5-Day Combat Backpack
A backpack can be used in many different configurations and is adaptable to support numerous attachments and accessories so as to support, for example, a soldier for up to five days or more. The main pack body includes a large main compartment, and upper and lower sewn-on secondary compartments on the backside of the pack. Two detachable side pouches may be provided, and a detachable bottom compartment. A suspension system includes a waist belt and a shoulder strap system.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/345,344, filed May 17, 2010, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to a backpack that can be used in many different configurations and is adaptable to support numerous attachments and accessories so as to support, for example, a soldier for up to five days or more. The main pack body includes 3 compartments—one large main compartment, and two sewn-on, secondary compartments (one upper, one lower) on the backside of the pack. Two detachable side pouches may be provided. Also, a detachable bottom compartment may be provided.
This invention relates to a backpack that can be used in many different configurations and is adaptable to support numerous attachments and accessories. The invention is applicable to backpacks of different configurations and constructions. As representative of the invention, the drawings illustrate a backpack 10 that is one embodiment of the invention.
The backpack 10 is a medium-sized backpack that includes a main pack body 12. The main pack body 12 consists of 3 compartments—one large main compartment 20, and two sewn-on, secondary compartments (one upper 22, one lower 24) on the backside of the pack 10. The volume of the main pack body 12 is approximately 3100 cubic inches.
Two detachable side pouches 14 are provided. The side pouches 14 are approximately 100 cubic inches each in volume. A detachable bottom pouch 16 (
The pack 10 itself does not include an internal or external frame, but is compatible with existing external frames. Thus, the pack 10 can be used alone, or with an external frame. One preferred frame is sold by Down East Inc. as #1606 Molle Pack Frame.
The main compartment 20 (
The main compartment 20 is closed from the environment by an integral spindrift collar 36 (a cover that can be shut with a drawstring), as well as by a separate detachable lid 40.
The lid straps 42, 44 are adjustable at their buckle connections to accommodate different sizes of internal contents for the main compartment 20, while allowing the pack 10 to be cinched down to minimize (conform) its volume to its internal contents. The rear lid straps 42 are formed by shaped panels 56 (
The detachable pack lid 40 (
The lid 40 (FIGS. 5-6-7) incorporates overlapping flaps 64, 65 at the forward (user-side) sides of the lid that engage each other with hook-and-loop tape. These flaps 64, 65, when opened at least partially, accommodate the pass through of radio antennas or other accessories that may be contained within the main compartment 120. These flaps 64, 65 create the front corners of the lid 40, but can be disengaged to create a small gap or opening 66 in the front, outer corners of the lid.
The pack 10 can be used without the detachable lid 40. To that end, the pack 10 includes a large spindrift collar 36 (
In addition to the vertical volume control via the lid straps, the size of the main compartment 20 can also be adjusted horizontally (laterally) via upper and lower cinch straps 72, 74 (
The upper cinch strap 72 runs nearly horizontally slightly above the midline of the main compartment 20. The strap 72 anchors to a webbing strap via adjustable buckles 76 (
The cinch straps 72, 74 can be tightened and the main compartment 20 compressed down to its contents by the user pulling forward (toward the front panel) on the length of free webbing strap. Conversely, the cinch straps 72, 74 can be loosened by rotating the forward edge of the appropriate buckle 76, 78 about the vertical axis toward the back, releasing the frictional lock action of the webbing adjuster and then pulling on the tensioned length of strap to relieve tension and create slack.
The external side panels of the main compartment include webbing guides 80 (
To facilitate attachment of the pack's suspension system (described below), the front panel 100 incorporates sewn webbing loops with attached webbing adjusters 104 near the top of the main compartment 20. These provide mounting locations for shoulder strap control connections that connect near the top apex of the shoulder straps. The webbing loops 104 are sewn directly on top of the portion of the top carry handle 106 that is sewn to the front panel on either side of the vertical centerline.
