Realbark
27-03-2011, 05:53 PM
I recently purchased a swedish rucksack for £6.50 on fleabay simply because i liked the retro look of it and cos it was the price of a couple of beers. When it arrived the leather was a bit dried out and not too supple, the drawstring closure was exactly that - string. Firstly i made sure it was going to fit me, frame-wise and adjustment-wise (there is an external metal frame on these). Then i proceeded to apply five applications of neatsfoot oil to the leatherwork over a few days - made a huge difference to the look and feel of the leather. Replaced the string drawcord with green paracord, tied and sealed the ends. The bag has no external pockets but does have two straps for hiking poles/axes etc. Internally there is one large main section and an internal pocket of about 7 litres capacity. I have seen these after being waterproofed with wax compounds but the bags appeared to be darkened down too much so i will just use my rain cover from another pack if it rains (ok then, when it rains!) as i like the original colour. There are also two straps for a pack roll, tent or sleep system ( i have a tarp,groundmat and bivvybag attached). I loaded the bag out with my 2 day stuff from my 35 litre pro-force bag with room to spare, including a gelert solo tent, volcano cook system and water (2L). I havent used it in anger yet but am away in a couple of weeks when i shall give it an airing. If anyone is interested i will post how i find it along with some pics of the load out.