Backpacks
Daniel D. Hammond, Sr (hammonddL@USWEST.NET)
Fri, 23 Jul 1999 17:23:02 -0700
"1. What they see as best for new scouts.
5. How do you plan packs for fast growing
young scouts?
Steve Hoar
Newark, OH"
I own a pack from Jansport called, appropriately enough, the
Scout. It is specifically designed for growing youth. It
has a frame that adjusts (fairly easily I might add) and
straps that can be moved to various positions to allow for
different body sizes. Price was reasonable (I got mine at
the PX for about $80). I'm fairly short, 5'9", and at it's
largest it even works for me. I plan to pass it to my 1st
Year Webelos Scout son this fall. I'm getting a Peak 1
Arapaho to replace the Jansport.
I really like Jansport packs like this since they open in a
manner that lets you lay them flat and get access to
everything in the main compartment. This makes using one
inside a tent easy should the need arise. That also makes
them pretty easy to pack.
As you can probably tell, I'm an external frame guy. My own
experience is that unless your doing a lot of climbing or
skiing with a pack on, the external frame packs distribute
weight a bit better, require less care in planning where
everything has to go in order to prevent being jabbed in the
back by an object in the pack, and provides better air
circulation. I do own a small internal frame pack that I
use when hunting. Since it rides snug to my back, it's much
easier to use when climbing into my tree-stand. It carries
supplies sufficient for a day's outing with enough extra to
get through an emergency night in the woods. It does get
warm to wear, even on cool autumn days.
Scouts often seem to find the frame handy for attaching
tents, sleeping bags, etc. more easily than with internal
frame models. Of course you do need to do a bit more
checking to be sure everything is securely attached, lest
something come loose and not get noticed until arrival at
camp. BIG REQUIREMENT: Good hip belt. You can skimp on
everything else, but a poor hip belt results in misery on
the trail.
Dan Hammond, Sr.
Pack 225 and Black Hills District Committee and RT staff
and....
I used to be an Owl
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