so heavy) on the chopper a week and a bit ago.

OK, I have to ask... have you got a list of the things you crammed in there to keep you going for 2 weeks before your kit arrived? Maybe there's a Guiness world record out there for you! :nod:

 

[NL_engineer]

OK, I have to ask... have you got a list of the things you crammed in there to keep you going for 2 weeks before your kit arrived? Maybe there's a Guiness world record out there for you! :nod:

well basically all issued kit, plus a laptop in a pelican case.

 

[Pointer]

The ruck was used widely for an airmobile op on EX MG a week or two ago.  Consensus: ineffective, even when factoring the asinine WES boxes on the back of the  vest.

On a side note, we seriously need to cut down the weight being carried somehow. My personal vote: a lighter radio than the 522. 

 

[daftandbarmy]

The ruck was used widely for an airmobile op on EX MG a week or two ago.  Consensus: ineffective, even when factoring the asinine WES boxes on the back of the  vest.

On a side note, we seriously need to cut down the weight being carried somehow. My personal vote: a lighter radio than the 522.

Amen to that. It could be argued that the size of a soldier's rucksack is inversely proportional to the effectivenss of their senior leadership:

"To reduce the load on a soldier's back, leaders must use their available
transportation effectively and must develop a unit's ability to carry what
it must through load planning and training.

Although load planning is a critical task for all leaders, senior
commanders should limit their guidance and allow the sub-unit commander
who must carry out a mission to decide what his soldiers will carry for
each operation.  Load planning consists of tailoring the load to the
mission and then dividing it into echelons (combat load, sustainment load,
and contingency load), calculating its weight, and arranging for its
transport."

http://www.geocities.com/tominelpaso/soldier.txt

 

[OldSolduer]

There are far too many "Chairborne" weenies who decide what troops should carry, and never have to carry it themselves. How many times have we torn apart kit during post ex drills to find we didn't use items we were told you "must have at all times"?
One of my wounded soldiers blames the excessive weight for his being wounded. And I can see his reasoning.

 

[PuckChaser]

On a side note, we seriously need to cut down the weight being carried somehow. My personal vote: a lighter radio than the 522.

AN/PRC 117F is said to weight 13.8 lbs without batteries, 16.7 lbs. with batteries. while the AN/PRC 522 Manpack is around 31lbs with 2 spare batteries and its ancillary kit. Friend of mine carried strictly the 117F overseas, said it was the best kit around, but unfortunately there's a shortage of them in the CF for training.

 

[daftandbarmy]

AN/PRC 117F is said to weight 13.8 lbs without batteries, 16.7 lbs. with batteries. while the AN/PRC 522 Manpack is around 31lbs with 2 spare batteries and its ancillary kit. Friend of mine carried strictly the 117F overseas, said it was the best kit around, but unfortunately there's a shortage of them in the CF for training.

It's nice to see we've made such huge improvements in this area over the years  :

AN/PRC 77 set: 13.75 lb (6.2 kg)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AN/PRC-77

 

[Jammer]

Try humping it for 3 days in Panjwai...

 

[Bzzliteyr]

Mbitr.. weighs a lot less.. Don't we use them? Specs?

 

[Jammer]

Multi-Band Inter-Team Radio

Used...Yes...
Specs...None ya

Short range comms...not the same capabilties as the 117F

 

[Fusaki]

AN/PRC 117F is said to weight 13.8 lbs without batteries, 16.7 lbs. with batteries. while the AN/PRC 522 Manpack is around 31lbs with 2 spare batteries and its ancillary kit. Friend of mine carried strictly the 117F overseas, said it was the best kit around, but unfortunately there's a shortage of them in the CF for training.

Uhhh.. A 117 weighs about the same as a 522.  I don't know the exact numbers, but there is definatly not a noticable difference between the two when each is set up as a manpack with all the EIS.

Insert Quote
Mbitr.. weighs a lot less.. Don't we use them? Specs?

Yes, we do use them.  And IMHO an MBITR is a better comparison to the 522 then a 117 is.  Compared to a 522 it has slightly more power, but considerably less weight.  While it is capable of a much greater frequency range, it's my understanding that we use it mostly on our tactical (ie VHF low) nets.  A 117 on ther other hand is far more then a more user-friendly 522.  With over twice as much power, UHF, DAMA SATCOM, and all sorts of other awsome acronyms it is a 522 radio multiplied by the power of 10.

 

[Fusaki]

MBITR Data sheet

https://secure.thalescomminc.com/datasheets/MBITR.pdf

 

[Run away gun]

http://www.rfcomm.harris.com/products/tactical-radio-communications/an-prc-152.pdf

 

[MikeL]

http://www.rfcomm.harris.com/products/tactical-radio-communications/an-prc-152.pdf

Thats not an MBITR, the AN/PRC 148 is.

AFAIK the 152 is not in use with the CF.

 

[Bzzliteyr]

Apples to apples, that's why I thought i would throw the MBITR into the fray.

The 117 can be used as a 522, but it is so much more.  For "basic" ops, I can see the advantage of carrying an MBITR over a 522 anyday!!

 

[NL_engineer]

The ruck was used widely for an airmobile op on EX MG a week or two ago.  Consensus: ineffective, even when factoring the asinine WES boxes on the back of the  vest.

On a side note, we seriously need to cut down the weight being carried somehow. My personal vote: a lighter radio than the 522.

Well a 20 lbs ruck dosen't help.  As for the 522; we were told the other day, that the 522 can only be carried in its manpack, not the small pack/ruck/other bag, due to it overheating  :.

 

[Jammer]

I never had a prob with it "overheating" in my SPS in 55 degree temps.
Who said that????

 

[Fusaki]

Well a 20 lbs ruck dosen't help.  As for the 522; we were told the other day, that the 522 can only be carried in its manpack, not the small pack/ruck/other bag, due to it overheating  :.

Having spent the past 6 years carrying and operating radios (both in Canada and overseas) from the section level, to platoon sig, to OC's sig, and currently Coy Sigs Rep I can say without a doubt that the above direction is absolutly retarded.

 

[Bzzliteyr]

Told the other day by who?

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Must be a 4 ESR thing (or 5 RGC)