Quote:
Originally Posted by WarriorDiplomat
If a future Ranger or SF candidate is seeking to train in preparation I am a huge proponent of using the ruck you will be using. Using a specially designed ruck with ruck plates is totally different in design and feel than the real thing and keeping true to muscle conditioning methodology your stabilizer muscles you develop will be for that ruck not the issue one. Trust me they are different.
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I took this advice several months ago. I started with the ol' ALICE pack, but from the advice of several QPs, I decided to train with what I will be using.
I shopped around for quite some time and ended up purchasing an official issue MOLLE II rucksack in multi-cam from Fort Bragg Surplus. They had the best prices that I was able to find and when I had an issue with one of the buckles, their customer service was top notch.
In my opinion, the MOLLE pack is less miserable to carry than the ALICE was, but one way or another, after so many miles, rucking is going to get painful.
From all of my homework, it appears that the generation I and II frames were the ones that were notorious for breaking. I'd shop around for a rucksack that comes with a Gen. IV frame. The one from Fort Bragg Surplus has that covered.
Some listings, especially on eBay, wont mention which generation frame is included (typically because they are including one of the inferior frames), but they may include part numbers, so if you know which part numbers to look for and which to avoid, you should be all set.
The following thread has a useful breakdown of the different frames and associated part numbers:
https://www.zombiehunters.org/forum/...p?f=14&t=39804
Here is a link to the rucksack that I have. The prices may have gone up a little, I don't quite remember what I spent.
http://www.fortbraggsurplus.us/MOLLE...e-complete.htm