Background

In the early 20th century, long before carbon fiber and nylon, Vince "Trapper" Nelson designed and patented a pack board / backpack system inspired by Native American examples. The design was adopted by the US Forest Service, Department of the Interior, the Boy Scouts and countless sportsmen. I suspect it also served as inspiration for the ALICE pack system.

There are two principal parts: the pack board and the pack sack. The board is used to carry heavy loads such as gear, game or even five gallon buckets. The sack portion is used to stow gear and attaches to the board using a series of grommets and eye hooks.

I'm not shy about making my own equipment but packs have always seemed so complicated I had not considered it. The Trapper Nelson looked simple enough I couldn't resist.

Dave Canterbury has a video series describing the Trapper Nelson and methods for recreating it. In his three videos he uses original examples as a pattern and builds his with arched oak cross bars for a faithful recreation.