The Evolution of Backpacking by Sarah Pisarczyk

The Evolution of Backpacking

by Sarah Pisarczyk

Copyright © 2021 Sarah Pisarczyk All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Designed and printed by Sarah Pisarczyk at the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design of the University of Michigan, in the United States of America. First printing, 2021. 2000 Bonisteel Blvd Ann Arbor, MI 48109 www.sarahpisarczyk.com

contents origins...................................................................................................................... 6 innovation........................................................................................................ 12 community...................................................................................................... 18 ultralight........................................................................................................... 24 onward................................................................................................................. 30

To Casey Rheault:

Thank you for always pushing me to be the best artist and designer I can be. You are the best friend and peer I could ever ask for.

You encouraged me to get back to what I love in a time where it felt impossible. Couldn’t have done this semester without you.

acknowledgments For as long as people have been on Earth, we have needed to carry things. Possession of items is an extremely human trait. Through my passion of backpacking (a term here meaning the activity of hiking and camping with all one’s belongings in a backpack), I discovered that there was a rich design history of backpacks as utilitarian objects which I quickly became eager to explore.

While this is by no means a complete history or every backpack ever created, this work provides an overview of how the designs and community surrounding backpacking in the outdoors evolved to be where it is today.

back·pack (n.) /’bak,pak/

also back-pack, “bag with shoulder straps that allow it to be carried on a person’s back,” from back (n.) + pack (n.). By 1916 as a verb, “to hike while carrying supplies in a backpack.” related: backpacked; backpacking.

Colby Outdoor Orientation Trip hiking group on mountain in Maine September 6, 1992

origins While there are debates on when and where the first backpacks were made and used, they can be traced back to the Roman empire and some believe as far as some of the later cavemen. Regardless of when exactly backpacks came to be, it is a relatively simple concept that has grown into a designed object with hundreds of thousands of variations, versions, and models. When you walk into any school or on any college campus today, you see hundreds upon thousands of students with backpacks to carry the tools necessary for their education. To the other extreme, on the trails, you find hikers (now known as “backpackers”) hauling everything they need to survive on their back. As long as humans have been alive and mobile, we have needed to carry things with us and backpacks have served their purpose in that way, but when we look deeper into their evolution we find a rich history of innovative design that have shaped our relationship with objects, commuting, and community. The design history of these objects gives us a look into the incredibly human ability to consistently improve and adapt for growing needs and desires.

Twilled rattan waterproof backpack created in the Phillippine Islands - shown in Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904

Late 19th Century 1876

1860s

timeline 625BC-476AD 8

Soldiers in the Roman Legion under the Roman Empire carry marching kits called furcas (latin for “fork”) which are one of the earliest forms of packs, hanging objects, gear, and bags off a cross shaped stick.

During the American Civil War, bedrolls become a common way to carry items in addition to the frameless knapsacks issued by the government. The convenience of quickly being able to pack up all belongings is important to soldiers who roll and strapped down items, slinging over their shoulders. Knapsacks are large, simple bags with minimal straps to keep other loose, less frequently needed items.

Due to the discomfort of large packs, Henry Merriam invents a framed pack to transfer the weight from the shoulders to the hips. This invention is revolutionary and its influence can still be seen today in modern pack technology.

Hobo “bindles” emerge, similar to the marching kits used in the Roman Legion but much more minimally using only a stick and bundle at the end.

1938

1952 Lloyd Nelson designs the first ever mass produced external frame pack. A wooden frame with a canvas pack utilizes canvas bands, steel pins, and tension to cushion the load, create ventilation, and keep the weight of the pack off shoulders. This pack is considered to be one of the first major steps in modern backpacking technology.

1940-1950s

1924

1920s 1909

Ole Bergen creates the first ergonomic knapsack using a piece of bent steel to structure the entire bag and keep items from hitting the back of the user. Inspiration is drawn from the packs of indigenous people in the Americas.

Bobbin and Shuttle’s Boy Scout Pack Carrier utilizes a wooden frame in an L shape to create a shelf with simple straps to set a large sack or any bag on top of.

Jerry Cunningham added zippers to packs for the first time, upgrading from exclusively straps and buckles. This means more compartments and less weight for users.

Aircraft engineer Dick Kelty creates the revolution that kickstarts modern backpacking: the aluminum frame backpack. Using extremely low weight materials like aircraft aluminum, parachute fabric, and plastic buckles, pieces, misc. items. In partnership with his wife, Nena, they craft and sew a lightweight pack on a aluminum frame with padded shoulder straps, focusing the weight onto the hips with a thick hip belt.

