when my pack showed up the first thing i noticed was that the padding on the left shoulder strap was completely destroyed. the padding was hard as nails and broken down to the size of marbles.

So, the burgen i receaved was a 2004 with 2005 side pouches. It is heavily used with repairs on the bottom and heavy dirt on it. Now for me, that adds to its charictor. The repairs were very well done most likley by a professional. Extreamly strong all around design. Ment to take abuse. The short size has good points and bad ones. Good, its wide, its super wide and as a 5'11'' male with broad shoulders it it just about as wide as me witch walking threw the forrest makes the bag very easy to control. The short size also keeps this on my upper back which is more comfortable to me as when doing SAR operations i wear a "hero belt" or a web belt with loads of junk on there. This on normal length bags will dig into me and be pressed downwards twords my hips digging in and causing great discomfort. Not with the short bergen. 1000 cordura for the fabric makes this just a bomb proof bag. And its super modular, can be made smaller, bigger, take pouches off ext.

Bad: it being ment for folks under 6 ft. I could definatly wear the tall one being 5'11". The short one is ment for those well under 6' since the padding on the shoulder straps only goes down maybe 1/3rd the way. Which would be fine for those in its intended height range. But i only get the very end of the padding, right where all the weight sits, is there the last of the padding is so i lucked out but juust barly. Be warned.

It is heavily used and one of this use would go for 15 pounds in the UK (about 20$). But its extreamly hard to find these at all in the U.S. so for the price its not bad. Especally cobsidering to get a quality bag like this in the civilian market you will spend 200$ minimum. Plus you do get the rocket pouches, even if you can find this bag in the U.S. there often the same price and dont normally come with the rocket pouches.

This is a no brainer, i carry bulky items with me outdoors like a FULL military usgi sleep system and i couldnt fill this bag up if i tried. If your carrying over 120 liters of gear your carrying too much stuff lol. In the summer when im carrying less i have enough room for 2 peoples gear. I mean in the rocket pouch alone i fit my entire summer sleeping system.

Buy this bag. You will never need another one again!

Bought this pack to go with british army web set. It fits exactly as I had hoped. I can wear the web set and it hangs under the pack. The ruck I received is in very c good condition with only a little wear on the bottom. All zippers , and buckles are in good shape and funtion as they should. This pack has plenty of room and could easily be loaded too heavy. Pouches and pockets make it easy to organize gear. I would recommend this ruck to anyone.

Great shape , slight fading. Zippers were a hassle till I rubbed candlewax on them, then they worked fine.

The point is to have a short, squat pack that will rest on my MOLLE battle belt the way that British troops’ bergens rest on their webbing. This allows you to carry a large rucksack while still keeping your load-carrying system on you for combat. The bergen resting on your webbing will transfer some of the weight to your hips, but not so much as to push your belt down. The long back version was made for British soldiers who were over 6 feet tall. Since I’m only about 5’8″, I figured I needed a Short Back.
The main pouch is a full 100 liters The volume of the bergen is impressive. Even without the two side pouches, it’s a full 100 liters (6102 cubic inches). With the two side pouches, it’s a staggering 120 liters (7322 cui). And believe me, if you load this thing up to capacity, you will be staggering.

Last weekend, I loaded up the Bergen and headed out to a local trail. We headed up the path (with TJ humping the German Kampfrucksack on top of his old ALICE belt). I had roughly 20 pounds (9kg) on the belt kit and another 45 pounds (20kg) in the Bergen. It wasn’t long before I started feeling the weight.

Mine looks new except for name on pack. Very well made.
no fading or wear at all on mine. Matches perfect with the DPM vest I bought. This pack can be worn over vest with pouches and does not interfere with access to pouches. I would highly recommend buying DPM vest and this pouch to have a full set.
perfect set for a bugout set up. Thanks again.KS

Have been looking for one of these for a couple of years.finally got it. Better than described condition, more room than I need and rides high enough to be with the British military web gear.

This pack arrived in as-described condition. I did have a waist buckle half that was missing but easily replaced. The bag was clearly used, quite a bit of sand on its surfaces, but not damaged in any way. After I hand-washed with a little dish soap in the bathtub it came out looking almost new. The size is one of the strengths of the design. Its a rucksack main compartment, that in itself can reach three distinct sizes by fully expanding it, or tightening the side straps or zipping the two sides and dropping its main compartment size to about 1/4 of full. So the main pack can be great for anything from a day hike to a full on 100 Liter 3-5 day adventure. Then you get the two side bags that are very large. They claim 10 liters but I can say they are a massive 10 in practical use. They are impressive on their own! They can be added via the included clips, strapped molle style, or zipped onto the sides of the main pack. They can be zipped together to form an individual smaller pack, or used alone as a small pack /bag. They have full zippered closures and although not totally waterproof, they are pretty protective and I could hold water inside one for quite some time with a small drip so it is usable as an emergency water bucket. The fabric is very heavy, typical military tough with no indications of snagging tendency. I see no reason to treat this bag with kid gloves, its built to take abuse and keep everything in one place. The lid is not removable but is adjustable and has a nice side entry zippered pocket for quick access to items such as a rain jacket. The underside has a lined pocket zippered for maps etc. The strapping is long enough for huge adjustments in load. The ruck compartment has an expansion liner with drawstring. The over filling capacity is probably larger than most folks could practically carry. There is a distinct feature found when using the included side bags. When fully connected and even zipped, there is a space in between the pouches and the main bag that allows long items to slide the full length of the bag. Axes, shovels, saw etc. will easily drop inside and the strapping is plenty to secure it.
This bag is not a full length bag. I'm 6'2" and the waist strap is a few inches above my pants. That's exactly how its designed. This frees the belt line to allow the use of equipment belts without interference of movement. This may limit some folks total weight capacity, but I find it quite useful.

There is attachment webbing vertically along each side as pictured. The single back pocket is also zippered and perfect for a water bottle, binoculars, etc. There are some grab-handles and bottom clips for expansion as well. All zippers are large and move effortlessly. The bag included an internal three stay aluminum frame that is bendable to your shape. The internal main ruck compartment is unspoiled by dividers or pockets and offers a much wider opening than most any hiking style bag. I measured the opening at an enormous 14" wide by 10" front-to-back and 22" deep or 32" deep with the expansion pulled up. And this is the short version!!! The shoulder straps are well padded, fully adjustable and include load lifters My only cons: No chest strap, no quick release to dump the load. and thats it!

Hunters, adventurers, peppers or just those who appreciate quality gear should snap this up. Its the size and load capacity of US ILBE at half the weight and much less bulk.