Since the "Internal or external frame pack" poll thread has become rather ALICE-intensive:
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...?t=4714&page=2
...and since we don't appear to have a thread just for ALICE-related stuff... well, now we do! Anything ALICE-related, hopefully you'll be able to find it here.
ALICE stands for All-purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment, a system adopted by the US military in 1973, which has by now mostly been phased out in favor of the MOLLE system. ALICE on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-pur...ying_Equipment
Here is a link to the official manual for ALICE, graciously provided by Rick:
http://www.georgia-outfitters.com/_a...licemanual.htm
And here is another site with an extensive amount of information on ALICE, as well as a lot of pictures of different parts of the system, and different variations:
http://www.prc68.com/I/ALICE.shtml
Of course, ALICE is probably best known for two backpacks: The Medium and the Large, both designated "LC-1." The medium pack can be used with or without an external frame, whereas the large is only designed to be used with the frame. The packs look very similar, except that the large is significantly bigger, and has an additional three small equipment pockets located over the center external pocket.
Medium LC-1:
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Large LC-1:
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Contrary to logic, there is no such thing as a "Small LC1," the proposed small version was rejected by the military when they adopted the system. You may find "Small ALICE packs" being sold from various sources, but these are not real ALICE packs, it's probably some made-in-China thing.
Extra pouches and equipment can be attached to ALICE items via the use of ALICE clips:
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The ALICE system utilizes an aluminum frame:
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To which can be attached one or two aluminum shelves, for carrying extra-heavy items:
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This external aluminum frame is probably the chief complaint about the ALICE system. You will hear folks say that the frame "has no suspension." The idea with a frame backpack, is to distribute weight off of your shoulders, down to your waist. Properly-fitted, most of the weight should be on the kidney belt cinched around your waist. The shoulder straps of the pack are only there to keep the pack upright, against your back. To accomplish this, the tops of these shoulder straps must be "suspended," attached to a point that is above the top of your shoulders. Otherwise, you will feel these straps pulling down on the top of your shoulders, causing a lot of stress and fatigue.
Most modern external frames are quite tall, rising up behind your head and providing attachment points for suspending the shoulder straps. The ALICE frame is rather short in comparison, because (sensibly) the military did not want to restrict a soldier from inclining his head, so that he could look up, or potentially hit the dirt and fire from a prone position. The problem is, for many folks, this means that the ALICE frame does not rise high enough to properly suspend the shoulder straps. For these folks, carrying a loaded ALICE pack for any extended period of time can be a really miserable experience.
On a related note, there are also stories of frames breaking, or (especially) popping rivets, particularly coming from Airborne troops who have jumped with the pack. Some modern frame packs use frames that are somewhat flexible, made of various plastics instead of metal, which allow them to flex with the body and absorb shock. The aluminum ALICE frame does not flex at all, so it either holds, or it breaks.
The two greatest strengths of the ALICE system, are its durability (in spite of the frame problems, the ALICE system as a whole is very VERY tough, generally regarded as tougher than MOLLE), and the ease at which it can be modified. There are lots of popular modifications, and many folks mix ALICE and MOLLE together to create a hybrid system. ALICE parts can often be found very cheaply, making it a very cost-effective system to build and modify.
One popular modification for the ALICE pack, is dubbed the "Hellcat" mod, invented by Enforcer. He goes into detail about it here:
http://www.survivalistboards.com/sho...t=47472&page=2
It's basically an ALICE pack and frame mated to a MOLLE suspension system (shoulder straps) and kidney belt, with a MOLLE Modular Sleep System carrier slung on the bottom. The MOLLE straps can be adjusted up and down, making the pack more adaptable for people of varying heights. Some folks have had a lot of success with this mod, making the pack much more comfortable to carry. I think perhaps this mod may be more effective for shorter people. I tried it myself, but it did not work for me. I am 5'10", and for me the suspension was not sufficient. However, here is Enforcer himself with some words of encouragement:
Enforcer is referring to these two very handy links:
http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/arti...+hip+size.html
http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/arti...sting+fit.html
The next thing I went for, was a footnote I found on the Zen Backpacks site, which has a lot of good educational stuff about backpacks in general:
http://zenbackpacking.net/Backpacks.htm
On that site, I spotted the following quote:
I then did some more research, and read about the Airborne's experience with both ALICE and MOLLE. With ALICE, their aluminum frames were popping during jumps. With the MOLLE CFP-90, the overall poor construction of the packs were causing them to tear up during jumps.Outdoor Products - produces a simple and economical EnduroFlex plastic framed pack that works surprisingly well. This is the same frame (with a different company name) as Coleman's Ram-Flex synthetic frame used in their old Peak 1 packs, used by other outdoor companies (such as custom hunting equipment companies) and by individual US airborne troops needing a frame that can withstand repeated impacts. The smaller version of this frame can be easily modified to be used in packs designed for the US Military ALICE frame. A pack with the small frame version can be purchased for less than US$ 40.
I was with the 101st Abn Div (AASLT) when the CFP-90 was fielded-(I never used it)-saw lots of them tear, snap, break shoulder straps and shear adjusting screws for the frame-the 101st turned in CFP-90s and went back to ALICE-
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