I am working on a reenactmeant gear, the internet has been verry thin on what the finnish soldier carried with him, I have seen pictures of backpacks, but not what was in it.
Hiya!
Apologies for the delayed response, my notification thingy doesn't seem to be working. /u/Kolimbo has covered basically all of the important bases here. What you'd want in your backpack is, to a large extent, entirely up to you, since there was often very little uniformity in the equipping of Finnish troops during the Winter War. A few things to stress, particularly if we're talking about ski troops, where you tend to find the most information:
Matches, for fire. If well equipped, a bottle of fuel. These were obviously useful for fires and (potentially) cooking in arctic conditions. On fronts other than the Karelian Isthmus, the Finns were careful to avoid lighting fires for patrols / small units, and would do so usually in survival situations. Warm meals were handled by larger, well disguised kitchens.
A large, thick, white blanket. Finnish troops - particularly ski troops, once again - wore camouflage blankets, but also carried separate, thicker ones specifically for warmth/sleeping. British observer and trade unionist Sir Walter Citrine, during his visit to Finland in January 1940 (of which he's written a pretty interesting account My Finnish Diary ), recorded that Finnish snow camouflage left their troops "looking very much like the American Ku Klux Klan."
Spare skis - these would be on, rather than in, a backpack. And again it depends on whether you're aiming for a ski trooper. Skis were absolutely vital for Finnish forces north of Lake Ladoga - and, indeed, even around the Mannerheim Line to some extent. Most troops would carry a spare set of skis, if they were available. Shortages, particularly towards the end of the war, made that difficult. Most Finns supplied their own skis.
Canned food and cigarettes would be extremely commonplace in most Finnish backpacks. Of course, they were extremely commonplace in most backpacks of most soldiers on all fronts during the war, but hey. :P
A Molotov Cocktail wouldn't be out of place in a Finn's backpack - or rather, the ingredients for one. In lieu of conventional anti-tank weapons, the Finns took to using Molotovs and crude TNT bundles as anti-tank measures. Roughly half a million Molotovs were produced by the Finns during the Winter War.
A note on the backpack and uniforms themselves - roughly 100,000 backpacks used by the Finns were supplied by Norway. Even here there was relatively little uniformity.
For illustrations and pictures of Finnish troops and their uniforms - though sadly with little discussion on the content of their rucksacks, I heavily recommend Philip Jowett & Brent Snodgrass' Finland at War, 1939-1945 (Oxford, Osprey Publishing, 2006.) The book goes into excellent detail on the uniforms and firearms of Finnish troops both during the Winter War and the Continuation War, with excellent illustrations and a number of otherwise-unpublished pictures. Eloise Engle and Lauri Paananen's The Winter War: The Soviet Attack on Finland (Mechanicsburg, Stackpole, 1973), while far from the greatest source on the war, also has a small number of contemporary cartoon illustrations showing the appearance of Finnish soldiers and backpacks.
In reference to the socks /u/kolimbo mentions, it's worth noting that many Finnish troops would use a thick, wrapped cloth in lieu of a sock - both where warm socks were lacking and to make ill-fitting shoes more comfortable. Additionally, Finland was receiving fairly limited materiel aid from Nazi Germany during the Winter War. The vast majority of aid came from Sweden, Norway, Great Britain and France. Germany began to provide massive amounts of materiel aid in the lead-up to Operation Barbarossa.
I hope this helps!
Hey! Not an expert but from what I can remember of my Finnish history classes Soldiers often provide most of their own gear when they are conscripted up - the military was desperately short of almost all kinds of equipment and the most you'd expect from the army was some kind of uniform (most likely a great coat or a trench in addition to your regular clothes).
http://www.mosinnagant.net/finland/FinnishTunicsectionrevised.asp
http://www.mosinnagant.net/finland/tunicsection-photo1.asp
Seems to have a pretty good view of what they looked like
Keep in mind that Finland was receiving vast amount of military supplies from Nazi Germany at the time so much of their non-uniform materiel can be German made. [This is dead wrong! listen to the experts and ignore my ignoramus ignoranting! see /u/vonadler and /u/Elm11's post]
With regards to the contents of the pack itself, keep in mind that most of these boys are farmers or hunters and their equipment and supplies would be fairly rustic and readily available to most rural areas. A lot of the books talk about the necessity of a good pair of boots and thick socks (which they used for absolutely everything). I don't know if this was such a topic for discussion because they are short of the stuff or if it simply vital for survival in the winter (could be both!).
The one book that made an impact on me was called 'Winter War' by Antti Tuuri, it has a very realistic portrayal of a couple of farm hands joining the war effort towards the end of the first winter war.
http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Aspasia-Classics-Finnish-Literature/dp/097310533X
While it is fiction, it is rigorously researched AFAIK and should help you with your reenactment. Good luck!
For further reference, here's a lessons learned document from 1942 I once translated; I added some notes in brackets. It concerns long range patrols and ranger unit operations in wintertime behind Russian lines or in the large wilderness areas north of Petroskoi, and is not therefore strictly representative of "normal" equipment. Nevertheless, the "individual equipment" list contains similar items that have been carried by individual men during the winter war as well.
