>>1214088Flecktarn and sks guy here. The hip belt is pretty minimal. I saw a doco on the bundeswehr and theirs had sternum straps (mine might be an older model, or the army has just added them). Mines got the sleeping pad thankfully. Would be pretty lame without it. For the weight of the stuff im carrying, the hip belt and lack of sternum strap isnt terrible.
That belguim pack is cool, but local surp doesnt have any and shipping where i am it pretty expensive haha