ARVN Rucksack The ARVN ( Army of the Republic of Vietnam ) rucksack ( also known as the Ranger Pack for the South Vietnamese Rangers who used it ) was a canvas , external - framed pack produced in the United States for use by the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam throughout the 1960s and early ' 70s . The pack saw use with ARVN forces , and became desirable amongst US troops in the early years of the Vietnam War , before the US military fielded similar items in the form of the Tropical Rucksack and Lightweight Rucksack , which were both influenced by the ARVN design . Description . The ARVN rucksack was a small to medium sized pack with an external but close - fitting steel frame with " X " cross bars through the center . The pack had an open top with drawstring over which a flap closed , secured by web straps that ran down the length of the pack . A tab on the flap with eyelets allowed the attachment of any American M1910 - style equipment with wire hangars , but most often the M1943 entrenching tool and cover . Two rectangular , flapped pockets large enough for a Meal , Combat , Individual ( C - Ration ) could be found on either side of this attachment point on the main body of the pack . Webbing points and a pair of metal eyelets on either side of the pack and above each pocket allowed the attachment of items using wire hangars or slide keepers , which featured on items of American M1956 Load Bearing Equipment and M1967 Modernized Load - Carrying Equipment . A pair of adjustable web straps on each side and on the bottom of the ruck allowed for the attachment of items such as bed rolls , shelters , and other cylindrical items like spare machine - gun barrel bags and M72 Light Anti - tank Weapons . Simple padded , adjustable shoulder straps and a waist pad allowed for comfortable carriage . The pack sat high on the back , not interfering with items placed at the rear of a combatant ' s equipment belt , unlike the low - riding American Lightweight Rucksack of 1965 and Tropical Rucksack of 1967 . American use . ARVN rucksacks were never an official item of United States military equipment . Those that saw service were either acquired individually or by units through trade or purchase with members of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam . In the first few years of United States involvement in the Vietnam War the M1956 Field Pack ( butt pack ) proved too small to carry combat loads , but the Lightweight Rucksack and the M1952 Mountain Rucksack in the inventory at the time were in high demand and short supply , so many units and individuals acquired ARVN rucksacks for use in the field . Many were replaced in United States military use during the later years of the Vietnam War by the Tropical and Lightweight rucksack as more became available . Examples that left Vietnam with US troops did so as souvenirs and did not see use outside of Southeast Asia . ARVN rucksack in popular culture . ARVN rucksacks can be seen in use with the fictional platoon of the US Army ' s 25th Infantry Division in Oliver Stone ' s Vietnam War film " Platoon " . An early scene involves Charlie Sheen ' s character passing out from a combination of the tropical heat and exhaustion from an overloaded rucksack .