I Want A Vintage Backpack

[Tom Caldwell]

I've sort of got interested in vintage backpacking gear. I sure hope I don't get the bug, since I already collect TOO many things that I never actually use, especially for my budget. I thought it might be interesting to try an old backpack. I don't want a rare and expensive collectible, but something I can take out for an easy overnighter and not have to worry about damaging.

Any suggestions? I use a Granite Gear Vapor Trail for modern life now.

[Jason Brinkman]

Like WWII surplus, or were you thinking a little later 'vintage' than that?

[Matthew Elam]

Were you thinking old REI gear?

[Jon Hancock]

I use a Gwaltney Gear "Nessmuk" rucksack quite a lot (and I believe that it's available from other suppliers, too), a waxed canvas and leather pack with a nice arrangement of side pockets. It's not actually a vintage pack but it is a current version of a venerable design. Excellent for day hikes along with my Ventile smock.

There's also a Swiss canvas rucksack sitting in my wardrobe at the moment, made of the old "salt and pepper" canvas and leather, which is a lovely item but remarkably heavy for its size; not one for the trail so much but it gets a lot of use as a general purpose bag and has the great advantage of being widely available at army surplus prices.

If you really want to explore the world of vintage (i.e. cotton duck and heavy canvas) packs then you'll find that such things are still widely used in canoeing circles as well as by bushcraft and primitive skills enthusiasts.

[Lynn Tramper]

How about this beauty
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Hunting-shooting/Other/auction-143593373.htm

I still see some die-harders carrying these things around here!

[Ron Babington]

Dude, you should totally check out the Jensen pack from RMW: http://www.rivendellmountainworks.com/

"Vintage" in style if not in fact..

[Ryan Gardner]

Allison,

That pack looks comfortable as heck!

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Hunting-shooting/Other/auction-143593373.htm

[Chad Lorenz]

Piragis of the Northwoods may carry some Duluth style packs that you may be interested in checking out:

http://www.piragis.com

http://www.duluthpack.com

Chad

[Alan Wenker]

You can find nearly any, or at least a lot, of vintage packs on ebay if you are patient. It helps to narrow down your choices a bit, internal frame, external frame, soft pack, specific brand. Someone mentioned the revised Rivendell Mountain Works- you can't tell the new packs from the originals, I have both. Sized correctly they carry very well. If you narrow down what you are looking for I may be able to help you find something.

Class 5 Quim

Hine Snowbridge Serex

Holubar Royale Pack

Hine Snowbridge Tamarack

Lastly, the Rivendell Giant Jensen, aka, the coolest pack ever made

[Denis Hazlewood]

I have a Trailwise external frame pack I bought in 1967. I don't know if that qualifies as vintage, but it's a great pack. It still has the original shoulder straps, with load lifters. In the early '80s I did replace the hip belt with a more modern one. The neat thing about Trailwise is that the two guys who started Trailwise sold it and started a company called Sierra Designs, which they sold and started a company called Walrus, which REI bought. It was cool to go into their "Factory Store", around the corner from the Berkeley, CA REI and watch them designing new tents in the back.

The Walrus service was really something. I left the tent poles for my Walrus Solo One behind when we broke camp because of an emergency. I went into the store and asked about replacement poles and one of the owners crawled up into the rafters and rummaged through boxes of poles until he found a set. He gave them to me for free and wished me good hiking.

[Rob Blazoff]

I saw these at a gear shop in Kyoto.
I don't know if you can get them here.

[Alan Wenker]

I saw this earlier today.

http://thegoat.backcountry.com/blog/2007/12/14/vintage-backpacks-for-old-school-hikers/

[Jared Williams]

Swedish M-39 (1939 model) Rucksack.

http://www.fatiguesarmynavy.com/store/item/SE1901/Genuine_Swedish_Army_Infantry_Backpack_w_Frame

http://www.armynavydeals.com/asp/products_details.asp?SKU=bbgswed01&ST=2

Or if you can possibly find one a M-35 (1935 model) which seems identical to the 39 model, but with 2 side pouches and a back pouch. Extremely hard to find though.

[Jason Klass]

Hey, this is backpackingLIGHT.com, NOT RETRObackpacking.com! ;)

[Jon Hancock]

Nothing wrong with a little vintage. Kephart wrote about exceptionally light kit; Nessmuk, indeed, was notorious for it.

