Humans have been carrying loads around on their backs since time immemorial. But it hasn’t always been easy. Years ago, hikers struggled under cumbersome, ill-fitting packs. This made the hours spent traipsing through the woods miserable. Over time, pack technology has gotten better. Let’s take a look.
Before there were backpacking packs there were knapsacks, which were packs with shoulder straps that lacked any structure. Henry Merriam submitted a patent in 1877 (patented the following year) for a pack for the United States Army that used sheet metal to rig the bag away from the wearer’s body. Merriam wrote the that the pack helped by, “reducing the number of separate equipments, lessening the weight to be carried, and at the same time disposing it more uniformly, and leaving the body of the soldier freer and less hampered by straps and other fastenings.” It ended up being discarded because it simply was too uncomfortable.
Camille Poirier of Duluth stepped up in 1882 to try something different. Poirier wanted to make sure his customers could carry a pack and portage a canoe at the same time, leading him to innovate a pack that sat lower on the wearer’s back and featured a head strap. This pack consisted of a large, durable canvas bag secured by straps and buckles. It had a square shape, made to fit easily into the bottom of the canoe. It was so loved, bags of a similar nature are still in production today.
Near the turn of the century the noun “back-pack” started circulating. It took another eight years to become a verb (i.e., backpacked or backpacking).
Ole F. Bergan was returning home from a hunting trip when he decided enough was enough, he was going to combine the traditional Norwegian wooden frame with the soft material of a sack. He soon realized he needed to replace the birch he was using with light tubular steel that followed the shape of the back. His patent lasted for 25 years, during which time his packs traveled across the globe.
This was the first-ever mass-produced external-frame pack. Nelson iterated on Inuit-made stick-and-sealskin backpacks that he first saw while visiting Alaska in 1920. This pack’s revolutionary design featured a stabilizing wooden pack frame with canvas bands that cushioned the load—a far cry from the bulky Duluth pack. A canvas bag was attached to the wooden frame with steel pins, so the wearer could detach the bag easily. The pack remained popular for years, even appearing in the first REI catalog in 1939. It came in three sizes, the largest costing $7.50, complete with a canvas bag. It remained the leading pack sold by the co-op through the ’50s.
Up until 1938, straps and buckles were the way that packs closed. Gerry Cunningham changed the game by creating a backpack with two zippered sections. He was able to keep his load lighter and within reach for his primary use—rock climbing.
In 1950, Åke Nordin, the founder of Fjällräven, was trekking in the mountains with a good friend and got sick of carrying his gear low and far from his back. Soon after returning home, he sat down at his mother’s treadle sewing machine and sewed a cotton bag. He next fashioned a wooden frame that would keep the load high and close to his back, and then fastened the bag to the frame with leather straps. This pack is what inspired Nordin to found his now-famous company.
Dick and Nena Kelty began handcrafting external-frame backpacks that brought the pack into the modern era. Using parachute fabric, buckles and other items leftover from World War II, the pair transformed the industry. Dick hand-formed and welded the pack frames while Nina sewed each pack. Theirs were the first packs to use aircraft aluminum, contoured frames, padded shoulder straps and waistbelts—although the waistbelt did not transfer pack load to the wearer’s hips until a few years later.
Greg Lowe, founder of Lowepro, created the first internal-frame backpack in his garage in Colorado. Frameless packs were too small to carry large loads and external packs were unbalanced on technical terrain. This pack had a frame stiff enough to transfer the load to the hipbelt, but flexible enough to contour to the shape of the wearer’s body. Lowe added a sternum strap and side compression straps, making this the first backpack that most closely resembles modern-day packs.
The Keltys continued to innovate in pack design. Dick Kelty designed and produced the first quick-release hipbelt buckle for a pack. It was made of stainless steel, and this sturdy buckle helped secure the pack tightly around the waist. This development allowed the weight of the pack to be transferred to the wearer’s hips, a given in modern-day pack design.
