Eppendorf

WWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINT

Description: WWII Mountain Ski RUCKSACK, complete! (“MEESE, Inc. 1942”) WWII Mountain/ Ski RUCKSACK ("U.S. / MEESE, Inc. / 1942") complete with Rifle Strap, Wide-Lumbar Strap, Waist Strap with D-Ring and Snap Hook !!!Near Mint!!Early war contract!!Designated by the Quartermaster Corps as the “Tentative Specification J.Q.D. 88B Mountain Rucksack.”The Condition of the Rucksack is in NEAR MINT condition (and appears UNISSUED with only storage-aging to finish of some of the hardware). This RUCKSACK, complete with ALL Straps, is in a "superior" state of preservation!! There are still the loose threads and seamstress's 'guide marks' from the MEESE, Inc. factory in Madison, Indiana! Fabric and webbing are still stiff! Leather Straps are stiff unbent! (Most of the Rucksacks available on the market today are in very rough shape.)*****THE RUCKSACK:+ Legibly and boldly stamped with the “U.S." on the outside of the Flap.+ Multiple light fabrication numbers that were stamped on the canvas and webbing to assist the seamstress are still visible!+ On the underside of the Flap is boldly and legibly stamped the contractor's data of Meese, Inc., the famed manufacturer of canvas industrial laundry carts:MEESE, Inc.1942+ This Rucksack is basically immaculate and has NEVER touched the ground! The bottom panel of the Rucksack is spotless!+ Solic ELKHIDE (and Cowhide mix) LEATHER throughout! Strong and supple with ZERO crazing or cracking! The narrow light gray Elkhide Pocket STRAPS have been threaded through the Cast Aluminum Tongue-Buckles before they left the MEESE, Inc. factory, but show NO use.+ The 2-1/2" Web SHOULDER STRAPS are still "factory stiff" and clean, free of frays, creases, stains!+ The 2-1/2" Web LUMBAR STRAP is unstained!+ The 1" WAISTBAND STRAP (with the 'D-Ring' and Snap Hook) is SPOTLESS! the friction BUCKLE is the "concave" version are in excellent condition!+ ZERO holes, fraying, stains, loose stitching, pulled EYELETS, names, personalized markings, flaws, or any signs of obvious storage wear or damage! The only signs of age wear are: two minute 'smudges' (less than 3/8"): one on the flap of the center exterior pocket and one of the left side below the equipment tabs.+ ZERO sun/fading of the strong OD#3 color. + The Original Khaki Braided COTTON DRAWSTRING threaded through the grommets at the throat is still factory stiff! The ENDS are not frayed!+ This Rucksack has the iconic bright brass"TALON” ZIPPER (and so marked on the 'bell' shaped PULL) from the Talon Zipper Company of Meadville, Pennsylvania -- see background below. It retains its original cowhide Thong, slides smoothly, and is free of corrosion!+ PERFECT ELK HIDE FRAME POCKET (with Glove Snap) and ELK HIDE and COWHIDE STRAPS on the External Pockets are supple, strong, with ZERO cracking or "crazing"! + All of the Blackened Steel ADJUSTABLE BUCKLES and BALL TIPS are superior with only minor superficial corrosion on several. +The Steel SNAP HOOK for the RIFLE SLING SWIVEL are present and are not bent.+ The 1/2” TUBULAR FRAME is the improved model with the stamped center section.+ SUPERIOR paint on the Frame with negligible “rubbing” on the ‘hips’ of the frame, typical of 99.9% of surviving Rucksacks!NOTES: (1) Any "overage" in postage to ship will be refunded! (2) The sale is for the RUCKSACK ONLY! The Climbing Rope, and the "Ames" Ice Axe are not a part of this sale but shown only for scale.*****Meese Inc. of Madison, IndianaFounded in 1931 by Edwin W. Meese, Meese is a family-owned company that designs and develops a range of canvas carts and containers for clients in the laundry industry. It provides a variety of vacuum forming, powder coating, sewing and metal fabrication services. The company operates more than 20 rotational molding machines in various facilities throughout the United States. It is a founding member of the Association of Rotational Molders. The company operates Meese Orbitron Dunne, which designs and manufactures plastic products. Meese Orbitron Dunne manufactures golf carts and bulk containers, as well as shatterproof and weatherproof globes and lighting products. Meese maintains a location in Madison, Ind.