Packing Bergen/Combat Jacket

[Ghostrider]

Does anyone have a picture or know the list of items you put in the above.
Basically want to know what stuff goes in what pockets and the way your taught to pack a bergen in training.
Many Thanx
Jonny

[Shrek The Royal]

Fella why do you want to know that now? Your DS will tell you how to pack and secure your kit once you start training, every troop will have there own SOPs for packing kit, its personal prefrence at the end of the day.

[Ghostrider]

I am rejoining next year. I know i will be taught again. Anything that speeds me along will be handy to pick up now though.

[df2inaus]

Ghostrider,

It would take too long to list all the steps. Do a search on the web for CEFO or CEMO. Combat Equipment Fighting Order / Combat Equipment Marching Order. Your DS won't expect you to know everything, just don't waterproof your items in anything but clear ziploc bags without any labels, that they won't tell you.

df2inaus

[barrybudden]

Top tip The stuff you put in last ends up on the top!!!!!!

Anyone else experienced this phenomenon.


How should I tuck my shirt in?
Do you tuck it into your kecks?

[Doc]

My bergen was like my washing machine, in that whenever I emptied it I always ended up with one lone sock

[ClarkeyMC]

Why when I pack my Bergen; with everything recommended by the helpful Bootneck instructors, does it resemble a small house??

No matter how much kit I ditch it's still bloody heavy, now unless someone has hidden some rocks (or bottle jacks, cheers guys, you know who you are....) I'm baffled.

[beardo]

it doesnt matter how much you ditch, because when everything goes ''in the oggin'' it weighs a tonne anyway, you just got to switch off

[Artist]

You put in your Bergan what you are going to need depending on how long you are going to be away.

Artist

[harry hackedoff]

Long time ago, way on back, just after Trafalgar and maybe before Spion Kop, the issue Bergan was shite. Things had moved on since the old A-Frames with the .303 holes in`em, mind and we used a Bergan which had been designed over the telephone by someone who had never ever even seen a decent Bergan and had no idea what it would be used for. Remember those horn things that used to poke you in the head Of course, Pusser thought this was a great idea And before Pusser started issuing proper Bergans with names like Centurian, Defender and Protruder, we actually used to spend our own money and actually buy our own Bergan
Kin amazing, I know
Most popular was an internal ally-framed number with several back lenghts and a few extra attachment points, bootneck proof and ver ver good. Absolute light years ahead of Pusser`s shite. The name of this Bootneck`s dream bit of kit?
Cyclops Roc Unggggharrr Several perverts used a slightly less-thought-out Bergan called the Jaguar, or Jag. They were shite by comparison and looked like summat a big girl would choose. Now, while the Cyclops Roc was made by Berghaus and won hands down on the rugsyest name angle, the "Jag" was made by a company known as "Karrimore" Carry more? aving a farkin larf arent chew The whole farkin idea was to carry less, ffs Berghaus has a well deserved name for quality gear and a long association with the Corps, based on giving the lads what they actually need and not what some nonce in Whitehall thinks he can afford.
Here endeth the lesson on the history of big bags.

Top tip, spend hours and hours going through your "inner-game", get in touch with both your positive chi and your negative chi, realise that certain objects are "ying" objects. They exist not in isolation, but are balanced by the "yang" Go through your mission many times, use visualisation techniques, yoga and feng shui but most importantly use The Force untill the final realisation comes to you and you will be able to identify the most important piece of kit that you have for your mission. It will be a single thing of infinite importance and your mission will surely fail without that vital bit of kit.
That is the thing that goes into your Bergan first, young Grasshopper

[Artist]

I used to use Noggie Bergans. Owd & battered but designed for the Artic and cracking pieces of kit. One would take everthing you could put in it and still seemed to have room for rucks more. The Other was a Lightweight Job but Ideal for use as a "Bug Out" bergan.

Then I "Obtained" a state of the art Bergan from the Survival Store at RAF St Mawgan. It helped that me Pop was the Chief Instructor mind.

One Smooth Dude once spent nearly three hundred quid on a state of the art Slug. He was as warm as toast the first night. Come the time to pack it away he got frost nip trying to stow it away! My how oie laffed so oie did Arrrr!

Artist

[Pilgrim Norway]

Now then - I know I'm in late, again .... but ......

I still pack down my Bergan in more or less the same way - every time.

I'm not going to go into a 'how to tie your bootlaces' thing again -
but here....

When you have to pack a sweater -
place it out flat on your bed.....
fold one arm innover...... leaving t'other pointed in the 'out' position......
roll up the sweater from the bottom to the neck......
then put your hand into the extended sweater arm....
grasp the rolled sweater through the end of the arm - that'll be the armpit -
pull the sweater through the extended arm - and lo -
thou hast a sweater roll -

Place this end up into yer Bergan - roll all of the other gear that's rollable -
and you'll end up with lots of 'End Bits' that are easily identifiable and
easy to pull out when needed - unfortunately they will probably not be
colour coded - as almost everything these days is a curious shade of green, or sand...... however - the result should look like a wool shop
stock shelf.

