USMC FILBE Assault Coyote Pack - Repair DIY

 

The USMC FILBE gear lately has been heavily on my mind and in my interests. Thanks to the most recent of events in the theaters of war, most of the surplus gear is not available. As discussed in the previous post The End of Milsurp? things are not looking good.

In short, this meant sort of taking consideration in US milsurp. After some homework I started to check out a lot of the USMC stuff. Mostly because of availability. The prices seemed erratic but I did manage to swoop some deals. Which is sort of why I am writing this post specifically.

What happened was I stumbled on a listing for DAMAGED grade packs. Did I need a pack? Well, no not really. But for the prices I could find them I figured why not. I ordered two. Can always make them grab and go packs or give them away as gifts to friends that like this sort of thing.

The FILBE gear or Family of Improved Load Bearing Equipment seems to have the quality and options I would find in very expensive civilian varieties. I am looking directly at you Mystery Ranch. The assault pack also is sized right to get a good feel at 35L or so without investing a lot more in a bigger FILBE main pack option.

Okay, so why bother with a damaged pack? The price I couldn't pass up. At under $30 for a (mostly intact) salvageable backpack, it seems insane. At the worst I figured I could fix them both and use them. Or... I could make one decent one from the parts of two. At this price its still cheaper than the grade 3 options direct from a seller. Because after the minimal research I did, some grade 3 bags would come in a damaged grade anyways more than likely. Holes would still need to be patched and fixed regardless. And some packs labeled as VERY GOOD condition by sellers came in awful condition more than once. I waited for my large order to arrive. And this is what I got.

The bags I got were shredded.

They were barely holding together. Both of the bags I had came in similar condition. Damaged listings stated that the bags could have 6+ inch holes in them. Almost always caused by a stiff plastic backer insert to keep the bag rigid. Its hard to tell but the bags were ripped all the way nearly across in multiple places.

When they came I seen how bad the damage was and seriously considered not even messing with them. There was just not enough material to just sew it back and it would work. Rips were too close to the zippers or too close to other parts to stitch and be done.

"This is beyond my skill set for basic repairs" I told myself. But I have them and I think I should at least try to mend them to make them simply usable.

You will need some needle and thread, patience, and some E6000 glue and some bondex peel and stick patches.

The process is simple. You stitch up what you can with what material you have to work with. Restitch it and then stick some of the bondex patch material on the back side of the repaired area, then glue it all into place with the E6000. Add patches to the areas needing more support, and restitch it. I used the glue even on the exposed stitching to hopefully reinforce the repair more. It takes 24 hours to dry the glue, and 72 hours to fully cure. So be patient. This so far seems to work. Its ugly as shit but the bag is functional for now.

Here is the repair completed.

The bag will never hold 50 pounds for long hauls anymore. But it can be used for various things like a day hike bag or GHB. I plan to use it for a trunker bag so it should work perfect.

So why bother doing this sort of repair? If you have really good sewing and repair skills its a great way to repurpose these war torn USMC packs. Or if you want to learn how to make major repairs its a great canvas for that too. The bags are cheap for now so its a decent way to either cannibalize some gear for other things or to just have a project to work on.

Since I had to sort of wing this and didn't see a video on how to even begin this project I decided to try and make a post to hopefully help someone else in the same situation I was in.

Note: this bag NEEDS rigidity! It shouldn't have a plastic backer put back inside of it after a repair to this degree! I made some cardboard inserts and just put duct tape on them and it seems to work pretty good for the time being. These cardboard inserts will no longer rub on the already compromised areas I had to fix. This is a major fatal flaw of the rough use bags. Yes, you need rigidity. No, you don't want it ripping huge gaping holes in your gear.

So what do you think? It turned out alright in the end. If Frankenstein had an assault pack, he would have one like this probably.

Practice What You Preach: Part 1

*Originally written and drafted FW 2021, updated 10/2022*

If you are going to test your gear. New, old, milsurp, REI gear, whatever. Do it in a fashion to actually TEST  it.

I have always been of the type that if I get gear for when things go bad I should probably test the gear before hand in less than comfortable conditions. Embracing the suck and being uncomfortable can be enjoyable though.


Any chance to get out into the wild and into the woods is a good time. Even when the weather doesn't cooperate and when you go alone. Going by yourself is a great time to reflect and actually listen. With the added benefit of taking as long as you want or going as quick as you please without the worry of other peoples skills or time schedule.


Weather was a brisk 36 degrees. I have numerous fairly easy trail options close to home. As soon as I left my house, it started to drizzle. Now I did know there was a chance and was going to go anyways. The temperature had dropped a little lower than I had planned though earlier in the week. But hiking was going to happen. Rain or not.


I tested out numerous things. Slacking on the outdoor activities it finally took vacation time coming up to get around to do something physical outdoors, so why not knock a couple things out at once? I needed to actually work in some colder weather gear. This is sort of an area I don't have a lot of money, nor experience in. Years past Ive managed survivable camps with 3 season gear in the below freezing temps as lessons. This would sort of be a one day adventure version of that but in the rain.


Base layer wise I have some summer moisture wicking gear. A set of fairly nice somewhat loose fitting pants that are rip offs of some Under Armor option I am sure, and a milsurp long sleeve German Bunderswehr Tropen shirt. Over that, super simple, I rocked my BARS 3M Gorka. Since I have not used the Gorka in wet conditions this was a pretty good day to do it. I also had a pair of steel toe boots that were broken in but never hiked in. I threw those on as well.

I made sure to grab some gloves too. Insulated Mechanix gloves worked perfect for this.

The main reason I went out was because I just bought and cleaned up a milsurp British PLCE Patrol Pack. This monster is 110L (allegedly) of space, and it reportedly had some decent defense against water and wet conditions. This was a perfect day to make sure of it.



Between testing all the different gear and things I am not all too familiar with, the normally easy trail became a challenge quickly. Lots of mud, loose rocks, wet and very slippery surfaces made it clear that it would be much more difficult.



In total I did 3.5 miles in rain the entire time. Ive done this trail numerous times before. Getting it done in 90 minutes or so would be doable I think for most people with hydration bladders and a swift pace. Took me about 2 hours exactly to do it with only one stop to check my gear and cook some food.



The cold and wet is unforgiving. The gorka, the boots, the bag all performed very well in all of it. Much better than I expected actually. The exchange with breath-ability and comfort I think with its basic water resistant properties were a great combination. On all the pieces that is. Because chances are if its waterproof, its probably not going to be comfortable when you get hot and sweaty.



The trail was totally empty as one could imagine. A very different experience from the normal in a large conservation area or park. Very enjoyable even though mother nature had plans.



When it comes to prepping, training, and general outdoors activities its a good thing to test your gear in less than optimal conditions. Chances are when you do actually need to use it, it will be less than optimal conditions naturally. To be comfortable in discomfort is its own zen. Being able to adjust and acclimate to it is something most wont even bother to learn. Its easy to be that way. And you shouldn't. Not if you care about being prepared that is.



So when you make the plans to go into nature you should keep those plans. Do not be afraid to go alone all on your own. It's a great thing to do occasionally. Especially if nature isn't cooperating with you, or your optimal plans.

Because as we know, nature does not care about you or your plans.