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Differences Between Long and Short Back Issue Bergen (old Style)
Differences Between Long and Short Back Issue Bergen (old Style)
Hi Guys
I was wondering the differences between the Long and Short back PCLE Bergens , Apart from a difference in Capacity are there any other factors in choosing between them??
short was designed for people 5' 6" and under , the majority of Irish issue i have seen were of the long back variety
the short back i believe has the same capacity but is wider noticeably so when worn with side pouches it sits higher on the waist (for those above 5'6") then the long back allowing cefo to be worn more comfortably, it also doesn't seem to hit you in the back of the head as much .
"take a look to the sky right before you die, its the last time you will"
So for me a broad 6 or 6'1 fella which would be the best fit having tried both I didnt notice much difference in them so I said id turn to the Board !! Being RDF It only has to hold gear for absoute maximum 72hr Ex!! Although chance of one would be a fine thing!!!!
The Short back sits nicely on top of the back pouches of PLCE but can be a bit high up on the back for stability when worn alone.
The Long back is very uncomfortable with pouches as it has to be worn over them, not on top. However it is a lot more stable on its own as it sits lower on the back.
Trick is to try both of them on while wearing PLCE and see which one is better. Doesn't matter with IPLCS as there are no pouches to worry about.
i think its your personal preference because of your height , try both a long and a short with full cefo see how hard it is to access pouches and how high the lid is when full long-backs are much more common ,
i also seem to remember reading its easier to get stuff in and out of the short-back but cant really vouch for that .
"take a look to the sky right before you die, its the last time you will"
I actually have both aswell managed to get a load of old gear from a mate then got issued the exact same 24hrs later!! Just have to pick the best of both and divvy up the rest !!! It will probably be worn over a chest rig that fits similarly to the new IPLCS Ie with Camelback on back!!
Thanks For the advice lads just have to try em both out and see how i get on
Having carried up to 120lbs in my bergen I would say if you're tall go for the long back. If it sits on your CEFO all the better. That means it puts some of the weight on your CEFO and therefore on your hips which is where you want the weight, and away from your shoulders.
unless you are over 6ft tall go for the short back backpack.
there are fundemental problems with PLCE cemo and cefo that are almost impossible to avoid :
1. if cefo is fitted properly it should be sitting on your hip bones...however if a backback is to fit properly to evenly distribute weight of it, the waist belt should also sit on your hip bones. obviously both cannot do this at the same time.
2. if a backpack ends up sitting on your cefo pouches, the weight of the backpack just pushes down on the cefo making you feel like you're being dragged backwards and ultimately making wearing both uncomfortable and tiring.
best solution, although not ideal, is to make sure cefo is fitted correctly and very snugly and then go with short back backpack. hopefully bottom of rucksack will sit just over rear pouches of cefo. this way both parts of cemo will sit comfortably together. downside though is your shoulders end up taking most of the backpack weight which leads to tiredness earlier than if load evenly distributed between hips and shoulders.
webbing sitting on hips and backpack hip belts are just never going to be compatible which is major drawback of PLCE, really only proper way of solving this problem is using vest webbing like IPLCS to allow hip belt on hips.
An army is power. Its entire purpose is to coerce others. This power can not be used carelessly or recklessly. This power can do great harm. We have seen more suffering than any man should ever see, and if there is going to be an end to it, it must be an end that justifies the cost.Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
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