The original document is here: http://digi.narc.fi/digi/view.ka?kuid=3642446
1. Individual equipment.
Experiences.
Instead of socks, some patrolmen have used foot wraps. Others believe socks are many times better on the trip. Foot wraps are often recommended instead of felt liners.
Felt skiing boot must not be covered with leather, because it will get wet no matter what, and drying under the leather will be impossible. Leather parts must be limited to seams and to the part that's connected to ski's binding. When temperatures are higher [closer to 0°C], leather boots or shoes are the best.
In very low temperatures, those who do not have felt skiing boots can use a second pair of felt liners over a leather boot.
Many patrolmen have exchanged their fur coats for fur vests. Coat is usually used only for sleeping, otherwise it is carried on the back, under the backpack. If furs are left out, they can be replaced by giving every second man a canvas tarp, and every second a wool blanket.
Tarps are used either for a lean-to that's rigged on either side of a log fire [rakovalkea], or to cover the wool blanket to prevent it from frosting and getting wet. The use of fur coats or alternatively fur vests is dictated by the severity of weather. Many patrolmen have, in very low temperatures, taken both the fur coat and the tarp. In those cases, none have carried a blanket.
For backpack, the most useful pack at least for longer trips has been the so-called saddle sack [i.e. bergen]. It should be rubberized [for waterproofing]. To prevent chafing of shoulders, the shoulder straps should be padded.
The pack needs to be roomy enough, so that food, spare clothing, explosives, mines and other equipment will fit and are easy to find and remove. For shorter reconnaissance patrols, a smaller pack without saddle [frame] can be used.
2. Movement.
Skis, broad, 8-9 feet long depending on the length of the man; longer than usual from the rear (so that center of gravity is only a little ahead of the binding). During early spring, ski may be shorter. "Forest binding" i.e. one that's easy to remove from the boot. Fixed bindings may be used - if there is no risk of a contact - for skiers used to the type.
Poles: knotless bamboo poles. Baskets need to be well attached, large enough and dense. Lengthwise, poles need to reach man's shoulders. Fitted with leather handgrips and loose straps.
Ski wax: small supply for different conditions.
Spare tips: Spare fiber tips have proven to be suitable. Recommended for every third man. Also, nails to repair skis.
Experiences.
Narrow poles [probably means baskets] have proven to be unsuitable for use; as are short poles.
Skis must be tarred and waxed with proper wax before the patrol. There is usually no time to wax skis during patrol, unless complete change of weather makes this necessary. For that reason, different waxes must nevertheless be carried.
3. Armament.
Suomi SMG is the most important weapon of a patrolman. Every SMG gunner usually carries 3 magazines, of which 1 in the gun and two in belt. 1/3 of the men must have infantry rifle [Finnish "pystykorva"] for accurate fire to more distant targets. As backup to SMG, for each man; Parabellum- or Lahti pistol. As well as 2 hand grenades per man.
Experiences.
When the temperature is below freezing, the submachine gun must absolutely be kept clean of grease. Denatured alcohol is excellent for the purpose, and the action of the SMG should be washed with it before heading to patrol. During the trip, the action should be checked once every now and then. Newer 50 round magazines are indeed easier to carry than drum magazines, but not as reliable in use.
Russian semi-automatic [rifle] can be used to replace a rifle or a submachine gun. It has, however, proven to be unreliable during winter. Instead of a rifle, and particularly in forested terrain, a Russian carbine has proven to be handy, as it is much shorter than pystykorva [service rifle].
The return spring of Lahti pistol has proven to be too weak. The importance of short weapon [pistol] as everyman's back-up weapon should not be overestimated. It is of course good to have in case of getting lost, but otherwise it is sufficient that few men carry such a weapon.
Ammunition loads for different weapons have differed greatly, based on the tasks and length of the trip. It is not recommended to carry too large amounts. For SMG, the largest amount may be 300-400 rounds, for rifle [90 rounds?] and 15-20 armor piercing tracer rounds. If necessary, ammunition replenishment must be carried out via airdrop.
Finnish "egg" hand grenades and French "folding" grenades have been used. The latter have proven more handy due to their simpler ignition. However, the fragmentation effect of Finnish grenade is larger. During winter, the effect is almost solely psychological however, so French hand grenades are recommended. Finnish ["potato masher"] hand grenades have not been tried because they are difficult to carry.
4. Food.
The ration pack developed in the Intelligence Department has proven to be suitable for use. [It had e.g. various canned goods.] In addition, butter, bread, sugar, oatmeal, coffee and possibly canned meat and peasoup cubes and tea and tobacco, depending on the length of the trip.
Experiences.
During winter, when many types of meat preservatives would need to be unfrozen before use, which is not always possible, the butter ration needs to be as fresh as possible, or canned goods need to be specially low in water content, so that there is no risk of freezing. Oatmeal is tasty even without boiling and therefore recommendable. The ration pack's contents are not recommended to be changed, because nutrition calculations will then become unreliable. Additives [e.g. vitamin pills] may, however, be carried as necessary.
