In 1952, Kelty introduced one of the first external aluminum frame backpacks. Now, 60 years later, that same company is putting a version of its widely-praised external aluminum frame on luggage.

Work must be completed by February 2005. The privately held company began manufacturing boxes and racking systems for the U.S. Postal Service in 1976, its inaugural year. In 1997, it started making ...

Dick Kelty, who has died aged 84, developed the aluminium frame backpack and was therefore partly responsible (or blameworthy, depending on your point of view) for encouraging more people to get out ...

In this column last month, I covered two major companies, Kelty and JanSport, who will introduce retro-style, external-frame backpacks in 2011. The article pitched external-frame packs as throwbacks — ...