Canvas Berghaus Crusader

[shaggystu]

Thats interesting....

Your Jaguar seems to have a bit of a hybrid back system..

The waist belt is SA 7000 but the Shoulder straps are the older SA type..

Very very comfy but a bit prone to breakage by all accounts... Looking at the clips and the SA 7000 waist belt I'd date the bergen to the mid 90's...

that is interesting, i know that i've never seen anything with the same back system so it could well be that it's some kind of hybrid. as i said, i got it second hand so no info at all i'm afraid.

very very comfy i'd agree with, prone to breaking i'd also have to agree with. when i got this rucksack the little plastic bits at the bottom of the two alloy stays were just about keeping the back system and hip belt attached to the bag, but not by much at all. i ended up making two big washers out of an old nylon chopping board to go on the inside of the pack with bolts through them, the alloy stays, and the hip belt attachment to hold the whole thing together, good as new now.
the hip belt on mine look identical to the one that you posted but don't be paying any attention to the clips, most of them have been replaced at some point or other, i'll post pics of the few remaining original clips if it'll help with dating the thing?

stuart

edit: just looked at the "blue monstrosity" that you posted again and mine has the same side pockets, and originally had the same chest strap too, looks like a very similar bag

 

[johnboy]

Yuk! that blue monstrosity ( can't believe it's a karrimor) looks like some cheap kid's space ruck from a supermarket........did they really sell many of these ?

Yes it's a Karrimor a Condor 60-100. Circa mid 90's

I'm not privvy to Karrimors sales figures from the mid 90's so who knows... However they were at the forefront of rucksack design. So things like thermoforming waistbelts and the use of plastics and 'exoskeletons' which are used today in rucksack manufacture by folks like Osprey and Arcteryx were pretty new and revolutionary someone has to be first.

You have to look at the Condor and the SA 7000 in the light of what was in the market place in the 90's as that was the market it was sold into. There was a heap of brightly coloured kit around.

I suppose one advantage is that unlike issue DPM it doesn't fade...

It's a bit like a 70's Avocado bathroom suite... Trendy and cutting edge when new... Then for a long time out of fashion. At some point it becomes 'retro' and is identified as a style icon of it's time..

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Yes it's a Karrimor a Condor 60-100. Circa mid 90's

I'm not privvy to Karrimors sales figures from the mid 90's so who knows... However they were at the forefront of rucksack design. So things like thermoforming waistbelts and the use of plastics and 'exoskeletons' which are used today in rucksack manufacture by folks like Osprey and Arcteryx were pretty new and revolutionary someone has to be first.

You have to look at the Condor and the SA 7000 in the light of what was in the market place in the 90's as that was the market it was sold into. There was a heap of brightly coloured kit around.

I suppose one advantage is that unlike issue DPM it doesn't fade...

It's a bit like a 70's Avocado bathroom suite... Trendy and cutting edge when new... Then for a long time out of fashion. At some point it becomes 'retro' and is identified as a style icon of it's time..

Funny you should mention osprey packs, I don't like them either, but the (ARC'TERYX designed) USMC ILBE rucksack I could live with.................I have seen some Karrimor condors & jaguars S's ( they were greenish) & were great packs, which is why this blue one surprised me. I had a karrimor annapurna ll, back in 1980, a nice chunky external aluminium frame & a bright royal blue bag with gold/ straw coloured straps & that was considered pretty dowdy compared to other rucks around at the time, but despite that, it didn't really look cheap........I suppose the colour mix & that silver padding just doesn't agree with me...........but it's always interesting to see different bags that I didn't know existed.............

 

[Rabbitsmacker]

i have to say i am an owner of an osprey kestrel 38 and it is fantastic! very modern, but well built and comfortable. my mate who is going on this trip with me this weekend has an 'aether' osprey large pack, and that worked well for him around thailand, cambodia, and some serious extremes in australia and new zealand. he got me and himself a glass tankard from mount cook in new zealand, all the way back safe and sound in that bag! top pieces of kit and well designed IMHO.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

i have to say i am an owner of an osprey kestrel 38 and it is fantastic! very modern, but well built and comfortable. my mate who is going on this trip with me this weekend has an 'aether' osprey large pack, and that worked well for him around thailand, cambodia, and some serious extremes in australia and new zealand. he got me and himself a glass tankard from mount cook in new zealand, all the way back safe and sound in that bag! top pieces of kit and well designed IMHO.

