What does packsack mean?
A packsack is a bag made to be carried on the back, especially by a soldier, traveller, or walker. It may be made from canvas or leather and used for clothing, provisions, or other personal effects; more broadly, it is a kind of backpack or knapsack. The term has a practical, slightly old-fashioned tone. Modern speakers usually say backpack in everyday American English and, increasingly in British English as well, while packsack survives in military history, outdoor writing, and descriptions of traditional travel. In those contexts it suggests a self-contained bag sized for a person and often associated with marching, trudging, or expedition rather than schoolbooks and daily commuting. The word is also useful because it names the object more specifically than luggage and more traditionally than bag: the load is designed to ride on the bearer's back. Context determines whether it refers to a modern hiking pack, a soldier's old kit bag, or a generic pack in historical prose.
nounA bag designed to be carried on the back, especially a soldier's, traveller's, or walker's bag. It may also refer more generally to a backpack or knapsack.
- A bag, often made of canvas or leather, used to carry clothing, provisions, or other belongings on the back.
"The traveller strapped a weatherproof bundle to his packsack and set off along the ridge."
"The scout packed her spare clothes and a flask of water in a worn canvas packsack."
"Each infantryman set his packsack down before the morning inspection."
The regular plural is used when referring to multiple bags.
"The porter carried three heavy packsacks up the mountain path."
The 'pack' in packsack is the load itself: a sack built to be carried rather than merely stored.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does packsack come from?
Packsack combines the elements pack and sack and is attested in English by the early seventeenth century. It belongs to a Germanic naming pattern: Dutch pakzak and German Packsack use cognate forms for a pack, sack, or backpack. In English, the compound came to denote a bag intended to be carried on the back and has sometimes served as a synonym for knapsack.
Related word forms
How packsack is actually used
The term has a somewhat literary, historical, or traditional tone and is especially associated with soldiers, travellers, and outdoor expeditions. In everyday American English, backpack is normally preferred.
Easily confused with packsack
A packsack is a broad term for a bag carried on the back, while a knapsack more specifically denotes a close-fitting bag with straps, traditionally used by soldiers and walkers.