How a man learned to wear things on his back
The history of the backpack goes back thousands of years: it, like many other human stories, developed non-linearly. In different eras, inventors and artisans invented their versions of the bag for carrying things behind them. Old ideas were forgotten, but human biology itself led to the fact that people on different continents returned to the same concept. We traced all the way - from the first wooden to a modern technological backpack.
More than 5,300 years ago, a man lived in the Ă–tztal Alps in Tyrol, who apparently was a shepherd. Unfortunately, his life was cut short in 45 years in a very tragic way: an old man, by the standards of that time, was shot from a bow and bled to death on the side of a mountain. The body was frozen into a glacier, where two German tourists found it in that form in 1991.
')
Near the well-preserved mummy (which was given the name "ci") was a lot of personal equipment. Of course, fragile things did not endure the test of time, so in some cases one can only speculate about their purpose. Only the bow, a quiver of arrows, and a knife of flint are recognizable. And there is still debate about the curved rod of hazel - but many archaeologists believe that this is the basis of the wooden "backpack."
Together with other fragments found nearby, a more complete picture is obtained. It is possible that a bag of hides, decayed over thousands of years, was fastened to the preserved frame, in which Etzi carried his simple belongings.
A replica of the find, restored to the state of a backpack, was exhibited at the Museum of Natural History of Dortmund. She has a main compartment and leather handles. But, most importantly, the backpack guess is confirmed by the fact that there are traditional wooden shoulder bags in the Alps. They are still being made, and such devices are called Kraxe.
Antique empires and states did not particularly favor leather backpack-like bags. One of the most popular means of carrying things and goods was cheap in the production of the basket. They were in every ancient Egyptian house, and it was in the baskets that the slaves carried provisions and personal belongings behind the Greek hoplites. The resulting logistical difficulties were the main reason why wars ended quickly.
The soldiers of the Roman Empire were already wearing lococules — backpacks that were attached to a walking pole. Part of the equipment was suspended from the bag itself. As a result, the property of the imperial warrior dangled in a “knapsack” behind his back and over his head.
In the Middle Ages, devices appeared in Europe, much more resembling a modern backpack. Baskets with straps were hung behind the back for working in the field and carrying goods. By the 19th century (possibly even earlier), numerous porters worked in Germany and France, who dragged goods on traditional wooden frames derived from the Ă–tzi backpack. The alpine variant, the aforementioned Kraxe, was distinguished by a characteristic wooden shelf.
Such frameworks have become generally accepted in the Scandinavian peninsula. One of the best preserved European backpacks is stored in Norway. It dates back to about the 1880s and consists of two parts: an ash frame and a leather knapsack bag. The backpack is called Sekk med Meis and is part of the collection of the Norwegian Forest Museum.
Fast forward from Europe to Asia, namely to the Asian part of Russia. Indigenous peoples of Siberia also needed sacks for prey and things that would be convenient to use in difficult taiga conditions. Therefore, frame “backpacks” have become widespread in the region, vaguely reminiscent of Ötzy equipment: ponyagas and flyers. They were made centuries ago and continue to do today.
Ponyaga is the most difficult to manufacture device. The basis is a bird cherry, willow, willow rod, curved by an arc and connected by an upper lintel and a shelf. The resulting frame is covered with birch bark, the smooth side of which should lie flat on the back. The load is attached to the frame with straps, so the Ponyag has virtually no limit on the volume. The semi-ring of the frame protruding from above serves as a handle of such a “backpack” for carrying in hands. Yet mostly ponyaga is worn on the back on two leather straps. One of the straps is usually put on the peg below and held by the tension force, if necessary, it is easy to loosen and quickly throw off the load.
The flyers are a bale carrying frame made of two branches with symmetrical forks. Jumpers and straps were attached to one of them. The load is clamped between two “slingshots” that are tied together by ropes. The resulting “backpack” is very comfortable on the back, less delays the shoulders due to the high center of gravity, and is easily restored in the event of a breakdown.
Different variants of fliers were found throughout Siberia and Asia. For example, in Vladivostok, at the end of the 19th century, “burners” worked, porters-coolies.
In Korea, a similar construction was called 지게 (“chige”). The first written mention of it dates back to the end of the 17th century, but it can be said with great certainty that such wooden backpacks were actively used on the peninsula in the 7th century.
And in the rest of Russia, especially in the Russian north, birchbark was quite actively used - woven and sewn together with spruce roots. In general, a traditional frame backpack and a basket with straps in one form or another are found all over the globe, on all continents.
