Back in the 1970s I designed and prototyped a duffle bag/frameless backpack aimed especially at scouts. Figured the dual duty would make it more practical for cash strapped families. That was the era of stagflation before Paul Volker brought inflation under control. I sent it to the BSA headquarters with the clear understanding that I was giving them the design free and clear. I just wanted them to make it easier for scouts to backpack easily. Well... the pack disappeared and no one would fess up. Of course, at the time, BSA had decided that camping was passe', so they were moving to other activities. OFs will remember that this was about the time backpacking had already taken off big time and was growing. Go figure.

Incidentally, this was a compressible bag that used the sleeping pad as support. It had an upside-down V zipper on the single main compartment and detachable pockets. It weighed 2.25 pounds in Cordura at about 4,000 cubic inches.

I sometimes do UL programs for troops. The leaders are more clueless than the kids.