Re: Backpacks
Robert Haar (rhaar@RUST.NET)
Thu, 5 Dec 1996 18:20:18 -0500
> From: Marc Godbout <marc@GODBOUT.TIAC.NET>
>
>We got our son a Jansport youth external frame pack.
Jansport is a good brand.
I usually recommend Camp Trails. Their equipment gives good value for the
price and is pretty good quality. The design is not quite as advanced as
some
of the more expensive lines, but does the job.
>
> Whatever you get, make sure it's got a good hip belt. It should be
> padded and wrap all the way around the boy because you want most of
> the weight of the pack to rest on the hips, not the shoulders. Some
dept.
> store packs have a cheap "seatbelt" designed mostly to keep the pack
> from swaying. No support at all.
Absolutely right. The other piece of wisdom is to make sure the pack fits
properly. A great hipbelt that won't tighten down around the ten-year-olds
waist is no help at all. Take the scout along and have him where the pack
with a significant amount of weight and get it adjust to fit him. If the
people
in the store aren't willing to spend the time with you, go to another
store.
There are some good catalog firms, but you are guessing at the fit.
For parents who don't have experience with backpacking, I recommend that
they go to one of the stores in our area that I know will spend time
checking
out the fit. You might have to pay a bit more at one of the specialty
shops,
but it is worth it. Take the scout along and have him wear the pack
with a realistic amount of weight and get it adjust to fit him. If the
people
in the store aren't willing to spend the time with you, go to another
store.
>
> Also, I usually recommend to the parents of new scouts that they get
> external frames. For smaller hikers the internal frames just don't
> seem to hold enough stuff, especially their sleeping bags and tents.
I second this, but for another reason. I prefer an internal frame pack for
myself,
but they are trickier to adjust to fit correctly.
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