Lowe Alpine realized that their big packs didn’t fit smaller bodies. They were filling the void with custom packs featuring narrower shoulder pads, built on demand, but wanted to scale-up the operation. In 1979, Lowe Alpine started making their big packs adjustable for smaller people. By 1981, they had a full line called the Nanda Devi Series, offering options for female backpackers.
After years of sweating while wearing traditional packs, Deuter patented the idea of a mesh backing in 1984. The mesh created a ventilated space between the wearer’s back and the backpack, allowing cooling airflow to help keep hikers comfy on the trail. Soon other manufacturers took the idea and ran with it, innovating many different types of pack ventilation.
Micheal Eidson, a paramedic, was trying to figure out how to carry enough water for a hot Texas 100-mile bike ride. He finally rigged a system with an IV bag and a surgical tubing straw. The whole thing was housed in a tube sock sewn to his jersey. A few years later, CamelBak was on the market, and the history of backpacking hasn’t been the same.
Demetri and Kim Coupounas were sick of hauling heavy gear over long distances. That’s why they founded GoLite, now My Trail Company. The first pack they introduced, the Breeze, had no hipbelt or framesheet and was the first pack to use lightweight and super strong Dyneema®. The innovation of this pack marked a shift in which the outdoor industry began using lighter materials for lighter gear.
]]>Most beginner archers start their archery journey in the backyard. Backyard archery is becoming ever more popular as more and more people want to get started in the world of the bow and arrow. Backyard archery appeals to beginners for several reasons.
This article explores some basic considerations and recommendations with regard to setting up a backyard archery range and starting to practice.
People have been practicing archery for thousands of years. Before the archer was thrown into a hunting party or a military expedition, they were required to practice. For many students of the art of archery, the practice range was in or around their homes. If you plan on setting up a backyard archery range and begin practicing, you are following a very old tradition, which was practiced for millennia.
Alright, so we got the boring but necessary legalities out of the way. Now, another important aspect of practicing archery responsibly, on a range or anywhere, is the issue and concern of safety. You will seek the elimination of the possibility of stray arrows causing damage to lifeforms and/or property.
Ideally, your property should be fenced in unless you are in a rural area with lots of open lands. The fencing should be solid (without any holes or large openings) and relatively tall (once again see bylaws of your area). The fencing will act as another layer of protection from stray arrows. It will also keep your archery range from easily being seen by nosy neighbors, even if you are following all the laws. Some people, understandably, just don’t like the idea of arrows flying around the neighborhood.
As previously mentioned, safety will be your number one consideration when actually setting up the range layout. Assuming the ideal situation, with lots of wooded land around your property, adequate fencing, and a lack of neighbors, here are the next items you may want to consider when setting up your backyard archery range:
An archery range backstop helps mitigate the risk of stray arrows. The backstop is simply placed behind the target and absorbs arrows that have not met their mark. A good backstop also helps ensure that stray arrows are not damaged or lost. A wide range of backstop materials and designs are available for purchase and construction.
What are you actually going to practice shooting on? A wide variety of archery targets are available on the market these days, or you could make your very own out of a suitable material. Here are some options and considerations:
If you are tight on a budget and are a handy, do-it-yourself kind of person, making the archery target for yourself may be a good option. The materials used in constructing the backstop are also viable candidates for the target itself. Bales of hay are the cheapest one of the cheapest and easiest to obtain/set up. Carpeting and linoleum flooring is also potentially a good option.
Then, you can purchase target face sheets of all types online, or at your local sporting goods store, and stick them onto your homemade target. Viola! You now have an archery target ready to be shot at.
Why are you practicing archery? Do you want to have a fun hobby and get good at shooting targets? Or do you eventually want to go hunting? If you are interested in hunting with your bow, three-dimensional (3D) targets would be ideal to practice with.
3D targets come in a variety of forms, usually made in the likeness of common game animals such as deer, turkeys, rabbits, etc. Three-dimensional targets are also available in a variety of other fun forms like zombies, dinosaurs, and other fantastical creatures. There is a plethora of fun and interesting 3D targets to choose from.
If your main or only focus in archery is target shooting, there are many high quality, durable targets available for purchase at fireandiceoutdoors.net.
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