  This report presents a wearable plug-and-play platform for data acquisition
in the field. The platform, extending a waterproof Pelican Case into a 20 kg
backpack offers 5.5 hours of power autonomy, while recording data with two
cameras, a lidar, an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), and a Global Navigation
Satellite System (GNSS) receiver. The system only requires a single operator
and is readily controlled with a built-in screen and buttons. Due to its small
footprint, it offers greater flexibility than large vehicles typically deployed
in off-trail environments. We describe the platform's design, detailing the
mechanical parts, electrical components, and software stack. We explain the
system's limitations, drawing from its extensive deployment spanning over 20
kilometers of trajectories across various seasons, environments, and weather
conditions. We derive valuable lessons learned from these deployments and
present several possible applications for the system. The possible use cases
consider not only academic research but also insights from consultations with
our industrial partners. The mechanical design including all CAD files, as well
as the software stack, are publicly available at
https://github.com/norlab-ulaval/backpack_workspace.