If the civilians of Europe and Asia had enough baskets and “flyers” for carrying goods, then the soldiers definitely needed more comfortable, stable and practical bags. This became especially noticeable after the 16th century, when the use of mercenaries began to decline, and European armies needed unified equipment. The natural evolution of soldiers' baggage led to the fact that in the 18th – 20th centuries, army packs were widely distributed.
Remotely, the satchel resembled a Roman loculus, only it was removed from the pole and hung on the soldier for two straps. From above, an additional load was often tied to a knapsack - for example, a rolled overcoat. The material of the bag was either durable leather or cheap tarpaulin and cloth. Such packs were part of the uniforms of the British and French troops, and they were used in the army of the Russian Empire. In the latter, in 1882, a waterproof canvas duffel bag was put into circulation, which was inherited by the Red Army, and then into the modern Russian army.
In the European colonies in North America and the young American state, the military also used army knapsacks. During the civil war of 1861–1865, there were two types of such bags: hard and soft. Both those and others did not differ in convenience, the straps stuck into the chest and brought serious discomfort to the marching soldiers.
Therefore, after the end of the conflict, in 1866, Colonel Henry S. Merriam patented a new type of army pack: with a rigid wooden frame that would redistribute the load. The same frame was to serve as the basis for a small awning.
The inventor for a long time could not start the production and marketing of its development. However, there was a request for more convenient bags in the army, so the Merriam satchel became quite a massive and moderately well-known military model.
Twenty years later, the Norwegian innovator and entrepreneur Ole Bergan has already developed a “civilian” backpack with a rigid frame made of light tubular steel. The Norwegian believed that the bag should be adjusted to the height and shape of the body of its owner.
Bergan achieved this effect due to the simplest form of the frame, which was remotely based on the historical Sekk med Meis. Products brand "Bergans" gained worldwide fame, and the company exists in our days.
The next innovation in the development of the backpack industry is associated with a phenomenon that is regarded in the United States very negatively: with commercial cultural appropriation. In the 1920s, an American hunter, Lloyd F. Nelson, traveled around Alaska with a traditional wood-frame and seal-skinned backpack, borrowed from the Inuit.
Since the convenience of the Inuit knapsack was not the highest, the enterprising trapper modified it, patented it and established the mass production of the “Indian Trapper Nelson Backpack.” Unlike the prototype, the improved model more effectively distributed the weight on the back. Later, the development of Nelson began to be called "Alaskan backpack"; so the hint of the original inventors of frame luggage disappeared even from its name (against the background of this story, the modern American battle of Apple for the copyright of the smartphone form becomes clear).
"Alaskan backpack" was later adopted by the US Army.
Although the twentieth century began for a backpack no better and no worse than previous centuries, it was at this time that bags with shoulder straps really went to the masses. As you can see, the proto-backpack was mainly used by those who worked in the forest, endured heavy loads, or served in the army. But not the average man.
In 1938, veteran American 10th Mountain Division, Gerald Cunningham, was one of the first to add zippers to backpacks that appeared a couple of decades before. This momentous event was one of the major turning points in the history of the backpack. The convenient fastener allowed to use absolutely other forms and more effectively to distribute weight that it was impossible to achieve earlier. Later, Cunningham founded his own tourist equipment manufacturing company.
Another important milestone in the history of backpacks was nylon. Synthetic material was first synthesized in 1935 in the laboratory of the American company DuPont, which spent almost a decade on innovative chemical research. Beginning in 1938, a new material - “durable as steel, thin as web” - began to be actively used in the production of consumer goods, from toothbrushes to stockings and clothing. From 1942 until the end of World War II, all nylon was used for military needs: parachutes were sewn and parachutes made.
As in the case of other technologies, the war opened up new uses for nylon and served as an excellent “marketing campaign.” When it was time to return to the “civilian” production, DuPont could not cope with the increased demand - so women cut the old “parachute” fabric and awnings to sew clothes from them. One of these sewing machines was Californian Nena Kelty. Her husband, a tourist enthusiast, Dick Kelty, figured out how to improve army backpacks with a frame. In 1952, they together launched a home production of new items: Dick soldered the frame, Nena sewed everything else.
The "garage" business of the Kelty spouses eventually turned into a serious brand of travel equipment. It was with such a backpack that the team of climbers Norman Direnfoot and Jim Whittaker in 1963 conquered Everest. Then the popular design was refined and improved in the American army - the project ALICE (“Universal light individual transport equipment”) turned out.
Interestingly, it was during these decades that backpacks began to be used in everyday life. Perhaps the first to do this were schoolchildren. Until the 30s inclusive, children tied textbooks with leather belts and wore them in this form, but already in the 40s school bags and knapsacks replaced the belts. The strict image of a typical school bag took shape in the 50s and lasted almost unchanged until the 80s.
