Swedish M39 |

by Woodsbum

The Swedish M39 rucksack goes almost hand in hand with the whole “bushcraft” craze. It is leather and canvas, a definite favorite among bushcrafthers, and holds just enough gear to allow for a comfortable weekend or day outing. It has straps to carry a bedroll or wool blanket. There are straps on the side to carry an axe. It even has a separate pocket inside that stores your cooking gear quite nicely without getting all sorts of soot on your other gear, assuming that you cook over an open flame as I do. All this in a simple, inexpensive, extremely sturdy little “pack”age (sorry about the pun… been a long week already).

Swedish M39 Rucksack

There are several short comings to this pack, however. Most of which revolve around the suspension and straps. The shoulder straps are adjusted by buttons that slip into slits that are cut into the shoulder strap itself. The bottom part of the shoulder strap is supposed to hook under the waist belt to give a more uniform ride of your pack when under heavy load. There is the problem. Not only does this button dig into your shoulder, but the clips to hook onto the waist strap are not long enough to reach for most normal sized people. The waist strap itself is made for someone with a 30 inch waist as well. This makes it impossible for people my sized to even use the stock system.

The frame that the pack uses has a riveted in leather lumbar strap. It also is made for a 30 inch waist person. To turn this pack into a comfortable system for the average American, the frame must be bent and tweaked. What I did was probably the easiest. I took a hammer and a block of wood to carefully bend the pipe frame into a more reasonable shape. You need to use the wood block as a forge and then open up the arch by hitting the frame at the apex. It will flatten out the frame and thus make it fit bigger people.

Flattened out arch of the frame

Be REALLY careful, however. The frame is a hollow pipe and does break if you are not careful. I have had to weld one already due to over jealous pounding on the frame.

To fix the crazy button shoulder adjustment issue some cutting and stitching is required. What I did involved stitching a D ring into the cut strap and then used the waist belt hooks to make quick disconnects. The same straps are used. Nothing new is introduced. The only difference is that the hooks that were originally designed to attach to the waist belt are now being used on the bottom shoulder adjustment straps. It is very clean and functional as a quick disconnect.

Quick disconnect for shoulder straps

I also added some attachment points on the side so that I can attach a quiver. I can now put my takedown bow and arrows in my quiver then carry them attached to the right side of my pack. It also gives me easy access to my arrows for hunting purposes if using one of my traditional bows.

Quiver attachment points

At the top of the pack I ran some hooks through the existing suspension straps. This provides me with a way to attach my pans, pots, cups, etc., or any other item that I want quick access to that has a carry strap or eye on the handle. As you can see in some of the pictures, I put a handled cup/ladle thing on mine. This is just big enough to cook about anything I would want along the trail.

Hooks

Last, but not least, I also found that one of those spring stop clips on the internal draw string helps immensely. Of course I tie it up before I start hiking, but getting that knot tight is sometimes a chore without this plastic stop.

This is a highly recommended pack and if you would like to see some more detail in what I did to this baby, just leave a comment. If you have one of these packs, I think the pictures will explain about everything I mentioned without too much confusion. Don’t forget to check out some of my other gear reviews and mods while you are here.

By Woodsbum

To continue our series about gear discussed during our “Gear Check” Meetup, I am going to write a bit about packs. Packs are one of those things that can be hard to nail down and find a good one that fits, has just the right amount of space, and doesn’t break your bank.

Many people are very into the military surplus packs like the ALICE or ILBE. These can be great bushcraft packs and are made to withstand some heavy duty use. They are designed to make it through combat, so they should be able to handle the occasional dirt stain or rain shower. They do have their drawbacks, however.

Medium ALICE Pack and Frame

While I was in the military, I spent about 3 years living out of an ALICE pack. The pack is great, but definitely has its flaws. Let’s discuss the good first. They are one of the toughest pieces of gear I have had the pleasure of using. If the frame gets messed up, it can easily be bent back into shape and lashed back together with 550 cord or an improvised rivet or two can be used until a better fix can be engineered. They seem to have just enough room for a couple day’s worth of gear. Long weekend trips, day hikes, or even packing out meat quarters while hunting fit right within this pack’s limits. For weeks on end or long trips, however, this pack is a bit lacking. There just isn’t enough room. There are large ALICE packs that offer more room, but the frame constraints are the same. Shoulder and waist straps on this are not made for larger people. They are designed for average sized individuals. The shoulder pads are too short without some redesign and modification as are the hip belt and pad. I am not talking about being overweight, either. These straps just don’t fit larger people.

If you are not interested in a frame, the better military surplus pack is the ILBE.

ILBE

These packs have pockets everywhere, carry about as much as the ALICE (granted that you are not strapping on sleeping bags and Isomats) and even have some straps that make carrying an axe very easy. If you are thinking “prepper” style or fashion, this is military surplus and therefore screams, “Motivated and military” so it might not be the right style or fashion for you. The nicest thing about it is the fact that the straps and fit are comfortable for small to large sized people without any major modifications.

These are also a great pack, but are fairly difficult to come up with most of the time. This is the Swedish M39 rucksack.

Swedish M39

The problem comes down to trying to find one it good condition. They are old and have not usually been treated too well during their life. The nice things about this pack are the axe loop on the side, the large flap that keeps rain and such out and allows you to carry a coat or something under it, and the fact that it is nicely framed with a lightweight design. You will have to do some metalwork on the frame to widen the hip area. It was designed for people with a 26-30 inch waist (guessing while cursing the fit). But once you widen out the bottom portion of the frame, they fit really well and are quite comfortable. Unless you are the size of Skeletor don’t expect to be able to use the leather waist belt. Just figure on either making a longer one or not using a waist belt at all.

There is a post to what I built out of an old French pack. Projects like this are quite viable and allow you to make what you want. I highly recommend doing something like this if you are handy.

Last but not least is to mention all the Swiss, German, Polish, Swedish, French, etc., canvas rucksacks that are available on the market. Most are WWII surplus and are great options if you care to explore them. The ones I mentioned above are the most common “bushcrafter packs” that people get and modify to their needs. If you can grab one that suits your needs, grab it and get out to use it!

Other options are much more expensive, however. You can pick up something from Frost River or Duluth Trading Post. Their packs are INCREDIBLE, but the price point is also INCREDIBLE. That being the case, don’t look while eating. You will choke, so be warned. Of these two, I prefer the Isle Royale by Frost River. The shape, size, construction, etc., seem to be more suited to my particular needs. Although I have not purchased one yet, this is on my short list after I finish up my custom knife purchases.

There are also many options that are not “traditional” canvas type rucksacks. So many that it really doesn’t warrant listing them. The main thing to think about while picking your pack is this: get something that will withstand the rigors of bushcrafting, fits you nicely, and holds all your kit. If any of these criteria are not met, you really should just pass on the pack and move to the next one. The most common criteria that they don’t meet is “withstanding the rigors of bushcrafting.” Bushcrafting requires more durable equipment due to the many tools (axes, Scotish augers, knives, saws, etc.) that you carry with you. Most backpackers don’t take as many sharp objects with them like a bushcrafter will.

Well, it is time to do some searching and testing of some different packs to find what you like. Don’t be intimidated no matter how scared you get. Just get what you like and what fits you. Most other things can be modified with some ingenuity and a sewing kit.

Have some fun and get dirty!!!!

The perfect meld of backwoods, backyard, and back in the day

Tag Archives: Swedish M39

The Swedish M39 Rucksack – Mods

Gear Check – Packs