Back Carriers/ Backpacks

A backpack is, in its simplest form, a cloth sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders (because of this are called shoulder straps) and below the armpits. more...

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Backpacks are often preferred to handbags for carrying heavy loads for long periods of time, because the shoulders are better suited for bearing heavy weights for long periods of time than the hands are. 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, because the hips are even stronger than the shoulders, and increases agility and balance, because the load rides nearer the person's own center of mass.

Most backpacks are made from soft materials, but the Boblbee company has introduced a popular product line made with hard (monocoque) shells.

Terminology

The word backpack was coined in the United States in the 1910s. Knapsack and packsack were used before; they now occur mainly as regionalisms in North America. The British created the names rucksack (a German loanword - 'rücken' being the bodypart 'back'), haversack, and Bergen (from the manufacturer's name Bergans, used for a rucksack supported by an external frame, usually associated with the British Armed Forces).

Special-purpose backpacks

Some backpacks are specifically designed to carry certain items. Common examples include backpacks for small, high-value items such as laptop computers and cameras (see photo). It is also possible to buy "picnic basket" backpacks that come with plastic dishes and utensils, a tablecloth, etc. Hydration packs carry water and have a tube connected to them from which the wearer can drink. Backpacks that carry skateboards have also become more popular in the youth culture.

Backpacks for backpacking

One common special type of backpack (often just called a 'pack') is designed for backpacking. Packs are more complex than most other backpacks, may have many pockets on the outside and sometimes even a subdivided main compartment. They can have lash points on the exterior, so that bulky items may be strapped on; although some backpackers will try to stuff everything into the pack. Packs typically stand about 3 feet (1 m) tall; and have a content between 60 and 100 litres.

Packs come in two main types.

The more traditional type uses a rigid, external frame which is strapped on the back and in turn carries and supports a cloth sack and potential strapped on items. Wooden pack frames have been used for centuries around the world, and metal versions first appeared in the mid-20th century. Modern pack frames are usually made from lightweight aluminium tubes. The frame typically has a system of straps and pads to keep the sack and the frame from contacting the body. The open structure has the added benefit of improved ventilation and decreased sweatiness. The fabric part of the pack occupies part of the frame's length, but the frame typically protrudes above and below. These areas of the frame allow bulky items (such tents, sleeping bags, and thermal pads) to be strapped on. Thus the main compartment is smaller than that of an internal-frame pack, because bulky items (tents, sleeping bags, thermal pads) are strapped to the parts of the frame not occupied by the main compartment itself.

Read more at Wikipedia.org