damn
it is getting more complicated than a rubik’s cube
Ugh! flash backs of camo netting tangled and hooked on everything on my tank. Lol
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Charles, you’re so right! I recall on one of the many Brigade CPXs I endured in the mid 80s, I sent one of my Clerks across (the HQ complex) to the Signals wagon to ensure a message was transmitted; it was around week 2 in the exercise and we were all pretty tired.
Around 45 minutes later (well, as I say, we were pretty tired) I realised he had not returned and I sent one of my Corporals to find out what the hell was going on; the Corporal returned, barely suppressing his giggles, and asked me to come outside (the tented complex). There was Private XXX enmeshed in the cam netting and fast asleep. Upon his return his weapon had fouled the wretched nets and he’d given up the unequal struggle - akin to a fly in a spider’s web - and succumbed to the all pervasive fatigue.
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I recall using many “colorful metaphors” putting up and taking down those damn nets around our M113s lol
I think Gino was referring to the OPs first picture.
your anecdotes are really beautiful and evocative, it is really fun to read them 
, so returning to the vehicle if you were to bet on the presence of the rear basket what would you do, would you put it on or not? 
I still say no to the turret basket since the timeframe is too early for an M1IP and the turret baskets were not retro-fitted to M1s until after they came out on M1IPs.
ok Gino, thanks a lot to you and you all too for your kindly help, at this point I collect all the info and decide what to do, for the camouflage net I wonder how I could alter the size of the design itself using oregano leaves, mmmm a big problem
in the meanwhile, I wish you many wishes for the new year to come
Lucio
I guess you can use most of it, if not all, Lucio 
the ALICE backpacks were not phased out before 2001…But the CIP panels appeared after the Gulf War (1991).
H.P.
The MRE cases, CIPs, and Modular Sleeping Bag stuff sack are out.
Everything else will work for the 80’s. Although K-pots were just entering service in 83.
Frenchy, My LRS unit was still using large Large ALICE rucks in 2005-2006 when deployed overseas. The MOLLE gear was not issued to everybody at that point. I don’t know if they had it by 2008 for their surge deployment, as I had retired in ‘07.
Oh ok, many thanks people, so the sleeping bag (those blak in the pics) must not be used, right?
It’s weird, looking at the pics of the period, no external load was hung outside the basket, while today are more those hanging out than those inside the basket
Lucio
Like the others have said, most of that set is usable, minus the sleeping bags, MREs, and CIPs.
Old MREs w/flatter box (bottom) vs. newer MREs with more square box.
This older set (35141) has the correct, flatter MRE boxes, and some other usable stuff for early '80s.
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Very interesting, thanks a lot Gino
Lucio
Ok, I was thinking about the difficulties I would encounter having to make the camouflage net with sections of different size in the plot of the net itself and I see that there are other really interesting profiles that deserve to be taken into consideration
POSTED FOR DISCUSSION ONLY
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A quick question if I may as there seems to be alot of M1 brains in here.
On the 4 images Lucio posted above this, there is what I can only guess is some sort of Sprocket ring guard fitted which must be secured so it runs over the track ends? Is this to protect the sprocket ring or to stop tracks being thrown ? I have seen images with it fitted and not fitted ? Thanks in advance.
It’s a retaining ring that prevents thrown tracks due to dirt accumulating under the side skirt.
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On early M1s, the track tended to come off the rear sprocket in tight maneuvering. The outer ring was added to keep them on the sprockets.
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