Field Pack, Combat
General Information
Name: Field Pack, Combat.
Country of Origin: New Zealand.
Date of Production: c 1989.
Manufacturer: Golden Bell Traders.
NATO Stock Number (NSN): 8465-00-823-7622.
Colour: Olive Drab (O.D).
Equipment Family: None.
Number Of compartments One:
Volume Capacity: 10-12 lt.
Weight: 550gms.
Waterproof: No.
Similar Objects
History
With New Zealand severing ties with the United States and Australia over its decision to become nuclear-free in the mid-1980s, it faced challenges in sourcing individual equipment to replace stock that was needed but no longer accessible through usual channels.
To address this, New Zealand turned to the South Korean commercial military equipment market and procured several items as replacement gear to issue to its soldiers. One such item was a copy of the US M-56 Field Pack, Combat (Butt Pack).
This replacement butt pack was fabricated using lower-quality materials but was sufficient to meet its intended purpose. The pack remained in use until the late 1990s and was often seen alongside its US and Australian counterparts, suggesting it was purchased to bolster numbers when necessary.
Description
The Field Pack, Combat (Butt Pack) is fabricated from olive drab, woven cotton canvas and has a single compartment pack with a lid that’s secured shut with a webbing strap and metal buckle on each side. The top of the lid has a webbing carrying handle and a transparent I.D window. The left side of the lid’s lip has a number of metal grommets that enable a webbing pouch with a M-10 wire hanger to be attached to the Butt Pack.
The back face has two small grommets that the web suspenders are attached and below these are two Slide-Keepers that attach the Butt Pack to the web belt.
The sides of the Butt Pack have a webbing strap that enables web pouches to be attached to it’s sides. The base of the Butt Pack has two webbing straps that secure items like a rolled up waterproof jacket or other items of clothing.
Examples
Example One
Object Number: 2435-554-45100.
