Such packs are used for general transportation of goods, and have variable capacity. The simplest backpack design is a bag attached to a set of shoulder straps. The load must be dispersed onto the skeletal structure in an even manner, and should not produce unbalanced forces on the body. The ideal load carrying system should not disturb the wearer's natural posture, balance and maneuverability. The majority of the load in a bodypack is carried by the hips. Most backpacks are capable of being closed with either a buckle mechanism, a zipper, or a dry-bag type closure, though a few models use a drawstring fitted with a cord lock for the main compartment.Ī bodypack is a backpack fitted with one or more pockets that are suspended on the wearer's chest and loaded in such a way that the load in the front and the load in the back are close to equal. Most of the weight is therefore taken off the shoulders, reducing the chance of injury from shoulder strap pressure (many backpacks equipped solely with shoulder straps can affect the posture of a person carrying more than 14 kg (30 lbs)), as well as being less restrictive of the upper body range of motion. A pack frame, when present, serves to support the pack and distribute the weight of its contents across the body more appropriately, by transferring much of the weight to the hips and legs. Backpack designsīackpack with non flexible composite straps īackpacks in general fall into one of four categories: frameless, external frame, internal frame, and bodypack. A contender for the earliest was found within the mummified remains of Ötzi in 3300BC. Long before its various terminologies began appearing in print, evidence of early backpacks was scarce. They are also used in recreational activities, and have long since been used to carry sports equipment and other materials. īackpacks can often simply be referred to as 'packs', especially in outdoors contexts though sometimes ambiguous compared to other bags such as saddlebags and duffel bags, context is generally sufficient for identification.

Bergan, combined with the name of the Norwegian city of Bergen. In fact, Britons used to call Alpine-style backpacks 'Bergen rucksacks', maybe from the name of their creator, Norwegian Ole F. This is commonly used in Canada.Īlternative names include haversack from the German Hafersack meaning 'oat sack' (which more properly describes a small cloth bag on a strap worn over one shoulder and originally referred to the bag of oats carried as horse fodder), Kraxe (a German rucksack with a rigid framework), and bergen (a large load-carrying rucksack, from a design issued by the British Army during the Second World War). The word knapsack was the usual name for a rucksack or backpack up until the middle of the 20th century. The name rucksack is cognate with the Danish rygsæk, Norwegian ryggsekk, Dutch rugzak, Afrikaans rugsak, Swedish ryggsäck, and Russian рюкзак ( rjukzak). In modern German the word 'der Rucksack' is commonly used. In Middle High German ruck(e) means 'back' (dorsum), which led to the Upper German word ruggsack. The word rucksack is a German loanword mainly used in the UK, US and in other Western military forces. Moneybag and packsack were used prior, and now occur mainly as regionalisms. The word backpack was coined in the United States in the 1910s. This improves the potential to carry heavy loads, as the hips are stronger than the shoulders, and also increases agility and balance, since the load rides nearer the wearer's own center of mass. running, cycling, hiking and hydration), usually offload the largest part (up to about 90%) of their weight onto padded hip belts, leaving the shoulder straps mainly for stabilising the load. Large backpacks, used to carry loads over 10 kilograms (22 lb), as well as smaller sports backpacks (e.g. A backpack-also called knapsack, schoolbag, rucksack, rucksac, pack, sackpack, booksack, bookbag or backsack-is, in its simplest frameless form, a fabric sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders, but it can have an external frame, internal frame, and there are bodypacks.īackpacks are commonly used by hikers and students, and are often preferred to handbags for carrying heavy loads or carrying any sort of equipment, because of the limited capacity to carry heavy weights for long periods of time in the hands.

Knapsack vs backpack