Backpacks

[Draconis]

I checked out the above link to the article on backpacks... it was really interesting. Concerning the goatskin water bags, how would they have waterproofed the skins to prevent seepage and general leakage? Also, how would you seal if up when marching, and accessing it when you want a drink? I kind of like the single bar concept over the cross bar too, people are basically lazy, why bother with struggling with attaching a cross bar when you can make it work without it? Occam's Razor. Form follows function, people trying to solve the same problems with the same materials, will often arrive at the same solutions. The pack on a pole reminds me of pictures of hobos, refugees carrying their few belongings in a bag tied to a pole. I do wonder if a soldier searching about for a suitable pole, finding a forked branch, might not have used it. One thought occurs to me concerning the waterskin, if water permeated the skin much like one of those canvas desert bags that soak up water but hold it in, the evaporation as the soldier marched along would have kept the water cooler and more pleasant to drink on a hot day.