View Full Version : Good Backpacks for Teens
Wild Type
02-12-2008, 09:36
Does anyone have any experience with internal frame packs for early teens? Got any suggestions?
I have a 14 year old who will be going to Philmont Scout Ranch in August. He currently uses one of the Kelty external frame packs that has the adjustable frame. But unfortunately the bag volume is just too small for an extended trek. He also is rather thin so the hip belt is almost useless. I am thinking he would do better with an internal frame system and he will most likely be needing something in the 3000 cu in size.
Thanks, WT>>
Visit: http://horizontaltread.blogspot.com/
Does anyone have any experience with internal frame packs for early teens? Got any suggestions?
I have a 14 year old who will be going to Philmont Scout Ranch in August. He currently uses one of the Kelty external frame packs that has the adjustable frame. But unfortunately the bag volume is just too small for an extended trek. He also is rather thin so the hip belt is almost useless. I am thinking he would do better with an internal frame system and he will most likely be needing something in the 3000 cu in size.
Thanks, WT>>
Visit: http://horizontaltread.blogspot.com/ Maybe give this pack (http://www.rei.com/product/733275) a look. Not sure how tall your kiddo is, nor his torso length, but this may be worth looking into. If not, I'm sure your local outfitter will have plenty of suggestions.
gold bond
02-12-2008, 10:18
I went to Philmont with my son last year. We had a great time! A couple of things to consider.
One, what is the age and torso size of your son. They will be carrying 40-50 lbs depending on what they bring from home. Second, will he be doing anymore backpacking after he gets home from Philmont? You don't want to put hundreds of dollars into a pack that won't be used when he gets home, but you don't want to scrimp on quality.
They as well rent packs at Philmont. You can go on their website and check it out. I think they rent the Kelty Tiago I forget which size but it is the big one.
Mountian Smith has a new pack out that is real good for scouts as well as Coleman.
I made my son a ray-way pack (9.5 oz) soon after he joined scouts. A great investment, because it is an adult pack. I don't have to buy him another one every 2-3 years. If you go lite enough the hip belt is not necessary. Only thing, if you go with an ultra lite pack, every thing in it has to be ultra lite, but that isn't a bad thing. 40-50 lbs for a scout is ridiculous.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
02-12-2008, 11:38
What is the current height and torso length for your son and how tall to you think he will be getting? These variables would make some choices better than others.
gold bond
02-12-2008, 11:44
I made my son a ray-way pack (9.5 oz) soon after he joined scouts. A great investment, because it is an adult pack. I don't have to buy him another one every 2-3 years. If you go lite enough the hip belt is not necessary. Only thing, if you go with an ultra lite pack, every thing in it has to be ultra lite, but that isn't a bad thing. 40-50 lbs for a scout is ridiculous.
I do agree but... do take in mind that these guys will be on trail 11 days without anything but food supply.
The have to divy up food. Each food bag is for two people and there is more food than anyone person could eat at one sitting. They were having problems with people not getting enough calories and such so they redone their meals and it is alot!
As well you have the crew gear and as well their tarp. Look at the recomended gear list for Philmont and it weighs about 30-35 lbs without food and water. We cut alot of the stuff out and revised some of the gear to lighten it up so when our guys got there we were holding 20-25 pound packs without food and water. low and behold they did a pack inspection the first day there and we advisors had to answer some questions on why our guys did not have certain things! Lucky enough for us we had enough that we didn't get chastised to bad!
Their theory is.."Be Prepared" and sometimes that adds up in pounds and onces.
I had a Gregory Palisade when I went to Philmont, and used this pack the whole time I was in scouts. All my buddies thought it was so comfortable they went out and bought Gregory's afterwards.
BlackCloud
02-12-2008, 12:57
When the same happened to me, I bought a new Kelty Tioga, (external frame) before Philmont. It worked great.
For the record, my pack was 34lbs. I know, b/c I wrote it down.