*****Exceptional research from W. M. Myers', THE RUCKSACK,The Rucksack story... A mountain soldier could not fit all of his gear into the M1928 haversack, the Army’s standard backpack at the beginning of World War II. Even if he could, the haversack carried the weight high on his back and it shifted side to side, throwing him off balance while skiing or climbing. Thus, the Army needed something more practical for their new mountain soldiers.U.S. Army Specification File No. 2971, July 7, 1941: The U.S. Army developed and adopted its first rucksack during the summer of 1941. The canvas duck sack was mounted on a steel wire or rattan frame that supported the load and held it off the soldier's back. Three pockets on the outside of the bag carried extra gear. Heavy felt pads on both the back support and the shoulder straps eased the burden. Brass snap hooks closed the two side pockets and the cover flap. The 1941 pattern rucksacks were made during late 1941 and into early 1942. Most rucksacks are stamped “1941,” although some made by Powers Company can be found stamped "1942." Being based on a typical commercial rucksack, this first army rucksack was poorly suited for military use. The National Ski Association's Winter Equipment Committee reviewed the rucksack at the War Department's request and suggested twelve improvements that the QMC then incorporated into the next generation rucksack. With the adoption of the Specification J.Q.D. 88 Rucksack, the Army withdrew the 1941 pattern from service. Because the two patterns never overlapped within the supply system, they were never known as the 'M1941' or 'M1942' version. Its official name was always just "Rucksack." Quartermaster Tentative Specification J.Q.D. 88B, August 26, 1942: The Jeffersonville Quartermaster Depot continued to refine the rucksack’s features in Tentative Specification J.Q.D. 88B. Regular canvas webbing replaced the ribbed webbing shoulder straps, the felt shoulder pads were eliminated, and the number of equipment attachment tabs decreased from four to three, all sewn along the upper left side of the pouch. Most significantly, J.Q.D. 88B added a rifle securing strap, a wire rifle snap hook on the right horn of rucksack frame, and a small hook on the left shoulder strap. These additions made it easier for the soldier to carry his rifle while using a rucksack. ****History of the Rucksack, from OLIVE-DRABU.S. Army Rucksack of World War IIThe rucksack originated with the needs of Alpine troops, such as the 10th Mountain Division, and other special forces. A mountain soldier could not fit all of his gear into the M1928 Haversack, the Army's standard backpack at the beginning of World War II. Even if he could, the haversack carried the weight high on his back and it shifted side to side, throwing him off balance while skiing or climbing. Thus, the Army needed something more practical for these soldiers.Development of the WW II U.S. Army RucksackIn 1941, the Wood Yukon Expedition investigated several types of rucksacks and pack frames for their potential for Army use. They recommended that a rucksack "capable of carrying all of the mountain and ski trooper's equipment should be developed." The rucksack, for use of mountain and arctic troops, was based on the Norse Pack. Various designs were tried and refined based on feedback from the tests. Jeffersonville Quartermaster Depot continued to refine the rucksack's features, eventually leading to Tentative Specification J.Q.D. 88B (26 August 1942), a superior design produced in large quantity during World War II. The J.Q.D. 88B pattern Rucksack was used up to and including in Vietnam. The Mountain Rucksack consisted of essentially a canvas sack, closed at the top by a drawstring, with a covering flap and pockets at the back and sides. It had web shoulder straps and a web belly strap. There was a detachable tubular steel frame at the front, which took much of the weight of the loaded rucksack off the shoulders, and placed it just above the hips. The frame also served to hold the loaded frame somewhat away from the back so that the pack was ventilated and excessive sweating did not take place. The lower frame curved around the back, projecting forward in the lower part of the frame, curved toward the front of the body just above the hips and kept the rucksack, with its load, from swinging sideways and destroying balance during rapid movements. Two of the frames, when detached from their sacks, could be attached to skis to form an emergency sled. The main load of the mountain soldier, including cooking equipment, rations, sleeping bag, tent, and extra clothing, was stowed inside the rucksack. Maps and other articles which might be needed during the march were placed in the outside pockets or a flat pocket in the cover flap. There were attachments for the bayonet or machete, the rifle, and the entrenching tool. The rifle attachment was a snap link, added to the original design, that clipped to the butt sling swivel. The rifle was carried over the right shoulder alongside the rucksack, where it could be reached and unsnapped quickly for use. Meanwhile, the rifle was kept out of the way of the soldier who needed his hands for ski poles or for climbing. A snow-white cover was issued with the rucksack for camouflage use in snowy