After WWII, book bags started becoming commonplace for students. Fjallraven’s “Kanken” designed by Ake Nordin. He created a canvas bag attached to a frame held close to the body, up higher to relieve muscles on long hikes or walks. This backpack rose in popularity and still is manufactured and loved around the world today.

1989

Competitive Biker and EMT Michael Eidson transforms medical equipment (an IV bag, surgical tubing, and a sock) into a hydration bladder for races so he doesn’t have to fumble around with bottles. These hydration packs become so popular, the company Camelbak emerges and the modern hydration bladder is born.

Deuter’s mesh backing provides lightweight, ventilated structure improving comfort and performance for backpackers. It also distributes weight in a new way, relieving pressure and preventing pain.

1998

Greg Lowe’s internal frame backpacks are a huge leap for the hiking community. For major hikers and mountain climbers, the loads individuals carry require control external frame packs lacked. Lowe’s internal frame keeps the pack close to the body and transfers weight to the hips while structuring the bag for intense loads. Sternum and compression straps (which are still seen on most backpacking packs today) are added to improve performance on the trails.

1984

1970s 1967

1950s

Utilizing lightweight nylon, Jerry Cunningham creates a frameless, nylon pack commonly associated with students today.

Three friends in Washington (Skip Yowell, an outdoor enthusiast; Murray Pletz, an engineer; and Jan Lewis, an accomplished seamstress) joined forces to create Jansport’s PanelLoading College backpacks. What starts with a design competition to create backpacking packs turns into inventing the modern standard of book bags.

Demetri and Kim Coupounas utilize dyneema to create backpacks with no frame or hip belt and develop a new brand, Go Lite. This is arguably the start of the “ultralight” movement in backpacking - utilizing the lightest material possible to minimize weight and rid all unnecessary features.

2015

2005

Tired of all the bells and whistles of typical backpacking packs, triple crowner Joe Valesco starts his company Zpacks. Utilizing a new carbon frame system and featuring dyneema, Zpacks creates a new category of ultralight packs.

A leader in the backpacking industry, Osprey, creates the Anti-Gravity Suspension System. This system utilizes mesh netting from the back down through the front of the hip pads to maximize airflow, improve weight redistribution, and increase surface area of support by unifying the suspension.

innovation The design evolution of backpacking packs is directly tied to the popularity of the activity and the increasing technology to develop gear and equipment. After the Civil War, when military surplus equipment and a larger middle class emerged, individuals were encouraged to get outside and had the supplies to do so. Backpacking is also greatly tied to the establishment of longdistance trails in North America. During the 1960s and 1970s, there was a dramatic increase in backpacking’s popularity which many attribute to the National Scenic Trail Act and general outdoors movement, which encouraged people to explore the outdoors, hike, camp, and backpack. It gave way to the both Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail - now prolific in the outdoor community - and made the outdoors more accessible. After WWI and even more so after WWII, availability of surplus as well as economic growth and the Interstate Highway System all contributed to an increased desire and ability to explore the outdoors.

Board in Osprey Design office highlighting the creative process of their team developing new product.

With wars came new developments in technology that were then applied to outdoor gear. Then, the more time people spent outdoors, the more design problems arose for emerging companies and individuals to tackle to create the best experience possible on the trails. Today, with an established love for the outdoors, many brands are pushing the boundaries of product design to enhance experiences to the best of their ability. But it has become much more than just function. Just like anything else designed has potential for, intentional choices about relationships to human bodies, environment, and other objects are made with material science, color choices, and aesthetics in mind. The design history of backpacking is rich with innovation and continues to be an area of product development that is pushing the boundaries of what is possible for human achievement.

Product design at Osprey Packs is hands-on, collaborative, iterative, and done with extreme intentionality. They work with cardboard because it’s quick, inexpensive and can be deconstructed to become the product pattern. The design team can handle the finished product without wasting either materials or time shipping.

After an extensive design, review, and approval process, designs are digitized and sent to factories. The details for each of these patterns are extreme and outline every piece of a product. Software allows maximization of materials to eliminate waste and produce maximum output.

Low fidelity models and other methods of high quantity iterative processes are used to work through design solutions at outdoor companies like Osprey Packs, one of the leaders in the industry for backpacking gear.

