Top Loading Rucks
Top loading rucksacks work exactly like they sound—the main opening for the bag is at the top. There is usually some sort of drawstring closure to secure the wide opening, and a flap to keep out debris, help repel water, etc. The standard issue ALICE rucksack is considered a top loader.
The advantages of a top-loader are:
- They have a good deal of circumferential strength due to a solid fabric design, so you can really ‘stuff’ it if need be
- With only one opening at the top, there’s little chance items falling out, even if the main opening isn’t secured (gravity helps keep things in place)
- If your “closure” system for the top opening (the drawstring) fails, it’s generally easy to field-repair
- You can sit the rucksack on it’s ‘bottom’ when accessing the main opening, which keeps the suspension off the ground (a real benefit when the ground is wet or muddy)
The disadvantages of a top-loader are:
- Items near the bottom or sides are hard to access very quickly, so essential items must be kept near the top, where they’re more likely to fall out
- To get to items along the sides or at the bottom, you either have to dig for them (usually finding them by feel) or unpack your rucksack, retrieve the item, then repack
Some top loaders have other openings along the sides (such as the Kifaru EMR/MMR) or at the bottom (such as the CFP-90) to provide greater access to items within the bag. However, any additional openings will add a degree of weakness to the bag’s circumferential strength. Additionally, these other openings are often secured by a zipper, which, if it fails, is virtually impossible to field repair. To address this concern, many manufacturers add straps and side-release buckles. While this can help prevent zipper failure by reducing the stresses on the zipper, they add another degree of complexity to the simple design of the top-loader.
Panel Loading Rucks
Panel loading rucksacks generally have a three-sided, zippered flap that serves as both the main opening of the rucksack and as the outermost (farthest from the user’s back) wall of the rucksack. This design is very well suited for users that need to quickly and easily find and access items in any part of the rucksack, whether it’s loaded on the top, sides or bottom. Many medical rucksacks are panel loaders because of this feature.
Some advantages of panel loaders are:
- Quick, easy access to the entire contents of the bag
- The full visibility afforded by the opened main panel makes finding items very quick and simple (a good thing in a sudden rainstorm, or during a medical emergency)
- Its very easy to use some kind of divider to organize equipment in the ruck
Some disadvantages of panel loaders are:
- A zipper normally secures the main panel, which is inherently weaker (and nearly impossible to field repair) than solid fabric, limiting the ‘stuffing’ capacity of the rucksack
- Before moving, the main closure must be secure, or items can fall out
- Items packed in the bag—especially fabric items—can get jammed in the zipper while opening or closing it
- If the zipper fails, one must rely on straps and side release buckles (if they are part of the design) to keep the main panel closed; this method may still leave unsecured gaps in the panel through which items inside may fall and become lost
- To keep items from falling out when the main panel is opened, you need to put the suspension-side against the ground, which can get messy and uncomfortable when the ground is wet, muddy or contaminated (biohazard, chemical, etc)
The panel loading design is normally limited to rucksacks with a capacity of 4000c.i. or less to reduce stress on the main closure system.
Threaded Mode
