Dutch Army Sting rucksack

[caorach]

As some will know I'm trying to reduce weight a bit when it comes to my backpacking and so I'm going to sell my Sting to fund a lighter rucksack. The Sting was issued to the Dutch Army and they were made by Lowe Alpine. It has a 55 liter main compartment plus two 10 liter zip off "rocket pockets." It is possible to, somehow, attach the rocket pockets together to make a 20 liter "day sack" but mine do not have the webbing for this and I've no idea if it can be retrofitted or not.

I'm looking £50 for the rucksack if anyone on here might be interested.

In terms of condition then it is used surplus but all the buckles, zips and so on are present and work plus the adjustable back system works so it is completely functional and will serve someone well for years but there is some cosmetic wear. For some reason the main fabric of these bags always seems to fade while the various webbing attachments don't, they all do this and mine is no different. There is some surface wear around the bag, especially on corners and so on, but it is cosmetic and the bag will probably outlive me as the fabric is very thick and heavy. There are 3 small "plucks" on the lid but these aren't right through the fabric and can be seen in the photos below. Needless to say, and the reason I'm selling, the bag is heavy.

That's all the negative stuff out of the way. On the positive side these are recognised as one of the best and most robust surplus bags and are much in demand with the bushcrafting community, especially. The adjustable back means the bag is comfortable to wear and will fit almost anyone, I'd guess if you a a smurf or a basketball player than it may not be ideal. This year I've been carrying it with weights that I can barely lift off the floor and it is comfortable but I simply can't sustain walking in rough country with that sort of weight on my back. This is a well designed bag that has everything you need in a rucksack.

The bag has lots of MOLLE attachment webbing should you wish to add additional external pouches plus there are various loops and attachment points for lashing things like sleeping mats to the outside. There are two pockets in the lid, one accessible from the outside that is big enough for my waterproofs, and a smaller internal one. There is also a pouch thing down the back of the bag which might be for a hydration bladder, though I've no experience of such things and I use it for keeping my OS maps in. There are "wand pockets" at the bottom on each side and I usually put my fishing rod in them - you can slid a rod down behind the rocket pockets into the wand pockets and this keeps it very secure indeed. I don't know if it is waterproof but the fabric is coated with a sort of plastic/rubber type material on the inside so I would imagine it is at least very water resistant and it has never taken in water when I've used it.

Some photos:

front:



back:



MOLLE attachment webbing:



Fabric plucks on the lid, I suspect someone has lashed something to the top that has worn the fabric but it doesn't appear to be right through the outer layer of fabric:



Rocket pocket and back:



Adjustable back system:



Bottom of the bag with webbing for a bed roll or mat:



Rear of the bag and the lid with the pocket open:



Rear with lumbar support that also covers the adjustment mechanism for the back:



This is it with the lumbar support thingme lifted out of the way to reveal the adjustment system:



This is the closure of the main compartment:



This photo taken indoors better shows how the main fabric fades when compared to the various bits of webbing:



This is the inside of the bag with my tent and sleeping bag to give some volume:

[SoldierPmr]

Just another little heads up the attachments on the bottom of the bag are for ice axes (brilliant for anything you want to hook underneath)

[caorach]

Just another little heads up the attachments on the bottom of the bag are for ice axes (brilliant for anything you want to hook underneath)

:-) I use them when I'm carrying my landing net as it is a sort of Gye net type thing. So I can put the "shaft" through the ice axe loops and the body of the net stops it sliding any further than a few inches, I then use some of the attachment points further up the bag, they are just webbing loops with those plastic things that means I can tighten them up, to go around the upper part of the shaft of the net. Tighten everything up and I can walk about with my net on my back :-)