Intro:
Every Soldier has one thing in common. He gets issued a ruck. Sometimes two. Load carriage is a critical skill. During my basic training and during exercises in my unit we always had to hump massive loads in massive bagpacks. Those backpacks ranged from 40 to 120 litres.
Mostly the basic ruck started at 10kg up to 25kg. This included things like foul weather gear, sleeping bags, mess kit, Tarps, sometimes a tent, a full set of changing clothes, bivvy bag and much much more.
We started getting comfortable with himping so much in our SOPs.
Two years later, Kunduz Afghanistan. Imagine six soldiers trying to throw their fully loaded 120l Berghaus Backpacks into the cramped space of an ATF Dingo. It looks as funny as you think. In about six months we never ever used the Rucks in any kind of way. What we took with us in our third line was additional water, spare batteries, extra ammo, sometimes a puffy layer or an MRE. Even our issued 40l daypack was to large. We used the Berghaus zipp off side pockets as grab bags. Enough said. Mic Drop.
Experiences like this helped me to understand that a small pack is something everyone should have in his Kit.
Mayflower R&C is well known for their less is more approach and the inclusion of lessons learned into their products. This is reflected in their 24h Assault Pack line. It’s as simple and effective as you can get:
- Zippered main compartment
- Secondary zippered compartment
- Hydration sleeve
- Organizational compartment hidden in the second compartment
- A daisy chain
- Comfortable side straps
- Mesh padded backpanel
It’s just the right size for a pack when you leave your vehicle for a short time keeping in mind that this short time can change for some hours to an entire day.
The capacity of the pack is less than 10 litres but let’s you pack anything you really need for 24 hours. In my case this is:
- Spare Socks
- Spare Batteries
- Freeze Dry Ration
- Camelbak
- VS17 Panel
- SERE Kit
- Windbreaker
- Tarp
- Nalgene Bottle
- Toilettry Bag
- SPARE AMMO!!
If this isn’t enough you get a few very well thought out features on the pack. You get a hydration port. Two compression Straps that let you cinch the load. I really love the outdoor/summit influence of adding a daisy chain. You can, for example, put a rain poncho there and just grab it in case of sudden rain. Other packs would just feature a huge amount of molle on the front.
Talking about MOLLE. The MRC 24h Assault Pack features just enough molle to add a magazine pouch or a small IFAK to the sides. That’s a good decision to keep the packs weight down and prevent the user from overloading the pack.
Design wise this pack is small. It’s really small. I’m 1,73m in height and it already looks small. But this also means it doesn’t get in the way. You won’t notice it at your back. You even won’t notice it when working in confined spaces like vehicles.
Conclusion:
The MRC 24h Assault Pack (fixed shoulder) does just what a assault pack should do. But it feels like you are wearing a genuine outdoor pack. Clever ideas like the Daisy Chain or the well placed MOLLE cut down the weight by maximizing the functionality.
It’s worth a look if you are looking for an actual assault pack or just a tacticool gym bag.
