question about fitting a backpack

[cad-guy 10]

greeting scouters....

I have a question about my sons external frame backpack. I have been reading on how to adjust for the correct fit, which I think we have done. The pack has a bent tube, that is positioned behind his head. I guess I am not sure what this piece is for? Is it so he can pack something on top of it, and this rod will keep it from hitting him in the head? Or is this piece supposed to be closer to his neck? Sorry for the vagueness, but I'm not really sure what I am doing. We've been looking for some photos on line, but havent seen any where I can see this tube on the pack.

We did not have the option to go somewhere to get the pack fitted by an expert, so we are trying to do it ourselves. Any help you can give, or if you have photos, would be greatly appreciated.

 

MKH

[SSScout 1616]

I will assume your pack frame has a 'Hip Belt'.

 

Get that fitted to your boy first. It should sit on his hip bones, not around his stomach. NOTHING should be on the boys pants belt. Not cell phone or money pouch or knife loop. Find a place in a pack pocket for them. The frame belt should have nothing between it and the boy's hip and not be sinched so tight as to make it hard to breath, either. The hinges that attach the belt to the frame should ideally be at the boys side, adjacent to but not on the hip bones. The belt sits on the hip bones, not the frame. When everything is fitted right, most of the weight will be carried by this belt. Make sure the buckle is such that once things are adjusted right, it can be clipped on and off easily.

Now look to the shoulder straps. Depending on the adjusting possibilities, they should rest on the boys shoulders, maybe coming from the top a little, but not up from the bottom. The neck should not be crowded. The straps should come from the frame to the shoulders as straight as possible. They may pull back a little, but as I say, the belt should carry well nigh all of the weight.

That top bar you speak of, is it adjustable up and down, perhaps? I had an REI packframe with that feature. Try to arrange things so the head doesn't have to hit that bar unnecessarily. Very annoying. My son knew that when his head started hitting the top bar on his first pack, it was time for a bigger one.

And yeah, it is for tying things to. The whole frame and pack is for tying things to. Get lots of 1/4 inch venition blind or sash cord . Just right for lashing to a pack frame.

In general, heavy things toward the top and back of the pack, lighter things to the bottom. Except if the cook kit pokes you in the back, then you gotta move it.

In the old days, (canvas and hemp and plywood)) the SOFT stuff went on the back (your back)of the pack, the HARD stuff in the pockets and outer parts. Heavy tent to the top of the pack, sleeping bag to the bottom. Things you might need on the trail in the outer pockets, stuff you need first at camp on the top.

 

It boils down to personal preference and comfort, not convention or advice. Experiment. Load it up and walk around. Alot. Move things, tie 'em on differently. Look at the packs of more experienced campers. Anything look better? Try that. Don't be too proud to not change.

The carrier should KNOW exactly where every item is in hi/her pack. Come night time, the flashlight/cookkit/extra dry socks are right THERE in their own baggy in that corner.

I was always told that a back pack is a bag of bags.

Oh, make plans for rain. A special cover for the pack? a rain coat or Poncho for the carrier and overall? Make the plans now. Play "what if" with your self and the other Scouts in your Troop/Pack. Such things are always personal preference.

 

And say thanks to Mr. Kelly.

 

Good camping to you .

 

[scottteng 11]

http://users.scronline.com/troop77/EquipmentTrader/backpacks.htm

 

The person at the above web site has sizing parameters in inches listed as torso measurement if you click the torso box on the site it will show you how to measure this. Most packs are adjustable to some degree.

[packsaddle 753]

Hi, Your description is a bit unclear but either that tube is a cross-member for the frame...and positioned a little below the top of the frame, or it might be an add-on that attaches to the tops of the two upright frame members. The former is an integral part of the frame and should not come in contact with your son's head. In fact, the frame should be equipped with some sort of back-band stretched across the frame in a manner that spaces the frame sligtly away from his back...providing air space and a cushion.

 

If the tube is across the top, it is an extension designed for attachment of additional gear on top of the pack. If it is hitting your son's head, there are several possible considerations:

First, make sure this frame is the right size for your son. This will depend mostly on the length of his torso.

Second, if properly sized, then you have the ability to adjust, at a minimum, the shoulder straps - and possibly other adjustments as well - to make sure that while he is carrying the loaded pack, this part of the frame does not hit his head.

Third, if this contact is unavoidable or if you are concerned about accidental contact, cut some of the better quality, pliable foam pipe insulation to the correct length and then tape it over that tube. This will at least cushion the contact if needed.

 

When I use my external frame (Camp Trails Astral Cruiser), I like that tube in place because I can rest my head against it if I stop for a momentary 'breather' (sadly, happening more often now as I age). But when the pack is loaded and adjusted properly, it rides in a manner that eliminates the problem for normal backpacking.

Good luck and happy trials!

[Eagledad 2781]

Good Tuesday All

 

There are so many frame styles for packs.

 

For most external frame packs, if the shoulder straps are not attached to the cross bar you are describing, then it is likely part of the frame and not intended to be adjustable. If that is the case, the hip belt is attached too high up on the frame and needs to be adjusted down.