Bright fashion of the 70s and the heyday of the hippie era led to the fact that backpacks also bloomed. Efforts, including Jerry Cunningham and the company Jansport, which opened in 1967, have made light daily backpacks for the “free-spirited” young people. Stitched from nylon, vinyl and leather, with obligatory zippers, bright colors and without rigid structures characteristic of durable tourist and military models, these affordable bags could be carried by dirty hippie and college students.
In the 80s, bright children's bags with pictures for the first time gained popularity. Already in the 90s, a school backpack, made of synthetics, became the most familiar thing. In the following years, it gradually increased in size as the school load increased, literally swelling in the eyes of textbooks and notebooks. The grandfather's portfolio was definitely not able to accommodate all the things needed by a student at the beginning of the 21st century.
The modernity of the backpack is expressed in two serious trends, one of which is turned into the future, and the other into the past. The latter is expressed in expensive “vintage” everyday models, made of leather and natural materials, with a claim to a special, “nostalgic” style.
The “futuristic” trend is much more interesting. It is embodied in specialized high-tech backpacks for tourism, travel, everyday use and carrying gadgets. As a rule, they are made from the newest, waterproof and durable materials, from super-dense "Daynemy" to Kevlar. Often there are built-in solar cells, crib, GPS-sensors and various sensors.
The most important changes, as before, affect the shape and basic functions of the backpack. The next important frontier was the safe transfer of property.
The answer to this challenge was strapped steel and titanium cables, wire nets and locks (including code).
But the lock on the backpack belongs to the category of exotic, because it is always inconvenient to use it. In search of alternatives, the Dutch brand XD Design has particularly distinguished itself. His designers were the first to guess to reshape the main compartment of the backpack so that the zipper was hidden by a thick fold of fabric and due to this it became inaccessible to other people's hands. The successful concept first gained recognition on the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform, where in 2016 it collected about ÂŁ 800,000, and then worldwide. The success of the project, called Bobby , led to a whole new wave of "anti-theft" backpacks.
These ideas and innovations exist against the backdrop of thousands of products made in Chinese factories that are ready at any moment to flood the entire world with a colorful tsunami backpack - there would be a demand.
We missed some important stage in the development of the backpack industry? Be sure to share your opinion on this matter in the comments!
Ă–tzi Backpack (Iceman of Tyrol) - 3300 BC
More than 5,300 years ago, a man lived in the Ă–tztal Alps in Tyrol, who apparently was a shepherd. Unfortunately, his life was cut short in 45 years in a very tragic way: an old man, by the standards of that time, was shot from a bow and bled to death on the side of a mountain. The body was frozen into a glacier, where two German tourists found it in that form in 1991.
')
Near the well-preserved mummy (which was given the name "ci") was a lot of personal equipment. Of course, fragile things did not endure the test of time, so in some cases one can only speculate about their purpose. Only the bow, a quiver of arrows, and a knife of flint are recognizable. And there is still debate about the curved rod of hazel - but many archaeologists believe that this is the basis of the wooden "backpack."
Together with other fragments found nearby, a more complete picture is obtained. It is possible that a bag of hides, decayed over thousands of years, was fastened to the preserved frame, in which Etzi carried his simple belongings.
A replica of the find, restored to the state of a backpack, was exhibited at the Museum of Natural History of Dortmund. She has a main compartment and leather handles. But, most importantly, the backpack guess is confirmed by the fact that there are traditional wooden shoulder bags in the Alps. They are still being made, and such devices are called Kraxe.
From baskets to Kraxe
Antique empires and states did not particularly favor leather backpack-like bags. One of the most popular means of carrying things and goods was cheap in the production of the basket. They were in every ancient Egyptian house, and it was in the baskets that the slaves carried provisions and personal belongings behind the Greek hoplites. The resulting logistical difficulties were the main reason why wars ended quickly.
The soldiers of the Roman Empire were already wearing lococules — backpacks that were attached to a walking pole. Part of the equipment was suspended from the bag itself. As a result, the property of the imperial warrior dangled in a “knapsack” behind his back and over his head.
In the Middle Ages, devices appeared in Europe, much more resembling a modern backpack. Baskets with straps were hung behind the back for working in the field and carrying goods. By the 19th century (possibly even earlier), numerous porters worked in Germany and France, who dragged goods on traditional wooden frames derived from the Ă–tzi backpack. The alpine variant, the aforementioned Kraxe, was distinguished by a characteristic wooden shelf.
