hi
i am going on a 2 day camp soon and need a good bag to carry kit , also it is not fieldcraft so i dont need a huge bergen (lol) .
i was stuck between getting a ni patrol pack or an other arms bergen
many thanks
Both of those are quite small to carry all your stuff. Consider getting something you can use for a longer camp like a hold-all instead.
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As Bob says you might find those on their own a bit small for all your kit, and you may want something to use for carrying kit round with you during the day.
Personally Iâd use a bigger holdall for pretty much most camps or activities, âone bag to rule them allâ just sometimes itâs fuller than others.
As we donât really âdoâ large bergans for Fieldcraft (the Air Cadet regulations specifically restrict Cadets to webbing and a daysack), I would also get a fairly robust holdall, and if your budget allows a daysack too.
Get the holdall in black or another civvie colour and use it for other stuff.
For a day sack for Fieldcraft and other green activities the NI patrol pack is a decent choice, if you get an original issue surplus in DPM. (There are some copies in MTP which I canât vouch for).
But I would avoid the all arms bergan, it is on the large size for most activities and due to its design not very comfortable for use in the field.
You can get away with one in the 20-35L range for most of what we do.
Plenty of threads on here about day sacks.
When i go away I have one waterproof wheeled holdall which is 120 litres in size. Sometimes it is full mostly it isnât. It will always contain a notebook and pens, wash bag, towel, polishing kit, basic FA kit, sewing kit and compact sleeping bag. Then, I just need to pack what I need for the course on top.
What activities and what uniform (if any)?
The original DPM NI patrol pack is unbeaten. People say its not a Bergan, but honestly with smart packing between your webbing/chest rig and the NI pack, you can stay out for a couple days.
And you can use it for anything else too. And theyâre dirt cheap off eBay - the biggest mistake the guys in my section make is seeing my expensive mtp kit (I regret buying), then going off and wasting their xmas money on it when the DPM originals are a lot better for dirt cheap.
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I love mine (I confess I actually have 2).
I am still looking for the nirvana of day sacks which would be the NI pack but with a smaller clamshell type admin section.
Take a suitcase or holdall. I do not get this fascination cadets and some adults have with rucksacks of all descriptions for activities where you donât need one. A suitcase keeps things tidier. Iâd lay money parents will have suitcases and or holdalls for you to use.
It tends to be ease of carrying the item to the accommodation which can be done distance- rucksacks do make it easier & less bulky than suitcases.
Not since the invention of wheeled suitcases.
radio so i only need it for holding my kit
In that case just get a bag for life from Waitrose
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A weekendâs worth of kit, in hard accommodation (rooms and beds) where youâre off the bus and itâs tarmac all the wayâŚ
A medium sized wheeled case, or a back pack and a medium holdall, should carry everything you need and be portable enough.
If itâs blues not greens then put them in a suit carrier, at which point something with wheels is easier than something you carry.
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