bongo gear Becker PATROL Pack Mark II

bongo gear Becker PATROL Pack Mark IIBECKER PATROL PACK THE ETHAN BECKER AUTHORIZED VERSION! APPROVED & ENDORSED BY Mr. ETHAN BECKER! The Becker Patrol Pack Mark II (Mk II) was developed in coordination with the designer of the original Becker Patrol Pack, Mr. Ethan Becker. The Mk II is authorized, approved, and endorsed by Mr. Becker and it is produced under license. Note: A Berry compliant version of this pack is available. Minimum order quantity and deposit requirements apply. Inquire

BECKER PATROL PACK - THE ETHAN BECKER-AUTHORIZED VERSION!

APPROVED & ENDORSED BY Mr. ETHAN BECKER!

The Becker Patrol Pack Mark II (Mk II) was developed in coordination with the designer of the original Becker Patrol Pack, Mr. Ethan Becker. The Mk II is authorized, approved, and endorsed by Mr. Becker and it is produced under license.

Note: A Berry-compliant version of this pack is available. Minimum order quantity and deposit requirements apply. Inquire if interested. 

BACKGROUND and HISTORY:  

The Becker Patrol Pack is a very robust, durable, and functional top-loading pack. It was originally designed by Mr. Becker in the early 1980s at the request of some of his Vietnam War veteran friends who weren't exactly enamored with the ALICE pack. Mr. Becker took his experiences with mountain climbing, bushcrafting, camping, hiking, and off-trail "brush busting" and combined them with information gleaned from his combat experienced friends and, also, from a little-known (at the time) informational pamphlet put out by the U.S. Special Forces titled “Reconnaissance Tricks of the Trade” - this pamphlet was produced by Project Delta*. The original Becker Patrol Pack saw considerable use with certain Special Forces and other military personnel as well as outdoorsmen and people from various walks of life who needed a rugged, reliable, comfortable, and practical pack.

*Project Delta was a covert Special Forces operation in Vietnam which reportedly began in 1964 and continued for more than five years. Detachment B-52 of the 5th Special Forces Group conducted one of the longest-running and most successful deep-penetration reconnaissance and counterintelligence operations in the war. It was highly classified and few people knew about the unit...or the pamphlet...at the time Mr. Becker was designing his pack. 

The Becker Patrol Pack is intended for rugged off-trail use while comfortably carrying loads of up to about fifty (50) pounds. The goal is to carry enough "beans, bullets, and water" for three days out in the boonies and the pack needs to be "comfortable enough to live in" (that is, it needs to be comfortable enough to sleep with it on should the circumstances dictate). Purpose-built interior pockets and outside pouches are incorporated for compartmentalization and organization and the pack's profile is kept slim and compact for going off trail and "bush busting" ("brush busting" is lots different than normal hiking and it’s really hard on gear and people). The pack is intentionally designed to ride a bit low to help keep it from hanging up on things - such as when ducking under low branches - and to allow raising one's head when lying prone with the pack on. The integral pockets and pouches allow quick access and segregation to make it easier to find things quickly. This is especially important when it's dark and no artificial light can be used. The outside of the lid sports two small buckled pouches with a strip of Velcro loop in-between (for glow tabs, morale patches, etc.), along with a super handy zippered "Claymore" pouch. The underside of the lid incorporates a nice zippered mesh "map pocket." The exterior side pouches on the main body of the pack have pass-through tunnels for accommodating longer items such as machetes, skis, antenna segments, poles, etc. The outside front pouches are designed to carry several spare M16 magazines / high-use items, and the side pouches are great for carrying canteens and water bottles, etc. 

HERE'S MORE OF WHAT WE DID TO MAKE THE MARK II: 

We took the foundation of the original design and upgraded, improved, and revised it with the following (in no particular order):

-Enlarged the main compartment slightly. Approximate dimensions are now: 7.5" deep (front to back) x 19.5" tall x 11.0" wide or about 19.0 cm x 49.5 cm x 28.0 cm.

-Added a bit of height and girth to the outside pouches. The side pouches are now tall enough and wide enough to accept many after-market water bottles such as the 1.5-liter Hydrapak Flux and the 40 oz. Klean Kanteen single wall stainless. The side pouches will accept most 64 oz. double-wall water bottles!

-Incorporated pass-through tunnels on all outside pouches.

-Replaced the old-style LCE-style webbing with PALS webbing.

-Added cinch straps to the two front pouches.

-Added an internal frame sheet pocket and frame sheet with aluminum stay.

-Added a zippered admin pouch ("Claymore pouch") on the lid immediately above the two original lid pouches.

-Added a main compartment drawstring "storm collar."

