NVA gas mask bag, rubberized, surplus

The soldiers of the East German NVA carried their gas masks in these rubberized shoulder bags. Most gas masks will fit inside, or a whole lot of bushcraft stuff or everyday carry items.

Covered by a lid with a plastic snap fastener. In the DDR they made everything they could from plastic and as these have to withstand military use, they probably designed these to the max, cutting no expenses. The insides are divided for the gas mask itself, its filter, and other assorted items. The dividers can be cut off if needed. On the filter side on the bottom, there's an air grommet (the filter was carried inside the bag and attached to the mask on the face with a hose, oh the joy of it all). On the outside, there's a small pocket for your cleaning kit.

For carrying the bag you have a wide adjustable shoulder strap and a narrow waist strap to keep it in place when the going gets rough.

Dimensions from seam to seam about 27 x 27 x 10 cm (10.6 x 10.6 x 2.5").

Although the most common gas masks utilized by the NVA was the same horrible rubber hood as the Soviets used, at least their carrying bag was a bit better than the cheap Russian cotton sack.

Real gear from the other side of the Wall

These seemed to be in top shape, probably even unissued but stored for a long time. All kinds of NBC threats were taken seriously back then, so they made innumerable amounts of these during the Cold War. There's still a lot around.