country. [Adapted from "Quartermaster Equipment for Special Forces", Thomas M. Pitkin, QMC Historical Studies No. 5, OQMG, February 1944", p. 101-102 ] ***** A Brief History of the Talon Zipper Company Jeff Sherry Friday Dec 4th, 2020 We take the zipper for granted. It is on virtually every pair of pants and coats we wear every day. It has become something we both can neither live without nor overlook. The history of this commonplace item is a fascinating tale of invention, entrepreneurship and a booming industry that allowed one county to sidestep the Great Depression and produce a product so much a part of our everyday life. The zipper. Today, most zippers are produced overseas, but at one time, virtually every single one was manufactured by The Talon Zipper Company. in Meadville and Erie, Pennsylvania. The once sprawling multi-story “Plant 5” on Arch Street in Meadville is mostly gone now, a vacant lot in its place. “Plant 7” on South Main Street has been remodeled and is home to a medical supply company. “Plant 6” on West 26th Street in Erie is now the home to the Arthur F. Schultz Furniture Company. The question remains, what happened to the Talon? A company that once employed over 5,000 people and left a legacy of loss and the demise of the City of Meadville. The zipper, or “hookless fastener” as it was originally called, began with inventor Whitcomb L. Judson in Chicago in 1893. Judson’s patent shown below bears little resemblance to the zipper we know today, but it would start a chain of events that would change the way we live today. Seeing the potential of the hookless fastener, Col. Lewis Walker, an attorney, saw the value of Judson’s invention but realized it was too complicated and difficult to mass produce. Walker called on an acquaintance, Swiss-born engineer Gideon Sunback, who would devise the zipper we know today. Walker, a graduate of Allegheny College in Meadville, knew the city had a skilled labor force. He was also attracted to his future wife who was from the city. In the 1920s, Walker and Sundback moved operations from Hoboken, New Jersey, to the site of the former Chicago Theological Seminary in Meadville. Early applications for the hookless fastener were on such items as boots and shoes and the “Locktite” tobacco pouch and later, the B.F. Goodrich company’s rubber “Zipper Boot.” A household name was born. Sales to the fashion industry were slow, owing to clothing manufacturers’ reluctance to switch to zippers from buttons. Walker was undaunted and continued to search for markets. Business grew in the 1930s and in 1937 the Hookless Fastener Company changed its name to Talon. The name derives from the talons or claws of birds like the eagle that grasp onto prey. Sundback had also finally developed a clasp that would not open on its own, a problem with early versions. The boom years followed as the period of 1929-1933 saw the company’s sales grow by 50 percent. Look at your zipper sometime. Each of those tiny metal or plastic parts was known as a scoop. They are attached to a fabric tape and they must be perfect. The measurements and tolerances must be exact. There were no machines to make them. Sundback and Talon’s engineers created them. Talon had an apprentice tool and die program to train tool makers to build and run these machines. This apprenticeship program is given credit with creating the largest tool and die industry in the world. Meadville, Pennsylvania is still known as “Tool City” and Crawford County, and to some extent Erie County have the largest number of tool and die makers per capita of anywhere in the world. Lewis Walker died in 1937, leaving the company’s management to his sons Lewis, Jr. and Walker. “The Colonel,” Lewis Walker, did not see the tremendous growth the company would see during World War II. 1941 was Talon’s best year with $30 million in sales. The war years saw huge contracts from the United States military for zippers for flight suits and a variety of uniform jackets and coats. At its peak, Talon employed over 5,000 men and women at a time when the population of Meadville was only 19,000. Gideon Sundback died in 1957. Today, you can dine at his summer home, The Venango Valley Inn and Golf Course in Venango, PA, located between Cambridge Springs and Saegertown in Crawford County. Sundback, Like Lewis Walker would not live to see the Talon company demise at the hands primarily of YKK, the Japanese zipper manufacturer. Talon had allowed its patents to run-out and offshore production of zippers soon overtook the company. In 1960, the conglomerate Textron bought the company and it turned out to be a disaster for Talon. Textron’s mismanagement lead to the purchase of the company by British firm Coats and Viyella in 1991. Jobs left Meadville. The