Army Surplus Bags/Military Bags

dave lackey

dave lackey

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I have been looking at a lot of bags lately that would take a lot of abuse and have found some really inexpensive bags that appear to be perfect, as well as new bags like this:

Maxpedition 0403F Fatboy Versipack for $68 USD
jumbol.e.o.k.jpg


Anyone tried one of these?
http://www.cqbtactical.pl/maxpediti...ge=en&osCsid=33e7eeb05f0cd390998132dc9597391b

They have a lot of stuff here:

http://www.maxpedition.com/



Also, maybe we can post Army surplus bags that you think are very good for rugged use (think hiking, camping, etc.)....🙂
 
Many years ago, I had a lovely solid leather box that I used as a camera case. On the lid, it was blind-stamped 'Exploder Dynamo Mk. 1'

In those days, we didn't have the War on Terror, but we did have the I.R.A. The case once led to two slightly nervous policemen asking me if they could see what was inside.

Cheers,

R.
 
I have a Swiss bread bag that i have used to carry camera gear only issue was the strap which was too thin if your the kind of person that carries lots of stuff.
I guess the real question Dave is will it carry everything you need it to?
 
I am an Army officer and I can say that there's not much camera bag wise. If you have a ton of gear though, I can point you in the direction of a nice rucksack.
 
I've used canvas bags from surplus stores for the last few years.

FinnishGasMaskBagw.jpg

I grabbed a surplus Finnish gasmask and bag combo for 5 euro back when I lived there, and the bag lasted me a long while (2008-1/2 2011). I retired it after I fixed the strap with a carabiner (Original ring broke after carrying +6kgs of books or so daily) and when I realized I couldn't be bother loosening the stitches of my old patches. Only gripe was that it would open when I ran if I had anything of substantial weight in it.
Bought an old Red Army bag for 20 bucks or so in NZ, because 30 bucks for a replacement of my earlier bag wasn't really up my alley, and I wanted something that shut better (Loops and a buckle)

Military stuff is very durable if you treat it right, and pretty cheap to replace.
Personally though, I'm moving more towards backpacks (Considering a wenger backpack, but that's a little off-topic)
 
I have now moved on to a Crumpler Messenger Boy 8000 ($60 on TradeMe) which i really like, military gear might be tough but it's not always designed to be comfortable.
 
I have a Swedish Military Medical Bag I use when I want to go completely incogneto. 😎 There is no way anybody would know expensive camera stuff is in there. $16 at the local University military surplus store.

Highly recommended.
 
I looked at many of the surplus/new military bags, but in the end bought a Courierware bag as I wanted the messenger bag look, the wider strap and a padded interior.
 
y'all carry too much stuff out walking around. now, if i HAD to carry a couple of cams and a spare lens all day, plus film and a snack and drink, i'd use this mountainsmith lumbar pack we have:
http://www.mountainsmith.com/produc...ategoryId=42&subCategoryId=0&subCategory2Id=0

it is VERY comfortable in the small of my back, slips easily to the front to get at the stuff, and it has a nice hand carry strap. it is a stinking good hunting day pack, too, for non-extreme terrain/conditions ...
 
Yep,
I have the slightly older version of that bag, no carry handle on the zippered pouch of the flap.(edit: it's actually the "jumbo" not "fatboy") It's very well put together and well thought out. (has the concealed handgun slot for photography in dangerous places too) I put a slab of foam in the bottom of the main compartment as it is un-cushioned. Plenty of pockets for miscellanea, water bottle etc. but lenses other than rf or smaller slr primes would most likely need to go in the water bottle pouch, possibly the vertical exterior pocket or in with the camera. Thing is it's a right or left only sling, which for me usually means a sore shoulder after a long day and a moderate load. It does have a velcro strap for a supplemental attachment to a belt which takes some weight off the shoulder and stabilizes the bag when maneuvering or running from someone you've just offended by sticking a camera in their face🙂 I use mine a lot while hiking with a rangefinder, F1N and grip or a Nikonos. A thumbs up for me.
 
I've been using this recently; not really an army surplus bag, but definitely of that style:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Venturer-Mi...US_CSA_MWA_Backpacks&var=&hash=item8262f51413

Quite nice for a shockingly cheap bag. The one catch is that each pocket is smaller than you'd imagine they should be, but it still works out pretty well. The top front pockets on the flap will hold an external finder and a couple of filters, the long one below will hold four rolls of film (if memory serves correctly), and the side pocket will hold a decent-sized RF lens (mine normally has an M39 Jupiter 9 in it). Inside you've got one large pocket for books and/or lenses in cases and/or a flash, and some smaller pockets that will hold notepads, an olympus trip 35 or a rangefinder with a collapsible lens. Perfect for travelling light, really.

Oh, one catch: that zippered pocket on the front is useless for anything other than a bit of loose change or a tiny lens cap. Much too small for anything else.
 
I use a Jack Pyke Countryman Canvas and Leather Bag which is similar to a Hadley Pro but being Green doesn't look like a camera bag. Only the front closures are leather the rest is synthetic leather. The quality is OK for a cheap bag (£25) and suits my purpose.

jack-pyke-countryman-canvas-and-leather-bag-703-p.jpg
 
I use a cheap backpack that I picked up in Italy for about 6 euros.

Suprisingly comfortable, and it carries a lot of stuff too. I dont really see the need for expensive bags anymore!
 
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