item details
Overview
New Zealanders started making H-frame packs to suit local tramping conditions in the 1950s. The more expansive frame could carry heavier loads more comfortably than the previous European-style A-frame packs. This particular pack belonged to the Hutt Valley Tramping Club.
This pack features a frame made of wood, inspired by 'Trapper Nelson' packs designed by American Lloyd F Nelson in 1924 after he used an American Indian pack board for tramping.
H-frames were also made from steel, and later from lighter aluminium.
Tararua Tramping Museum Trust
This item is from the collection of the Tararua Tramping Museum Trust, which was established in 1989 to acquire and display tramping artefacts. The tramping pack was selected to represent developments in tramping equipment and aspects of the tramping experience including self-sufficiency.