Untitled record

Application filed January 31, 1887. Serial No. 226.082. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Horace Blanchard, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new 5 and useful Improvements in Knapsacks, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

The object of my invention is to so construct the article that it shall serve the purpose of a io complete shelter-tent, having a raised roof for the body, and end and side walls, and a waterproof floor; also serving the purpose of a soldier’s knapsack provided with all the usually required additions. This object I accomplish 15 by the construction shown in the accompanying drawings, in which—

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my invention as it appears when folded into the form of a knapsack. Fig. 2 shows the same 20 when opened out to its full extent, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the article when -used as a shelter-tent.

Heretofore the combined knapsack andshelter-tent devices have in every case, so far as 25 I know⁷, been deficient in some essential feature—that is, the tent would be deficient of a ground floor, or, if provided with a ground floor, would have for a covering a simple blanket, with perhaps a slightly-raised part 30 over the head of the user, and' not, in fact, providing any tent for occupancy of the whole person, and the part called a knapsack would be so deficient as to very poorly supply that want.

The construction of my device is shown best in Figs. 2 and 3, in which R is the part which forms the entire floor of the tent, and is long enough to comfortably receive the entire body of the occupant, and is made water-proof in 40 order to protect the reclining occupant from the dampness of the ground.

A in the same figures represents that part which forms the roof of the tent, and is united at one end by stitches, rivets, or buttons, as 45 indicated at d d, Fig. 2, to the part R, that forms the floor, and at the other end to the part E, that forms the head end of the tent. At the two sides of the roof part A, I attach triangular pieces D D', which form together the side walls of the tent. All of these parts, . 0 when arranged asshown in Fig. 3, form acomplete shelter tent, the interior of which is a comfortable chamber for tbe occupant to rest in.

P and P, Fig. 2, represent pockets for eon- 55 taining the soldier’s small articles. The larger things—for instance, the underwear of the soldier—can be placed within the folds of the knapsack.

C and C, Fig. 1, are the shoulder-straps of 60 the knapsack, made in the usual manner. H and H'are the straps usually used for holding the soldier’s blanket or overcoat. L and L, Fig. 1, are buckle-straps for bolding in place the outer folding cover, B, of the knapsack. 65

To fold my knapsack I place part E, Fig. 2, upon the part A. Then I fold the several parts on the line X X of Fig. 2. Then I fold the parts DD' over onto the other parts, then agaiu double on the lineYY. Now a second fold- 7c ing on a transverse line, Z Z, half-way between X X and the upper edge of the part A, will complete the folding, and the knapsack will be ready for buckling down the folding cover B, and the article will assume the ap- 75 pearance shown in Fig. 1.