milsurp_scout_14 Posted July 17, 2017 Share #1 Posted July 17, 2017 Picked this up the other day. It's a later era ALICE pack frame with straps and kidney pad---but with a weird orange vest rigged on it too. Fabric is nearly a felt-like material, definitely nothing tough enough for rigorous use it seems. The vest has what appears to be PALS webbing front and back, and a drag handle. ALICE components have the usual markings, but the vest is unmarked. Buckles have reflective lenses on them. Is this thing something used in the military? Or something rigged up by a civilian? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milsurp_scout_14 Posted July 17, 2017 Author Share #2 Posted July 17, 2017 Detail of how vest attaches to frame. I should mention the frame is marked 'North American Mfg Co, US' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WW2JAKE Posted July 17, 2017 Share #3 Posted July 17, 2017 Could be search and rescue related or for forest fire fighters, as I know they wear bright orange molle gear sometimes. On the other hand could very easily be something a hunter threw together... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Camouflage Pattern I Posted July 18, 2017 Share #4 Posted July 18, 2017 Maybe Multinational Observers? They wear a lot of orange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manchu Warrior Posted July 19, 2017 Share #5 Posted July 19, 2017 Is it possibly just a fancy road guard vest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Camouflage Pattern I Posted July 19, 2017 Share #6 Posted July 19, 2017 Would roadguard need MOLLE for pouches? I think it's most likely a hunting vest, if you google "Orange MOLLE vest" you get a bunch of similarly made vests, most of them labeled hunting vests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manchu Warrior Posted July 19, 2017 Share #7 Posted July 19, 2017 Would roadguard need MOLLE for pouches? I think it's most likely a hunting vest, if you google "Orange MOLLE vest" you get a bunch of similarly made vests, most of them labeled hunting vests. When my Infantry units did road marches the road guards would attach the reflective vest that we used for PT to their rucks. It never really looked all that good but it served its purpose. With that said I was simply focused on what I believe it was possibly being used for. So it looks as if a soldier may have possibly used a well fitted vest for a road guard vest regardless of what its originally use happens to have been. Or it could have simply been a hunter who didn't want to be mistaken for a deer by his fellow hunter's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyCanteen Posted July 19, 2017 Share #8 Posted July 19, 2017 Interesting, it looks like it was designed from the get-go to attach to a pack frame? What are the dates on the vest buckles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BagmanL6 Posted July 19, 2017 Share #9 Posted July 19, 2017 Could very well be a hunting vest used for road guard or an individual doing ruck PT in preparation for a course or some type of selection. All kinds of vests have been used for road guard duty. Looks like it would be a pain to put anything into or take anything out of the pack without having to remove the vest. If there was just a predetermined amount of weight in the pack for PT or endurance training there would be no need to go into and out of it on a regular basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milsurp_scout_14 Posted July 20, 2017 Author Share #10 Posted July 20, 2017 Buckles on the vest are un-dated; those on the pack straps are dated 2005, which jive with the 2004 contract date on the pack straps and kidney belt. The MOLLE on the back of the vest (specifically upper back) seems to have seen the most use, which suggests maybe a pack was mounted on it. There is nothing on the vest itself that suggests it is military in origin, other than it being mounted on the frame, so it very well could be something a hunter rigged up. But who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesuit Posted July 23, 2017 Share #11 Posted July 23, 2017 Judging by the looks of it and responding to an earlier post, this is not something you would not see in wildland firefighting. Blaze orange is seldom seen or used anymore, though there are some items from the 70's and 80's still lurking in firefighting supply depots and remote guard station storage lockers but nothing like this. On a separate note in the firefighting community some places do get military surplus leftovers. An ALICE pack frame with shoulder straps would be not unusual to find for say attaching a nylon bag to haul fire hose around. Judging by the looks, it may be very likely somebody came up with a great idea for hunting season, but not something you would see out on a fire line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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