 

If the shoulder straps are attached to the cross bar behind his head, then that cross bar is too high on the frame and it needs to be lowered a lot. And likely the hip belt may need to be raised on the frame as well.

 

Ya, that can all be confusing, but typically raising and lowering the hip belt on the frame is the major adjustment to how the frame fits the torso. Then the shoulder straps are adjusted to fit last.

 

SSScout has good instructions for adjusting a typical external frame pack. If they dont seem to work for your son, then the pack may be the wrong size. Can you give us the name of the pack and your sons height and weight?

 

Barry

 

[cad-guy 10]

http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?memberId=12500226&productId=9084

 

Just to avoid any confusion, here is a photo of the pack. It is the jansport scout. The bar I am speaking of is the top bar that goes behind the head. I was just confused if it really went right behind the head, or behind the neck. By the way it fits my son, I am sure it goes behind the head, but I just wasn't sure how high it should be.

[packsaddle 753]

Yeah, my son used one of those for a while. That top curved bar is part of the frame and it should be high enough not to hit his head. This frame is designed for little guys and it is adjustable to some extent. If he's taller than 5 feet (torso too long for the frame) you might want to look for an alternative.

Also, JanSport has fairly good customer service. You might want to give them a call for specific advice:

800.558.3600

 

[Gunny2862 11]

I looked at your link.

Our Scouts who use this pack tend to either have the bar over their head or in the middle of the space between the head and shoulders, it doesn't tend to hit them in the neck there.

We have these as loaners for the Scouts who haven't bought their own packs yet or whose packs have had catastrophic failures on HA trips. The bar coming into contact with their head tends to get a backpack put on the Christmas/Birthday list.

They are "fairly" rugged and ours have stood up to a lot of use.

 

Here is what one reviewer of this pack had to say - http://www.trailspace.com/gear/jansport/scout/

[Eagledad 2781]

The Jansport Scout is a great pack and one of my favorites for younger scouts. Depending on your sons size the bar should sit just above his head. The pack fits best on boys under 56. If your son is 52 or taller, then his hip belt needs to be moved down on the pack.

 

If your son is shorter then the 56, then the bar shouldnt be a problem. It sit pretty far back.

 

To adjust this pack, loosen the thumb screws on the bar the shoulder straps are attached. There is a thumb screw on each end of the bar. But be careful and make sure the screws are very loose before moving the bar because the screw attachments have a tight tolerance on the post. This is a very strong pack, but the reason it is strong is because of the tight tolerances of the attachments. When you move the bar up or down, move both ends at the same time. If you move only one end of the bar at a time, you will kink the attachment into the post. If that happens, it may require a light tapping from a small tool to un-kink the bar.

 

With the bar loose and the shoulder straps loosened most of the way out, have your son put the pack on and tighten hip belt pretty tight. Then slide the bar up or down the post until the shoulder straps attachment points are about an inch above his shoulder. Tighten the thumb screws with your fingers and have your son pull the straps tight. The strap attachments points at the bar should still be about an inch above your sons shoulders.

 

Now, put about 15 or 20 pounds (canned food in the pantry) of weight in the pack and have your son walk around. Is the top cross bar a problem?

 

This is a really good pack for the younger scouts because it holds up very well to back packing abuse for its size and it is very adjustable for growing boys. I also like it because it loads from the back instead of the top. That makes it a lot easier for young scouts to find gear in the dark when the pack is sitting in a tent.

 

Adjusting the pack is easier then most packs once you get the hang of it, especially on the trail. The reason I like that is as the pack settles on hips through the day hiking, the shoulder straps may need to be adjusted again. This pack and its big brother the Jansport Carson adjust very easy on the trail. I would say half the scouts on our Philmont crews use the Carson because of cost and quality. Our most active backpacking scouts tend to move on to better packs.

 

Let us know how it goes. Im sure we can make it work.

 

Barry

 

[SSScout 1616]

OOps...

I meant Kelty, not Kelly.

 

Surprised no one caught me on that.

 

Then we can talk about pack boards, diamond hitches, commando packs, Alis packs, Haversacks, rucksacks, blackdiamond packs, pack baskets of the Adirondacks, Yuccapacks, aluminum, bamboo, internal, external, yadda yadda yadda.

[Gunny2862 11]

I just presumed you were referring to lessons learned from, whom I also supposed was, your honorable Scoutmaster, Mr Kelly.

 

I now presume I mistook that, too.

[Eagledad 2781]

>>I now presume I mistook that, too.

[cad-guy 10]

question for Barry...

you seem to have knowledge about this pack. How exactly do you attach the sleeping bag?

 

 

[Eagledad 2781]

>>How exactly do you attach the sleeping bag?

[cad-guy 10]

thats what I thought. I had wrapped some straps around the bag, thru the loops, but when my son tried it on, it hung way down. I guess that is because the rest of the pack was empty. I will assume that when he gets the pack loaded, it will support the bag that is hanging off the back better?

 

MKH