Knapsack-parka sleeping bag

This invention reduces the weight and bulk of the hiker's backpack by eliminating the sleeping bag as a separate item. This is accomplished by providing insulating walls in the knapsack and providing the knapsack with a foldable insulating extension so that the insulated elongated knapsack can be attached to the bottom end of a parka to provide a continuous enveloping sleeping bag.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
This invention concerns itself with the problem of achieving a minimal 
backpack load for the hiker whle maintaining the inventory of apparel and 
equipment essential to survival and comfort. More specifically, the 
invention is directed to eliminating the separate sleeping bag which is 
useful only when the hiker is at rest, but which is dead weight and bulk 
when the hiker is on foot. The hiker's knapsack and parka are modified in 
a novel manner to combine in a continuous insulated sleeping bag. 
Various attempts have been made in the prior art to modify a garment such 
as a coat in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,644,948 and 650,074, to provide two or more 
functions. However, in the prior art it appears that the objective of 
reducing the items to be carried was achieved by radical modifications in 
the coat. 
An objective of the present invention is to provide a sleeping bag by 
utilizing a parka in combination with a modified knapsack without radical 
change in the configuration of the coat. This same objective applies to 
the knapsack, which, though adapted to form an essential part of a 
sleeping bag, when used as a knapsack, does not depart radically from the 
configuration of the state of the art knapsack. The accomplishment of 
these objectives is important because parkas and knapsacks have obtained 
their present efficient configurations through long experimental evolution 
and it is essential that the advantages inherant in the present art of 
parka and knapsack be preserved. 
In brief, the objectives of this invention are obtained by insulating the 
walls of the knapsack and providing a collapsible insulating extension of 
the lateral walls of the knapsack, so that, for example in extended 
condition, a continuous insulatng envelope is provided having a length 
approximately equal to the length of the user's body from the feet to the 
waist in the case where the parka is slightly longer than waist length. 
The sleeping bag is completed by detachably connecting the lower end 
portion of the parka to the open end of the extended knapsack in a 
continuous draft-proof joint. The parka is provided with a full length 
closing mechanism in front whereby the combination of closed parka and 
extended knapsack provides a full length, completely closed, insulated and 
comfortable sleeping bag. In order that the hiker, when in the bag, can 
have his arms and hands inside the bag or extend them through the parka 
sleeves, the inner end portions of the sleeves are flared to join with 
adequately enlarged openings in the body of the parka so that the arms and 
hands can be inserted into or withdrawn from the parka sleeves while the 
parka is fully closed. 
The manner of achieving the above and other objects and advantages of the 
present invention will become apparent from the following description 
taken with the drawing.

Referring to FIG. 1, a knapsack referred to generally by numeral 10 
comprises a fixed length portion 12 integral with a collapsible portion 14 
having a cross section generally similar to the cross section of portion 
12. The open end of the portion 14 is attached to the inside surface of a 
lower end portion 16 of parka 18. The knapsack open end is adapted to be 
joined to the inner liner of the parka several inches above the lower end 
of the parka as at location 19 so that the portion of the parka depending 
from location 19 effectively insulates the junction zone. The parka 18 is 
provided with the usual vertical front closing mechanism covered with flap 
20 except that the closing mechanism and flap extend to the lower end of 
the parka to effectively insulate the connection between knapsack and 
parka. The parka is equipped with an ample hood 22 provided with 
drawstring 24 to the end that the hood opening can be closed about the 
user's face to the extent desired. 
It is further noted with reference to FIG. 1 that the knapsack fixed 
portion 12 and the parka 18 are provided with the usual external pouches, 
pockets and draw-strings, none of which are obviated by the present 
invention. Flaps or flanges 26 are affixed to the lateral edges of the 
knapsack fixed portion 12 to cooperate with knapsack attaching means on a 
backpack frame shown in FIG. 4. 
Referring now to FIG. 2, additional details of the novel sleeping bag are 
explained. The horizontal fastening mechanism shown at location 19 in FIG. 
1 comprises a complimentary pair of slide fastener parts 28-30 and slider 
31 with inside and outside handles. One slide fastener part 28 is affixed 
to the inner liner of parka 18 spaced from the bottom end of the parka by 
a distance, such as three inches or more. Complimentary slide fastener 
part 30 is affixed to the upper end of the knapsack collapsible portion 
14. When the slide fastener parts are joined together, the upper portion 
of the knapsack collapsible portion 14 and the lower end portion 32 of the 
parka are overlapped to thermally insulate the zone of juncture. The parka 
front closure mechanism is a pair of complimentary slide fastener parts 
34-36 and a slide fastener with inside and outside handles. The use and 
location of parts 34-36 are generally old except that these slide fastener 
parts extend to below the horizontal fastener part 28 to the end that when 
the slide fasteners are closed, no gaps or leaks penetrate the thermal 
protection of the sleeping bag. 
In the utilization of the present invention, provision is made for the 
establishment of the sleeping bag 9 without the wearer of the parka having 
to remove the parka. The user draws the extended knapsack 10 onto his body 
into the joining position with the parka. In order to close the horizontal 
slide fasteners between parka and knapsack with the parka closed, the 
wearer is best served with his arms and hands inside the parka. To this 
end, the inner end portions 40 of parka sleeves 38 are flared into an 
enlarged oval or elliptical juncture with the major axis vertical with the 
parka body so that the user can insert or withdraw his arms into or from, 
the parka sleeves while completely enclosed in the parka or the sleeping 
bag. Both sets of slide fasteners have sliders with both inside and 
outside handles. Other advantages derive from the configuration of the 
parka sleeves of the present invention among which is the ability of the 
user, even tho recumbent inside the bag, to protect himself quickly and 
unobtrusively, in the event of molestation, by inserting his arm and hand 
into a sleeve to utilize a weapon, previously deposited therein. 
The construction of the extendible knapsack is shown in cross section in 
FIG. 3. The knapsack walls are laminated, with an outer and inner lamina 
42, 44, respectively, of flexible sheet material and a middle lamina 46 of 
insulation. Various insulation materials are well known in the art but for 
the purposes of this invention, synthetic slab type insulation is 
preferred to avoid the necessity for compartmentalizing, i.e., thin seamed 
areas. The insulation layer 46 in the fixed knapsack portion 12 may, 
depending on intended usage, be thicker than the insulation in the 
collapsible portion 14. This construction would provide increased thermal 
protection for the lower extremities without creating problems due to bulk 
as would be the case in the collapsible portion 14. Although the term 
"fixed" is used herein to describe the knapsack proper, the term is used 
to indicate that this portion of an extendible knapsack is not folded or 
rolled in the manner of the collapsible portion 14. 
The knapsack in carrying condition is illustrated partly in vertical side 
section in FIG. 4. Collapsible portion 14 is folded into a compact roll 
over the top end of knapsack fixed portion 12 after the latter is packed. 
The side flanges 26 are are shown attached to the backpack frame 48. In 
this condition of the knapsack, the usual protective cover flap 50 is 
secured in place over the top and rear side of the knapsack by tie cords 
52.