Knapsacks and Rucksacks

 

Hand Book for Boys, 1953

Author's note: This is an older article that I wrote in 2008, I hope that you enjoy it. 

A pack is, basically, a large bag with attached shoulder straps.  There are many different types of packs, all made for different uses.  For day trips or times when you will not need to carry a large load, knapsacks or rucksacks are best.  A pack should contain everything that you need, except what goes in your pockets and in one hand.

Backcountry Camping, 1972

Knapsack is from the German word ‘knappsack’ and originally meant a sack carried on the back of a boy, or soldier.  A knapsack is rarely used for long trips or heavy loads.  It is usually used for day trips.  A knapsack is a boxlike bag, and many knapsacks have pockets sewed on the outside for carrying frequently needed items.  A knapsack should be about the width of your back and can be in various lengths or depths, depending on the load that you intend to carry. 

Backcountry Camping, 1972

Rucksack is a German word meaning back sack.  Rucksacks were originally used by mountaineers, skiers and hunters and are still used by anyone who needs their arms and shoulders to be unrestricted or whose balance shifts constantly.  It is usually used for day trips.  Many rucksacks, just like knapsacks, have pockets sewed on the outside for carrying frequently needed equipment

Wearing a Knapsack

The points of suspension of either a knapsack or rucksack should be near the neck.  This relieves the pressure on the back muscles and applies it directly down along the spinal column to the legs.  This brings the pressure over the strongest part of the shoulders, where it will cause the least discomfort.

A knapsack should be loaded so that it weight is high and close to the shoulders, it should not extend above your shoulders or below your belt. 

On Your Own in the Wilderness, 1958  

Note the bottom of the rucksack is resting on the small of the back and hips

Rucksacks should be carried low and tight against against the small of the back.  With a rucksack, you should let out the shoulder straps so that the bottom of the pack rests against the small of your back and hips, with more than half of the weight resting on your hips.  This way the full weight of the knapsack is not felt on your shoulders and your center of gravity remains low enough to assure good balance.

Packing a Knapsack

All heavy packs are uncomfortable to some degree or the other; the important thing in carrying a pack is to make your pack as comfortable as possible. 

A great deal of unnecessary discomfort can be avoided by carefully arranging the items that are packed into the knapsack.  When you pack a knapsack, make sure to place blankets, spare jackets or sweatshirts and other soft articles in first, next to your back, as a pad.  The part of the knapsack that is against your back should be as wide and as soft as possible.  Pack hard objects on the outside away from your back.  Also, place items on the bottom of the pack that will be taken out last or not needed often.  Place frequently needed items on the top; generally your raincoat or poncho, flashlight, first aid kit, drinking cup would be on the top.  Be sure to adjust the weight of the items so that the pack will hang on your shoulders evenly and not be lopsided.  Also, be careful that heavy objects are packed so that they will not shift and cause the knapsack to become lopsided. 

How much to Carry

 “…an ounce in the morning is a pound before night…” Horace Kephart

Military studies have shown that the ideal load for a soldier is 22% of the soldier’s body weight, with a comfortable sustainable load being 30%.  Studies have also shown that soldiers should not carry any more than 45% of their body weight.

Heavy loads not only increase fatigue, but will also decrease the distance a hiker can hike. 

Tips and Tricks

Almost every outdoorsman carries a small cloth ditty bag, near the top of his knapsack or in an outside pocket.  This catchall helps keep all of the little things that you may need along the trail organized.

Matches should either be, waterproofed with clear nail polish or paraffin, or kept in a waterproof container.  A cheap, but sturdy container is a Ziploc® style, 1 quart freezer bag.

A candle and tinder should be kept in a Ziploc® style, 1 quart freezer bag to be used to start fires, when it is wet or when other tinder sources are absent.  I put replacement tinder and kindling that I collect as I hike, in a waterproof bag that closes by folding over: that way if there is any residual wetness in it, it can dry inside my pack; this prevents condensation from accumulating in the bag and precipitation from re-wetting it. 

Food should be packed in Ziploc® style, 1 gallon or 2.5 gallon freezer bags, depending on whether the meal is for two or four people, one bag for each meal. 

For overnight trips, all food and “smellables” should be put in a separate cloth bag or in a pack and hung from a tree as a “Bear Bag”, to keep it safe from animals.

References:

Bill Riviere, Backcountry Camping, (Dolphin Books, Garden City, NY [1972]), p. 13-30

Horace Kephart, Camping and Woodcraft: A handbook for Vacation Campers and for Travelers in the Wilderness; 1921 (University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville [reprinted 1988]), Vol II, p. 122-129

Lt. Col. Raymond A. Millen USA, Command Legacy: a Tactical Primer for Junior Leaders of Infantry Units, (Brassey’s, Inc, Washington D.C. [2002]), p. 151

Headquarters, Dept. of the Army, FM 21-18 Foot Marches, (Washington, DC, [1990])

Boy Scouts of America, Hand Book for Boys, (New York, NY, [1953], p. 142-144

Col. Townsend Whelen and Bradford Angier, On Your Own in the Wilderness, (Stackpole Company, Harrisburg, PA, [1958]), p. 50