>>927689The pack is shitty and was outdated before WWI even started. The straps were too small for most, the pack itself had to be meticulously repacked and couldn't accommodate anything beyond issued gear designed to fit in it. Troops had trouble carrying enough rations and water to last beyond a day with these packs. The pack was despised as being very difficult to get on and take off. Despite this, both Army and Marine forces were still issued these at the outset of WWII because of bureaucratic inefficiencies, despite widely being acknowledged as shit.
The blanket roll is kinda cool and traditionally how many armies carried their bulkier gear. It's used in conjunction with a haversack so that one doesn't need to unroll the blanket to access items throughout the day. It can be effective if you pack the right things in it and pack it well. Practice makes perfect here. I've done it to decent success, but I sweat into the blanket too much. I also don't like having a haversack while I hike. If I do a blanket roll hike these days, I usually pack my lumbar pack (fanny pack) too. It's not very efficient for sleeping bags, and as a result you're really limited to hot nights only. I've been able to eek out some colder nights with warmer clothes and a space blanket, but don't recommend it. Inflatable sleeping pads roll much better than solid state ones do.
