Backpacks

This infographic measurement instructions and basic information on choosing the right backpack. See my specific recommendations for backpacks here The most important thing about a choosing the right backpack is getting a proper fit. To carry correctly and comfortably a pack must fit both torso length and hip size. Torso length is measured along the spine between the base of the neck and the top of the hips and hip size is measured around the top of the hips, (don’t confuse this with waist size)....

My favorite external frame backpack for Scouts is the Outdoor Products Dragonfly. Almost all of the packs available today are internal frame backpacks. Finding an internal frame pack for Scouts that has the right combination of features for a reasonable price is a challenge. The best internal frame packs I have found for Scouts are the Scout 3400 and Explorer 4000 from Teton Sports. Calling something ‘the best’ is different from calling something ‘perfect’ and that’s never more true than when I evaluate camping gear for Scouts....

Modern portage packs have an advanced suspension system that is much like a normal backpack. At the beginning of a high adventure canoe trip our portage packs our packs weigh about 60-70 pounds. This is quite a load for some of us but time has proven that even our smallest Scouts can handle them very well. As the trip progresses we eat our way light and by the last portage out the packs are about 20-30 pounds lighter....

Somewhere along the way (eBay I think) I got a good solid old-school pack basket. It’s perfect for packing a pretty big pile of camping miscellany that comes in handy. Visible on top of the basket is a blue groundcloth. (1) is an old folding candle lantern (Lee Valley still stocks them), (2) pocket umbrella, (3) Outdoor Products Small Watertight Box with tea and coffee bags, sugar packets, salt and pepper....

(1) My lumbar pack is a Mountainsmith Day Recycled-Fabric Lumbar Pack (my review here). I use this bag all the time and it has become my “man bag” or “murse”. (2) I have a large Kwiki Organizer to keep things easy to access on the inside. (3) I keep a shemagh tactical scarf in the bottom of the bag – it comes in handy as a giant bandanna, a kind of table-groundcloth and as a head scarf in the heat or a neck scarf in the cold....

The Outdoor Products Dragonfly pack is Available at Amazon Selecting a backpack for Scouts can be confusing; here’s one that I think fits the bill. Backpacks fall in to two basic types; ones with an external frame to which the pack bag is attached and ones with the frame built into the bag (internal frame). In my experience Scouts are better off with external frame backpack because they are easier to pack and adjust....

My old Mountainsmith lumbar pack bought used on eBay a few years ago served me very well and it’s time to replace it. I bought a newer, smaller Mountainsmith lumbar pack for my son to use a while back and I like the updated version even more than my older one. A lumbar pack makes a great ‘day bag’ when canoeing for all that one needs to access easily throughout the day (camera, binoculars, rain gear, etc....

The most important thing about a Scout’s backpack is a proper fit. The second most important consideration is whether it will fit them next year, let alone three years from now. A top-of-the-line $400.00 backpack that doesn’t fit properly or grow along with a Scout is not only a waste of money, it’s going to be so uncomfortable a Scout will think twice before he goes camping or backpacking again....