>>244673For a low budget, a Large Alice ain't total shit.
I used the ones I have in the military and kept them when I retired.
Key things:
You can swap out the belt and shoulder straps. You'll want to do this at the outset, because issue shoulder straps have low to no padding and with heavy use the quick releases (to ditch your ruck when being shot at and deal with who's shooting at you unencumbered) can fail.
The frame is necessary for a Large, and none of the sizes have any sort of padding on the bag itself so I would highly recommend not using any of them without a frame. It also helps with load transfer if you're using the belt.
The pouches rarely actually had ammunition in them for my use, they'll hold whatever you want in there. I would recommend using small bags or something to have everything you want in the small pouches co-located. It will help with smaller items not running away with the fork and the spoon.
If the frame gets on your nerves and rubs on your back You can get a sleep pad and stuff it where the top of the pack goes over the frame, nestle it into the area between the frame and the hip belt, and use some bungiee cords to keep it there. It's where I usually stored my issued thermarest specifically for a slight bit of padding and also keeping it protected.
It's nylon, and like most nylon it'll make some noise if brush rubs against it... the key? don't let brush rub against it if you're trying to be quiet.
All in all, it's not a BAD pack if you've got a low initial budget. You're looking at ruck cost + about $120ish for a quality belt/strap set, so it might be cheaper to look at civilian rucks.
Now though, I have an Eberlestock Skycrane for my woods ruck. I still have 2x Alice and 1x MOLLE for oh-shit packs though, they are packed with a gamut of survival stuff for the family and one ALICE stays in each of my trucks for emergencies while on/offroad.
