<p>My daughter is a camp counselor in the summer and will take three short backpacking trips with her kids. In the previous years she has used her brothers backpack that he used when he went hiking in Philmont BS ranch in New Mexico. It’s an external frame pack, was relatively inexpensive and was expandable. She said it was very uncomfortable and would like to get a new one. She tried on a friends internal frame pack and said it was much nicer. Neighbor has one that my son used on his second trip to Philmont but son is almost a foot taller then his sister. From what I understand, it’s important to get a pack that fits and I want her to be comfortable but also don’t want to pay an arm and a leg as this may be her last year as a camp counselor…</p>
<p>She’s petite but will need to carry about 50 lbs worth of equipment, which is a lot since she doesn’t weigh more then 110. Any suggestions? Brand names would be good. I often shop for BS stuff at campmor.com and they carry a lot of different brands and ship very quickly, but I don’t have time and don’t want to return a bulky pack via mail.</p>
<p>I’m sorry that I don’t know a specific brand. But it is SO important to get her a small pack. I went on a three day trip and used a standard adult frame and ended up with huge blisters on my shoulders because we just couldn’t adjust the frame to fit tightly enough to my body. I suspect she’ll need one designated as a “youth” pack to get the right fit. Comfort is crucial!</p>
<p>It’s very important that your daughter actually try on the pack before she buys it – not only tries on, but loads it with a realistic amount of weight. REI stores make this easy to do, with handy weights located on the backpack department. They also rent equipment, and that might be the best way to go, since she may not be using it in other years. I’m sure other service-oriented camping stores would also offer this. I would strongly advise against mail-ordering a pack that she hasn’t tried out already – and then, why not support the store that had the pack available for try on in the first place?</p>
<p>I would go to a store that specializes in that outdoor gear (I know REI has stores in PA) and get fitted for a pack by an experienced salesperson. (I weigh less than 110 and have a standard adult external frame pack that fits me very well. It all depends on the pack.) One advantage to an interior frame pack is that they are nice for regular travel as well. I would also see what she can do to get that weight down; it seems like a lot to me.</p>
<p>My husband and kids do a lot of backpacking - they pay up a bit for very lightweight internal framepacks, as every pound (ounce!) makes a big difference in how enjoyable your trip is.
Your daughter is full-grown. Get her a pack that fits well. Each brand is a little different, so she needs to try on several and find one that feel great. It’s worth it to spend a little more, as this will last for many years and she will not outgrow it. I wouldn’t assume that this will be the last summer she’ll use it - my college kid uses hers several times a year.</p>
<p>Found an REI about 40 minutes away, so we might check it out tomorrow. 1moremom, agree the weight is high but as a counselor, they expect them to carry some of the heavier things that they don’t feel they can ask the campers to carry.</p>
<p>Funny, I’ve always thought of this child as being kind of an indoor kid with just this out of character thing of summer camp, but that mostly because she loves kids and the socialization aspect. But as she’s gotten older, she’s the one that asks for ski’s and boots and a bike and occasionally camps. And her younger brother who was quite active in BS and will (hopefully) get his Eagle real soon, spends all his time inside playing computer games!</p>
<p>My younger son (5ft. 4in tall) recently bought a Kelty Coyote to take to Philmont. He has only used it a few times but it appears to have everything he needs in a pack. It is 4750 cu in. They also make the Coyote in the women’s version- the packs look identical so I am not sure what the difference is. I think the torso size is around 16-21in. The price is $135 at REI, Campmor or a boy scout shop.</p>
<p>H and I still have our Kelty’s from the 70s. I’m 5’ and mine fits me quite well. I did a lot of backpacking back when I was ~105-110 (about ten pounds ago), and the Kelty worked great.</p>
<p>Two of my Ds who do a lot of travel with packs have bought new ones within the past year and would highly recommend the ones they got: made by Gregory and Arc’Teryx (I believe that’s the spelling). Osprey also makes some decent packs. The most important thing to do is to go to a store where the staff are trained to fit a pack properly. They should be able to show you all the features of the pack, then they’ll have your D put it on, show her how to fasten it, tighten the straps, etc. After that, they’ll have her take it off, then they will fill it will weighted pillows to demonstrate how it feels when it’s full. They’ll show you how to pack it (heaviest things in the middle) also. Most good brands of packs will make ones which are specifically for females and these fit much better than the others. Good luck!</p>
<p>I just did a quick search and came up with the recommendation that pack weight not exceed 25% of body weight. I’d be concerned that your daughter is risking a back injury, especially if she’s not in shape for this particular type of exercise. You might want to do some research or maybe ask your doc what he thinks. Fifty pounds seems like an unreasonable expectation to me.</p>
<p>Talked to my daughter and she said that it was closer to 30 or 35 lbs, not 50 that she carried. My mistake. And now she’s talking about hiking shoess… Seems the ones I loaned her are not quite as comfortable as she would like, not that she got blisters but that their heavy and hot, etc. I think they are just very different then flip flops and sneaks. We’ll look into them too though and see if anything is on sale…</p>
<p>Kelty backpack for son up in Minnesota. He said it made life much easier when they went hiking and camping much farther north. I did not think he would like it at first but he loves it!!</p>
<p>I use an L.L. Bean pack, one of the nice things about L.L. Bean and EMS where my dad and I have purchased packs is that they will exchange them for life if you’re ever not happy with them or they get destroyed. This is for any reason, not just manufacturers defects. My dad had his pack for a year and considered exchanging it, they would have done it with no problem but he changed his mind once they helped him adjust it. L.L. Bean and EMS are also really knowledgable about what kind of pack is right for you. You might pay a little more for the help and the guarantee, but I would say it’s well worth it, I’ve had my pack for three years without a problem, and I plan to take it to college with me.</p>
<p>Whoops too late with this suggestion: My s’s backpack zips open like a duffel bag. Very handy and better than younger S’s top load model which he has to completely unpack to get at the items ont he bottom.</p>
<p>I agree that top loading is not the most conveinent but this does have a quick access pouch at the top and quite a few pockets and places to attach things to the outside. We like the color too.</p>
<p>Kathie, If she didn’t get a pack cover, have her pack a trash bag, which does the job just as well. It is nice after a rainy night to not have to deal with a wet pack.</p>