WWII "JQD 88B" Mountain Rucksack

This is the granddaddy of all modern U.S. Military rucksacks!

For your consideration is a WWII issue "JQD 88B" Mountain Rucksack. It is in used, very good condition. It is in fantastic condition for its age. There are no holes or tears. There are paint stains on the flap and side of the pack. Someone wrote their name in ballpoint pen above the U.S. logo and the left main pack strap came unstitched from the body of the pack (all pictured). It was produced by "Simmons Co." and dated 1942. The pack no longer has the waist belt or the rifle strap, which were often discarded.

The Mountain Rucksack was developed specifically with the 10th Mountain Division soldiers in mind. At the time of its creation, the U.S. Army did not have anything like what would be considered a modern rucksack. The need for a large capacity pack for the purposes of troops specializing in cold weather and mountain operations was self evident.

An excellent and succinct history of the variations of this pack can be read here:

http://www.mountaintroops.us/history_rucksack.html

The "JQD 88B" version was the most commonly issued pack. It was used by soldiers in the 10th Mountain as well as the commandos of the 1st Special Service Force. In the absence of more suitable rucksacks, these were commonly used by the original Special Forces soldiers alongside later versions well into the 1950's and in the early advisory years of the Vietnam War. The Mountain Rucksack's influence on subsequent U.S. Army rucksack designs is apparent. The lightweight rucksack issued during Vietnam took direct design cues from the Mountain Rucksack. Likewise, one can see the influence on the size and general shape of the ALICE generation of packs, especially the large.