50 lbs is crazy. Yes, people do it; and its crazy and totally unneeded. And for the record, we were out for 10 days and a crew of 8, so I carried my share of group stuff...
Purchased a Gregory Z pack for my 17 year old daughter on Sierra Trading Post recently for $75.
gold bond
02-12-2008, 16:36
When the same happened to me, I bought a new Kelty Tioga, (external frame) before Philmont. It worked great.
For the record, my pack was 34lbs. I know, b/c I wrote it down.
50 lbs is crazy. Yes, people do it; and its crazy and totally unneeded. And for the record, we were out for 10 days and a crew of 8, so I carried my share of group stuff...
Was this weight done before you left home or at Philmnt? Where did you weigh at Philmont? Was this before the new food bags? What year was this?
Not disagreeing just asking.
Christopher Robin
02-12-2008, 17:02
I have been working w/teens for years, specialy scouts. External is good for these years of growth. Campmor has what you need, and one we use a lot are;Outdoor, Firefly, or Saturn.
big_muddy
02-12-2008, 17:09
I recommend a Lowel Alpine pack. The adjustable nature of the pack allows it to be adjusted as your son grows. They also can be found for a discount at Sierra Trading Post. Are they the best packs out there, no. But they work well and are pretty bomber.
Are you sure that his current external frame pack is too small? If the crew leaders work to keep the crew gear to a minimum, about all he needs to carry in addition to his own gear is 1/2 of a tent, and a large stuff sack worth of food.
Ghosthiker
02-12-2008, 20:37
A lot of our scouts use packs by Alps Mountaineering. They have a scout site, scoutdirect.com, with discount pricing for scouts and scouters. I also have one of their packs, plus a small tent. I will say their gear is durable and the tents stay dry in the rain.
a heavy one, slow them down, not make the rest of us look so bad
gsingjane
02-13-2008, 08:10
When my son went to Philmont in the summer of '06, he used a large-capacity EMS pack that we had. I got a lot of advice here that he needed to lighten up, but the bottom line is, the crew leaders are going to have the kids carry what they carry, and there's nothing a parent has to say about it! Remember, too, since it's so incredibly dry out there, they have the guys carry mega-water. So those packs are heavy, but on the plus side they do try to keep the mileage reasonable, or at least my son's crew did.
Be prepared.... for years worth of wonderful stories and memories. I'd venture to say that a Philmont trip has got to be one of the highlights of any kid's life.
Jane in CT
BlackCloud
02-13-2008, 11:32
Was this weight done before you left home or at Philmnt? Where did you weigh at Philmont? Was this before the new food bags? What year was this?
Not disagreeing just asking.
I went to Philmont in August of 1995. They had a scale that everyone used to weigh the packs.
That's all I know.....
dzierzak
02-13-2008, 12:19
My last trek as advisor was in 06, going again this year.
There is a scale at the welcome center that we used for weighing everone's pack. Mine was 42 lb with including crew gear, food and water. The Guidebook recommends 4000 cuin for external and 4800 cuin for interal frame packs. This is usually more than is needed.
Crew gear includes: cooking gear (stoves, pots, cleanup), tarp, bear bags & rope (all ranch campsites have bear cables), water purification (filter or MicroPur tabs), extra water containers (for dry camps), maps, etc. Based on the Philmont Guidebook (2007), that's about 17 pounds - split 12 ways (crews are typically 12 members).
Food is typically resupplied 2-3 times on the trail, so the usual food issue is 2-4 days. That still adds up.
There is a pack inspection done by the ranger assigned to the crew. The intent is to make sure each person has what's needed. Rangers typically err on the side of more than less.
We have a few smaller kids coming on this trek. Gonna be interesting to see if they have the hips to hold up a pack....
ed
gold bond
02-13-2008, 12:32
I went to Philmont in August of 1995. They had a scale that everyone used to weigh the packs.
