Milsurp Marines Arterxy back pack reviews?

[Qfrog]

Got a great deal on a used Marines Archterxy 4500 backpack. Looks great for weekend excursions. Rated to 120 lbs and seems to have an external flap that can be used as a meat shelf and straps galore for hauling out food, sheds, etc. It's not designed for hunting but looks like a great hybrid pack. Any one have experience with these?

 

[mt100gr.]

Two of my buddies use them. They seem well built and have plenty of room for extended trips. Pretty good organization and as you mentioned, lots of straps! Lots. They also have all kinds of pals webbing where you could arrange any combination of pockets.

My buddy I hunt with the most, who really puts miles on his is a big fan. I would guess he's somewhere around 5'10" and after I helped him out with some adjustments, he gets decent shoulder lift. His biggest complaint is that there isn't a good way to attach pockets, holsters,etc to the belt. Not sure if there are different belt version s around, but that's something to think about.

I'm not sure what the pack weighs but I bet they are on the heavy side.

 

[motts]

I have one, and they're really not bad for the money. They are heavy - like 9 or 10 lbs empty, but if you modified it by cutting off some of the excess straps, etc you could shed a little weight. I think someone put a video on youtube showing what they did in this regard to theirs.

Shoulder fit is fine for me, but I have dealt with some belt slippage issues; I haven't gotten around to swapping it out with another make/model yet. I've read of some people using the Hill People Gear belt on them.

 

[SHTF]

If my Kifaru doesnt get here in time, I will be hunting out of mine this year. I added the HPG Prairie belt and the comfort is pretty awesome. I stripped alot of weight off. http://jungletraining.com/forums/showthread.php?43692-ILBE-Frankenpack&highlight=ILBE post you can view the work I did on it.

 

[Qfrog]

Awesome guys! I'm gonna pull the trigger on it!

 

[WoodsWalker270]

I've had one for awhile. Mainly for camping and training hikes. Haven't gotten it bloody yet. Definitely plenty of ways to shave weight off once you decide its not needed. Mine is just a few ounces over 8 lbs. I also switched out the belt for a Kifaru. Great improvement over the bulky military one. I tied up the excess straps with velcro cable ties. The top lid is plenty big enough for a day bag also. The water bottle holders on the sides of the pack are large enough to hold the stock of my rifle too. Great pack for the money!

 

[SHTF]

Awesome guys! I'm gonna pull the trigger on it!

Q if you get one definitely go snag the Hill People Gear Prairie belt. The belt that comes with it sucks. The prairie belt increases the comfort leaps and bounds and is worth the 100$ investment if your going to use this for your main hunting pack. The Prairie belt hooks right up to the ILBE. No Mods needed also.

[video=youtube;icRidugL7BU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icRidugL7BU[/video]

As you can see in my post on Randall's you can cut off alot of stuff that isnt necessary especially the rubber hard hoses from every zipper pull and much of the hardware. I left 2 straps that cinch the pack down on both sizes. I also took the Claymore Flap off as it is a good chunk of weight. This exposed the Molle also under it which is nice for mounting pockets to it.

 

[LBFowler]

Here is a thread on another forum about lightening the ILBE:
https://www.zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=102898
I've used the kifaru and HPG belt. both are a big improvement over the issued one.

 

[Qfrog]

Picked up the hill people belt. I was thinking the claymore carrier would be a good meat shelf. Any merit in this or should I scrap it too?

 

[Jeff Martin]

Here is a thread on another forum about lightening the ILBE:
https://www.zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=102898
I've used the kifaru and HPG belt. both are a big improvement over the issued one.

LB, which belt do you think is more comfortable, the HPG or Kifaru?

 

[MontanaMarine]

I bought one of the used ILBEs as an upgrade from my Large ALICE. It's fairly heavy at 8 lbs without the lid, but more comfortable on my back (ruptured L4/5) than the 6 lb ALICE.






I'm looking toward a Paradox Unaweep or maybe Divide, both at around 3 lbs, to easily take 5 lbs off my back.

 

[MontanaMarine]

It took me about four beers worth of fiddling with the ILBE to work out all the internal/external straps.

 

[Warren1726]

I cut off all the straps, buckles, and everything on the inside got sliced out. The flap/shelf thing is not good for much, so, its gone. I got a kifaru grab-it and attached it to the pack. I'll be using the Kifaru Lashing kit for compression. I do want to get the HPG prairie belt. Total, about $200.