U.S. Army Vietnam War era O.D. Lightweight Rucksack Frame w/straps - A+ shape!

Description

This Historical Reenacting item is from a smoke-free home and smoke-free environment.  Very well taken care of and from a personal collection of historical re-enacting uniforms and costumes.
This is an excellent Vietnam War ORIGINAL U.S. Army issue in just great shape overall after 50 years. nylon slings and straps are here and look original to the frame and ready to be used again.  All is in good and overall very, very clean
and in excellent condition.   Welded frame is ready for the lightweight rucksack.
Stamped from "E.C.T. US" for Identification.
The lightweight rucksack was the primary Ruck used in the Vietnam War and was the "standard" for an infantryman. There were several minor variants of the Lightweight Ruck, but all had consistent main features. The rucksacks consisted of a tubular aluminum frame and detachable nylon bag. The frame had multiple straps (shoulder straps, upper horizontal strap, mid horizontal strap (introduced in 1968), lower back support strap, cargo straps and buckles, and a waist strap. The straps attached directly to the frame and not to the bag. The bag was made of nylon and has three external pockets and one main interior pocket. It could be attached in either the upper or lower location on the frame. The first experimental version was designed in 1962 with limited production and introduced in 1963. These early rucks are often referred to as P-62 by collectors. It featured a welded frame. The easiest way to identify the P-62 it is that they have a white sewn in tag for the nomenclature vs. being printed on the bag itself. In 1964, the rucksack was standardized and ordered into production with a slight modification to the shape of the welded frame and the nomenclature was stamped on the bag itself. This is often referred to as a P-64 or "welded frame" rucksack. Other small differences were on the bag itself. The drawstring closure for the main compartment was clear versus the later brown bell shaped closure. The waist belt issued with the earliest welded frame rucksacks is unique in that it essentially looks like a pistol belt with a Davis buckle. In 1965, the production of the rucksack frame and lower back supporting strap were simplified. The frame was changed to a riveted design versus welded. This eased the manufacturing process and reduced the weight slightly. The lower strap was changed to a simple 2" wide web with buckle. The waist strap is a simple 1" nylon webbing with D ring and snap hook. Collectors will often refer to these as P-65 rucksacks for clarification. They were the beginning of the "standard" rucksacks. In 1968,  the changes between the earlier riveted rucksacks and the P-68 are very minor. The one key difference from a collector standpoint is on the frame itself. The frame is riveted like the P-65, but they added a second horizontal strap to the frame that runs below the top horizontal strap. The Tropical Rucksack was introduced in 1968 as part of the M-67 equipment. It was first issued to "priority" units including Special Forces, Rangers, and Divisional Recon. It was more common to see the Lightweight Ruck in a line unit in 1968 than the Tropical Rucksack, which was easily identified as it has an integrated frame in the shape of an "X" that can be seen looking at the side of the Ruck that goes against your back. This pack was bigger than the lightweight rucksack, but incorporated the same basic ideas of a large compartment with three external pockets.
Check out the detailed photos for everything that is cool about this reenacting collectable from the 1960s / Vietnam War era.
Buyer pays shipping and I do combine shipping on multiple wins.  Please check out my other listings of historical costumes, items and DVDs.  Happy bidding and wear in good health.