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.

I think I understand, Manny. It´s for sure a challenge at a 1/72 plane. Probably it looks better without any washes. I´m curious about it because a (silver) Lockheed P-38 is awaiting it´s assembly and painting over here.   Lars

Amazing history you’ve managed to capture.   I love this sort of thing.

Matt, Love the story! I think that doorway piece is my favorite too. You should hang it in your bedroom, I'm sure your wife would appreciate it since she worked there. Good thing we don't live closer, I'd get you in all kinds of trouble! Haha

Welcome to the forum!

Can anyone give any information about this patch was told it was theater made but I have never seen one on tan material  Thanks  Steve  

Having things in hand is always a better option but.... over painted chips isnt a red flag all or 100% of the time. Here is a 113th Cav helmet I own and its also named/identified to the owner. This helmet has seen at least one war time overpaint and a lot of the cork is missing when over painted in a dark Od. There are brush strokes seen and when the 113th Cav emblem was added its been painted over ships. I have had more than one vet tell me they painted their helmets at wars end or occupation time frame as the higher ups wanted things to look nice and also keep idle hands busy. One vet here said al of their vehicles and helmets an various items were painted. He basically said if it was visible, it got painted. He spoke of taking 300+ helmets and lined them up in the motor pool and they were over sprayed.   Here is the 113th I mentioned and also posted here on the forum... the NCO bar is also covered over with tape           

Thanks Guys, much appreciated, Rick

Gunn got it right, American civilian piece. AG