Such frameworks have become generally accepted in the Scandinavian peninsula. One of the best preserved European backpacks is stored in Norway. It dates back to about the 1880s and consists of two parts: an ash frame and a leather knapsack bag. The backpack is called Sekk med Meis and is part of the collection of the Norwegian Forest Museum.
"Ponyag" yes "flier"
Fast forward from Europe to Asia, namely to the Asian part of Russia. Indigenous peoples of Siberia also needed sacks for prey and things that would be convenient to use in difficult taiga conditions. Therefore, frame “backpacks” have become widespread in the region, vaguely reminiscent of Ötzy equipment: ponyagas and flyers. They were made centuries ago and continue to do today.
Ponyaga is the most difficult to manufacture device. The basis is a bird cherry, willow, willow rod, curved by an arc and connected by an upper lintel and a shelf. The resulting frame is covered with birch bark, the smooth side of which should lie flat on the back. The load is attached to the frame with straps, so the Ponyag has virtually no limit on the volume. The semi-ring of the frame protruding from above serves as a handle of such a “backpack” for carrying in hands. Yet mostly ponyaga is worn on the back on two leather straps. One of the straps is usually put on the peg below and held by the tension force, if necessary, it is easy to loosen and quickly throw off the load.
The flyers are a bale carrying frame made of two branches with symmetrical forks. Jumpers and straps were attached to one of them. The load is clamped between two “slingshots” that are tied together by ropes. The resulting “backpack” is very comfortable on the back, less delays the shoulders due to the high center of gravity, and is easily restored in the event of a breakdown.
Different variants of fliers were found throughout Siberia and Asia. For example, in Vladivostok, at the end of the 19th century, “burners” worked, porters-coolies.
In Korea, a similar construction was called 지게 (“chige”). The first written mention of it dates back to the end of the 17th century, but it can be said with great certainty that such wooden backpacks were actively used on the peninsula in the 7th century.
And in the rest of Russia, especially in the Russian north, birchbark was quite actively used - woven and sewn together with spruce roots. In general, a traditional frame backpack and a basket with straps in one form or another are found all over the globe, on all continents.
White man's burden
If the civilians of Europe and Asia had enough baskets and “flyers” for carrying goods, then the soldiers definitely needed more comfortable, stable and practical bags. This became especially noticeable after the 16th century, when the use of mercenaries began to decline, and European armies needed unified equipment. The natural evolution of soldiers' baggage led to the fact that in the 18th – 20th centuries, army packs were widely distributed.
Remotely, the satchel resembled a Roman loculus, only it was removed from the pole and hung on the soldier for two straps. From above, an additional load was often tied to a knapsack - for example, a rolled overcoat. The material of the bag was either durable leather or cheap tarpaulin and cloth. Such packs were part of the uniforms of the British and French troops, and they were used in the army of the Russian Empire. In the latter, in 1882, a waterproof canvas duffel bag was put into circulation, which was inherited by the Red Army, and then into the modern Russian army.
In the European colonies in North America and the young American state, the military also used army knapsacks. During the civil war of 1861–1865, there were two types of such bags: hard and soft. Both those and others did not differ in convenience, the straps stuck into the chest and brought serious discomfort to the marching soldiers.
Therefore, after the end of the conflict, in 1866, Colonel Henry S. Merriam patented a new type of army pack: with a rigid wooden frame that would redistribute the load. The same frame was to serve as the basis for a small awning.
The inventor for a long time could not start the production and marketing of its development. However, there was a request for more convenient bags in the army, so the Merriam satchel became quite a massive and moderately well-known military model.
Twenty years later, the Norwegian innovator and entrepreneur Ole Bergan has already developed a “civilian” backpack with a rigid frame made of light tubular steel. The Norwegian believed that the bag should be adjusted to the height and shape of the body of its owner.
Bergan achieved this effect due to the simplest form of the frame, which was remotely based on the historical Sekk med Meis. Products brand "Bergans" gained worldwide fame, and the company exists in our days.
The next innovation in the development of the backpack industry is associated with a phenomenon that is regarded in the United States very negatively: with commercial cultural appropriation. In the 1920s, an American hunter, Lloyd F. Nelson, traveled around Alaska with a traditional wood-frame and seal-skinned backpack, borrowed from the Inuit.
Since the convenience of the Inuit knapsack was not the highest, the enterprising trapper modified it, patented it and established the mass production of the “Indian Trapper Nelson Backpack.” Unlike the prototype, the improved model more effectively distributed the weight on the back. Later, the development of Nelson began to be called "Alaskan backpack"; so the hint of the original inventors of frame luggage disappeared even from its name (against the background of this story, the modern American battle of Apple for the copyright of the smartphone form becomes clear).
