This is a genuine USGI military surplus ILBE MarPat Main Field Pack, designed by Arc'Teryx and manufactured by Propper. This listing includes the Main Pack, Shoulder Straps, Hip Belt, Lid, and internal Radio Pouch. See below for a description of our quality ratings for these packs.
In 2004 mass production started on the ILBE Packs (Improved Load Bearing Equipment) to replace the heavier MOLLE Packs (Modular Light Load Carrying Equipment) and was specially designed for the US Marines to provide durable lightweight means of transporting clothing textiles and equipment. There are 2 Generations of this pack. The Gen I pack has the black padding and the Gen II pack has the coyote brown padding and features. Both were produced in the Digital Woodland MarPat (Marine Pattern).
The ILBE Pack is designed to carry a load of up to 120lbs but at the same time it distributes the weight so it is comfortable to wear. The key features to the packs comfort is in its internal frame with 2 metal ribs on the outer sides and 2 larger spars in the middle. These spars are already shaped to fit most peoples backs but can be custom bent if need be.
The pack includes soft padding on both the hip bet and shoulder straps. With the wide hip belt it displaces the weight around your body with less pressure points. Both straps can be adjusted to custom fit your body and has a breast strap that can be raised or lowered to fit both men and women. The ILBE uses Thermomoulding in the hip belts. These weight barring straps are shaped to match the curves of the body. The waist belt is designed to minimize wearer discomfort. It meshes 4 different types of foam for maximum comfort.
Note that the photos featured here are stock photos and not of the actual item you will receive. Each item may vary slightly but will match the condition description here.
Upgraded to this pack from the army medium ruck. Immediate observation is that even though this ruck weighs at least twice as much, I can carry at least 15lbs more weight than I could with my medium ruck with same amount of effort. Also this pack is way more comfortable on the shoulders than the medium ruck. And generally it seems to be designed really well. Bought this new from thunderhead and the bag was clearly in pristine unused condition when I got it. Shipping was fast. Complaints.regarding the pack: it does not come.with any sustainment pouches (other than the internal radio pouch), and lack of external pouches is definitely a hindrance. So I will be picking those up soon. There are alot of straps on this pack. For example, I'm not exactly sure why I need three compression straps on each side.of the pack, and it's kind of annoying to have to undo all of them to access the side zipper on the main section (the zipper is brilliant though). But also the straps have like, allot of slack. More than neccasry I think. And I will probably roll up a bunch of the excess and duct tape it or cut it off just to reduce the feeling of straps hanging everywhere. All in all this is a very good pack for a very nice price. And unless you are going to try to wear this over body armor, you should have no problem comfortably rucking with enough gear to last you several days.