British Patrol Pack 30 Litre, DPM, Surplus

If this looks to you like a shrunk PLCE rucksack, you know proper kit. For those who don't know, this is a good thing. These were developed and issued for British troops patrolling Northern Ireland in the 90s and later distributed more widely. These are tough as nails and carry exactly what you need in the field.

Material and measurements

The pack is made of immensely tough IRR DPM Cordura with 25 mm (1") webbing here and there for reinforcement, compression and attachment of larger items to the outside of the pack.

• Main sack: 27 x 46 x 19 cm (11" x 18" x 7.5")
• Side pouches: 14 x 28 x 8 cm (5.5" x 11" x 3.15")
• Smaller lid pocket: 25 x 15 x 7 cm (10" x 6" x 3")
• Volume: 30 liters (1830 cu in)
• Weight: 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs)

Features

There are two large side pouches with cup lids and buckles, and drawcord tightening collars to keep your stuff in and snow and soil out. The pouches have drain grommets at the bottom and webbing loops for extra gear. Weaving some elastic cord here makes a very low-profile spot to keep things quickly available!

The main compartment has a collar with a drawcord and a second drawcord at the mouth to keep the contents steady. Attachment loops on the back and bottom. The icing on the cake is the large lid that comes down to cover the main pack. It has two very large zippered compartments and even more attachments loops. These aren't your usual "a pair of socks took all the space"-afterthoughts but actually capacious compartments! The larger one bellows into the pack or flattens as necessary.

The shoulder straps are shaped and padded for comfort. There's a 40 mm (1.6") webbing belt that does its job and loops at the back allow you to mount a padded hip belt if you want to. (Padded extra belts are not included, just the basic one.) The back is padded but not particularly stiff. You can easily roll this pack for storage.

At the top you'll find a basic carrying handle, as usual.

NSN 8465-99-869-3875

Genuine British Surplus

These have seen hard use. The material is rough, the PU lining is flaking off on the inside and the level of color fading varies. A delicate machine wash with liquid detergent will soften the webbing and makes a dusty pack appear much better.

As these were originally manufactured to incredibly high standards, you can still trust these to last longer than most factory-new bags you find in shops today. These are the epitome of the words: Tough. As. Nails.