"Where to get spare back packs?" Topic

I know that some of the plastics have them separate. I seem to remember that some manufacturers sell packs of back packs, I guess for baggage.

I want to put together a couple of brigades of 28mm Hesse-Darmstadt infantry. 1806 Prussian figures seem to be suitable, except that they don't have back packs, and have a shoulder bag, which rests over their left hip, instead.

I could glue on French back packs and then pretend the other bag is a forage bag. Those are my thoughts anyway.

I've seen that someone else, the Garage Gamer, uses early French in bicornes for the Hesse-Darmstadt troops. We both use Elite minitures, and Elite have modeled their infantry with the musket covering the chest area. That hides a veste which is too large for Hesse-Darmstadt.

It's likely (dons asbestos suit) that infantrymen often went into action sans backpacks.

There's your answer.

I thought of that as a fall back position. Glad I'm not alone in considering it.

Can't help you a source for packs but it epends on the year. If you are setting your Hesse troops in 1806 you don't need backpacks.

I was thinking of painting for the 1809 campaign, including Wagram. The Gross und Erbprinz, in yellow facings above, headed to Spain and switched to six company (french type) organisation on the way. Can't remember if they left home in shakos or switched to shakos on the way.

But I think, or hope, that the other two regiments stayed in bicornes until Wagram.

I have some plastic British ones – would they work?

The thing is that with many of the "old school" Napoleonic armies the "backpack" was slung! Look at the left right hand figure in the first Knotel plate above, the motley furry "haverack" on the left hip is the backpack! The practice of wearing the pack on the back I believe was adpoted by European armies in North America from the Indians in the French & Indian war and gradually spread across Europe. As you can see the more modern 1809 Hessians wore the pack on the back.

Bicorne.

BIC-S012 French Style Napoleonic backpacks x 4

Haven't bort 'em; dunno what they look like. But they're listed.

Thanks, Katie. Knew I'd seen them somewhere recently!