KotCS Backpack (UPDATED thread on Germany Army Rucksack!)

eaglecrow · Post by **eaglecrow** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 3:20 pm

Besides that I'm very happy that Indiana Jones wears a though looking leather jacket and a decent hat in the 4. part I'm glad that Indy managed after more than 25 years of exploring and traveling to get himself a backpack!

http://www.theraider.net/films/indy4/ga ... /mo_04.jpg

GoldenHistorian · Post by **GoldenHistorian** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 3:59 pm

i thoguht it was like a duffle bag but because you mention a backpack its looks similar to a modified alison pack.

Post by **Indy Magnoli** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 4:03 pm

This reminds me a lot of the Swiss backpack I've had for years:

Screen accurate or not, it has served me well all these years and looks perfect with the rest of the gear.

Kind regards,
Magnoli

rebelgtp · Post by **rebelgtp** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 4:33 pm

Magnoli I have the same bag and it is my usual bag for travel and camping.

actually if you look at the bag you can see there is a leather bottom but to me the upper portion of the bag looks to be canvas. my guess is it is something VERY similar to the swiss pack shown above however without the internal frame.

eaglecrow · Post by **eaglecrow** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 5:01 pm

sorry for my English, I ment tough
a swiss army back pack was my first intended since the bottom is made of leather or simmilar, but the straps of swiss backpacks are not sewn in the middle

Canyon · Post by **Canyon** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 5:25 pm

Guys, you've got it all wrong. He's just looking after it for Lara Croft.

Ozraptor · Post by **Ozraptor** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 10:41 pm

I've used a Swiss WWII army surplus backpack like Magnoli's (many in fact) on a dinosaur dig, where they are used to cart heavy buckets of fossil rock. They are sturdy as ####, though they do come apart after a few years of abuse. Best thing is that they can be fixed fairly easily. Usually the straps that break first...

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Thu Nov 29, 2007 12:14 am

How about this one?

http://www.armynavysales.com/Merchant2/ ... _Code=BBAG

Altern · Post by **Altern** » Thu Nov 29, 2007 5:19 am

I don't think it's a backpack.

I think it's rather a sailor bag, kind of these modern ones :

http://www.ebagsmart.com/productsimages ... _54267.jpg

http://www.ltgear.com/images/product_im ... _olive.jpg

http://www.meetinginnovation.net.au/B11 ... ce_Bag.jpg

It has only one strap and it's carried over the shoulder.

My father used to carry one around after his military service. Told me he won it over a sailorman during a card game or something and he liked it 'coz he could just grabb it and throw stuff inside without worrying of organizing things.

bah...

eaglecrow · Post by **eaglecrow** » Thu Nov 29, 2007 7:26 am

I'm pretty shure that it's a military backpack. The longer strap he is holding in his hand is intended for a buckle which attaches a belt:

The soldier on the right doesn' wear the belt in the hooks like intended in this picture, but it shoes what I mean. This was a common way of combining the battledress or "Kampfgeschirr" with any kind of backpacks in those days
I used to carry an Austrian army rucksack with simmilar straps. I removed the buckles since they where useless for my needs. When I was wearing the backpack only on one shoulder it sliped farther down and I held the loose strap with my hand.
Which of course looked identical to the picture above

However, I don't know the modell used in this picture. Since the loose strap is rough side out, dyed black and sewn together in a more or less lumpy way, it doesn't seems to be made for the swiss army
Maybe after leaving the grail behind LC he found one in the dessert, left behind by a german soldier

Harrison_Davies · Post by **Harrison_Davies** » Thu Nov 29, 2007 7:43 am

Indy has moved from the British way of fastening his gunbelt (the leading edge to the left ala Raiders) to the opposite way.

Rambler · Post by **Rambler** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 7:59 am

The bottom of the pack does not look like it is leather. Considering the wear on the belt attachment strap in his hand (look at the attachment hole just below his pinkie where it is stretched from its original use); I think the bottom panel may be a waxed or rubberized canvas. Leather gets scuffed and uneven in finish with hard use but lasts forever. Treated cloth seems to get smoother until it gives way altogether long before the leather would.
I have an Italian military pack (somewhere in the cave/garage) that is similr in construction. I bought it from these folks:

http://www.majorsurplus.com/

An earlier version of this might fit the bill

http://www.majorsurplus.com/German-Rang ... 54C15.aspx

Indiana Bond · Post by **Indiana Bond** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 6:59 pm

I really want to see if we can figure out what Indy's new bag is. As a refresher here is what I posted on the other thread:

Has anyone else been trying to figure out what type of Duffle bag he has over his shoulder in these photos?