"Alaskan backpack" was later adopted by the US Army.
The road to lightning, nylon, tourists and schoolchildren
Although the twentieth century began for a backpack no better and no worse than previous centuries, it was at this time that bags with shoulder straps really went to the masses. As you can see, the proto-backpack was mainly used by those who worked in the forest, endured heavy loads, or served in the army. But not the average man.
In 1938, veteran American 10th Mountain Division, Gerald Cunningham, was one of the first to add zippers to backpacks that appeared a couple of decades before. This momentous event was one of the major turning points in the history of the backpack. The convenient fastener allowed to use absolutely other forms and more effectively to distribute weight that it was impossible to achieve earlier. Later, Cunningham founded his own tourist equipment manufacturing company.
Another important milestone in the history of backpacks was nylon. Synthetic material was first synthesized in 1935 in the laboratory of the American company DuPont, which spent almost a decade on innovative chemical research. Beginning in 1938, a new material - “durable as steel, thin as web” - began to be actively used in the production of consumer goods, from toothbrushes to stockings and clothing. From 1942 until the end of World War II, all nylon was used for military needs: parachutes were sewn and parachutes made.
As in the case of other technologies, the war opened up new uses for nylon and served as an excellent “marketing campaign.” When it was time to return to the “civilian” production, DuPont could not cope with the increased demand - so women cut the old “parachute” fabric and awnings to sew clothes from them. One of these sewing machines was Californian Nena Kelty. Her husband, a tourist enthusiast, Dick Kelty, figured out how to improve army backpacks with a frame. In 1952, they together launched a home production of new items: Dick soldered the frame, Nena sewed everything else.
The "garage" business of the Kelty spouses eventually turned into a serious brand of travel equipment. It was with such a backpack that the team of climbers Norman Direnfoot and Jim Whittaker in 1963 conquered Everest. Then the popular design was refined and improved in the American army - the project ALICE (“Universal light individual transport equipment”) turned out.
Interestingly, it was during these decades that backpacks began to be used in everyday life. Perhaps the first to do this were schoolchildren. Until the 30s inclusive, children tied textbooks with leather belts and wore them in this form, but already in the 40s school bags and knapsacks replaced the belts. The strict image of a typical school bag took shape in the 50s and lasted almost unchanged until the 80s.
Bright fashion of the 70s and the heyday of the hippie era led to the fact that backpacks also bloomed. Efforts, including Jerry Cunningham and the company Jansport, which opened in 1967, have made light daily backpacks for the “free-spirited” young people. Stitched from nylon, vinyl and leather, with obligatory zippers, bright colors and without rigid structures characteristic of durable tourist and military models, these affordable bags could be carried by dirty hippie and college students.
In the 80s, bright children's bags with pictures for the first time gained popularity. Already in the 90s, a school backpack, made of synthetics, became the most familiar thing. In the following years, it gradually increased in size as the school load increased, literally swelling in the eyes of textbooks and notebooks. The grandfather's portfolio was definitely not able to accommodate all the things needed by a student at the beginning of the 21st century.
The modernity of the backpack is expressed in two serious trends, one of which is turned into the future, and the other into the past. The latter is expressed in expensive “vintage” everyday models, made of leather and natural materials, with a claim to a special, “nostalgic” style.
The “futuristic” trend is much more interesting. It is embodied in specialized high-tech backpacks for tourism, travel, everyday use and carrying gadgets. As a rule, they are made from the newest, waterproof and durable materials, from super-dense "Daynemy" to Kevlar. Often there are built-in solar cells, crib, GPS-sensors and various sensors.
The most important changes, as before, affect the shape and basic functions of the backpack. The next important frontier was the safe transfer of property.
The answer to this challenge was strapped steel and titanium cables, wire nets and locks (including code).
But the lock on the backpack belongs to the category of exotic, because it is always inconvenient to use it. In search of alternatives, the Dutch brand XD Design has particularly distinguished itself. His designers were the first to guess to reshape the main compartment of the backpack so that the zipper was hidden by a thick fold of fabric and due to this it became inaccessible to other people's hands. The successful concept first gained recognition on the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform, where in 2016 it collected about ÂŁ 800,000, and then worldwide. The success of the project, called Bobby , led to a whole new wave of "anti-theft" backpacks.
These ideas and innovations exist against the backdrop of thousands of products made in Chinese factories that are ready at any moment to flood the entire world with a colorful tsunami backpack - there would be a demand.
We missed some important stage in the development of the backpack industry? Be sure to share your opinion on this matter in the comments!
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/371113/
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