People have used many different bags, straps and packing methods to allow themselves to carry the items, food and equipment that they needed to be able to survive their travels in the backcountry. Everything from simple tumplines to haversacks, snapsacks, knapsacks and wallets were used. Not all of these things are what modern people expect to see when they picture the named item.
Tumplines are probably the simplest carrying method, once you learn how to use one. The tumpline is a simple strap with a wide center section and narrower ends (usually split into two smaller straps) to aid in tying up the load to be carried.
Another method would be to use a Snapsack. A snapsack is a simple bag that you wear across your back. It has a strap that goes across your chest like any other shoulder pouch does. The bag itself is sewn closed at one end, and has a drawstring closure at the other end. Simple in construction, it has the ability to carry a large quantity of goods securely and completely out of the way.
One bag that most people carried as they traveled is the haversack. It is usually 14-16 inches wide and about the same depth as wide. Closed by three to five buttons, it is what most people carried their food items and small incidentals in.
Another bag that was used is called the Knapsack. It is available in several different versions depending on the timeframe. The version pictured here is the "New Invented Knapsack" of the Revolutionary War era. There are several other variations that are more correct for the French and Indian War period, and we will show some of those as the pictures become available.
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