From what I can tell it looks to be a cylynder shaped bag with round ends possibly on both sides. The bag does not look rectangular. It looks similar to an Army duffle bag, but smaller, with the opening on the side rather than on top. It looks like it has two small leather strap closures for the opening. It has a heavy leather shoulder strap but this could have been something added and not original to the bag. Like the strap on his Mark VII. It looks to be about 10-12 inches in diameter and maybe 18-20 inches long.

Anyone else see something different or something I missed? Any clues what this bag actually is? I know we have some super sleuths out there so let's see if we can figure this one out!!

Since my posting of the above last week I have gone out to see what I could find. My local surplus store had this bag for $14.00. It had a frame but I removed it and turned it into a frameless pack.

I like the size and overall look. The color is a darker olive drab which I thought looked similar to the movie pack. They had lighter olive drab packs available in the same style, but they looked too "green" to me. I may go back as they had another backback in a slightly different style that might be good too.

Now after playing around with this pack and comparing it to the Indy photos, I am still not convinced that he actually has a backpack. I originally thought it may be some sort of duffle or gym bag and most of you thought it was a backpack. It may actually be some sort of messenger bag.

The second Indy photo shows what looks like a rubberized canvas bottom of a small duffle bag or back pack. I originally thought it was a duffle with one strap but it could be a backpack also. With experimenting with my backpack I just can't seem to get the bag to hang in that angle with what would be the bottom of the backpack against my butt that way. Also when you look at the top Indy photo it looks like the strap is attached to the side of the bag and not the back as on a backpack. But the top photo also rules out a duffle or gym bag as it shoes it as more of a taller rectangular shape bag.

In the top photo it almost looks like a rectangular messenger bag with one strap attachced to each side. But this doesn't jive with the bottom Indy photo as Indys hand position it that photo is just abbove where the strap attaches to the bag. Almost at the bottom of the bag. If it was a messenger bag the strap would be at the top and not towards the bottom.

It is a very perplexing situation!!

I will go to the surplus store again to see if I can find something closer. Please chime in with your ideas, thoughts, and observations. Anyone seen any more photos with Indys new bag? I'll post again if I get some more info.

IB

Indiana Bond · Post by **Indiana Bond** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 11:24 pm

OK, Back again. Went to the surplus store again and picked up another backpack. I will post photos later. Didn't find anything else that would be a close match.

I decided to analyze the 2 photos a bit closer. The first photo below, which was the first released showing the bag, we see a small part of what could be a backpack, duffle or gym bag. It looks to have a leather or rubberized canvas end. We also see a long leather strap. Because the strap is seen straight from the shoulder to the tip, and we can see buckle holes in the strap, we can conclude that there must be a buckle attached the the bag and the strap runs through this buckle and hangs straight down along side the bag. We can also see that Indy's hand is obscurring the buckle where it attaches the strap to the bag. By the way Indy is holding his hand it also looks like his thumb is resting on the buckle right where it is attached to the bag.

The second photo that was released shows a bit more of the bag. It seems to have a rectangular shape which would mean it's not a duffle or gym bag. It has what looks like 2 leather closure straps. Also, what seemed to have been a leather or rubberized bottom, now looks like just a side panel. We can still see the full length of the leather strap but now Indy's arm is obscurring the buckle and attachment point. If we could see under Indy's arm we could determine if the strap is attached to the top side of the bag, as in a messenger bag, or to the bottom back of the bag, as in a backpack.

The thing that is common to both photos is the strap. We can see the tip and the stitch seams at the shoulder in both photos. The first photo shows us how high up the strap the mounting point to the bag is, as that is where Indy's thumb is. Since the length of the strap is the same for both photos I have superimposed the same strap length from the first photo on top of the second photo. This shows us the hand position and thus the buckle location onto the second photo. Doing this shows us where the mounting point of the strap is on the bag in the second photo.

We can see by the above superimposed photo that the mounting point of the strap must be at the upper side of the bag. It can not be at the bottom. This would suggest that it may be a messenger bag. I have outlined the possible shape of the bag in yellow. The strap in red.

