Great review mate, even better that you did a comparison and spoke from personal experience. Just won a Cyclops 2 Vulcan for £90 on Ebay in preparation for a 7 day wild camping trip to the Scottish Isles. As someone who has always looked at the military with the highest regard, it gives peace of mind that soldiers would carry these when their lives depended on it, I'm sure it will provide many many comfortable years of wild camping around Europe! Thanks again for the video, keep it up!
@@UKPrepperman unfortunately took terrible company that made the whole trip pretty frustrating, couldn't out their phones down, randomly disappearing, disrespectful with fire and littering! Spent the week cleaning up after them, was very disappointing.
Carried the all popular rucksacks in early 80s onwards American LRRP , berg roc, and those both , the new MTP infantry bag is close but I prefer the quality of the original with the size 1,2,3 availability
Excellent review. Had been looking at the Crusader for a while for a larger expedition pack, and you covered everything I needed to know about the pack. Took a while to even find one in stock anywhere, but lucky enough I found one online and they even had the 15L epanded pouches aswell. Great content, keep up the good work 👍
THANKYOU!!! A pet peeve of mine is people calling PALS strips "MOLLE" or "Osprey". A really good and enjoyable presentation. But frankly, I prefer the older rucksack despite the newer one being of a better spec. If I tried the new one, I'm sure I'd change my mind. You don't want everything too easy in life... ;-) Paras and SAS used the SAS/PARA bergen in the Falklands. Marines supposedly had the Arctic rucksack but, in all the pics I recall, they used Berghaus rucksacks in that war. I think that they, being naval personnel as opposed to army, had an allowance in their pay for purchase of kit like boots and rucksacks, hence why they had excellent boots and rucksacks. (Any Bootnecks out there, please confirm.) Paras, SAS and marines called their rucksacks "bergens" because they were issued as standard the 1942 Pattern "Bergen" Rucksack. 1960s, 70s and 80s, everyone else had the '58 Pattern field pack or, perhaps, the small GS rucksack. When the bergens were replaced in the 1970s, the name stuck in the lingo. But Paras of the 1980s wouldn't recognise these internal frame rucksacks as "bergens" because you can't manpack stores on the frame.
Berghaus got the MOD for the Falklands so yes you are right in saying that. A lot of regiments also used berghaus too. I found berghaus comfy to wear but in selection we had to use sas bags and sometimes they was loaded up to 140lb. Wouldn't dream of carrying a pack that size no more :) external frames on the sas packs use to cause blisters on our backs bigger than your entire hand on either side of the hips after days on end of tabbing. For civi use the Vulcan cant be beaten. Or crusader as they are same back system. I have had 95lb in a Vulcan and it was still alright with it. But the sas bags were the ones for the super heavy loads when carrying coms equipment and weeks of supplies for long missions. But the Vulcan or crusader is the best bag for civi life. I have the Vulcan my self now for long distance personal use but now I'm older I only carry around 50lb at most. No need for bravado in civi world 😁 i saw a guy wearing a sas bag on the west highland way before and you can tell they are just wannabees trying to have the image. He looked to have only had 40lb of kit in a 130l bergen and his legs was buckling. Haha 90% of people wouldnt get a fully loaded sas bag on their back :) never mind jump out of a plane with one strapped to their legs lol
Hi, good vid, my experience of the history of the Falklands: Bergens issues to RM and Para at the time were external framed , although RM had two designs, the Arctic framed full back design which meant you couldn't wear kidney pouches and the Brown Bess. Airborne and the Hereford bunch had similar external framed but not full back length so you could wear kidney pouches. I never saw any Berghaus kit unless it was a personal bit of kit. If the 5 Bde guys who arrived later were issued this kit I never saw it. Lots of the guys did sneak their own kit down there, but issued? Ha. Lost all my kit down there and bought a Centurion with the compensation, still got it and still use it
@@simonsignolet5632 HaHa. Not a 58 pattern (largepack style), these were more 37 pattern, never saw them outside of the RM issue. Not much in the way of capacity but solid. Lacked the capacity of the Arctic Bergen and flexibility.
I was looking at backpacks for my camping trips and I wasn't sure about buying this because I didn't find enough information about the construction of the backpack. thank you very much for the review. Very good content!
Bought my Crusader in the late 80's and it lasted into the early 00's. Then went back to my old issue PLCE which is now dying. Both have been great, but now need replacing. Great review, interested to know where the side pockets came from, but maybe slightly too much as my old bergans would be through in and out of helicopters and todays use is into the back of airliners where weight is surprisingly more of an issue!!!
This side pockets are really hard to acquire here in the states. I just purchased the 45 liter Berghaus centurio and searched high and low for the pockets finally got them from a place in the good old United Kingdom..