Yes osprey packs have their fans, & it's great they work for them.....the older I get, the more I appreciate simple, plain & sturdy things & rucksacks don't escape this preference....Modern, hyper-designed rucks with all the whistles & bells & multiple stiched panels just don't do it for me.....they look flimsy, ( I admit I've never actually handled one so I can't be objective) & over complicated, the shoulder straps & waist belt look very thin, but again thats only my uninformed opinion..........they're pricy too & I consider you don't get much for your money...............all the satified users of osprey packs won't agree with me of course & they are right not to.....I've never seen one in the flesh ,so my oplnion is based uniquely on photos & videos, which is prehaps not the best way to form a 'critique'

 

[m.durston]

Well chaps after much waiting and giving the postie the evil eye my dpm berghaus centurion has arrived!
A quick inspection has revealed only one zip tab busted (which i replaced with paracord) and the white gloss blobs on the bottom of the bergen. To be honest i'm not fussed about the paint cos you cant see it when its being worn and i'll probably colour them in with a sharpie lol
It only cost me £30 posted which i think is a bargain cos there is only one other centurion on ebay and the guy wants £90 for it

Anyways heres the pics as promised.
Front shot shows the dpm is still very much there, although the elastic has died on the cover.

Back shot revealing the obligatory large penmanship of the original owner as he was probably paranoid about some dirtbag permanently borrowing it. Lucky for me the bergbuckle is still there and i'm pretty sure its a size 2 (going by the label).

Shot of the buckles and the 58 pattern utility straps which have been added at some point.

Early type berghaus badge?

internal zipped pocket in the main compartment.

All in all i'm very happy with this and i still cant believe the build quality of this bergen, they really did make them to last.

 

[sasquatch]

Nice one, another Berghaus bargain had on ebay. It's good to see these getting back into rotation as users again by people that appreciate them. It also proves they were designed for the long haul. Thanks for sharing...

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Congratulations, that is one nice bag & looks in great shape too, the pulled elastic is easy to fix.......£30 all inc. that is what you call a bargain..........we all know what they're worth...well done again & thanks for showing.

 

[GordonM]

Back shot revealing the obligatory large penmanship of the original owner as he was probably paranoid about some dirtbag permanently borrowing it.

Naw gunbunny, the large penmanship is so the wet and freezing grunt can ID his snivel gear amongst the heap, after one of the remfs just threw the platoon's rucks off the back of a deuce and a half into the only large mudpuddle around. I was happy to have my 10 loggies supporting me, yeah right!


I really like the Centurion! Nice!

Gordy

 

[m.durston]

thats a good point gordon! where would we be without the idiots in this world ever ready to lob your hard earned bergen into the nearest muddy puddle to give it that much needed old sweat well used look lol

 

[Twodogs]

Nice One Gunbunny ,
No sign of the DPM fading ,
Twodogs

 

[blacktimberwolf]

thats a good point gordon! where would we be without the idiots in this world ever ready to lob your hard earned bergen into the nearest muddy puddle to give it that much needed old sweat well used look lol

Remember too, that if there weren't any idiots to throw your bergens off lorries or out of choppers, they wouldn't need to be made like brick s***houses. ...one of the things I like about them is their toughness & fearlessness, after all, if there's any chucking out of vehicules to be done, bergens will always step foreward & vounteer....................

 

[GordonM]

I've pitched my own ruck out of a helicopter, a time or two, but I tried to avoid the mudpuddles. The real test, though, was the abuse the rucks took strapped to the outside of an armored personnel carrier.

Military rucks have to be able to haul the load and take the abuse. Remember, a soldier can tear up a steel ball bearing.

Gordy

 

[Twodogs]

Yep I have shot loads of tankies bergans and jerry cans to bit ..........

 

[Andy2112]

Yep I have shot loads of tankies bergans and jerry cans to bit ..........

I can picture you doing it mate, lol

 

[blacktimberwolf]

I've pitched my own ruck out of a helicopter, a time or two, but I tried to avoid the mudpuddles. The real test, though, was the abuse the rucks took strapped to the outside of an armored personnel carrier.

Military rucks have to be able to haul the load and take the abuse. Remember, a soldier can tear up a steel ball bearing.

Gordy

& british soldiers are the toughest in the world, that's why they have the toughest ruck ever made by man, the PLCE infantry bergen.

 

[Andy2112]

& british soldiers are the toughest in the world, that's why they have the toughest ruck ever made by man, the PLCE infantry bergen.

Chuck Norris of the Bergen world, lol

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Chuck Norris of the Bergen world, lol

come on! Chuck Norris, tough ?

 

[Twodogs]

Happy days just shoot things up all day long ...........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op1-NYfmOow
Twodogs

 

[GordonM]

Here is a few shots from 1997. The photos are of a liesurely five day hike of the North-South trail, at Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky and Tennessee.

The pack is an The North Face Pacific Crest. It is under a rain cover, so, hard to see.

The wife with her pack a Camp Trails Raineer and the suspension system and belt of the Pacific Crest.

Gordy