USMC Improved Load Bearing Equipment (ILBE)
The Improved Load Bearing Equipment system, or ILBE for short, is the former USMC rucksack, designed by Arc’teryx and built by Propper. The system is capable of carrying up to 120 LBS, making it one of the largest backpacks issued by a military.
Because of the size and modularity, I decided to get one for myself, for backpacking expeditions and--God forbid I will ever need to do this--as a bugout bag in which I can pack all my life essentials and live the rest of my life in the middle of nowhere.
But as I started shopping, I realized it was more than just any old backpack. there's the 75L infantry version in two different generations and the 90L recon version, and they all come with slightly different variations in their accessories.
Not to mention, there are so many components, and several different ways to put them together. And when my Ebay orders started arriving in the mail, I was a smidge bewildered by all the straps and buckles.
But I figured it all out, I even started doing a few customizations, and I'm now creating this section of the blog to pave the way for other intrepid explorers, who have maybe heard of the system and want to know how it actually works.
My particular system is the Recon variant. So there are a few things that will not apply to the standard variant, but the basic principles will still apply.
So lets get started with the main pack. Make no mistake, 90L is a lot of storage. with the extension collar fully extended, its nearly three feet tall.
The bag is a single compartment, with two side pockets, two side-access zippers, and covered in MOLLE webbing and buckles, as seen below.
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The interior of the recon ILBE has two buckles, for either the recon
radio pouch, or the recon medic IV bag. The accessory show is the radio
pouch, which can make a handy stash for items you don't wanna lose in
the bottom of the bag. In the standard ILBE, the radio pouch is secured
by tension straps rather than buckles. Below, is a picture of the recon
radio pouch installed, as well as a picture of the non-recon pouch
without the buckles.
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The first component (and most common) is the top lid. Unlike a lot of hiking backpacks, this lid is not actually a built-in component.
The recon lid has a single compartment (I find it ideal for my poncho, beanie hat, and light fleece jacket), MOLLE webbing on the top, and two sets of buckles. The 2nd generation standard lid is interchangeable, and actually identical, except for the addition of MOLLE webbing on the underside of the lid.
One feature of being fully detachable is that it can actually become a makeshift backpack of its own. Simply connect the buckles on opposite sides and loosen them to the full available length. Its not the greatest backpack in the world, but it does work. To give you an idea of what it looks like, I recruited the aid of my little brother's stuffed monkey.
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For attaching to the pack, its fairly straightforward. The male buckles on the lid go to the female buckles above the pack's shoulder straps. The female buckles on the lid go to two male buckles on the [front] of the pack, as seen here, highlighted with red:
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The next component is the assault pack. On the strandard ILBE, it is 27L. The recon pack, however, is a little taller and rated at 39L. There are two compression straps and an internal frame. The bottom compartment which is separated from the main compartment by a removeable flap. The rear compartment contains multiple storage pockets.
Now, there's actually two variants of the recon assault bag. The basic recon pack, and then a recon corpsman (medic) pack. Other than the labels, these packs are identical in every way, except that the corpsman pack is issued with three detachable inserts for medical supplies. I have the non-corpsman recon bag, however, it was sold with one of the medical pouches, and has all the same attach points (see below) for the other medical pouches. Will I ever buy the rest of the medical pouches? Unlikely. I only need first aid for me and maybe a couple buddies. I hardly wanna lug around a portable hospital. But the option is there, if I ever changed my mind.
If you remember, I mentioned that the main pack had buckles for either a radio pouch or a medical IV pouch. That IV storage pouch is one of the inserts for the assault pack. But what that also means is that the radio pouch is able to be secured in the assault pack, via those two buckles in the middle picture, allowing the main pack to be a fully unobstructed straight shaft.
As far as securing the two packs together, themain pack has double buckles at each attatchment point for its compression straps. The assault pack buckles into one of the top buckles, and one of the bottom buckles, by way of its own compression straps.
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Now, lets touch on those medical inserts. As I mentioned, there are three available. The Medical IV Bag, Medical Divider, and Medical 3.
I only own the Medical 3, but here is a photo off the internet, credit to webbingbabel.blogspot.com, of all the pouches in the above order.
The IV pouch, as its name suggests, is designed for carrying bags of blood or plasma. The divider, for securing a variety of medical tools via elastic loops. The 'medical 3', for carrying whatever else the medic might need. Bandages, medications, or whatever. All of these pouches can of course be repurposed to carry anything.
Here are additional pictures of the Medical 3:
As mentioned previously, the IV insert attatches by buckles. The recon radio pouch alternatively can connect by these same buckles.
To attach the Medical 3 (and the divider is attached the same), the pouch has little tabs, which you weave through a small slot on the backpack:
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Lets tackle the beavertail next. On the standard ILBE, this is a fixed accessory. On the recon pouch, it buckles in. There are a variety of different ways to use it.
Technically, the main purpose of the beavertail is to wrap around and secure a 81mm mortar shell. Each member of the team would carry a shell, relieving the weight off the guy carrying the actual tube.