To interface with the bottom end of the chest-side of the shoulder straps, the front panel 100 incorporates D-rings 108 near the bottom edge of the front panel near the side panels. Directly adjacent to the shoulder strap D-rings 108, the front panel also incorporates anchor points for the lower cinch strap 74, as well as two webbing adjusters 110 for use with an external frame. The lower cinch strap 74 is sewn to the front panel 100. The webbing adjusters 110 allow the lower cinch strap 74 to be tightened around the frame while leaving the remaining length of webbing usable as a cinch strap.
Similarly, the front panel 100 incorporates sewn anchor points for the continuous upper cinch strap 72 near the midline of the front panel. This is necessary as the upper cinch strap is utilized to attach the shoulder straps when the suspension system is used without an external frame.
Padding is sewn into the front panel 100 of the main compartment 20 to facilitate carrying hard body armor plates and/or other similarly accessories. The padding preferably has an upside down U-shape and runs from approximately the midline of the back near the sides up to the top; around to the middle of the front panel; over to the other side; and then back down symmetrically to the middle of the front panel 100. The padding is preferably a strip of padding approximately 2 inches wide.
To accommodate the waist belt 160 (described below), the front panel 100 incorporates a lateral pocket 114 near the bottom of the front panel. The lateral pocket 114 is a panel of fabric sewn to the front panel 100 with openings at the side of the pocket, as well as the top, to enable the backside of the shoulder straps 194 to connect to the waist belt 160.
The front panel 100 also includes an upper pocket 116 near the top edge of the panel to enable the use of an external frame. The upper pocket 116 is a panel of fabric sewn to the front panel with an opening that faces down, and having a cutout in the upper edge to allow the shoulder strap control connections to pass through. In particular, the upper pocket 116 is designed to interface with the Downeast, Inc., 1606 air assault frame.
The front (user-facing) panel incorporates three carry handles—one top carry handle 106 and two side carry handles 118. The top carry handle 106 is located at the top of the front panel, just below the loop fastener strip 102 that interfaces with the lid 40, and is sewn to the front panel directly underneath the webbing loops. The side carry handles 118 are located just below the upper cinch strap 72. For maximum structural performance, the webbing that forms the side carry handles 118 is continuous and spans the entire width of the front panel 100 as shown in dashed lines in
The upper secondary compartment 22 is shown in
The rear-facing surface (
The upper secondary compartment 22 incorporates vertical cinch straps 130. The lower ends of the vertical cinch straps 130 are sewn to the main compartment just below the upper compartment 22. The upper ends of the vertical cinch straps 130 connect to buckles 132 on the main compartment 20 at the top of the pocket 122. The cinch straps 130 enable the upper secondary compartment 22 to be cinched down to minimize (conform) its volume to its internal contents. The cinch straps 130 also provide structural support to the slide/zip closure 120 of the upper secondary compartment 22. The lateral location of the vertical cinch straps 130 is such that they can be run underneath the rows of PALS webbing 126, helping to reduce entanglement potential.
The lower secondary compartment 24 is shown in
The lower secondary compartment 24 includes a mesh pocket 138 sewn to the inside of the rear-facing panel of the compartment 24. The mesh pocket 138 runs the full width of the compartment and is approximately 6.5 inches tall. Two snaps 140 are provided on the inside panel of the compartment 24 to enable a 6 magazine bandoleer to be mounted inside.
A 2-inch strip of loop fastener tape 144 (
The lower secondary compartment 24 incorporates two vertical cinch straps 146. The vertical cinch straps are anchored just below the compartment and connect to buckles at the top of the compartment 24. The cinch straps 146 enable the compartment 24 to be cinched down to minimize (conform) its volume to its internal contents, as well as to provide structural support to the slide/zip closure 136. The lateral location of the vertical cinch straps 146 is such that they can be run underneath the PALS webbing 142 helping to reduce entanglement potential.
The pack 10 includes two identical detachable side pouches 14.