The more I look at the second photo the more I feel it is a messenger bag. It almost looks like the bag has a large flap with 2 small leather closure straps. The flap may actually be open as, at the top, you see a distinct right angle corner looking into the black of an open bag.

Please let me know what you think of my analysis and theory. I will be searching to see if I can find something that might fit this description. It's sure fun to try to figure this out! But unless we get more photos or until the movie comes out, we may never know!

IB

Argonaut · Post by **Argonaut** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 11:45 pm

I've got two Swiss Army backpacks that look almost exactly like the one Indy is carrying. The straps are identical, and so does the leather bottom of the pack. It looks something like this.

The color is a bit off. I should take some pics of my own backpacks. I'm so definitely sure they are exactly the same model.

EDIT: Nevermind. I already posted about this in respose to Magnoli's pics up above. The pics he posted are perfect.

Texas Raider · Post by **Texas Raider** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:43 am

Those are close, but wrong. We are seeing the side of his pack. That is one of the side pockets of the pack. On most functional packs, the side pocket is sewn so you can slide something behind the pocket itself. You can see that on his pack. I'll post a pick of what I'm talking about.

That first pack that Bond posted is normally frame mounted, and no leather is on it at all. I used to sell those new on ebay.

TR

Indiana Bond · Post by **Indiana Bond** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 1:08 pm

Texas Raider wrote: We are seeing the side of his pack.

TR

If it is the side of the pack and you compare it to the width of the MKVII bag it looks to be about twice the width of the MKVII. That would make it 20 inches. I've never seen a regular backpack that wide front to back. That's why I have a hard time thinking it may be a backpack.

Yes, the pack I show is definatly not what Indy is carrying. I bought that pack to experiment with to see if it could have been some type of backpack. Like I said I could not get my backpack to look or hang anyway close to how Indy looks in the photos. That's another reason I came to the conclusion that it may not be a backpack.

Texas Raider · Post by **Texas Raider** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:02 pm

That canvas is a good pack, I used to have a couple of those as well. They have an internal frame (more or less) which his doesn't appear to have.

Here is a pic of the similar style of pack, nothing near the same pack, just the same design, without the leather straps. See the side pocket-

[img][img]http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/4196/pack001zx3.th.jpg[/img][/img] a close up of the pocket- [img][ur ... .jpg[/img][/img][/url]

And this is how he is carrying it,,with only one strap over his shoulder,,strap let out all the way and it's danging down his back sort of sideways..

[img][img]http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/8483/pack009hu4.th.jpg[/img][/img] At least this is how it appear ... TR

Texas Raider · Post by **Texas Raider** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:06 pm

o.k., looking at that other pic, I'm quite certain it's a backpack of this design. You can see the bucklet to the side pocket and the flap of the main compartment above that.

TR

Indiana Bond · Post by **Indiana Bond** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:28 pm

Yes, I see that in the first picture. It looks like the leather/rubberized bottom portion of the pack and then the side with a small pocket.

However. the second photo shows a lot more of the bag and I don't see anything like that anymore. It now looks like a messenger bag with it's top flap possibly open and hanging down along it's side.

Anyone else see something totally different?

IB

Texas Raider · Post by **Texas Raider** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:05 pm

It's not a duffle bag! Why would the side pocket be mounted sideways? You can see the side pocket flap and buckle plain as day.

TR

Indiana Bond · Post by **Indiana Bond** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 12:41 am

TR,

I do agree it's not a duffle bag. I will study the photo some more to see if I can see what you see.

By the way, your pack looks great!

IB

Indiana Bond · Post by **Indiana Bond** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 1:15 am

TR,

OK, I went and zoomed and enhanced the photo to better understand what you are trying to point out. I think I see what you are seeing.

The white outline is the general pack shape. We can see the large flap on top and the bottom leather part is resting on his butt. The small side pocket with flap is outlined in red. The small leather closuer strap for the side pocket is outlined in green.

Yes this could be what it is. Let me know if this is what you see.

IB

Indiana · Post by **Indiana** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 5:53 pm

The body of the pack looks very similar to the Continental Rucksack from LL Bean. The only difference is in the straps.

http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores ... ch&feat=sr

GoldenHistorian · Post by **GoldenHistorian** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 6:40 pm

here none of you have seen the bag in this picture?,
viewtopic.php?t=22418&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=50
the one with indy in the truck i know its proably another one left by the bad guys but it is likely that indy has hung it up looks like its one strapped but in canvas i have just realised sorry this post is worthless but some of you may be interested in this bag so i will post it.

