The New Back Pack

Gunny Hartman

So I did part 3 today with the new pack I must say they are a lot more comfortable than the old ones if you take the time to fit them to you properly. Mine sat comfortably on my back for the duration with out needing adjustment en route.

Any opinions on them lads?

GH

arybvtcw0eolkf

Haven't even taken mine out of its wrapping yet

Gunny Hartman

Well when you do take the plunge and remove it from it's shiny wrapping just make sure you size it yourself properly one of the lads had it done wrong and he couldn't walk properly the day after his part 3 lol.

All the new stuff its pretty good albeit I haven't used it in an operational capacity but the helmet is very comfortable the assualt vest elminates the awkwardness of getting around to your utility pooch on the back of the CEFO. The only thing I can fault the vest on is when you are crawling maybe some stuff will dig into you any one have any experience on using the vest operationally?

Poccington

I'm still not really sold on the new Backpack. Then again, I was quite fond of my old PLCE pack.

The Assault Vest is sweet as a nut though, quality bit of kit.

Irish_Army01

Haven't done it yet with the new pack.

Company Sgt

the new equipment is the buisness better than the old cefo battle vest is good handy for cash and prisoner escourts although the respirator pouch on the leg is annoying

i have to think about posting on these forums incase people get offended:mad::mad:

twinytwo

ny chance of a few pics of the new stuff??

iceage

Yeah, stop being so tight gis a butchers!

arybvtcw0eolkf

Company Sgt wrote: »

i have to think about posting on these forums incase people get offended:mad::mad:

For some people the learning curve on boards ie nice and gradual, then again some make it very steep - your learning :cool:

Company Sgt

Mairt wrote: »

For some people the learning curve on boards ie nice and gradual, then again some make it very steep - your learning :cool:

ah shut up will ya your only a clown pal :D

Morpheus

What's involved in part 3?

concussion

Morphéus wrote: »

What's involved in part 3?

10 km loaded (snigger) march.

Poccington

concussion wrote: »

10 km loaded (snigger) march.

It's easily the cushiest 10km march you'll ever have to do.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Poccington wrote: »

It's easily the cushiest 10km march you'll ever have to do.

We're you in for the first few years of the new tests when the march was up and over the Dublin/Wicklow mountains?.

I think it was 16k then.

I think the cushy one came out in 2000 during the Foot & Mouth Disease.

.

Morpheus

what weight is in the back pack?

does anyone know what 2 laps of Gormo camp is?

we (RDF 3 and 2 star platoons in my unit) had to do some fitness test organised by our cadre Sgt that involved 2 laps of the place, he told us we had to complete it in less than 60 mins - think we had 30lbs in the backpacks. it was all weighed before we started. dunno what test it was part of though.

concussion

From the S.Bde RDF website -

10 km march over flat ground wearing combat dress (no headdress), carrying CEMO. Rucksack contains the following; Spare combat smock,Spare combat boots, Raingear, Helmet, Full waterbottle.

It doesn't weigh much. I've no idea what the perimeter of Gormanston is but it was probably less seeing as the cut-off for the 10km is 1hr 33 for those under 29. Good thing for your unit to run (no pun!!) anyway, fitness is sorely lacking in the RDF. :mad:

Most of the info you need for fitness tests can be found here - http://www.1bderdf.com/fitnesstests.htm
The fitness chart is quite handy, sums up the whole thing.

Morpheus

Thats the exact contents of our kit and it was weighed prior to setting off.

About 60 of us there and I ran it - no prior training with a weighted back pack but i play football and run a bit myself.

I asked what the record was for gormo and was told 42mins 30 seconds and then was told i had to complete it in under 70 mins as im 32.

It was a crisp heavily frosted airfield that morning with no wind, which made it a bit easier to go at a decent pace.

3 of us set off running, that dropped to 2 half way around the first lap, thenI really really pushed myself at a decent jogging pace the whole way around the second and managed to pull away and finish in 41 minutes 15 seconds. My mate was 3 minutes behind me and the majority of ppl came in about 10 minutes later (they more or less routemarched it). It didnt feel like 10k though. Not bad times for the untrained guys involved and if im honest I was taken by surprise by my own fitness!!

Couple of PDF lads in the armoury were cheering (maybe jeering but im being nice!) me on which helped.

More of this please.

concussion

Morphéus wrote: »

Thats the exact contents of our kit and it was weighed prior to setting off.

About 60 of us there and I ran it - no prior training with a weighted back pack but i play football and run a bit myself.

I asked what the record was for gormo and was told 42mins 30 seconds and then was told i had to complete it in under 70 mins as im 32.

It was a crisp heavily frosted airfield that morning with no wind, which made it a bit easier to go at a decent pace.

3 of us set off running, that dropped to 2 half way around the first lap, thenI really really pushed myself at a decent jogging pace the whole way around the second and managed to pull away and finish in 41 minutes 15 seconds. My mate was 3 minutes behind me and the majority of ppl came in about 10 minutes later (they more or less routemarched it). It didnt feel like 10k though. Not bad times for the untrained guys involved and if im honest I was taken by surprise by my own fitness!!

Couple of PDF lads in the armoury were cheering (maybe jeering but im being nice!) me on which helped.

More of this please.

Good stuff - this kind of training needs to be the norm rather than exception in the RDF. I cringe when I think of the attitute by most

Irish_Army01

Mairt wrote: »

We're you in for the first few years of the new tests when the march was up and over the Dublin/Wicklow mountains?.

I think it was 16k then.

I think the cushy one came out in 2000 during the Foot & Mouth Disease.

.

I loved doing that one..My record for that one was 2 hours flat. Myself and two other guys from the Unit.

We actually finished it before the trucks got there:D

Poccington

Morphéus wrote: »

what weight is in the back pack?

does anyone know what 2 laps of Gormo camp is?

we (RDF 3 and 2 star platoons in my unit) had to do some fitness test organised by our cadre Sgt that involved 2 laps of the place, he told us we had to complete it in less than 60 mins - think we had 30lbs in the backpacks. it was all weighed before we started. dunno what test it was part of though.

Are we talking about just 2 laps of the camp or 2 laps of the whole airfield?

arybvtcw0eolkf

Irish_Army01 wrote: »

I loved doing that one..My record for that one was 2 hours flat. Myself and two other guys from the Unit.

We actually finished it before the trucks got there:D

Yup, I love it too. It was great craic, stop for a sambo & a cuppa along the way and watch the runner's go by trying to beat the trucks to the finish line :P

Morpheus

:eek: - the camp my ar$e!!!!

it was almost all of the airfield with exception of dining hall and pistol range.

as best i can remember it:

start at square, head out across the grass behind where the church was till you hit the hedge at the road, turn left across the top of the runway and follow circumference all the way around and down to rail tracks, then follow this all the way to the rail bridge and the hedge swings around to the left, follow all the way back up along the road til you reach the old AA gun concrete circle emplacements and then back up past armoury, across square and out again.

that sound right?

concussion

3.3 km going by an OS map - 7 km in 70 mins is comparable to 10 km in 100 mins for those over 30.

Morpheus

pants... so we only ran 6.6km? thought it was further than that. still that explains the quick recovery

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Part 3 in Gormanston is 3 laps of the airfield....plus a few meters more.