There are certain pieces of outdoor equipment that carry a story with them.
An old pair of snowshoes. A canvas hunting pack. A weathered lantern. A wooden sled. And, perhaps most recognizable of all, the classic wooden pack board.
Today, these old pack boards are often appreciated for their distinctive appearance as much as their original purpose. They have found their way into hunting cabins, collections, museums, and increasingly, taxidermy displays.
But the wooden pack board was never designed to hang on a wall, it was built to go into the wilderness.
The Origins of the Trapper Nelson
One of the most important names in the history of the wooden pack board is Lloyd F. Nelson, an outdoorsman from Washington state. More than a century later, we’re carrying that legacy forward, building historically inspired wooden pack boards here in Washington, not far from where Nelson’s story began.
Around 1920, Nelson traveled in Alaska and used a pack made from wood and sealskin that had been made by Inuit people. The experience gave him an idea: there had to be a better way to carry a load through the backcountry.
The result was a new type of pack built around a rigid wooden frame.
Instead of simply carrying a canvas bag against the back, Nelson's design created a framework that supported the load while also leaving space between the pack and the wearer's back. A canvas back support and shoulder straps helped hold the frame in place, while a detachable canvas sack could be attached to the frame.
It was a simple idea, but it represented an important change in the way people could carry equipment into the wilderness.
Nelson filed his U.S. patent application for the design on July 31, 1922. In 1924, he was granted U.S. Patent No. 1,505,661 and the pack eventually became widely known as the Trapper Nelson.
A Pack Built for the Backcountry
The Trapper Nelson wasn't designed for the kind of lightweight recreational backpacking equipment we know today. It was sturdy, practical, and built around a wooden frame.
The detachable bag was particularly useful. When a person needed to carry something larger than the normal pack sack, the frame itself could be used to secure a load. This made the basic concept useful to the people who actually spent time working and traveling in the outdoors.
Hunters, trappers, fishermen, forestry workers, explorers, and other backcountry travelers all had reason to value a sturdy frame that could carry equipment and bulky loads. The design also became associated with organizations such as the Boy Scouts and the U.S. Forest Service, helping introduce the pack to a much wider audience.
The Trapper Nelson was not the end of pack design, of course. As outdoor equipment evolved, lighter materials, improved suspension systems, aluminum frames, padded hip belts, and modern synthetic fabrics eventually changed the way people carried equipment. But the old wooden frame never completely disappeared, and there is a reason it remains recognizable today.
The Look of the Old Pack Board
Part of what makes an old wooden pack board so interesting is that it looks exactly like what it was: a piece of equipment made for the outdoors. The wood, canvas, metal hardware and simple construction all tell a story.
Unlike many modern pieces of outdoor equipment, there is very little about an old pack board that feels anonymous or mass-produced. You can see how it was put together and how it was meant to be used, and when one has spent decades in the outdoors, the wear and tear only add to that story.
That distinctive appearance is one reason old pack boards have become desirable to collectors and enthusiasts of historic outdoor equipment, but the design has also found a surprisingly natural home in taxidermy.
From Working Equipment to Taxidermy Display
For generations, taxidermy has been about more than simply preserving an animal. A great mount can capture a moment and a memory.
Traditionally, much of the focus has been on the animal itself—the anatomy, expression, pose, habitat, and craftsmanship required to make the mount convincing.
Pack mounts offer another way to tell the story. Instead of displaying an animal by itself, the mount incorporates the equipment that was historically used in the backcountry.
When you put an elk, deer, bear, or other animal together with an appropriately styled pack board, the display begins to tell a larger story. The animal is no longer simply mounted, it becomes part of a scene.
A New Use for an Old Design
This is something that is particularly interesting about pack boards today. The design is old, but the purpose is new.
A pack board that once carried equipment through the mountains might now support a carefully crafted taxidermy display in someone's home, lodge, or showroom. In that new role, the historical character of the board becomes part of the appeal.
This is one of the reasons we started making reproduction pack boards at Comstock & Co. We wanted to recreate the look and character of the classic wooden pack board for people who appreciate that history but don't necessarily want, or need, to find an original vintage board.
Our boards are made specifically for display, combining the character and appearance of historic pack board designs with the strength and reinforcement needed for a finished taxidermy mount. Each board is built and prepared to be mounted as-is, without the modifications or reinforcement required when adapting an old pack board for display.
For taxidermists, that means a purpose-built foundation for creating a distinctive pack mount; combining the character of a historic pack board with a board designed specifically for modern display.
For hunters and collectors, it offers another way to bring the look and character of traditional outdoor equipment into a home, lodge, or collection.
And for anyone who simply appreciates the history of the outdoors, the pack board represents an interesting piece of that story; one that has found a new purpose more than a century after it first went into the wilderness.
The Pack Board's Next Chapter
The history of the pack board doesn't end with its original use.
Today, the same basic design that once helped hunters and backcountry travelers carry their equipment is being given a new purpose in taxidermy. More and more taxidermists are incorporating wooden pack boards into pack mounts, using them to help tell the story of the hunt and create displays that feel connected to the outdoors.
In doing so, a new chapter in the history of the pack board is already being written.
We find that especially fitting. The history of hunting and the history of outdoor equipment have always been connected, and now the pack board has become part of the story being told through taxidermy. The old pack board carried the tools and equipment of the hunt. Today, it can help tell the story of the hunt itself.
At Comstock & Co., we're proud to be building boards for this new chapter—creating historically inspired reproduction pack boards for taxidermists, hunters, collectors, and anyone who appreciates the character and history of traditional outdoor equipment.