Panama Tom Jr. · Post by **Panama Tom Jr.** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 7:58 pm

I got my new swiss military rucksack in on Friday and, well, it's green. The leather is in much better shape and it will definitely be waterproof.
Here's a pic by itself (no flash,) and with some other gear for color comparison...

The canvas style is a better match with the rest of the gear, but will also run you twice as much. I got this bag for $20...

Indiana Bond · Post by **Indiana Bond** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 3:06 am

FOUND IT !!!

I think I may have found the Indy IV backpack!

It's a german military backpack I found at a local surplus store. Check out the comparison pictures.

If it's not the actual backpack, it's sure darn close!!

Great thing they have about a dozen more of these and it is an item they usually carry. Below are two more photos showing front and back of the backpack.

Let me know if you think this might be it!

IB

Gary2880 · Post by **Gary2880** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 6:23 am

Probably not the one in his picture(!)

I had ordered one of the LLBean continentals it arrived today and looks fantastic. seems really ruggid, very chuffed with it. I'm sure Indiana would be proud

Panama Tom Jr. · Post by **Panama Tom Jr.** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:07 am

Bond,
The stitching on the strap looks different, but otherwise it looks like a dead ringer! Good Job!

Indiana Bond · Post by **Indiana Bond** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 12:14 pm

The strap that is used in the movie pack is definately a replacement like they did for the MKVII. It would be real easy to replace the shoulder strap with a different leather strap. The buckle for the strap is already there on the bottom and if you look it's even the same width for the strap where it goes through the buckle.

This pack that I found has the side pockets, the leather fastening straps, the leather/rubberized bottom in the green color, and the right color canvas. Even the dimensions compaired to the MKVII he is wearing look the same.

Until we see the rest of the movie pack I'd say it is a 90% chance that this may be the one. And like I said before, if not, it's darn close!

IB

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 6:32 pm

Where did you find it.? Even if it's not the same bag, it's a great looking bag. I would like one myself.

Indiana Bond · Post by **Indiana Bond** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 6:48 pm

I found it at my local surplus store. Another member already asked me if I could pick one up for him. They had about a dozen of them there. Price was 59.95 plus tax. I checked the shipping and it's roughly $20.00. So I figure if you want one I could do it for $85.00 Priority Mail shipping included to the USA. Or $90.00 to Canada.

If anyone else is interested please PM me. I could go tomorrow or Saturday and pick a few more up and ship them out to anyone who wants one. Remember that the packs are surplus so they have some use and are a bit marked up. Some have the original owners names marked on them. Construction is still very strong and the leather is still all good. I can pick out the good ones like I did mine.

Regards!!

IB

Erri · Post by **Erri** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 5:38 am

Do you know what is it called?

Indiana Bond · Post by **Indiana Bond** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 12:55 pm

At the surplus store the sign said "German Military Backpack" and that's all. There are markings in the backpack that read`as follows:

8465-12-136-9320
1/74
Textilwerk Humme Gmbh

Next time I go there I will ask if the bag has some type of official name or designation.

IB

Fink · Post by **Fink** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 7:17 am

USA Today published a new online picture of Indy and his backpack, unfortunately is quite dark and cropped, so we can’t see too much of the back pack from it.

USA Today link: http://images.usatoday.com/life/_photos ... -large.jpg

P.S. Is that a Calista Flockhart cameo image?

Venkman · Post by **Venkman** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 9:03 pm

Im having high hopes now that this is indeed the bag that IB located with that new pic..

Han Jones · Post by **Han Jones** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 10:24 pm

I belive 100% that is the bag. So much so that I had him send me one. It is in great condition. I am glad I got mine before the new gear madness really takes over.

ortiz344 · Post by **ortiz344** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 11:26 pm

i have seen what looks like the same bag, german spec forces/alpine backpack, they are going for roughly 25- at several places, im gonna wait till we get some better shots of it but im betting thats it...

Indiana Bond · Post by **Indiana Bond** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 2:41 am

So Han, I guess you got the backpack I sent. How do you like it?

