by Canadian Army Today Staff
Load carriage fighting rig: Like boots, the vest is one of those pieces of kit that can seem very personal. There is no one-size-fits-all option.
Last fall, the Army conducted a user trial with the 3e Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment (3 R22eR) to evaluate the form, fit and functionality of competing load carriage systems, including ballistic plates, fragmentation armour, vests, pouches and packs.
The trial was done under the umbrella of the Dismounted Infantry Capability Enhancement (DICE), an initiative involving the Directorate of Land Requirements, Assistant Deputy Minster (Materiel), and Defence Research and Development Canada to experiment with options for helmets and modular fighting rigs for light infantry.
The initiative leads into a larger program known as Soldier Operational Clothing and Equipment Modernization (SOCEM), a series of projects to upgrade footwear, all-weather gear, gloves and clothing, as well as ballistic helmets, rucksacks, and patrol packs, for the wider Army.
DICE was separated from SOCEM in 2020 to allow the Army to conduct controlled trials with vendor equipment, gather detailed data, and purchase smaller quantities for a specific user group—dismounted light infantry battalions—while collecting soldier feedback and experimenting with procurement methods to inform the larger SOCEM initiative.
Helmets were the first piece of equipment to receive the DICE treatment. In the fall of 2023, the team worked with members of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry to assess three helmet options under operational-like conditions.
A contract was awarded in February 2023 to Galvion for its Batlskin CAIMAN ballistic helmet system, which received the highest rating from the dismounted troops. That initial deal involved 2,100 helmets and 4,200 helmet covers. In July 2024, the ADM (Mat) exercised an option for an additional 8,400 helmets and 16,800 helmet covers.
Since then, the DICE team completed a further trial with mechanized infantry, which will likely begin receiving the Batlskin CAIMAN later this year.
“We wanted to make sure there were no compatibility issues [in how they wear the helmets],” explained Warrant Officer Duane Gyuricska, deputy project director for DICE. “We didn’t anticipate there would be any, but you want to make sure that you’re thorough because you don’t want to find something after the fact.”
Members of the MNB-Latvia multinational medical unit during Ex War Horse Forge in January 2025. Photo: MCpl Simon Arcand
This past November, the DICE team began a similar controlled trial with the Vandoos in Valcartier, Que., for the modular fighting rig, assessing possible load carriage systems that were first screened to meet ballistic requirements. The trial involved soldiers moving through basic weapons drills, section attacks, advanced to contact, and patrolling, as well as from firing positions with the 84mm Carl Gustaf M4 recoilless rifle, M72 light anti-tank weapon, C9A2 light machine gun, C6 medium machine gun, and C-7 automatic rifle. The Vandoos also completed the gruelling Combat Force test and a ruck march with all the equipment.
The trial provided soldier mobility and performance data under various weight loads and in different operating conditions.
Among the Army’s key requirements for the load carriage system are modularity—the ability for soldiers to customize the placement of most pouches—and usability. In particular, the DICE team focused on torso sizes and shapes to ensure the kit worked effectively and comfortably for male and female soldiers.
“We don’t want people wearing a system that doesn’t fit,” said Gyuricska. “We want to get away from a one-size-fits-all plate. There too many outliers in [the current system] that aren’t fitted properly. And with female specific systems, it’s not just different sizes, it’s a special cut for female users.”
The lessons gathered from DICE about size and fit, especially for women, will be applied to the clothing projects in SOCEM, he added.
“We now better understand the various sizes and shapes of soldiers, and we want to make sure that we’re addressing everything properly from the get-go. The more options we have, the better fitting the system will be, and the more accepted. What we don’t want is a soldier not wearing kit they are given because they are uncomfortable, or it doesn’t fit right.”
Another key requirement for the modular rig is the pack’s ability to carry what DICE called a non-standard load without affecting the volume of the bag.
“With our current system, if you have a radio or carry a jerrycan, it takes space in your bag and you [might] leave out other things,” Gyuricska said. “What we wanted was the ability for that rucksack to carry something like a sustained fire kit or a radio or a jerrycan, but not lose volume in your bag. We want it so that you can carry those items independent of the bag.”
Throughout the trial, the vendors had technical experts on hand to explain their equipment and how best to use it. That was done to ensure soldiers did not rate equipment poorly simply because they did not fully understand how it worked.
While feedback from the Vandoos was positive, there were plenty of opinions to consider as the Army looks ahead to SOCEM.
“That’s why we want to go out and do the trials—we value that overall opinion,” said Gyuricska.
The first unit to receive the new load carriage system will be the light infantry battalion in the rotation to serve as the Army’s next Global Response Task Force, a high readiness unit on standby for Canadian Joint Operations Command.
At the time of the interview with Canadian Army Today, DICE did not have a schedule confirmed. But Gyuricska noted that the contract for the Galvion helmet was awarded three months after the trial was completed in November 2023, and first deliveries followed seven months later.
“This is a more complicated system, so it’s hard to say if the timeframe will be that quick,” he said.
“But once we’ve got a delivery timeline, our intent is to marry it up with the next unit deploying and get them trained and working with the vest before they deploy. And if they have questions or concerns, we can address those ahead of time. We want to avoid giving them a system that they’re learning overseas. And with this system, I think there is going to be a learning curve.”
As DICE nears completion of its two projects, the team will now shift its full attention back to supporting SOCEM and acquiring the same or similar equipment for the wider Army. The initiative proved its value as a way to gather precise and measurable data as well anecdotal feedback from solders, and will inform how SOCEM approaches procurement, Gyuricska said.
“Part of the underlying motivation behind DICE was to use it for lessons learned. We can take DICE and say, ‘This worked well for the light infantry, maybe we can use this for the rest of the Army. Or maybe we only need components of that system.’ We’re moving [that information] on to SOCEM.”