Each side pouch 14 has a top flap closure 150 that is secured via a snap buckle that includes a female buckle end 154 mounted to the flap 150 and a male buckle end 156 adjustably attached to the front side of the pouch 14 via a webbing strap. The pouch 14 is sized to accommodate standard sustainment rations or other miscellaneous items. The pouch 14 incorporates two rows of PALS-compatible webbing 158 on its vertical, external face.
The detachable bottom compartment 16 (
The detachable bottom compartment 16 is accessed via a slide/zip closure 230 that runs around the upper half of its rearmost perimeter. The detachable bottom compartment 16 incorporates two cinch straps 232. The cinch straps 232 are anchored to the forward (user-facing) top (facing the bottom of the main compartment 20) surface of the bottom compartment 16 and loop around the entire circumference to connect to buckles 234 on the rear-facing portion of the top surface. The cinch straps 232 enable the compartment to be cinched down to minimize its volume to its internal contents, as well as provide structural support to the slide/zip closure 230. This structural support enables the compartment to be filled to capacity while reducing the potential for failure of the slide/zip closure 230.
The detachable bottom compartment 16 also includes two laterally extending snap-fastener straps 236. The straps 236 when disengaged can be slid through the 2 inch webbing 94 on the bottom of the main compartment 20 and then snapped closed, to support the bottom compartment 16 on the main compartment 20. The straps 236 can also be connected through standard PALS webbing. Thus, the detachable bottom compartment 16 is PALS-compatible and can be attached to any PALS-compatible equipment.
The pack 10 includes a suspension system that includes two main components—a waist belt or load distribution belt 160 and a shoulder strap system 190.
To retain the loose ends of the webbing 162 and to enable the waist belt 160 to be tightened in both forward and rearward pull directions, the webbing 162 passes through a 2-inch D-ring 168 on each side after passing through the adjustable buckle 162, 164. The D-rings 168 are sewn into the waist belt 160 near the end of the padded portion.
The waist belt 160 attaches to the main pack body 12 by sliding laterally through the lower pocket 114 (
The waist belt 10 incorporates a pair of diagonal reinforcing straps 170 (
The diagonal orientation of the straps 170 allows the top and bottom edges of the waist belt 160 to react well to vertical loads. In contrast, typical waist belt designs are constructed with a webbing strap centrally-located on the waist belt. Such a centrally-located strap tends to deform and roll the waist belt over when the waist belt system is loaded. The diagonal straps 170 are pre-tensioned before being sewn to the waist belt 160. This pre-tensioning helps the waist belt 160 better react vertical waist belt loads by removing potential slack, and also forces the belt sides into an open configuration that is more easily donned.
To facilitate attachment of the shoulder strap system 190 (described below), the waist belt 160 incorporates two shoulder strap D-ring connectors 176 (
To facilitate attachment of the waist belt 160 to an external frame, the waist belt incorporates two additional strap connectors 180 (
As it is desirable to drive as much of the pack load as possible to the waist belt 160, the pack 10 includes a shoulder strap system 190 that connects directly to the waist belt 160 instead of directly connecting to the main pack body 12.
The shoulder strap system 190 includes a padded central support 192 and two padded shoulder straps 194. The central support 192 is designed to sit directly on the user's back, inside the pack itself. The central support 192 incorporates four webbing straps 196 on its back (pack-facing) side with integral webbing adjusters 198 that enable the pack 10 to be directly connected to an external pack frame. In particular, the straps 196 are designed to interface with the Downeast, Inc., 1606 air assault frame. Two of the webbing straps 196 are designed to engage the D-rings on the back (pack-facing) side of the waist belt. The webbing adjusters 198 enable the position of the central support 192 to be adjusted relative to the frame and/or waist belt 160 to accommodate a range of user sizes.
