OCP Molle II Rucksack Differences

[gasmaskgerman]

Hello everyone, I wanted to start this off by saying I am new to the forum and if there is a better place to post this then please let me know. Recently I acquired three Molle II large rucksacks in OCP. While looking them over I noticed a few differences between the three and I was wanting to get more information on the differences. Rucksack number one which I will refer to as laundry, due to it smelling like it came out of a washing machine, is a standard large sized OCP rucksack frame came without a frame. The tag is located in the center of the main compartment and has the NSN#

8465-01-524-5285

W911QY-06-D-0003-0001

the pack is manufactured by specialty defense.

 

Rucksack number 2 that I will call new stock ,as it appears completely unissued, is also a large size molle II Rucksack in OCP however the tag is to the left of the main compartment opening and has the NSN#

8465-01-524-5285

SPM1C1-08-D-1080-0001

This pack is manufactured by the specialty group. 

 

The new stock pack has a couple of very noticeable differences than the laundry rucksack. The most notable is a small expandable collar around the large compartment opening. This pack also has a zipper to allow easier access into the main compartment. The interior of the pack feels more rubberized than the laundry pack and has more of an amber color to the interior. The main lid to the rucksack also has a snap on each side and so the actual sewn seam for the main pack lid is much smaller than on the laundry pack. 

 

The third pack that I will label as the Underwood pack ,due to the fact that it came with a tag that said Underwood, is pretty much identical to the laundry bag with the exception of the tag. Just like the laundry bag, its tag is located in the center of the main department opening but it is labeled: 

SDS LARGE RUCK SACK

STYLE 4180

SPECIALTY DEFENSE SYSTEMS 

 

The tag does not have an NSN number. This rucksack lawsuit appears to have a water resistant coating that is completely clear on the inside of the pack.

 

My main question in regards to these rucksacks is why are does it appear that there is two different styles of pack? I suspect it has something to do with military contracts and possibly one being a newer model than than the other but I was hoping to get a more concrete answer. I attempted doing research online but of course I got nowhere. I know the Molle system has had many upgrades over the years and I'm curious if this is part of that. I have an original Molle rucksack from 1996 in woodland camo and a Molle 2 version from 1998 and both of them have the expandable collar as I can see that being a very useful addition to any military rucksack, So I find it weird if they removed it for the standard Molle 2 rucksack that we are all familiar with. I went on cie hub as they have a fantastic archive of the Molle use and care manuals and all of the manuals I found in regards to the rucksack have images of them without the collar. If anybody has any additional information on them I would be highly appreciative. 

 

On an unrelated note, I do have a question about the inside of these rucksacks. On the inside of these rucksacks there are four squares of loop velcro that I'm trying to find the use for. Also there are two lines of grommets going across the bottom that I'm not sure of the use of as the rucksacks have a zipper to make a top and bottom compartment. I'm not sure if those grommets are there for people to dummy cord their gear or if they're meant to have some sort of lace through them. Again, any additional information would be greatly appreciated. 

 

I have included photos of the rucksacks and the tags.

[Rhscott]

Not much to offer on this but MOLLE was a continued evolution even to this day.  Frame material, body structure and most important the stitching was always being upgraded based on use and feedback.  All I really remember about any I had was they had a draw-cord at the top and I used it for stuff I did not need right away.  Sorry, not much help.

Also, OCP is the Multicam pattern that came out in 2011 ish.  UCP was the old digital as shown.