French Haversacks

[nickmarshall]

I am making a French haversack and have found two different sets of dimensions for them.

This site that supplies them (www.colonialmarket.com/casada/knapsacks.html) says they are 32" wide, and 50" in length. This is huge but on page 118-119 of La Marine (the French colonial soldier in Canada) by Andrew Gallup & Donald Schaffer, it mentions that they were sometimes used as sleeping bags too. So this massive bag would seem right.

However, on this site (www.donegaltownshipriflemen.org/interpretations/french-militia/), it says haversacks of the same design are approximately 35 inches by 22 inches. That's a tight little sleeping bag - even if you are smaller than me.

Are these just two available sizes or is there one standard issue size?

Has anyone got any info? thanks.

[guyenne]

I'm not entirely certain that they are the same design. Certainly, I've never seen the havresac ordinaire (described in the second link) worn rolled (as in the picture in the first link). If the ones in the first link were issued at L'bourg in '47 then they are naval issue as all the troops there at that date were in naval pay. Depending what you want the bag for, this may limit your options with that design. The havresac ordinaire is more generic. I'll try and double check the dimensions against other sources, but images suggest that the "sleeping bag" option was to cover the legs rather than the whole body so I don't think that the dimensions you've got there are too far off.

[Admin(Lepoir)]

vial.jean.free.fr/new_npi/revues_npi/1_1998/npi_198/1_binf_camp.htm

Check out this article for an engraving of the 'sleeping bag' in action. It doesn't really reach too far up the leg.

[nickmarshall]

Thanks for the info & picture link - I'm really looking for a kitbag rather than a bit of field kit but would prefer it to be right when hanging around the tent.

The marine issue haversack ordinaire, at 4 pied long, would come to my chest (and I'm 6'3'') so perhaps it's the other haversack in the pic.