Materials may have changed, but the desire to get into the outdoors relatively unburdened has been with us since well before John Muir.

Mind you, I just love old camping stuff so I'll admit to a little bias here :)

[Hugh Donohue]

I have two of potential interest: A Hine/Snowbridge Serex w/ optional side pockets, and A Frostline Venture Pack. I have modified them over the years, so they're not pristine original, but of course MUCH better packs as a result! I had a snow scree put in the Serex, royal blue to contrast with the Navy pack. The orange Venture now has contrasting blue daisy chains, and two additional external pockets on the top and back to accommodate quick-access stuff. Both were professionally done (Pack mod section in an outdoor shop near Ft. Bragg, NC) Email me at [email protected] if you're interested and I'll send pictures…/Hugh

[Eric Riddick]

Ive still got an early eighties Lowe Alpine Systems internal frame pack. And its still in good condition. This is THE CLASSIC original style, internal frame backpack…no frills. I figure its got another 500 miles on it at least. Back then, they made backpacking gear bombproof and most packs were made out of very durable cordura nylon.

Its heavy, its bombproof, it can handle a 100 lbs no problem as long as your fit to handle 100 lb loads and it looks mean…its an ULighters nightmare. And its a classic.

Eric

[Doug Johnson]

Vintage? Wouldn't that be a Golite Breeze? Or a GVP? Those are pretty classic man!

Then you could put a floorless Tarptent Squall inside.

Dude- flashbacks! Can all of you remember when Cuben was, like, NEW? I think I do!!!

And didn't there used to be stuff called "cordura"? Wait a second, do I hear Flock of Seagulls playing?

:-)

[Eric Riddick]

>And didn't there used to be stuff called "cordura"? Wait a >second, do I hear Flock of Seagulls playing?

1000 denier cordura…GREAT STUFF! You could: 1)throw it out of a plane and it would survive intact; 2) break off the trail and bushwhack through the thickest, nastiest briers and brambles that would totally tear up a UL pack; 3)go for years and years without having to buy a new pack; 4) use the pack to carry mega heavy resupply loads to base camp…UL packs simply wont handle that; 5) not have to worry about babying your pack while setting it on the ground during trail breaks or during airport handling.

Id like to see a synthetic pack material with the ruggedness of good old cordura nylon, but with the lightness of silnylon. Im not sure that would be possible, however.

Eric

[P. P.]

Wow! A Granite Gear Vapor Trail? I have a used one that I haven't used in over a year. Is it vintage yet??

[Anonymous]

1980's youve got to be kidding…

If you want Vintage then YOU MUST INCLUDE a Kelty External Frame Hiking Backpack in your collection placed neatly next to your Svea Stove

[Mark Verber]

In the early 1970s, "Vintage Packs" were canvas and leather rucksacks and WWII backpacks. These days, I think of the packs from the 70s as vintage. The first two packs that come to my mind are Kelty's external frame pack that Roger posted a picture of (first made in the 50s) and the JanSport D2 which were first made in the late 60s.

I would also second Roger's observation… if you are going vintage, you have to get a Svea 123 stove. It was THE stove for years.

For other ideas see Bruce B. Johnson backpacking revolution which includes pictures of gear and interviews with people who helped shape backpacking industry in the 1950-80s.

[Elliott Wolin]

How about a 1950-1960 design Boy Scout canvas rucksack, a rectangular canvas box with straps, no hip belt, no frame, nothing. Actually it's fairly lightweight, perhaps very early UL.

It is still sitting somewhere around my house. And somewhere I have the Boy Scout manual that goes with it…

[Eric Riddick]

hehehe…cool Kelty external pack.

Actually, those aluminum externals were good packs.

Eric

[Eric Riddick]

>In the early 1970s, "Vintage Packs" were canvas and leather >rucksacks and WWII backpacks.

yeah, they were called "bergens." Bergen rucksacks. They carry the weight real low on your back no matter how you try to pack them and force you to lean forward all the time. Still, not bad for when you had to hump through jungles and were off trail a lot of the time, situations where balance and agility were badly needed despite carrying a load.

Eric

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