A question about packs.

[dwayne davis]

I was reading a past thread started by Ken reguarding descriptions of gear in both lord of the rings and the hobbit. It got me to thinking about packs, what type would have been used. in several passages we read about the hobbits shouldering their packs and how stuffed they were with gear. now that being said,several people have done snap sacks (Greg my self and others). while a snap sack would be handy for a day trek,they just can't hold enough gear for a long or even short journey. It seems to me that perhaps Tolkien may have meant some type of back pack. however simple or complicated i'm not sure. it would solve many problems with carrying enough gear,spare clothing and other items tha would be absolutly neccasary for a trek. indeed for anyone who task themselves with living in the wild for long periods of time a back pack is a must. short of having a pack animal i don't see any other option. if we look at both soldiers on the move throughout time as well as long hunters/mountain men from the 18th century,as well as people practicing long term bushcrafting in modern times. then it seems a back pack would make sense. short of having a pack animal that is.
http://www.tednasmith.com/lotr1/TN-Fift ... .html#fdaw
so my question fellow rangers it what do you think about backpacks and middle earth?

[Jonathan B.]

I guess you could say I like backpacks just fine.

[Peter Remling]

I've always been in favor of backpacks for the amount that can be carried and for the weight distribution.

The first pic is of a converted canvas backpack that I dyed and added top, bottom and side straps to.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn46 ... stance.jpg

The second is of the back on at a renfair

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn46 ... 89-1-1.jpg

The third is a rubberied Swiss pack that I spray painted brown (kids don't try this at home. basically the paint doesn't adhere well and peels somewhat)

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn46 ... 0_00-1.jpg

The fourth is a leather pack I made for a fellow forumite several years ago.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn46 ... ure067.jpg

[RangerKellen]

I like backpacks just fine also.
I'm currently using a store-bought one because I haven't been/get to go to the store anytime soon for leather. But the store-bought one isn't too bad!

[BrianGrubbs]

RangerKellen, if leather is in short supply, canvas would be a great alternative. It's easier to work, and cheap...just get a canvas painters drop cloth. You can dye it any color you want, and waterproofing it is pretty simple as well. Canvas was a much more common backpack material than leather anyway.

Brian

[RangerKellen]

Really? I had no idea that you could use canvas! Thanks! I'll get started on that here pretty soon!

[kaelln]

I have the old Swiss salt-and-pepper backpack. It's similar to one of Pete's, but it's made of super heavy duty canvas and leather. It has a built in frame and back support. You can still get these, but they tend to run about $70, and they are in less than perfect shape, since they date, I believe, from WWII. Mine had a really funky smell, which I was finally able to get out by soaking the inside with Pine Sol and water for several hours, and it needed multiple repairs to the leather straps. Nevertheless, it's a great pack, and well worth the extra effort!

[Chris Russo]

I'm in the process of making an oilskin-and-wood external-frame large backpack for extended treks. I'm making the frame out of maple sapling, so it won't be as light as my aluminum-frame rucksack, but I'm hoping the better weight distribution will balance out the added weight. (We'll see...)

[Ringulf]

I have the old Swiss salt-and-pepper backpack. It's similar to one of Pete's, but it's made of super heavy duty canvas and leather. It has a built in frame and back support. You can still get these, but they tend to run about $70, and they are in less than perfect shape, since they date, I believe, from WWII. Mine had a really funky smell, which I was finally able to get out by soaking the inside with Pine Sol and water for several hours, and it needed multiple repairs to the leather straps. Nevertheless, it's a great pack, and well worth the extra effort!

I had one that was very much like the one in Jonathan's Kit, that I used throughout highschool and college. It served me very well for the 20 dollars I spent for it in an army/navy store, and was fabulously large and customizable.

I recently looked for the Salt and Pepper one like Kealin's and found this advertisement, They may still be available this link was gathered a while ago but it seems is still active. I thought of all the cavas/leather models this was very "Middle Earth".

http://west.loadup.com/military/surplus/410.html

http://west.loadup.com/military/surplus/298403.html

[Willrett]

I like that swiss bag also but its getting harder to find and more expensive when you do. I'm gonna keep looking until I find one. I currently have the rubberized one and I like it except for the material.

[dwayne davis]

I agree, the swiss packs are nice.and with a little modification i think would look just fine for a ranger on an extended journey. it seems that Tolkien liked packs too, atleast thats what i gather from his writings. A pack in my opinion is a must especially for winter. Spare blanket,and spare winter clothing take up a bit of room. especially period style wools,along with other gear. along with the spare room for extra food or ingredients,and tools such as rope that you may want to take along to help prepare wild game,a pack say medium size or a little smaller would be prudent. where somthing like the snap sack may do for a summer or early fall trip of a day or two. i think (and im guilty of this too) we get into our brains the picture of the movie where no one is carying anything much beyond a weapon or two. yet aragorn and the others mysteriously produce evrything needed to live of the land. even if we had a situation where way stations were set up to resuply us. Those may be days or weeks apart (if they have what you needed when you got there). I remember R.D posted about taking his horses on a long trek ( 40 miles i think?) a couple times a year,packing suplies along as well. Things like cooking pots, dried meat, flour,salt/spices maintance suplies for weapons ect, all take up room and are pretty neccasary for a journey. i'm really enjoying hearing evryone speak up on this subject. as well as getting an oportunity to learn a little from fellow Rangers.

[E.MacKermak]

My favorite is the BSA canvas knapsack from the early years of scouting. I have a vintage one right now that I will be using as an example to make my pack. They have a large main pouch, a smaller pouch in the front and the D-rings on the sides to attach extra stuff. I believe a pack of this type would be perfect for what we do.

[Kiriana]

Yep, mine will be made using the BSA one as a model.. but with a few modifications for me hehe.. mine has to be a touch bigger.

[Beornmann]

I think I saw this pack in a Dave Canterbury youtube vid.
My Travel Kit

So, I Googled "Swiss military engineers rucksack" from one of the comments and found them for $20.

Swiss military engineers rucksack

[kaelln]

A couple of the links are for the rubberized or vinyl version. Still a great pack, and that $20 one is a super price if you're not picky about materials.