Backpacking as a recreational activity actually dates back to the 1900s. The basic design of a backpack is a canvas bag with shoulder straps attached; a pack that is worn on the back. Simple and elegant, with one downside: if not properly packed, there is no way to prevent the contents from digging into the wearer’s back. Evidently there was a change from that design into what we now know as the modern backpack, but what was it, and who changed it?

The change was simply attaching the bag to a flat board that rested on the back of the wearer, thus separating the contents of the pack from the back. This flat board is called a pack board for obvious reasons. With this ingenious invention, the modern backpack was born. The inventor? Lloyd F. Nelson, an explorer who first came up with the idea for the pack board during a trip to Alaska in the spring of 1920.

The pack board also made it easier to carry the contents of the pack because it distributed weight more evenly, allowing for a more relaxed hiking experience. The design remains basically the same today, with a few variations introduced by users in different professions, such as the military.

Aside from this short little history, the truth is no really knows who first came up with the idea for the first backpack. Now, packs have been carried around on backs for thousands of years all over the world, but what got the backpack started? Obviously the modern backpack could not have been made with the invention of the zipper. Whitcomb Judson is credited with inventing the zipper in 1893. The only hitch is it was not called a zipper! The official name was the “Clasp Locker”, and it was a complicated hook-and-eye assembly.

A Swede designed the modern zipper named Gideon Sundback, who became head of the company founded by Judson to manufacturer Clasp Lockers. The zipper made its first appearance in 1913. So, we know the backpack could not have been put together before 1913 because the zipper had not been officially invented yet. But that doesn’t answer the question of when did the backpack first appear?

The answer is the backpack as we know it today started appearing in the 1920s, complete with zipper and all. Nelson’s invention of the pack board combined with Sundback’s invention with the zipper made an irresistible combination. Backpacks have been a staple of our society ever since, and they have gone on to enjoy wide popularity around the world.

Backpacks have undergone many changes since the basic design first appeared. Originally, a backpack was just a bag attached to strap that was worn on the back. As detailed in another post, with the invention of the Nelson pack board and the Sundback zipper, the backpack as we know it today emerged. Back then, it was a simple affair. A plain pack made of fiber opened and closed with a zipper, allowing the portable storage of personal items for some excursion – a holiday trip, for example. Today the backpack has grown much more complicated, especially leather backpacks. Leather, a wily substance all its own, found a willing application in the backpack.

Today leather backpack makers all over the world compete in the world market to produce the best design with the best features. With the rise of ergonomics, competition has ensued to produce the backpack that is the most pleasant to wear. The features of the modern-day backpack are extraordinary. They turn conveniences into necessities, inspiring an ever higher demand for the latest and greatest in backpack design. For instance, zippers are now weatherproof; sleeves to carry water bottles and such are insulated with a leak point designed to let water leaking out of the bottle drip out of the sleeve without damaging the bacpack; and so on.

To be sure, the sport of backpacking has certainly changed over the last century. It is more popular, there are more options with backpacks, more and more people are inventing new designs of their own, etc. In an economy dependant on innovation, it is to be expected that the level of complexity will rise over time instead of decline. With regard to backpacks, this can be seen in the transformation of the backpack from a simple thing to a complex thing, with multifarious options depending on the purpose one uses it for.

Today it is possible to find a backpack for almost anything, whether it’s meant for carrying personal items to withstanding the extreme environment of outer space. The utility and versatility of this simple item has made it possible for it to grow into an indispensable part of our society.