Socks pull into each other lengthwise, trousers pull into one leg
( folded once first ) the variety is enormous - everything in MY sack is
relatively speaking all of the same length and easily reached without
having to tip the contents out into the snow.......

As for my mountain bag - I stuff it into the Bergan - never fold or try
to 'pack' it into a bag holder - ( they're usually the first to rip anyway )
http://info.jerven.no/
Thermo Extrem is a wise choice of bag...... So - if you need your bag first,
which was often the case..... it goes on the top of your gear.....
if you need it last it goes on the top of your gear - BECAUSE you can still find whatever you're looking for because it's all scientifically rolled - right ?

Aah ! I enjoyed that ............

For the pensioners among us I'd recommend the following pack and frame
http://azora.biz/

Because when used as a seat it takes up to 250 pounds of flesh......
and I know that you are not all as lean and mean as me.......
even AFTER Christmas.....

As Doris Day used to say - Yomp on.... Volare

'Aye

[Winnie]

COMBAT JACKET:
Top Left Pocket - Compass, Whistle, Field Dressing.
Top Right Pocket - Pocket Knife.
Bottom Left Pocket - Gloves (In Plastic bag)
Bottom Right Pocket - Cam Cream, Head Dress.
Any Pocket - Small Torch.
Bottom Left Trouser Pocket - Notepad/Pencil.

BERGAN: Left Pouche:
-Waterproof Bag:
Scrim Net (in plastic bag)
Gortex.
Poncho.
Bungees + Pegs (min of six, in plastic bag)
30m of String.
Spare Rations (in plastic bag)
Spare Water Bottle.

BERGAN: Right Pouche:
-Waterproof Bag:
Fleece (in plastic bag)
Norwegie (in plastic bag)
One Pair of Socks (in plastic bag)
Green Towel (in plastic bag)
Hold All (in plastic bag)
Second Mess Tin (small one)

BERGAN: Main Body:
-Waterproof Bag:
Spare T-Shirt (in plastic bag)
Spare Trousers (in plastic bag)
Spare Pair of Socks (in plastic bag)
Thermal Kit One Pair (in plastic bag)
Waterproof Socks (in plastic bag)
Ho-Chi-Minh Trousers (in plastic bag)
PT Trainers (in plastic bag)
Sleeping Bag inside Bivy Bag.
Day Sack.
Body Armour.
Helmet.

BERGAN: Hood Zip:
Yolk + other webbing attachments.
Spare Plastic Bags For Gash.

Roll Mat (in sand bag)
Attached to front of bergan using bungees.

WEBBING:
Left ammo pouches - 2 Magazines per pouche.
Next Pouche - Water bottle, KFS.
Back Pouche - Shovel
Next pouche - Large Mess Tin, 24 hr Rations, Lighter, Hexy Cooker.
Right Ammo Pouche - Weapon Cleaning Kit, Squirty Oil Bottle, Scotch Bright.

NOTE
Remember this is only for training, and who knows your training team might tell you slight difference.
Cant believe i just typed that all out, but eh hope it helps.

[CrouchmasterT]

In phase 2 you get to ditch half that crap, i think i carry about half of that and we have to keep a packed daysack un der the top flap.

[Doc]

MA's kit circa 1994 (operational tour Middle East)

Chest Rig

FFD's, IV Giving sets, 1 litre Bolus of Saline, 4 Mags for IW, Maglite, Water bottle, Rifle Cleaning kit, Oil bottle, wet making kit, clingfilm, babywipes, suntan cream, camera, ear defs, racing spoon on paracord, placky cuffs, shades. Ciggies and gas lighter.

Morphine, Shemagh, Sweat rag, dogtag x1 (around neck, other dogtag on left boot)

Belt kit

4 mags for IW, mag loader, Cooker & fuel, 24hr rat pack (stripped down to the things you'll eat), smoke grenades, frag grenades, bayonet, Helmet on belt, first aid kit, headtorch, wooly hat, goggles, Gloves leather, Gloves disposable x5 pairs, FFDs, water, bungees, paracord, gerber on trouser belt with slr lanyard, comms cord, batco wallet.

Bergen

Sleeping bag, Gortex Jacket, Tshirt, Spare socks x3 pairs, Med kit in side pouches, x4 1 litre bolus of saline/hartmanns/haemacell, spare radio battery, 7.62mm link x2, 81mm mortar rounds x2 (Strapped/bungeed outside or looped through top flap), wash kit, Daysac (acts as grab bag with spare rations, spare ammo, fluids, reserve medic kit), cooker fuel, entrenching tool/pick, PE and fuses, Mortar mug, artic smock, Admin pouch with pens and fmeds and medevac routine, spare laces, sewing kit. Karabiners x3 (one attached to bergen grab loop for helo lifts) Abseiling gloves, Noddy suit, resi (although noddy suit and resi got binned after first patrol)

Total weight circa 140lbs

After this medics trialed using med bergens that were carried as suitcases along with all the above (minus mortar kit) and were binned as soon as possible into HQ wagons as they were a right farking pain in the arse.