Bergen Backpack

A load carrier before it is a bag

A bergen backpack is the large framed rucksack pattern the British Army carries, and the name has stuck to the civilian versions built the same way. The range runs from around fifty litres up to a hundred, in plain tactical and camouflage finishes, with side pouches, compression straps and a padded hip belt doing the work that a plain shoulder bag cannot.

What capacity is actually needed?

Capacity is quoted in litres, and the honest warning is that a pack fills to whatever size it is. Fifty litres suits a weekend with a compressed sleeping bag and a change of clothes. Seventy litres covers a week, or a winter kit list where everything is bulkier. Ninety litres and above exists for gear that will not compress, and it turns heavy long before it turns full. A smaller military backpack is easier to live with when most trips are short.

How should a bergen sit on the back?

Most of the weight belongs on the hips rather than the shoulders. Set the belt on the top of the pelvis and pull it firm before touching the shoulder straps, then tighten those just enough to hold the pack against the back. Load lifter straps at the top draw the frame in towards the shoulders and stop the whole thing hanging backwards. When the shoulders ache after an hour, the belt is usually too low or too slack rather than the load being too heavy.

What are the side pouches for?

• Separation: wet, dirty or urgent items live outside the main body, so the pack does not need emptying on a verge to reach them.
• Detachable pouches: many unclip, leaving a slimmer pack for a day out from a base camp.
• Compression straps: a half full rucksack sways with every stride unless the load is squeezed in against the frame.
• Attachment webbing: rows of loops take extra pouches, and the same fittings run through the tactical backpack designs.

What fails first on a loaded rucksack?

Stitching at the shoulder strap anchor, and the zip on an overstuffed pouch. Both give way because of load rather than age, which is why filling a pouch until the zip curves is the habit worth breaking. Buckles crack in cold weather if they are forced rather than released, and a frayed compression strap is worth replacing before it parts halfway up a hill. The rest of the military bags selection wears out in the same places.

How should one be packed?

Heavy items go against the back and level with the shoulder blades, so the load presses down through the hips instead of pulling away from them. Sleeping kit goes at the bottom where it doubles as padding, and soft layers fill the gaps so nothing shifts while walking. Anything wanted during the day belongs in a side pouch or the lid, not under everything else.