-Added compression straps above and below the two side pouches for cinching down items and partial loads.

-Added integral padded back panels.

-Upgraded the suspension system.  We made the shoulder harness/pack attach to be compatible with ALICE packs and MOLLE 4000 rucks. This means the BPP harness harness and shoulder straps (Large BPP) can be used on ALICE Packs and the MOLLE 4000 rucksack (and vis versa). This also means the shoulder harness and straps can be easily removed for replacement/repair.

-Incorporated multiple rows of PALS webbing on the pack bottom for securely attaching additional pouches and gear. The webbing strips also aide in resisting abrasion on the bottom.

-Added an internal hydration bladder pocket with bladder hanger loop.

-Incorporated a hydration tube pass-through port at the center on the pack back to allow routing the tube to either side.

-Incorporated laser-cut drain holes instead of the easily damaged and totally open old-style metal or plastic grommets.

-Added elastic strap keepers to the longer strap ends so the excess can be secured.

-Added "Daisy Chain" vertically along each of the side pouches.

-Added a strip of Velcro loop in-between the two lid pouches for placement and quick changing of reflective strips, glow sticks, strobe lights, morale patches, etc.

-Utilized high-visibility orange fabric on the inside pockets to help with seeing things on the inside. In an emergency, the pack can be turned inside-out and used as a marker strip. All inside pockets have laser-cut drain holes.

-Moved the bag-to-lid web straps attach points from the bottom front to the bottom rear of the main bag. This routes the two straps across the bottom of the pack which has certain advantages.

NOTE: Berry-compliant packs are available upon request - minimum order is required. Pricing will be adjusted for compliance. Berry Amendment compliant packs are made in the U.S.A. utilizing U.S.A. produced materials, components, and labor.

So, where are the packs made? Our packs are made by our own fabrication crew in Colombia, South America. This gives our customers a fantastic value and it allows us total control of the entire process and the ability to consistently meet our high quality standards while maintaining a reliable delivery schedule. 

What hardware is used?  The packs utilizing Lafayette Reebag fabric use hardware made in Colombia by Jordao, a Colombian company that has been manufacturing high-quality plastic hardware for over two decades. For packs made with U.S.A. Mil-Spec fabric, the hardware is U.S.A.-made, Mil-Spec, NIR compliant.

What's the fabric? For some versions, we utilize USA-made Mil-Spec 500D or 1000D nylon, but our go-to fabric is the Colombian made, and most excellent, Lafayette Reebag* polyester. In the Amazon rain forest, where it's hot, humid, and wet much of the time, this high-quality polyester has proven to hold up better than nylon and, unlike nylon, it doesn't absorb water or stretch when wet. It also has a higher heat tolerance than most nylons and doesn't stain as readily. Layfayette Reebag is the only polyester fabric we will use. This is because our field testing has shown it to be superior to all the other polyesters tested. It's our fabric of choice when hard use and extended exposure to the outdoors is the norm.

     *"Lafayette Reebag polyester fabric with "Lafgard" boasts a fluid repellency of 90%.  Complies with AAMI PB70 Level 3." Reebag weighs 8.4 oz/sq yd which is equivalent to 500 denier (500D).

What do they weigh? The packs average 6 lbs 8 oz (2.9 Kg). This includes the waist belt and internal frame sheet with its aluminum stay. This weight is comparable to other well-known high-quality packs of the same approximate size in this class. 

What are the pack's dimensions? The approximate dimensions of the pack are: (W x H x D) Main Compartment: 11.0" x 19.5" x 7.5" = 1,535 cu in (28.0 cm x 49.5 cm x 19.0 cm = 26.3 L), Buckle Close Lid Pouches: 3" x 8" x 2" = 48 cu in (7.62 cm x 20.32 cm x 5.08 cm = 0.79 L x 2 = 1.58 L), Zipper Close Lid Pouch: 8.0" x 6.0" x 1.5" (20.32 cm x 15.24 cm x 3.81 =  1.18 L), Front Pouches: 5" x 9" x 4" = 180 cu in (12.7 cm x 22.86 cm x 10.16 cm= 2.95 L x 2 = 5.9 L), Side Pouches: 6" x 10.5" x 3" = 189 cu in (15.24 cm x 26.67 cm x 7.62 cm = 3.1 L x 2 = 6.2 L). The pack measurements differ slightly from the original Eagle Industries packs with the Mk II being 1.0" wider, 1.5" deeper front-to-back, and 1.0" taller. Total Capacity is right at 45 liters. 

NOTE: We had people ranging from about 5’6” and 150 pounds up to 6’1” and 230ish lbs testing the packs and all reported that, with a bit of adjustment, the packs fit great.