Sadly enough, I ran out of space with my Cyclops Atlas IV, which is quit similar to the Crusader, during militrary use :D Even though great bag straight forward and not having thousends of unnecessary pockets and pouches which only put weight to the rucksack and you have to have visited university to find your stuff in it. Furthermore if compared to other rucksacks like the one from Eberlestock, Berghaus backpacks usually are at an resonable price point! Even though I have to say the frame on my first Atlas broke ( maybe because of overload?) after around two years. Anyways great review liked to hear something about Berghaus' history and get to know some of their other products. Greeting from Germany!
Thanks for your comment. Yes, Aside from my 5.11 rush 12 EDC bag, I am not a fan of multiple pockets, organiser style rucksacks, or additional pouches which either get caught or fall off. Also if in the main compartment, everything in a dry bag so waterproof too
Solid kit, no matter which way you stack it. The only thing I'd really like to see is the side pouches attached down to the bottom of the main compartment. The Brit issue PLCE Bergan has the side pouches attached in this manner, and it ads stability, keeping the sack upright when you put it down on the ground to put things in, or take them out. I've a PLCE long back, and a Karrimor 60-100, and am also looking at the new version IV of the Berghaus Vulcan in MTP, but have seen no reviews on that particular model yet. Cheers from New England, USA.
I've had a cyclops ii for ages and I've been very happy with it. It's very durable and I appreciated the large space in the main compartiment as well as the two side pouches. Would I recommend buying a similar pack today? That depends on your intended use. The Berghaus rucksacks are great for their ruggedness and that you can indeed carry heavy loads with them. That being said, over the years my expedition pack weight has gone down significantly thanks to lighter gear, and the rugged and sturdy approach is overkill for me. I nowadays have an ultralight 60l Exped that only weighs a third of the Cyclops ii. To be fair, it's not the same bag and not the same use, and I don't expect the Exped bag to last as long as the Berghaus.
Today on Vinted you can find both for less than €100 or even €70. I have the Cyclops Vulcan and the Crusader. Having about the same volume of 100l, you have to prioritize carrying comfort. For me, no contest, to choose between them, the Crusader is the best. This is an experience linked to my feelings on the ground. I am also going to sell my Cyclops. I don't understand the placement of the latter, like the Munro and the Centurio.
Ace video mate, didn't think the vulcan had been out that long, way ahead of it's time, where did you get the 15 litre side pouches from I can't find em anywhere
On the Crusader? only with additional MOLLE fitments added on to attach to the PALS webbing as the pouches are zip-on. Could add zips to the Vulcan to add and additional pouch though
Comes down to the money willing to spend. Both are good, but up to £100 between them in price. So can be a factor. Both of mine came from previous owners but the 2nd hand market can be a bit 'hit and miss'
I imagine it would be higher than you would think. A test weight was done on an eberlestock pack, the velcro shoulder harness separated at 1,100 pounds.
@@russellromig8969 great what use i have from that? i need to know how much weight the carry system is build for comfortable carry not how strong the material is 🤦🏿♂️ i went with the jäger xl from savotta and modded it thanks anyway
Berghaus Crusader MMPS new are around £170-220 some second-hand bargains around through. The Vulcan featured is an old model. Second-hand with the pouches they tend to be around £70-100. Both are good, and have plenty of space so depends on the amount wanting to spend and weather 'new' is required
I've just bought a second-hand Cyclops Vulcan in good condition with pouches for £40. What a brilliant bergen.
Great review buddy 🙂👍
Great review mate, even better that you did a comparison and spoke from personal experience. Just won a Cyclops 2 Vulcan for £90 on Ebay in preparation for a 7 day wild camping trip to the Scottish Isles. As someone who has always looked at the military with the highest regard, it gives peace of mind that soldiers would carry these when their lives depended on it, I'm sure it will provide many many comfortable years of wild camping around Europe! Thanks again for the video, keep it up!
Thanks for watching. Your Vulcan was a good find and should serve you well. Enjoy Scotland
@@UKPrepperman unfortunately took terrible company that made the whole trip pretty frustrating, couldn't out their phones down, randomly disappearing, disrespectful with fire and littering! Spent the week cleaning up after them, was very disappointing.
Carried the all popular rucksacks in early 80s onwards American LRRP , berg roc, and those both , the new MTP infantry bag is close but I prefer the quality of the original with the size 1,2,3 availability
Excellent review. Had been looking at the Crusader for a while for a larger expedition pack, and you covered everything I needed to know about the pack. Took a while to even find one in stock anywhere, but lucky enough I found one online and they even had the 15L epanded pouches aswell. Great content, keep up the good work 👍
Good stuff. The 15L pockets are getting harder to find. The Crusader is a cracking pack, should serve you well. Cheers for watching
THANKYOU!!!
