Help Me Identifify this Enormous Rucksack

[Jammanna]

hi folks. I could not find anything that looks like this pack on the internet. When all else fails this is where I come. The pack is enormous. Unfortunately the tag is worn bare. Which is strange as the pack is unissued.

[Willmore]

Hi there.

It looks like a French a sac à dos Mle. 50/53 TAP (Backpack model 1950, modification of 1953, Airborne Troops), it is just missing its metal frame.







Photos from the below link.

Help Identifying Rucksack - Clothing/uniforms - HMVF - Historic Military Vehicles Forum

Kind regards,

Will.

[Jammanna]

thanks Will. any idea what time period?

[Willmore]

My pleasure.

From the 50/53 designation it dates to post 1953, but the French produced and used a lot of equipment with the 50/53 designation for years are this date. I will have a search around and see if I can pin point anything for you.

I can actually see two stamps on your example. Both are on the inside of the closure flap, one on the left hand side under the zip and the other is above the zip between the two stitched rectangles. If you can get a really good focused photo of these stamps, the production date should be visible there.

Kind regards,

Will.

[Martin Bull]

Interesting item and thanks to Willmore for the i.d. Some similarity to the British WW2 'Bergen' is notable ( itself a straight copy of the pre-war Norwegian 'Bergans' ).

[earlymb]

I agree, a French 50/53 pack. Due to its size and being quite uncomfortable to wear these were mainly used as barracks bag and not carried in the field. For this the popular Bergam-style Lafuma M1950 'sac a dos' was used (or its nearly identical prewar predecessor), in both Indochina and Algeria.