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.