British Patrol Pack 30 Litre, DPM, Surplus

4.6(11)
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$44.99
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Product description

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.

Reviews
4.6(11)

James B. en

25.04.2021
These packs are actually bombproof: a Royal Marine fell on an IED in Afghanistan. The bomb went off under his patrol pack, which absorbed a lot of the blast and saved his life! You can get a 1l flask in the side pockets, and lots of stuff in the two lid pockets and main compartment. The carrying system, like the '95 pattern PLCE rucksack, is the only weak point of design. The waistbelt on both packs is of little use for spreading the weight of the load, and the packs fit close to the back. This latter characteristic is copied from large Berghaus packs of the late '70s and '80s. It made them more stable for climbing and mountaineering, compared to the external framed packs of the day, but it's no good for winter ski-touring, 'coz one gets a sweaty and cold back. British PLCE packs are designed to be worn sitting on top of belt kit pouches, which in my experience of using the system was true - I never used the waistbelts on operations or tactical training exercises.

Terry H. en

19.08.2020
These are great packs hard to get and are closer to 40 l in actual size.... guys who get them hang on to them

Haakon W. en

12.04.2017Verified purchase
I've got a pack of comparable size from MEC. When it started falling apart, I looked at this. Already it's easier to pack, the straps are better, it sits better on my back/shoulders, and the pockets are easier to manage. Overall, a superior pack for less than half of what my previous MEC pack cost. It was clean and empty when I unboxed it, with only a bit of musty smell that dissipated after a day of being left in the breeze. Someone (probably the previous owner) managed to force the clips of the waist-belt through the bottom two attachment points. To rectify this, not being possessed of the same grunt-strength as the previous owner, I had to unstitch the belt folds, strip off the clips, unfold the belt and then re-attach. Other than that, supreme product. Three Years Later Edit: This is still my go-to bag for carrying things any distance. I had to replace one of the adjustment straps and clips after my dog used it as a chew toy, but it is otherwise still as robust as before. Gets used for carrying copious groceries, and stood me in good stead on a three day portage a couple years back.