A pet peeve of mine is people calling PALS strips "MOLLE" or "Osprey". A really good and enjoyable presentation.
But frankly, I prefer the older rucksack despite the newer one being of a better spec. If I tried the new one, I'm sure I'd change my mind. You don't want everything too easy in life... ;-)
Paras and SAS used the SAS/PARA bergen in the Falklands. Marines supposedly had the Arctic rucksack but, in all the pics I recall, they used Berghaus rucksacks in that war. I think that they, being naval personnel as opposed to army, had an allowance in their pay for purchase of kit like boots and rucksacks, hence why they had excellent boots and rucksacks. (Any Bootnecks out there, please confirm.)
Paras, SAS and marines called their rucksacks "bergens" because they were issued as standard the 1942 Pattern "Bergen" Rucksack. 1960s, 70s and 80s, everyone else had the '58 Pattern field pack or, perhaps, the small GS rucksack. When the bergens were replaced in the 1970s, the name stuck in the lingo. But Paras of the 1980s wouldn't recognise these internal frame rucksacks as "bergens" because you can't manpack stores on the frame.
Berghaus got the MOD for the Falklands so yes you are right in saying that. A lot of regiments also used berghaus too. I found berghaus comfy to wear but in selection we had to use sas bags and sometimes they was loaded up to 140lb. Wouldn't dream of carrying a pack that size no more :) external frames on the sas packs use to cause blisters on our backs bigger than your entire hand on either side of the hips after days on end of tabbing. For civi use the Vulcan cant be beaten. Or crusader as they are same back system. I have had 95lb in a Vulcan and it was still alright with it. But the sas bags were the ones for the super heavy loads when carrying coms equipment and weeks of supplies for long missions. But the Vulcan or crusader is the best bag for civi life. I have the Vulcan my self now for long distance personal use but now I'm older I only carry around 50lb at most. No need for bravado in civi world 😁 i saw a guy wearing a sas bag on the west highland way before and you can tell they are just wannabees trying to have the image. He looked to have only had 40lb of kit in a 130l bergen and his legs was buckling. Haha 90% of people wouldnt get a fully loaded sas bag on their back :) never mind jump out of a plane with one strapped to their legs lol
Hi, good vid, my experience of the history of the Falklands: Bergens issues to RM and Para at the time were external framed , although RM had two designs, the Arctic framed full back design which meant you couldn't wear kidney pouches and the Brown Bess. Airborne and the Hereford bunch had similar external framed but not full back length so you could wear kidney pouches. I never saw any Berghaus kit unless it was a personal bit of kit. If the 5 Bde guys who arrived later were issued this kit I never saw it. Lots of the guys did sneak their own kit down there, but issued? Ha. Lost all my kit down there and bought a Centurion with the compensation, still got it and still use it
Brown Bess - the wartime bergen?
And you had enough compensation to buy an obsolete tank?! ;-)
@@simonsignolet5632 HaHa. Not a 58 pattern (largepack style), these were more 37 pattern, never saw them outside of the RM issue. Not much in the way of capacity but solid. Lacked the capacity of the Arctic Bergen and flexibility.
Thanks for the history of the pack makers . A solid new pack thanks for sharing ATB And God bless you and your family
Cheers Costa. Thanks buddy, really impressed with it so far, , ATB C
I was looking at backpacks for my camping trips and I wasn't sure about buying this because I didn't find enough information about the construction of the backpack. thank you very much for the review. Very good content!
You're welcome. Thanks for watching and commenting 🙂
Bought my Crusader in the late 80's and it lasted into the early 00's. Then went back to my old issue PLCE which is now dying. Both have been great, but now need replacing.
Great review, interested to know where the side pockets came from, but maybe slightly too much as my old bergans would be through in and out of helicopters and todays use is into the back of airliners where weight is surprisingly more of an issue!!!
Some time since I brought them but I just searched online for the large pockets. Around £40/45 at the time I think
GSR das mask case. Nicely bolds water, RH gortex rain jacket with quilted liner, zip off mtp pants, a lt of water cup stove and brew gear
This side pockets are really hard to acquire here in the states. I just purchased the 45 liter Berghaus centurio and searched high and low for the pockets finally got them from a place in the good old United Kingdom..
For sure, some kit is getting harder to source. Glad you found them though. Cheers for watching
Nice comparison and thanks for telling us about the Companys' history.
thanks for watching
Berghaus Crusader very clean looking
Sadly enough, I ran out of space with my Cyclops Atlas IV, which is quit similar to the Crusader, during militrary use :D Even though great bag straight forward and not having thousends of unnecessary pockets and pouches which only put weight to the rucksack and you have to have visited university to find your stuff in it. Furthermore if compared to other rucksacks like the one from Eberlestock, Berghaus backpacks usually are at an resonable price point! Even though I have to say the frame on my first Atlas broke ( maybe because of overload?) after around two years.
