Spanish Field Gear - Help Needed!

Hello all!

I have a small mountain of Spanish field equipment from the 1960s until present day. I've been collecting pieces here and there for about 10 years or more, from many different sources. I have done my best to group items together, but I am unsure I have things correct. I would like to have people help me identify my mistakes and also tell me when, and who, used the equipment I have.

So here I go..

Group A
A1 - Bread bag Type 1
A2 - Bread bag Type 2 (extra straps on the backside)
A3 - Double tall magazine pouch (pair)
A4 - Grenade pouch?
A5 - Pistol holster
A6 - US type magazine pouch (pair)
A7 - H-Straps
A8 - Tall pouch
A9 - Field belt Type 1
A10 - Field belt Type 2
A11 - Sleepingbag straps


Group B
B1 - Shoulder strap (pair)
B2 - Magazine pouch (pair)


Group C
C1 - Belt
C2 - H-Straps
C3 - Magazine pouch
C4 - Pistol holster
C5 - Bread bag


Group D
D1 - US type magazine pouch (pair)
D2 - Bread bag
D3 - H-Straps
D4 - Field belt


Group E
E1 - H-Straps
E2 - Bread bag
E3 - Field belt
E4 - US type magazine pouch (pair)


Group F
F1 - Shoulder strap (pair)
F2 - Field belt Type 1
F3 - Field belt Type 2
F4 - D-Ring (pair)
F5 - Canteen/mess kit pouch
F6 - Tall magazine pouch (pair)
F7 - Double grenade pouch? (pair)
F8 - Single grenade pouch? (pair)
F9 - Magazine pouch (pair)


Group G - Orphan Items
G1 - Magazine pouch (pair)
G2 - Shovel cover
G3 - Grenade pouch? (pair)
G4 - Pistol holster (stiff canvas)


Group H
H1 - H-Straps
H2 - Backpack
H3 - Magazine pouch (pair)
H4 - Field belt Type 1
H5 - Field belt Type 2


Group I
I1 - Backpack
I2 - Canteen/mess kit pouch
I3 - Pistol holster
I4 - H-Straps
I5 - Magazine pouch, lighter color (pair)
I6 - Magazine pouch, darker color (pair)


Mess Kit & Canteen
Soft cloth cover with snaps, aluminum items


Thanks in advance!

Steve

Hi Steve:

From my low knowledges:

Group F: 60´s´70´s and in advance depending units. Used all army, probably even paras and coe
Group C: late 70´s-80´s. 90´s to late 2000, when they where abolishid. Spanish Legion (still out procedure used)
Gruup (darkest): Paras, have my doubt if a4-A% used in same equipment

I will continue later, so busy now, go for job
Regards

anyone have an idea on how these items are to be set up? lookong to start collecting but this stuff seems tough to find.

I have 2 of those backpacks-number 11 in group I and why on earth have I always thought they were German Bundy issue and not Spanish I wonder????

Here is some Spanish gear I managed to find. Have not been able to find much else. Would be curious what I have and if anyone has any pictures of it in use in the field. Thanks.

It seems that you have the (later?) camouflaged version of the light olive webbing that was issued in the 1970s and 1980s - although one of your magazine pouches looks like the earlier light olive version, and may also have a different carrying capacity than its camouflaged partner on your belt.

I remember components of the olive version of this set being widely available in Canadian army surplus stores in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but it has long since dried up. Steve's earlier posts/photographs remind me however that the Spanish forces must have used a bewildering array of webbing over the years, and although I am gradually assembling various components of the different sets, I have not had much luck determining model designations, patterns or periods of issue, etc...

I am not certain if the belt in your photographs was issued with the suspenders that you have, but perhaps a Spanish forum member can let us know.

I'll add some other examples of Spanish field gear I have come upon recently. First, what I believe to be a navy cartridge belt set:

woodland pattern:

desert pattern:

Nice batch of stuff! And yes, the Spanish have a CRAZY amount of field kit.

I've never seen the one in the first picture. I think you're right that it's Marines/Navy. I'm pretty sure it's for parade/ceremony use. The other two definitely are. The canteen cover is for the field gear, so it's not correct for that rig.

Here is a picture of the woodland type in use with Paracaidistas:



If you check out the other pictures you'll see a variety of special belts and straps. Legion has its own distinct type as well.

http://www.demotix.com/news/2930778/spain-commemorates-dia-de-la-hispanidad-military-parade#media-2930630

I'm not sure, but I've been told that the special woodland, 6 color desert, and digital desert types are used by Paracaidistas only. I suspect that is not true in a technical sense, but probably mostly true by circumstances (i.e. the paracaidistas are on parade more often).

