Swiss Army backpack from 1973, salt and pepper pattern:
First of all thanks a lot for the hint of Chris from Damn Yak, via his website in Canada I discovered this great vintage backpack from the Swiss Army. The toughness and the design is outstanding – I did not find one faulty attachment point or seam. Everything is done in a Swiss “perfectionistic” way. It was really designed for lasting a lifetime. Regarding that this rucksack sells for less than 40 Euros on Ebay I would say there is no backpack with a better value/style factor. The stamp on the pack says “L MAUERHOFER SELLERE GOLLION 73“. I would rate this backpack with a capacity of around 50 Liters and I´m sure without any problems It can handle easy 20 kg of stuff. Due to the canvas belt which acts as a suspender or a distance holder of the lower back it feels quite comfortable.
If you are searching for a daybag, I would go for the smaller version of this backpack.
Classy piece of work there Alex!!
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I’m looking for the larger version but don’t want to pay current eBay US prices (upwards of $100 or more). Do you have any suggestions for cheaper alternatives?
Make a trip to Europe and buy it here and take it back ;-) No honestly I was asked yesterday for the smaller one, but all sellers on Ebay Germany only ship within the EU and even if they would ship to the US you will pay about 30-40 Euros for shipping + Customs. So 100 USD isn´t too much.
Hi Alex, I was understating the cost. it’s about $150+ not including shipping, so it’s much more than $100. Are they pretty common in Europe (not that I can go myself). I wonder if there is anyone who could get some for me and ship them back…
Hello Christopher, you can find 2 in mint condition here, shipping worldwide, buy two and sell the other:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Schweizer-Armee-1963-1970-NIE-BENUTZT-Rucksack-Lederrucksack-Armeerucksack-/310416547220?pt=NATO_Shop&hash=item4846449d94#ht_11732wt_1094
Thanks Alex- I wish I could read German… Would be ideal; will look into this!
google translation ?
Thanks to your help, I finally got one! It’s wonderful. I’m trying to restore and preserve the leather now. Yours looks to be in mintier condition than mine, so I’m trying to maintain its condition. I’m going to take it on a camping/hiking trip this weekend so I’ll be putting it through its paces.
Old leather I really recommend to use a conditioner like neatfood oil and later some usual wax based product for protection. Have a great time with the pack.
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i can’t find this again on ebay, do you have any suggestion to get good condition swiss military bag?
Try to find on ebay germany or swiss and see if they are shipping worldwide, thats the only advice I can give.
Search for: “Schweizer Armee Rucksack” oder “Salz und Pfeffer Rucksack”