The shoulder straps 194 are sewn directly to the padded central portion 192 and extend at an angle outward from the centerline of the pack to the shoulder area of the user. The non-adjustable, padded section of the shoulder straps extends approximately 19 inches from the central support. The padded shoulder straps are reinforced over their length by webbing sewn onto their back/top/front (away from the user) surfaces. This webbing incorporates a loop 200 just above the central support that enables the shoulder straps 194 to engage the upper cinch strap 72 when no external frame is used. The webbing also enables the shoulder straps 194 to incorporate female quick-release buckles 202 at their ends that interface with corresponding male buckle connectors (with integral webbing adjuster) and webbing straps.
The shoulder straps 194 are designed to connect to the shoulder strap D-ring connectors 108 on the lower, outside portion of the main compartment back panel 100. The D-ring connection is made via a sewn loop in the shoulder strap webbing. The shoulder strap 194 is simply disconnected from the buckle 202 on the padded portion of the shoulder strap 194, the webbing loop is passed through the D-ring 100, and the male buckle is then passed through the webbing loop. The shoulder straps 194 are tightened via a length of webbing 210 that passes through the aforementioned integral webbing adjuster on the male buckle. The user pulls downward on each free webbing strap loop 210. Conversely, the shoulder straps 194 are loosened by pulling up on the free webbing strap loops and releasing the frictional lock action of the webbing adjuster 198. Each shoulder strap 194 can be adjusted independently of the other.
Although the primary vertical load path of the shoulder belt system 190 is through the waist belt 160 (in lieu of the pack 10), the shoulder belt system must also react the overturning moment of the offset pack load. To accomplish this, the shoulder straps 194 incorporate webbing control straps 212 that interface with webbing adjusters sewn to the front (user-facing) panel of the main compartment near the top. The control straps 212 are sewn to the padded shoulder straps 194 near the apex of the curve made when they are worn by a user. The adjustable connection between the front panel 100 of the main pack body 12 and the shoulder straps 194 enables the shoulder straps to react the overturning moment of the offset pack load, but also allows the user to adjust the amount of load transmitted to the shoulders as well as the orientation of the pack 10 relative to the shoulders. This adjustment allows the user to reposition the pack depending on terrain.
To help maintain the position of the shoulder straps 194 on the shoulders, the padded section of the shoulder straps incorporates a lateral strap system 214 that connects the two shoulder straps 194 in the chest area. This is accomplished with tensioned webbing loops 216 between the quick-release buckles 202 and the shoulder strap control webbing 212 at the shoulder curve apex. The lateral strap system 214 consists of two webbing straps—each with a loop 216, a webbing slide 218, and a buckle portion 220. The webbing loop 216 passes around the circumference of each padded shoulder strap 194 and is guided vertically by the webbing slides 218. The vertical adjustment allows the lateral strap system 214 to be adjusted depending on user height and preference.
For attachment of accessories, the shoulder straps 194 incorporate D-rings 222 that are anchored just above the lateral strap system 214 adjacent to the location where the shoulder control straps 212 attach to the shoulder strap 194. The area is reinforced with a strip of 2-inch webbing 224.
The pack 10 is designed to interface with an external frame system such as the Downeast, Inc., 1606 air assault frame. The frame interfaces with the main pack body 12 via the upper pocket 116 on the front (user-facing) pack panel, and the upper and lower cinch straps 72 and 74. When a frame is used with the pack 10, the suspension system is disconnected/disengaged from the pack and is connected to the frame, with the exception of the shoulder webbing control strap 212 connection which is retained.
The main pack body 12 and the detachable pouch bodies 14, 16 are constructed of Cordura Nylon fabric of various weights depending on expected wear and necessary strength. Alternative materials such as lightweight laminated and/or reinforced materials can also be used. Almost all of the webbing buckle and adjuster hardware is plastic and made by ITW Nexus. The padding utilized in the back panel of the main compartment, the shoulder strap system, and the waist belt is lightweight cross linked PE foams of different thicknesses and densities.