For alternating diet, the following concentrates are recommended; these can be cooked by adding water and boiling or with other simple methods, and the patrol can have delicious and nutritious foods.
Before patrol, mens' food rations need to be strengthened for a few days by a greater amount of fresh (non-frozen) potato. When milk is not available, the diet needs to be reinforced with ascorbine [vitamin C?] and vitamin A tablets.
5. Medical kit.
Issued medical kits have proven satisfactory. In addition, every man should carry one or two large bandages, liquid cough syrup (100-200 g), anti-icing cream for the skin, and a small amount (50 g) of pure spirits. Patrol leader in addition should have a tube or two of pervitin [amphetamine] to be issued if necessary. For wounded cases, attempts are made to equip the patrol leader with some powerful painkiller.
Experiences.
The most common illnesses during patrol are stomach problems and cough as a result of getting wet and cold, frostbites, sore foot from badly fitting footwear or ski bindings, and chafed shoulders from backpack straps. Medical kit has suitable equipment for treating these.
Larger patrols at the least should carry several thermal bags for possible wounded. Also, pulks [ahkio] to transport the wounded.
6. Maps and orienteering equipment etc.
Maps, scale 1:100 000 or 1:200 000, at least two sets for the entire area of operations (preferably more; the best would be one for each man, carried in a tube without map case in case of getting lost).
Finnish liquid-filled compass [Suunto M 311] for every man. Binoculars for every fifth man at the least.
I'm fairly certain there was a regulation kit that was supposed to be carried in the pack. However, as /u/Elm11 noted, due to shortages very few troops (most likely only those serving as conscripts at the time, and probably not all of those) had the full regulation kit anyway. Furthermore, once in action the regulation kit tends to change, sometimes quite a lot.
A safe bet is that most of the stuff carried in the backpack would have been clothes, food, or small personal items - although the latter were often carried in e.g. shirt or jacket pocket so that they wouldn't be lost if the pack was lost.
Here's one reminiscence, based on the letters corporal Tuomo Saloranta (KIA 7.3.1940 at Tali) wrote back home. (Source: newspaper article written by his daughter http://www.iltalehti.fi/uutiset/2014113018878979_uu.shtml)
On mobilization, he brought his own leather pack. Contents:
"Tuomo had packed spare wool socks, sandwiches the wife had made for the trip [to the unit], some spare underwear, pens/pencils and letter paper."
"Finland couldn't offer much in the way of equipment to its soldier. Woolen socks, gloves and shirt were knitted by his wife. Uniform, rifle, cockade and belt were from the state at least. Skis, family's better ones, were on loan from his wife. Other men from the village were equipped similarly."
In one of his last letters, he mentions that he had lost his pack in an attack, and that it was almost empty at the time:
"The russkie got my leather backpack when I was busy surviving myself. Were in a bit of trouble. The pack was almost empty though, so it wasn't much of a war booty."
Another article (http://tinyurl.com/pws75x8):
"When men of Haapavesi 75 years ago received the order for additional refresher exercises [the term used for partial mobilization in October 1939], the list of equipment they had to bring was revealing. The list included backpack, proper clothing, proper footwear, two pairs of underwear, food for two days, firearm if owned, and a bicycle."
Martti Huttunen, a 38-year old Civil Guardsman who during the Winter War served as a rifleman and acting weapons NCO in Infantry Regiment 39 (5./JR39), left for refresher exercises on 14th October 1939. His daughter recalls:
"... He had a large backpack, which was packed with warm underwear and socks. I too knitted grey woolen socks for him and placed inside some flowers from mother's pink pelargonia." (http://www.vieremanveteraanit.fi/index.php?page=talvisota&sub=story_look&personID=130)
Finally, the issue military passport [the document received upon completing the national service and entering the reserve] model 1932 had the following instructions on the event of mobilization:
"The reservist has to take with him:
1) Military passport and mobilization orders or orders from the police.
2) Enough food for the trip to his unit.
3) If possible the following equipment:
Proper boots or skiing boots, two pairs of underwear, woolen shirt, towel, military style outerwear or in its absence usable outdoors outerwear, needle and thread, pocket pistol with ammunition, binoculars and compass and additionally during winter skis and ski poles.
4) Medical certificate, if necessary, of disability or sickness, that could result to medical release from service in the check-up conducted at the unit.
Lack of any aforementioned item or a trip to obtain them from elsewhere is not a justifiable reason for any delay in departure beyond stated deadline, much less does it justify a failure to report to the unit entirely. For the items the reservists brings with him, the state will compensate him at full price."
For re-enactment purposes, that list is about as good as any - though note that not many could afford binoculars or compass, and few had pistols. Hope this helps!
Finally, for the backpacks themselves, here's a catalogue from 1933:
http://digi.kansalliskirjasto.fi/pienpainate/binding/347536#?page=1