Polish Army Wz89 'Puma' Camouflage Rucksack 25/50 ltr
Date of Manufacture: ? between 1989-1993
Materials: heavy Cotton mix / PVC base / Nylon straps / Steel fixings
Capacity: 25 litre expandable to 50 litre approx
Availability: quite common
Price: Varies - lowest price £8.00
Whilst was on the look out for a new backpack recently I came across this interesting specimen from Poland. And although I had my mind set on a small British army bergen the look, practicality and sheer difference in price made this Wz89 Puma bag more eye catching to me.
These rucksacks are not in any way new or modern by todays standards. Instead they are very basic designed military bags that have been kept in long term storage for the past 25-30 years and now finally seeing the light of day again - Nothing wrong with that so to speak.
So I decided to do a bit of research and found nothing but favourable reports about them.
I wanted to buy one and see what all the fuss was about...
The smaller 25l size
The Backpack that changes shape
The one top feature and selling point for me is the fact that this rucksack can expand in size depending on what you have to stuff in it.
The smallest capacity of this bag is roughly 25 litre but if that is not big enough then the bag can be extended to roughly 50 litre capacity in a matter of seconds.
What a clever idea! Has this been done before on another rucksack? if so why have I never seen one before?
Extended to the full 50l size
Never mind military applications, imagine how useful this could be on a normal civilian daily basis?
The ability to adjust the bag to carry a little or a lot of something depending on the situation.
When this rucksack is fully extended it does appear to hold quite a lot of stuff!
Double drawstring technology
The Wz89 puma bag works by having two drawstrings situated in the middle and at the top of the bag. When the rucksack is fully extended the upper drawstring is used to tie off the bag, when the bag is in small mode the lower drawstring is used to tie up and the remaining material which is not being used is stored around the inside edge of the rucksack. Once the drawstrings have been tied then the large storm flap is pulled over the top of the bag and fixed with either 2 or 4 buckles on the front depending on the bag size at the time. A neat and simple idea it has to be said. (and it works!)
Reinforced PVC base
There is no need to worry about putting this bag down in a puddle! there will be no soggy bottoms or soaked contents here! Thanks in no small part to a special PVC reinforced base on the bag. The material used here is best described as the plasticky stuff they made school bags from in the 1980s? A bit utilitarian, a bit industrial, a bit dull and brown but it works.
Although this PVC coated base cannot be proved to be 100% waterproof (after all it is almost 30 years old!) it can be considered better than nothing at least.
Tough steel fixings and nylon stitching
The two Nylon shoulder straps on this rucksack are fastenened on with stitching at the top and via a metal clip fixture at the bottom. It seems highly unlikely that any of the straps could tear off during use due to the high quality of the double stitching employed here. The metal clip and buckles on this bag are also of a high quality steel. Despite their age, none of the metal fittings are rusty or discoloured which is a little surprising.
Polish Wz89 Camouflage
The Wz89 Żaba or "frog"camouflage design was the last pattern to be used by the Polish 2nd republic during the cold war.
This distinctive design also goes by the name of 'Puma' due to it's striking resemblance to the coat of the big cat as is generally known as such today. This pattern features a dark green reptilian scale print on a lighter green background. It could easily be described as Lizard skin as much as Puma.
The Wz89 pattern was pushed into service with the army, air force and marines in about 1989 and continued in service till 1993, a few years after the fall of communism.
The practical effectiveness of this style of camo remains to be seen. There can't be many situations where these types of colours can make a difference. That said, the Wz89 pattern is distinctive, unusual and surprisingly attractive making it much better as a fashion item - especially these days with the resurgence of camo clothing.
In terms of looks and practically the Polish 'Puma' is probably one of the best rucksacks on the surplus market these days. Another point in it's favour has to be the fantastic price. Buying a backpack for under a tenner is generally a recipe for disaster in my experience what with split seams, torn nylon panels and busted zippers to contend with. This bag is simple, no nonsense and well made so no more of that cheap bag aggrevation.
The Wz89 rucksack could be the perfect multi-size carrying apparatus for any number of situations and applications. Highly recommended.