Most of us will never need to carry a mortar shell. However, the beavertail still has a few functions.
1. Its covered in MOLLE loops. Perfect place to put a knife, an E-tool, a loop of rope, a few small MOLLE pouches, or anything liker that.
2. When the assault pack is attached to the main pack and loaded full, the beavertail can act as a sort of safeguard to hold the assault pack in place if one of the buckles were to somehow break.
3. You could stuff a coat or poncho between the beavertail and the pack as a quick and easy access. To demonstrate, I once again recruited my little brother's monkey. (Note: Do NOT even THINK of trying to use this as a harness to carry a baby. That would go VERY BADLY)
The above pictures demonstrate 'pocket mode', where the top of the beavertail is connected to the bottom of itself, then the two side straps are used to secure it on the ILBE. This is the mode most convenient for storing a coat or poncho (or your kid's favorite stuffed animal that they refused to leave at home)
Below, is a demonstration of 'flap mode', where the beavertail is connected to the ILBE at all available points, allowing use of the MOLLE loops, as well as securing the assault pack more snugly.
We start with the male buckles on the beavertail. This is the bottom, and they attach to corresponding female buckles on the ILBE.
Next, the two sets of side buckles connect where the main pack's center and top compression straps would go. Since there are two buckles at each location, you can still buckle the center compression strap. The second buckle on the top row, however, will have the assault pack attached to it.
So the main pack's compression strap, i weave up through the molle loops on the lid, and connect them to the buckles on the very top of the beavertail.
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Now we've completed the main components of the pack. Congrats for making it this far! But we aren't quite done yet.
Next up, we have the external 3L water bladder from Source. These water bladders were standard issue with the ILBE, but being a different manufacturer from the pack itself, their hydration bag does not integrate directly into the ILBE in any way.
I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the military's decision to issue a 3L bladder. Previously, I have backpacked with a 2L bladder, and its usually enough--as long as I can find places to replenish. But one hiking trip, there was one day where all the springs were dried up and there were no creek crossings. My water got to dangerously low levels that day.
4L worth of water is a lot of weight to carry. 2L isn't enough water to handle a situation where all the springs are dried up. But 3L is a perfect compromise.(plus a 1QT military canteen ensures I have cooking water in reserve)
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Now lets tackle the accessory pouch. These are actually pretty hard to com by any more, but I got lucky and scored one. If you can find one, I recommend getting it.
With MOLLE straps on the back, I attach it to the side opposite of the water bladder. Once loaded, it will balance the weight of the water. (by the way, the pack sides have MOLLE loops).
Basically, this pouch (roughly 8x12x4) is big enough to hold accessories you don't necessarily need to access on the move, but still want to access easily. Water filter, compact first aid kit, headlamp, etc
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The final component I want to discuss is the drybag liner. See, the ILBE does not have an integrated rain cover. And given its size, it can be quite difficult to find an aftermarket cover big enough.
So to keep the contents dry, the Marine Corps issued large drybags. 56L for the standard ILBE, 65L for the recon.
When I shopped for a drybag, I actually went with the smaller 56L. Two reasons.
1. The 56L has a bright orange interior Makes it easy to see stuff in the pack, plus it can be turned inside out and used as an emergency signal. The 65L does not have this feature.
2. I'm an OCD organizer. I don't want every single thing in one drybag. 56L is big enough for my clothes and sleep system, and leaves space for my food bag and other gear.
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Thats all the components of the USMC ILBE backpack system, but before I wrap this up, I'd like to talk about some of the modifications I've done/am currently doing.
1. The original pull tabs on the zippers were cords encased in pieces of rubber tubing. While this big fat pull tab makes sense in a military environment (easy to open under stress of a firefight, or with thick gloves in winter), its a lot of extra grams when backpacking. I cut all the original pull tabs and made small loops with paracord. (Lacking a set of scales, I don't actually know what that tiny weight reduction was. But I will say it definitely saved something)
2. I didn't care for the original Source drinking valve on the water bladder. I replaced it with a quick-disconnect, which allows me to plug my drinking hose straight to my water filter for easy refills. And I did the same thing where the hose connects to the bladder, which makes cleaning a breeze.
In the picture below, the original tip is pictured in the top left corner
3. I intend to replace the standard ILBE waistbelt with a Prairie Belt from Hill People Gear. I've heard these are way more comfortable, plus they are lined with MOLLE loops, meaning I can have waist pockets for GPS/maps/snacks and stuff like that.
4. I will most likely eventually cut some of the MOLLE loops off the pack, cause there are a LOT of them. There's no way I need that many, and every little bit of extra fabric is a bit of extra weight.
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Well, that's it! Overall, the ILBE is a superb backpack. Expensive, but worth it. I could fit enough stuff in here to spend the rest of my life away from home. And its durable enough to do that, too.
For a tutorial on the correct way to lift and put on a fully loaded ILBE (or any backpack for that matter) see here: http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/threads/perfecting-the-ilbe-an-ongoing-project.92938/post-1640601
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