Bags
A backpack (also called rucksack, knapsack, packsack, pack, Haversack, or Bergen)
is, in its simplest form, a cloth sack carried on one's back and secured with two
straps that go over the shoulders, but there can be exceptions. Light weight types
of backpacks are sometimes worn on only one shoulder strap, or in the hand like
an ordinary bag. Backpacks are often preferred to handbags for carrying heavy loads,
because of the limited capacity to carry heavy weights for long periods of time
in the hands. Large backpacks, used to carry loads over 10 kg, 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. 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 person's own center of mass.
In ancient times, the backpack was used as a means to carry the hunter's larger
game and other types of prey as a way of easier transport. In the cases of larger
hunts, the hunters would dismember their prey and distribute the pieces of the animal
around each one packing the meat into many wrappings and then into a bag which they
place on to their back. The bag itself was made up of different animal hide and
skin (depending on what sorts of animals were in the area) and sewn together by
the intestines of said animals, which were woven together tightly to make a sturdy
thread-like material. In many countries, backpacks are heavily identified with students,
and are a primary means of transporting educational materials to and from school.
In this context they are sometimes known as bookbags or schoolbags. The purchase
of a suitably fashionable, attractive, and useful backpack is a crucial back-to-school
ritual for many students.
Typical school backpacks generally lack the rigid frame of an outdoor-style backpack
and include only a few pockets in addition to the main holding space of the pack.
While traditionally very simple in design, school backpacks are often made with
padded straps and backs as well as additional reinforcement to hold large numbers
of heavy textbooks, as well as safety features such as reflective panels to make
the wearer of the pack more visible at night. It is very common for schools (especially
colleges and universities) to sell backpacks decorated with the school logo. Specialist
ergonomic back packs are available that are designed to protect young backs and
distribute the weight across the strongest muscles and relieve pressure on the neck
and spine. Backpacks are sometimes worn as fashion accessories, in which they perform
the same function as a purse.
Some such backpacks designed specifically for women are no larger than a typical
purse, and are generally associated with younger, often college-age women. Special-purpose
backpacks Camera backpack Camera backpack Some backpacks are specifically designed
to carry certain items. Common examples include backpacks for small, high-value
items such as laptops and cameras (see photo); backpacks designed to hold laptop
computers in particular generally have a padded compartment to hold the computer
and are especially common in college and university settings. It is also possible
to buy "picnic basket" backpacks that come with plastic dishes and utensils, a tablecloth,
etc. Backpacks (often made of clear plastic) are sometimes used as a type of packaging,
particularly for educational toys and games targeted at children. In retail settings,
loss prevention rules sometimes require employees to use clear plastic backpacks
(as well as purses) to carry materials to and from work to prevent loss by employee
theft. There are also single-strap packs that are essentially a hybrid between a
backpack and a messenger bag. Inexpensive, very simple packs that combine the drawstring
and straps into a single piece of cloth or webbing are occasionally sold for use
at sporting events and the like. Some high-end retailers (notably Apple Stores)
use a similar design for their shopping bags as well. Rolling backpacks are backpacks
with wheels on the bottom and an extending handle to ease carrying objects inside
the backpacks. Because of its design, rolling backpacks reduce the strain on one's
back, which is more ergonomic than regular backpacks, though rolling backpacks can
be carried on the back as well. Backpacks for professional use Backpacks are a standard
part of the carrying equipment of soldiers, especially infantry, in most countries,
and military-style packs are regularly available to civilians in military surplus
stores. Well-known examples include the United States ALICE field pack and the British
Army PLCE rucksack attachment, both of which are widely available to civilian markets
both as actual military surplus (new or used) and as replicas. Such packs are often,
though not always (e.g. the USMC's ILBE pack), external-frame packs, with the pack
itself lashed or pinned to a metal or plastic carrying frame. Many police tactical
units, as well as players of military-style combat games such as paintball and airsoft,
use military-style backpacks and webbing for storing gear and ammunition. There
is also a small but thriving industry devoted to creating historical reproductions
of military gear; such companies generally produce period-appropriate uniforms and
other gear in addition to backpacks. Some more recent military/tactical designs,
especially the MOLLE and ILBE packs used by the United States armed forces, are
covered with webbing loop attachment points for increased carrying capacity. Backpacks
for leisure and travel Backpacks are sometimes used as luggage, particularly as
carry-on bags for airplane travel. Backpacks form an essential part of the gear
of the outdoor trekker and the urban backpacker, allowing more mobility and compactness
than would be available to someone carrying most of their gear and clothing in a
suitcase. In addition to their use in outdoors pursuits, backpacks are sometimes
used in other sports as well. Hydration packs, sometimes used by runners and bicyclists,
carry water (in either a bladder or a rigid bottle) and have a tube connected to
them from which the wearer can drink without removing the pack; this feature is
also included in some more general-purpose hiking backpacks. Backpacks that carry
skateboards have also become more popular in the youth culture.
Backpacks for outdoor activities Large internal-frame backpack Large internal-frame
backpack One common special type of backpack (sometimes referred to as a "technical
pack" or "frame pack") is designed for backpacking and other outdoors activities.
These type of packs are more complex than most other backpacks. Compared to backpacks
used for more day-to-day purposes such as schoolbooks, such packs are designed to
carry substantially heavier loads, and as a result most such packs attach not only
at the shoulders but at the hips, using a padded hip belt to distribute the majority
of the weight of the pack to the legs and not the back. The often heavily padded
and sometimes semi-rigid shoulder straps are mainly for balancing the weight. They
usually (except for those used in ultralight backpacking) have a metal or plastic
frame to support and distribute the weight of the pack. Larger packs of this type
tend to have a subdivided main compartment. These trekking packs often have several
pockets on the outside; they may also have lash points on the exterior (either directly
attached to the frame or webbing loops), so that bulky items may be strapped on,
although depending on the pack design and type of trek most backpackers will try
to stuff everything into the pack.
Multiday packs typically have a content between 60 and 100 liters (and are about
3ft /1 meter tall). Smaller packs with similar features are available for shorter
trips. The most common materials for such packs are canvas and nylon, either ripstop
fabric for lightweight packs or heavier fabric such as cordura for more typical
usage. Most such packs are purpose-designed for the outdoors market; however, it
is not uncommon for military surplus packing gear to be sold to outdoorspeople as
well for the same purpose. The cheaper versions of the outdoor packs are often favoured
by city trekkers; as they have a large volume and still carry relatively easily.
Outdoors packs, in addition to the distinction between external-frame and internal-frame,
can be further subdivided based on the duration of trip a pack might be expected
to be used on; daypacks hold supplies for a single day's hiking (size about 20-30
litres), while "weekender" bags can hold two to three day's worth of gear and supplies
(sizes about 40-50 litres). Larger packs generally have no specific names but are
designed to distribute the weight of increased numbers of gear and supplies for
longer-duration trips (60-100 litres); such packs often include complex ergonomic
support features to simplify the carrying of large amounts of weight. A third type
with little or no frame at all, similar to the bookbags used by students and made
of light fabric (often nylon ripstop, as mentioned above), is used in ultralight
backpacking to eliminate the weight of the frame and heavy fabric used in more typical
outdoors packs. Despite (or perhaps because of) their lesser weight, such packs
are seldom less expensive than more typical, regular-weight packs. In addition,
outdoors packs are designed for specific purposes such as kayaking/canoeing, rock
climbing, mountaineering, cross country skiing, and other such activities. Packs
used in competitive strategic sports such as paintball and airsoft are often based
on or actually are military gear.
|