Anyways great review liked to hear something about Berghaus' history and get to know some of their other products.
Greeting from Germany!
Thanks for your comment. Yes, Aside from my 5.11 rush 12 EDC bag, I am not a fan of multiple pockets, organiser style rucksacks, or additional pouches which either get caught or fall off. Also if in the main compartment, everything in a dry bag so waterproof too
wow this is a fabulous review. I want one of these packs now
They are worth the investment
Pouch on the front IMHO should be the first aid kit. No point adding a lot of weight at the back and reducing mobility!
Solid kit, no matter which way you stack it. The only thing I'd really like to see is the side pouches attached down to the bottom of the main compartment. The Brit issue PLCE Bergan has the side pouches attached in this manner, and it ads stability, keeping the sack upright when you put it down on the ground to put things in, or take them out. I've a PLCE long back, and a Karrimor 60-100, and am also looking at the new version IV of the Berghaus Vulcan in MTP, but have seen no reviews on that particular model yet. Cheers from New England, USA.
That is a valid point on the overall stability with the side pockets on the Berghaus being not at the bottom. I can agree with you on that.
I've had a cyclops ii for ages and I've been very happy with it. It's very durable and I appreciated the large space in the main compartiment as well as the two side pouches.
Would I recommend buying a similar pack today? That depends on your intended use. The Berghaus rucksacks are great for their ruggedness and that you can indeed carry heavy loads with them. That being said, over the years my expedition pack weight has gone down significantly thanks to lighter gear, and the rugged and sturdy approach is overkill for me. I nowadays have an ultralight 60l Exped that only weighs a third of the Cyclops ii. To be fair, it's not the same bag and not the same use, and I don't expect the Exped bag to last as long as the Berghaus.
Good points, the temptation with a big pack is to try to fill it, thus adding to the weight. These are already 2.5kg+
Today on Vinted you can find both for less than €100 or even €70. I have the Cyclops Vulcan and the Crusader. Having about the same volume of 100l, you have to prioritize carrying comfort. For me, no contest, to choose between them, the Crusader is the best. This is an experience linked to my feelings on the ground. I am also going to sell my Cyclops. I don't understand the placement of the latter, like the Munro and the Centurio.
Ace video mate, didn't think the vulcan had been out that long, way ahead of it's time, where did you get the 15 litre side pouches from I can't find em anywhere
Cheers. I did a search online. Was a while ago but think they were around £40-£45 at the time
Does the rain cover come with the crusader?
No mine didn't, unless they've added to ones now. I use a military grade olive drab large size, the largest I could find
Instant follow!
Thank you for watching and subbing
had a vulcan and a cyclops
great bags, built to last! cheers
you probably had Vulcan and Atlas, Cyclops II is the name of the carrying system used in both models ad the Crusader. I love my Atlas.
How large is the sleeping bag compartment, if you have the divider in place?
Hi Malcom, it will fit my Sungpak Softie 10 Harrier (which is in a Ortlieb dry bag) in it with the divider on.
Around 35 litres
@@UKPrepperman Hello! What about Corinthia defence 6 ? approximately 3.5kg
@kurdk9029 that wouldn't I think, My Defence 4 won't fit even as slightly smaller.
Can the original 10l pouch go on the front?.
On the Crusader? only with additional MOLLE fitments added on to attach to the PALS webbing as the pouches are zip-on. Could add zips to the Vulcan to add and additional pouch though
Which do you rate as better the Vulcan Cyclops or this Crusader?
Comes down to the money willing to spend. Both are good, but up to £100 between them in price. So can be a factor. Both of mine came from previous owners but the 2nd hand market can be a bit 'hit and miss'
👍👍👍
is there a single person on this planet who knows the maximum carry weight of the vulcan pack?
I imagine it would be higher than you would think. A test weight was done on an eberlestock pack, the velcro shoulder harness separated at 1,100 pounds.
@@russellromig8969 great what use i have from that? i need to know how much weight the carry system is build for comfortable carry not how strong the material is 🤦🏿♂️
i went with the jäger xl from savotta and modded it thanks anyway
So which one should I get?
Berghaus Crusader MMPS new are around £170-220 some second-hand bargains around through. The Vulcan featured is an old model. Second-hand with the pouches they tend to be around £70-100. Both are good, and have plenty of space so depends on the amount wanting to spend and weather 'new' is required
Helo 1004 thanks you 🔔🔔🔔🔔👍🔔
thanks for watching!
Made in 1972?! Bloody 'ell.
possibly, but think this one was more 80's,