Claims
1. A backpack for use by a wearer, comprising:
- a main compartment;
- an upper secondary compartment that is permanently connected on a back panel of the main compartment; and
- a lower secondary compartment that is permanently connected on a back panel of the main compartment, below the upper secondary compartment;
- each one of the upper and lower secondary compartments including a respective slide/zip closure;
- each one of the upper and lower secondary compartments including respective cinch straps to enhance their structural capability and to reduce the failure potential of the slide/zip closure.
2. A backpack as set forth in claim 1 wherein the lower secondary compartment is spaced downward from the upper secondary compartment by a first distance sufficient to create a rifle channel so that a rifle can be carried transversely on the back of the back pack.
3. A backpack as set forth in claim 1 further including two detachable side pouches each having mounting straps that interface with PALS webbing on the main compartment to support the side pouches on the main compartment.
4. A backpack as set forth in claim 1 further including a laterally extending waist belt pocket on the main compartment, and a waist belt that is extensible through the waist belt pocket and can be buckled around the waist of the wearer, to help carry the vertical loads of the backpack into the waist belt and thence into the hip area of the wearer.
5. A backpack as set forth in claim 4 wherein the waist belt includes internal padding and two diagonally extending reinforcing straps on either side to help carry vertical loads while minimizing twist in the waist belt.
6. A backpack as set forth in claim 1 further including a detachable lid that is connectable to the main compartment by lid straps and buckles, the lid also having a hook and loop fastener connection to the main compartment by which the lid can be hingedly connected to the main compartment when the lid straps and buckles are disengaged.
7. A backpack as set forth in claim 6 wherein the main compartment includes a spindrift collar that can be shut with a drawstring.
8. A backpack as set forth in claim 6 wherein the lid straps are adjustable in length to allow the pack to be cinched down while accommodating different volumes of internal contents for the main compartment
9. A backpack as set forth in claim 1 wherein the upper secondary compartment includes rows of PALS webbing on its outer surface, and vertical cinch straps that can be run underneath the rows of PALS webbing to help to reduce entanglement potential.
10. A backpack as set forth in claim 1 further including:
- a laterally extending waist belt pocket on the main compartment;
- a waist belt that is extensible through the waist belt pocket and can be buckled around the waist of the wearer, to help carry the vertical loads of the backpack into the waist belt and thence into the hip area of the wearer; and
- a shoulder strap system that connects with the waist belt in a force-transmitting manner so that load on the waist belt is transmitted into the shoulder strap system.
11. A backpack for use by a wearer, comprising:
- a main compartment;
- an upper secondary compartment that is permanently connected on a back panel of the main compartment; and
- a lower secondary compartment that is permanently connected on a back panel of the main compartment, below the upper secondary compartment;
- each one of the upper and lower secondary compartments including a respective slide/zip closure;
- each one of the upper and lower secondary compartments including respective cinch straps to enhance their structural capability and to reduce the failure potential of the slide/zip closure;
- two detachable side pouches each having mounting straps that interface with PALS webbing on the main compartment to support the side pouches on the main compartment; and
- a detachable bottom pouch having mounting straps that interface with PALS webbing on the main compartment to bottom pouch on the main compartment.
12. A backpack as set forth in claim 11 further including:
- a laterally extending waist belt pocket on the main compartment;
- a waist belt that is extensible through the waist belt pocket and can be buckled around the waist of the wearer, to help carry the vertical loads of the backpack into the waist belt and thence into the hip area of the wearer; and
- a shoulder strap system that connects with the waist belt in a force-transmitting manner so that load on the waist belt is transmitted into the shoulder strap system.
Type: Application
Filed: May 17, 2011
Publication Date: Nov 17, 2011
Applicant: BAE Systems Specialty Defense Systems of Pennsylvania, Inc. (Jessup, PA)
Inventors: Lloyd Bill Darnell, II (Phoenix, AZ), Erik Matthew Johnson (Phoenix, AZ)
Application Number: 13/109,112
International Classification: A45F 3/04 (20060101);