Bergans of Norway rucksacks became so iconic in the 1930’s that the word ‘bergan’ became the generic term for all rucksacks, whoever the maker, for several decades to come. Ole F Bergan was a Norwegian hunter and fisherman and the story goes that he invented his revolutionary metal pack frame in 1908/9 after carrying some game on his back for a long distance which made him stiff and sore. A patent followed and the company ‘Bergans of Norway’ was born. Thomas Black & Co. were one of Scotland’s leading outdoor retailers back in the 1930’s and they soon became the sole importer of Bergan rucksacks which were a huge success even though they were often more expensive than similar rucksacks on the UK market. Indeed, the UK outdoor manufacturers , Camtors, tried hard to compete with their, thinly disguised,’Camwegian’ version of the Bergan. We think this version of rucksack dates from the 1950’s and bears all the high quality trademarks of a Bergan, including the famous depiction of two men in the great outdoors; The one ‘with’ has a Bergan and a pipe, the other doesn’t. The Norwegians love their ‘baccy’ so if you have a Bergan and a pipe you are happy; if not you are sad.