A large canvas/linen blend sack, with some very Italian details. Even though not actually a very good rucksack, this certainly is tough and has a certain retro charm to it.

Made in the days when luxuries like frames and sternum straps were seldom seen, this pack, as far as we know, was meant for mountain troops. It is probably for this reason that the main compartment's closure system is very secure, although thoroughly Italian in complexity: under the lid there's a huge array of metal grommets with a chain to put it all together. "How?" you ask. Well, don't ask us - we have no idea of the correct way to do this. We bet the Italians don't know either. See the picture for how we went about this. That took us a lot of time to do. The mouth itself doesn't have any tightening system - any piece of cord will do. Or chain, if you stay loyal to the style of the pack...

Apart from these oddities the rest of the pack is pretty run-of-the-mill: very basic shoulder straps with a quick-release system and two outer pockets. You could easily come up with a DIY stiffener for the back. It could be as simple as a cut-up piece of foam mat.

For you all canvas and flax lovers (we know there's a lot of you around) this is an excellent deal - bomb-proof army issue quality for a tenth of the price of modern "retro" stuff. When was the last time you saw a linen rucksack as modern manufacture anyway?

Ítalian army surplus

Old, and in used, but serviceable condition.