Original Item. Only One Available. These cowhide-covered rucksacks were known as the Tornister (Knapsack) Model 34 (developed in 1934) and this example comes complete with the correct shoulder straps. It looks to have all of the leather components still present, though definitely worn. As the war progressed the design was simplified for economical and practical reasons so the cowhide cover was eliminated making these packs especially scarce on today's collector market. These are often described as being covered with "pony fur", however research shows that this was just a nickname, and was never used on these. The German nickname for these packs was Affe, or ape.

This example of a wartime rucksack comes complete with 1940 dated shoulder straps, with an intact GUSTAV REINHARDT / BERLIN marking on the right strap, while the left strap making is too faint to read. It retains over 90% of the pony fur hide and the leather is in very good service condition on the pack. It still has an original maker marking, however only the bottom two lines can be read, and they are quite faint:

???????
CELLE
1942

The pack definitely does show wear, and the canvas is stained and worn through in places. The leather is a bit worn and cracked, but it is still mostly solid and complete. It looks to have been stored flat for a long period of time, which has caused the bottom of the pack to become misshapen. The leather definitely shows wear overall, and there definitely is tearing in areas. Measures approximately 13"H x 12"W x 5"D.

A really nice service used example of a hard to find backpack as used by German soldiers in WW2.