Steve

I forgot to add that you can differentiate between the parade and field woodland items by their means of attaching to the belt. Metal is for parade, plastic is for field. I don't know of any exceptions so this appears to be a good hard and fast rule.

If you look at the back of your canteen cover you'll see that the attachment points are plastic. That's the sort you'll see on other field kit. Now look at the backside of the magazine pouch and you'll see that it is metal. You'll see that on other parade kit as well.

Steve

Thanks for the info Steve, I wasn't aware of these distinctions, but the Spanish equipment is all new to me. I have a similar woodland canteen cover with a metal hook only, and no plastic attachment straps. But I don't understand why it would be necessary to have two different categories in the first place? Surely the Spanish army will run out of NSN numbers for all of this stuff sooner or later!

I looked up the NSN on the arid suspenders, and found that the manufacturer's abbreviation stands for Fabrica Espanola de Confecciones.

Spanish kit is absolutely confusing and a bit overwhelming. Which is why I started this thread Though I suppose I should add the more modern stuff to the mix as there's quite a bit of that too.

You will definitely find metal on the non-camo stuff for sure. The rule of metal and plastic is only applicable to the camo stuff. I do not know of exceptions but I suppose anything is possible

Parade stuff is made to look good, not be functional. There's also some tradition in the designs that is absent from the field equipment.

Steve

CollectinSteve wrote:Spanish kit is absolutely confusing and a bit overwhelming.  Which is why I started this thread  Though I suppose I should add the more modern stuff to the mix as there's quite a bit of that too.

You will definitely find metal on the non-camo stuff for sure.  The rule of metal and plastic is only applicable to the camo stuff.  I do not know of exceptions but I suppose anything is possible

Parade stuff is made to look good, not be functional.  There's also some tradition in the designs that is absent from the field equipment.

Steve

Thanks, Steve. Would love to see more web gear from you!! I dont think there is any camo left you dont have. By the way, have any extra Spanish gear you want to unload??

The crazy thing is as much as I have, I could triple my collection and still be pretty small compared to what is out there. There's just SO MUCH STUFF!

I have a bunch of LBVs and some other field kit. I have a 6 color desert PECO web set sitting in Spain marooned for the time being. I think that is the last significant bit of kit I'm missing. I'll get it eventually!

I think I have a few spare odds and ends pieces around. But I might have sold them already. I'm in the process of sorting through piles of extras so I'll keep an eye out for any Spanish spares.

CollectinSteve wrote: I have a 6 color desert PECO web set sitting in Spain marooned for the time being. I think that is the last significant bit of kit I'm missing.  I'll get it eventually!

.

Have a couple of them, tell me the price found in Spain if I can do a better one I will

Best

Thanks for the offer!! Last week I discovered I already have one The second one that is stuck in Spain (long story!) is no longer necessary.

Since you are here, do you know what the plans are for new field gear? Are they going to issue everything in the digital camouflage, or use a solid color?

Steve

Solideo wrote:

CollectinSteve wrote: I have a 6 color desert PECO web set sitting in Spain marooned for the time being. I think that is the last significant bit of kit I'm missing.  I'll get it eventually!

.

Have a couple of them, tell me the price found in Spain if I can do a better one I will

Best

I would be interested. Can you get a woodland one as well?

Me too, if you have one left over.

CollectinSteve wrote:

Since you are here, do you know what the plans are for new field gear?  Are they going to issue everything in the digital camouflage, or use a solid color?

Steve

At this moment it looks to run into digital set, although have some references of serious proposals to stay in a solid one. Actually there is a terrible mix of elements that makes it so difficult to manage for the soldiers, too many same things with different colours. You know.

Best

abefroman wrote:

I would be interested. Can you get a woodland one as well?

Have a private message. Thanks

Wolverine wrote:Me too, if you have one left over.

Have a private message. Thanks

Just got this info from a fellow collector (thanks Michel!) based on information he found on a Spanish forum. I am adding this to the information that Solideo provided.

M67 = Group F (earlier) and G (later)
M75 = Group H (H4 is either M82 or M88)
M78 = Group I (perhaps some of the items are M75)


Some of the others have been identified by users, but not specific designations:

Paraciadista = Group B (1960s, perhaps parade issue??)
Paracaidista = Group A (probably 1960s-1970s)
Legion = Group C (used 1970s-1990s)
Marines = Group E (early) and Group D (late)

G2 might be Marines and perhaps included with Group E.

Steve