Erie plant had closed in 1960. Some employees were given the option of moving to North Carolina, but most did not. The Talon Company which had helped see Crawford County through the Great Depression along with other large manufacturing plants in Meadville was gone. Nearly every family in the county had family members that worked for Talon. The loss of the company has hurt Meadville, and while the tool and die industry that it spawned lives on, much of the city’s economic woes can be traced to the loss of ***** RUCKSACK DESIGN HISTORY The origins of the superior ergonomic "teardrop" design of this rucksack dates back to 1908; exceptional research from the British STRIKE-HOLD: "Anyone who’s familiar with the British Army and its infantry equipment knows that Squaddie slang for a rucksack is “bergan” or “bergen”. Most seem to also understand that this has some sort of Norwegian connection, but few seem to really understand what it’s about. As for the nickname, “Bergan” is an adaptation of the name of the Norwegian backpack manufacturer Bergans, and the alternative of “Bergen” appears to be a case of confusing the brand name with the town of Bergen, Norway. Understandable perhaps as the two words sound basically the same in English pronunciation. t any rate, according to official company history, designer and inventor Ole F. Bergans came up with the basic concept for a new backpack while on a hunting trip at Skrimfjellet in 1908. The story goes that “Ole bent a juniper branch, and shaped it to the back to give a comfortable fit, and to provide support for his soft sack. From this ‘prototype’ he developed the frame and replaced the branch with light tubular steel and straps. The basic idea was that the sack should be shaped according to the persons form and height, and that it should sit snugly to the body, whilst supporting the sack frame. This concept is mirrored in every modern anatomical rucksack produced today.” The growing popularity of outdoor sports like hiking and mountaineering throughout the 1920’s and ’30’s helped fuel the rise of the Bergans brand-name to become virtually synonymous with “rucksack”. Bergans backpacks also caught the eye of various military forces of the time too. A consignment of Bergans rucksacks were sold to the Czechoslovakian Army in the 1920’s, and the influence of Bergans can also be seen in the design of the German Gebirgsjaeger (mountain rangers) rucksack used throughout WWII. Bergans rucksacks were also well known to the mountaineers who played a key role in the training of British Commando troops in the Scottish Highlands during WWII. But as Norway was occupied by the Germans in 1940, it was impossible to procure genuine Bergans backpacks from the source, so the Commandos decided to create their own. The result was the rugged, comfortable, and capacious 1942-Pattern ‘Bergen’ Rucksack that became very popular with the Commandos, the SAS, and the Airborne Forces of Britain throughout the war. When the US Army needed a suitable rucksack for its fledgling mountain and special operations forces at the beginning of WWII, they also looked to the Bergans for inspiration. The 1942 and 1943 pattern US Mountain Rucksacks (official Jeffersonville Quartermaster Depot designations, J.Q.D. 88B and J.Q.D. 88F) clearly show the Bergans influence. In fact the US 1943 Rucksack looks like a virtual copy of the British ’42 Pattern Bergan. The US Mountain Rucksack was issued from 1941 until the late ’50’s / early ’60’s, with a hiatus between 1944 and 1951 when production ceased. By the 1970s the wartime Bergens were considered obsolete – a lack of waterproofness was one problem for example – and once again, the Airborne, Commando, and Special Forces of the British Army needed a solution for carrying the larger loads they bore on their backs compared to standard motorized or mechanized infantry, and so the special SAS/PARA Bergen was developed in the early ’70’s. This new SAS/PARA Bergen was constructed of very tough, waterproof, butyl nylon coated material, was mounted on a steel frame with quick release shoulder straps, and rode above the kidney pouches of the 1958 webbing rig. It could also carry up 125-Litres of kit...."

Price: 227.95 USD

Location: Little Rock, Arkansas

End Time: 2024-10-10T14:19:43.000Z

Shipping Cost: 29.85 USD

Product Images

WWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINTWWII Mountain/Ski RUCKSACK ("MEESE, Inc. 1942"), complete with straps. NEAR MINT

Item Specifics

All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted

Conflict: WW II (1939-45)

Original/Reproduction: Original

Theme: Militaria

Region of Origin: United States

Country/Region of Manufacture: United States

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