Ole. F Bergan was a Norwegian hunter and fisherman who invented one of the first ‘A’ frame rucsacs (Norwegian spelling – no ‘K’s) back in 1908. So successful was his product that Bergans became the generic term for all rucsacs for another 50 years, particularly in the UK, where there were a multitude of ‘pretenders’; but the Bergans reigned supreme. We think the one we have here in the collection could date back to the 1930s. It has all the hallmarks of a bespoke rucsac including the patented Bergan’s ‘pulley’ which was designed to centralise the load and stop the sack being lop-sided. Thomas Black & Sons were the sole importers of Bergans rucsacs in Scotland back in the 1930s. Blacks incorporated Jackson & Warr Ltd later on as per the advert opposite which shows a Model 86, similar to the one we have here in the collection.