The debate so far has focused on woolen blankets, bedrolls and heavy winter coats - I don't think that has a whole lot to do with ultralight backpacking. Apples to oranges...
I don't think so. As Montanero has noted already "the bedroll pack is a form of ultralight camping (from days gone by)".
YMMV, but you're not really going to rig a sleeping bag or tent into a *good* backpack.
Read above the post from
clearwater, which is not about a theory, but about the real life experience. I doubt you have tried the horseshoe already (I do plan to try that soon), your gas mask/shoulder bag carrying experience does not count, as that is exactly what can be called "comparing apples and oranges".
A bedroll slung over the shoulder horseshoe-style is a convenient, compact method for carrying stuff like tarps, blankets or clothing. Note that this was the way soldiers carried (rain)coats, blankets, shelter halves, etc., even when they were issued a backpack (knapsack/haversack). In that case, the horseshoe roll was attached to the top and sides of the backpack. But do note that the rest of gear was still carried securely inside the backpack.
That was just one of the many configurations of the soldier's equipment. The backpack (Eastern block veshmeshok) was never a permanent issue gear for EDC (it was issued and carried in certain set of circumstances). Also, a lot of bulky stuff (like a kettle, pot, shovel, flask, hatchet, steel helmet, gas mask bag... was carried outside of the pack or horseshoe, either attached to them or to the belt for convenience of access. The horseshoe bedroll content was used only during long breaks (2-3 times a day when on a march). Special tricks (like the one described in the clearwater's post above) were used to make packing and unpacking more efficient.
As a stand-alone means of load bearing though, there are serious limitations as to what can be carried comfortably inside a makeshift bedroll "pack".
It was not a "makeshift pack", it was the military researched (at the cost of blood and lives) and approved way of carrying gear, which was included into the official soldier training program. They knew what and how to pack, how to not "lose small items without noticing", and how to carry and use it comfortably on the march and on the battlefield. By the way, it is well known that during the WWII it was even used as a bulletproof vest substitute (soldiers carried thick pieces of steel in the front of it).
So where's the point? A small military surplus canvas backpack weighs nothing.
Sorry, but only "Virtually nothing". Read about the UL backpacking weight numbers involved, when speaking about the UL backpacks models. The bedroll solution provides that the backpack weight is physically = 0 (zero).
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