We set out along the Appalachian Trail with everything we’d need strapped to our backs. For this trip we decided to use the Dakota collection’s Rucksack and Military duffle backpack. With just an overnight trip planned our packs were fairly light, we carried only the necessities.

While the Dakota collection’s rucksack is not a technical backpacking backpack it does it’s job with a fierce determination. I would be just as comfortable taking this backpack to my first day at college as I would bring it out into the woods for a overnight trip. There is something to be said about carrying a vintage leather rucksack into the wild. The environment leaves its mark on the leather and with each trip you take the scratches and discoloration add to the bags story, as well as your own. There is something beautiful about the smell of old leather and a well worn bag. When a bag has traveled the world with you and it carries with it each reminder of a rough flight or international taxi ride, that’s a bag you’ll want to pass down to your son or daughter. The Dakota military duffel and rucksack carry with them the strong heritage of a time where a leather bag was all a man needed to step out into the wild and discover a vast adventure.