Yes that new photo also makes me more confident that it is the one. Either way though, it's a great Indy backpack!

Thanks again!

IB

ANZAC_1915 · Post by **ANZAC_1915** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 1:05 am

Is this it? This is rubberized which would be great if you are spending a lot of time in water....

If so, $42.50+ shipping here:
http://www.omahas.com/catalog/product_i ... gvcv7r6l93

Yes I know it doesn't have the side pockets but the strap looks great.

Big bag picture for reference:

Venkman · Post by **Venkman** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 9:41 am

Here's a closeup shot of the military bag for comparison that Bond, Indiana Bond, found (and was kind enough to send me one as well)

A few other photos here:

http://s289.photobucket.com/albums/ll23 ... %20photos/

Han Jones · Post by **Han Jones** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 10:02 pm

The new pictures prove beyond doubt now that Bond's bag is it. If you look at the new pic of him in the temple you can see to stitch line about an inch apart that are in line with the side pocket.

Raider · Post by **Raider** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 5:38 pm

ok, here is hi-res pic.

http://www.theraider.net/films/indy4/ga ... ij4_37.jpg

What do you think?

Cheers,

:junior: Raider

Mississippi Jones · Post by **Mississippi Jones** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:20 pm

I think I found where you can get that German Backpack. Here's a link:

http://aboutww2militaria.com/June2006/hjbackpack.html

it looks pretty darn close to the one IB has.

Venkman · Post by **Venkman** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:50 pm

That last pic has really convinced now from that last pic that this is the bag, with the shoulder straps replaced, and possibly the two on the exterior flap as well. Sweet!

Venkman · Post by **Venkman** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 12:11 am

Here you go for comparison to the new profile pic Raider linked above..

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll23 ... e_shot.jpg

-Venk

Indiana Bond · Post by **Indiana Bond** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 2:40 am

Venk,

I've been compairing the hi res pic that Raider posted with the backpack and it sure looks like the one! I've been zooming in and compairing the buckles, stitching, edge trim and other details and it all looks the same. I can even see a part of the lower back support strap in the picture that is the same as the backpack.

Your photo as a comparison really matches up the same also.

Yes they definately changed the main carrying straps and possibly a few other things too. But I'm almost positive that the pack I found is the one.

Thanks for posting the pic and you look great wearing that backpack!!

IB

Indiana Bond · Post by **Indiana Bond** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 2:54 am

I went ahead and made a side by side comparison of the pic of indy that Raider posted and the pic Venk made. You can definately see that it is most likely the same backpack!

IB

Indiana Bond · Post by **Indiana Bond** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:00 am

Mississippi Jones wrote:I think I found where you can get that German Backpack. Here's a link:

http://aboutww2militaria.com/June2006/hjbackpack.html

it looks pretty darn close to the one IB has.

Mississippi Jones,

I took a look at the pics of that backpack you found and I'm sorry to say it doesn't look anything at all like the one I found. It's totally different.

I tried to find it online also but had no luck. The only place I have seen it has been at my local surplus store.

IB

redsleighdown · Post by **redsleighdown** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 4:18 am

Okay here are my thoughts.

When I first saw the captures vs. IB's bag, the only difference I really saw (beside the straps) was the back flap. It looks like Indy's movie bag has a shorter flap. Is possibly a short flapped version of the bag IB found? Or maybe it was cut by the studio (I mean, they are know to change things on found items, see mk 7)

IB's bag with long flap. Sorry, I'm not a picture pro, but I think the message is seen. The underside of the flap has red stripes. See how the flap falls along the entire back of the bag, and the straps extend past the bottom of the pic.

Here the bottom of the flap is seen folded over to the side. The straps are also shorter as seen in the very right of the pic.

Now here is what I think the other side of the bag looks like. It is a short flap with shorter straps that only extend to the bottom of the bag.

However, there is a slight possibility that the long flap just happens to fall out of sight and the straps were cut to a shorter length. It just seems unlikely that the flap is long (whether it was cut or it is a different version of the bag) due to us now seeing both sides of the hero bag without seeing the long flap.

Hope this isn't took confusing. That all being said, I think I might still pick up one of IB's bags.

KotCS Backpack (UPDATED thread on Germany Army Rucksack!)

KotCS Backpack (UPDATED thread on Germany Army Rucksack!)

bag

Bottom of pack not leather?

hat