The Assault ILBE Military Backpack

After many grievances about comfort, functionality, and durability, the United States Marine Corps (USMC), with the help of Propper International, redesigned the burdensome Modular Lightweight Load Carrying Equipment (MOLLE) backpack, replacing it with the Improved Load Bearing Equipment or ILBE backpack.

The first ILBE backpack, the Arc’teryx Bora 95 Pack, was lightweight (weighing in at only eight pounds), and was highly functional, providing each Marine with 5,000 cubic inches of essential equipment space. Since the Bora95 Pack was easier to carry than the MOLLE, the redesigned pack gave the soldiers more moving adaptability so they could remain efficient in combat situations.

After field testing, the Arc’teryx Bora 95 pack was again modified to include a 1500 cubic inch assault pack and a crucial hydration system. Designed by Source Vegabond, the hydration system included room for a 100 ounce water storage area and allowed for easy access for cleaning purposes.

Expanding on the hydration system, the ILBE incorporated an Individual Water Purification System (IWPS), providing each Marine individual water purification system to filter both fresh and salt water.

Although the ILBE backpack contains standard essentials (main pack, assault pack and hydration system) each ILBE can be packed according to the Marine’s mission. Called “loads”, these loads will provide the Marine with enough equipment and supplies needed for each specific mission. There are three types of load systems:  Assault Load, Existence Load, and Approach March Load.

The Assault Load ILBE is a back pack containing ammunition, water and other minimal supplies, giving the soldier high combat effectiveness. The purpose of this load is to allow the soldier to have mobility and supplies during short duration assault combat missions.  The Existence Load contains enough supplies for a Marine to sustain long periods of time out in the field without being resupplied for days. Usually, the supplies are plentiful and permit a soldier to bring all his or her equipment from one designated area to an assembly area. Similar to the Existence Load, the March Load contains various crucial supplies, but is limited to occasions where re-supply can occur within eight hours.