Photo from Osprey’s design workshop where hundreds of test materials and colors live.

community One of the most outstanding and drawing aspects about modern backpacking is the community that has formed around the hobby. Backpackers across the world cross paths on trails and adventures finding common ground in the act of walking and being outdoors. Not only does time in the outdoors create special bonds between strangers in real life, but a passion for a lifestyle and hobby of escaping to the outdoors with all of your needs strapped to your back extends to the internet. Looking at the culture of backpacking, its history shows us that tight-knit support systems are not new. During the mid to late 1800s, hiking clubs began to gain popularity. Both men and women were involved in these outdoor activities and were encouraged to explore with excitement. The Appalachian Mountain Club, the Sierra Club, The Masamas, the Mountaineers, and the Green Mountain Club are some of the most notable that emerged during this time. All of these groups have been instrumental in the development of long distance trails in North America and the culture of the outdoor community in general. Colby Outdoor Orientation Trip hiking group on mountain trail September 5, 1992

LA Municipal Camp hikers - 1916

Sierra Club - 1970

COOT - 1990s

Independent trip between friends

Apoge Adventures summer camp for teens facilitates backpacking trips and community.

Another, extremely modern aspect of the backpacking community comes with the internet involved. With increasing access to social media and an ability to share our experiences with others, a new sort of influencer has emerged in the digital space. There are a plethora of names for and sub communities within the world of backpacking; think “granola”, “van life”, “outdoorsy”, “thru hiking”, “gear junkies”, etc. This online presence for discourse over design of and love for outdoor gear has allowed for more innovation than ever before and a welcoming environment for increasing numbers of people to experience the outdoors in a new way.

Outdoor influencer Brooke Pierson who has a successful Instagram, blog, and multipe forms of social media (@brookewillson).

Photo from outdoor influencer Andrea Ference who rose to fame on Instagram and has a community of over 347,000 followers (@ vagabondhearts).

Photo from Elina Osborne’s Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike with friends made along the trail

ultralight Interestingly, even though the framed pack seemed critical to the design evolution of backpacking, there has been a push back lately - what if we didn’t need the ability to carry more but the innovation and technology to use less. As increasing numbers of people take to the trails and the outdoor gear industry continues to innovate, many have become enthralled with the “ultralight” movement. Ultralight is exactly what it sounds like - gear enthusiasts around the world are working to lower their base weights in order to focus more on the trip and less on what they are hauling in their packs. This phenomenon has emerged into yet another community of people online and on the trails attempting to make their hobby and experience as enjoyable as possible.

“Adventure Alan” on YouTube from “Why You Won’t Freeze or Starve Ultralight Backpacking”

There is a whole subset of the greater backpacking community that specializes in ultralight and their presence is seen across social media platforms often in the form of aesthetics. One major resistance to this subculture is the extreme expense of ultralight. Even though technology is improving and lighter materials are being developed, the question of value in spending a fortune on the hobby and sport of backpacking is a large debate in the current evolution of pack (and overall outdoor experience) design. While there is no right or wrong to ultralight, there are a lot of opinions and a vast virtual presence of influencers and recreational backpackers who share their experiences, tips, and tricks. Depending on personal preferences, individuals weigh (literally) the pros and cons of different gear, luxury items, and other base weight items to determine how to get their pack to the lightest possible while meeting their individual needs.

In advertisements, the sense of weightlessness is shown off to appeal to the idea of backpacking being less of a heavy load activity

Hyperlite Mountain Gear is one of the leaders in ultralight backpacking and in this ad they highlight their product in a way that aligns with the aesthetics of many outdoor influencers.

YouTuber gives in-depth gear reccomendations afte rexperience with ultralight on trail.

Photo from REI’s Ultralight Backpacking Basics

onward Backpacking is constantly evolving and provides an exciting space for the marriage of outdoor enthusiasm and design. From the first external frame packs to innovative suspension systems today, the designs of packs have experienced a dramatic evolution that isn’t stopping any time soon. The internet and social media have created a whole new space for backpackers to explore and innovate gear together virtually, specifically in the space of ultralight. Presently, McHale & Company, Hilltop Packs, and LiteAF, and many others are entering the space of custom designed backpacks, allowing people to have direct control over their specific needs in packs and customize to preferences. Mammut is developing and selling a new kind of “Active Suspension”, changing the connection points between pieces of the pack and contact points with the body in order to create more organic movement. HoverGlide is on the forefront of innovation with their Floating Packs, utilizing a shock/suspension system to allow the pack to glide up and down while the body moves to reduce impact on the body and allow the wearer to carry heavier loads. Needless to say as long as people love the outdoors, backpacking will have a place in product design. 30

Peter Marlow’s “AUSTRIA” from hike through the Austrian Alps.

The Evolution of Backpacking

Articles inside

community

innovation

onward

origins

ultralight