The venerable kitbag has remained in service long after it should have been replaced by other more modern load carrying equipment. We have looked at a variety of hold-alls and suitcases that were introduced in e post war period to replace the traditional kitbag, but until the introduction of the modern black grip, none managed to fully supplant the kitbag. Having said that, kitbags made into the twenty-first century are rather more sophisticated than their forebears. Tonight we have an unissued dark green kitbag from 2003 to look at:
The date is marked inside the bag in black heat transferred ink, along with an NSN number and a manufacturer’s name of Seyntex:
Seyntex is a Belgian clothing company founded in 1905 and today it is the largest manufacturer of military and security clothing in Europe.
The kitbag has a heavy duty carrying handle sewn onto one side of the main bag body:
A weatherproof flap is sewn into the neck of the bag and is tucked inside before securing the top:
To secure the top, a wire tab and the brass reinforced grommets are used:
The tab is passed through the grommets and the carrying strap is attached with a spring clip:
This carrying strap is sewn to the centre of the main bag and allows it to be slung over a shoulder:
This bag seems to be completely unissued and I suspect that with the introduction of the far superior black ‘grip’ these kitbags remained unissued in stores until disposed of.