That's all I know.....
Thats wild because we asked about a scale and was told..."you don't wanta know"! Anyway, yeah thats before the new food bags. They are for two people and that have more food in them than 4 people cane eat. You have trade boxes at each check in point but what isn't eaten at a meal, and its usually alot, still has to be carried till the end of the day or untill you get to a trade box.
gold bond
02-13-2008, 12:53
My last trek as advisor was in 06, going again this year.
There is a scale at the welcome center that we used for weighing everone's pack. Mine was 42 lb with including crew gear, food and water. The Guidebook recommends 4000 cuin for external and 4800 cuin for interal frame packs. This is usually more than is needed.
Crew gear includes: cooking gear (stoves, pots, cleanup), tarp, bear bags & rope (all ranch campsites have bear cables), water purification (filter or MicroPur tabs), extra water containers (for dry camps), maps, etc. Based on the Philmont Guidebook (2007), that's about 17 pounds - split 12 ways (crews are typically 12 members).
Food is typically resupplied 2-3 times on the trail, so the usual food issue is 2-4 days. That still adds up.
There is a pack inspection done by the ranger assigned to the crew. The intent is to make sure each person has what's needed. Rangers typically err on the side of more than less.
We have a few smaller kids coming on this trek. Gonna be interesting to see if they have the hips to hold up a pack....
ed
Like I said...40-50lbs.That may seem "insane" to some of the ultra lights but the scout motto is "Be Prepared" and they take that to heart!
I love the scouting program. My son is a scout, and I have been through the leadership training. But, they are clueless when it comes to backpacking. After reading this thread, I did a google search and found several "Philmont backpacking list" 3 pairs of pants, wear boots, bring tennis shoes for camp. If you get resupplied every 2-4 days, there is no reason the total pack weight should be over 20lbs.
Now back to the original question of the thread. One factor to consider is, is this going to be a one time trip, or will your son use this pack over and over again. There is no way I would have encourage my son to pack the "Philmont Way" unless he was at Philmont.
BTW the BSA needs to re-think their backpacking philosophy. This is 2008, not 1958.
gold bond
02-13-2008, 14:32
I love the scouting program. My son is a scout, and I have been through the leadership training. But, they are clueless when it comes to backpacking. After reading this thread, I did a google search and found several "Philmont backpacking list" 3 pairs of pants, wear boots, bring tennis shoes for camp. If you get resupplied every 2-4 days, there is no reason the total pack weight should be over 20lbs.
Now back to the original question of the thread. One factor to consider is, is this going to be a one time trip, or will your son use this pack over and over again. There is no way I would have encourage my son to pack the "Philmont Way" unless he was at Philmont.
BTW the BSA needs to re-think their backpacking philosophy. This is 2008, not 1958.
Like I stated in one of my earlier posts, we did "vary" from the Philmont way and it was questioned why we did so. I think that alot of the boys, or their parents, either did not want to spend the money or whatever but they packed blue jeans,tennis shoes, etc... It's understandable though considering just the price to go was 1,600.00 doaalrs.That is what added to the weight. We did not even take all the crew gear...I thought alot of it was redundant or useless.Stlii alot of the backpacks themselves weighed 6-7 lbs alone. I do agree however that BSA could stand to rethink the way it does teach backpacking.
BlackCloud
02-13-2008, 14:42
Like I said...40-50lbs.That may seem "insane" to some of the ultra lights but the scout motto is "Be Prepared" and they take that to heart!
"Be prepared" and asking a 15 yr old to carry a 50lb pack are not synonymous.
And just b/c one carries something less then 40lbs does not make one an "ultra light" for heavens sake.
gold bond
02-13-2008, 15:47
"Be prepared" and asking a 15 yr old to carry a 50lb pack are not synonymous.
And just b/c one carries something less then 40lbs does not make one an "ultra light" for heavens sake.
Sorry! Didnt mean to step on any toes.