Ok so I'm still on the search for a backpack for my 10 year old. I gave up the hunt after the last trip of the season last year and I carried the brunt of the weight. He's still a lightweight at 47-50lbs and yes he eats. Me and momma are both short so he never stood much of a chance at being tall. I'm 5"2" and she's shorter then me so please don't react like I'm purposely starving my child because that's far from the truth.

I measured his torso today and he's 11" and his weight is about 22". With his weight and the 10-20% of his bodyweight rule he's only gonna be able to carry 10lbs max. I'm kinda at a crossroads as to what to do. He needs to be able to carry all of his gear as well as help with the other scouts.

Money is another issue and if I'm to get him some gear its gotta be soon since we'll be getting our taxes back any day now. I'm hoping to do my best to hook him up with the basic essential that he'll need to carry as a scout for around $150-$200 for everything. Is that doable? Thnk you for your time and have a great evening everyone. Jason

This isn't going to help dollar-wise, but ULA has a youth version of their Circuit with an adjustable torso length up to 17". This might keep the young man going for years, well into adulthood.

If you want to do some butchery creative remodeling, you can get a pound off either the REI kids' backpack or the Deuter Fox. Of course unless you're better at this process than I am, the kid may object! There's also the Osprey Jib but it's a lot more expensive. Watch for sales or used packs (it's kind of hard to start whacking deliberately at a brand new $100 pack!). If you're really creative, you can make a whole new pack bag out of lighter material, using just the frame and support system of the above packs, which would save even more weight.

There are of course lightweight frameless packs, but the kid is going to need some support to carry weight. And most of those will be too big, since (except for ULA) the cottage folks don't make kids' packs.

If he's going into Scouts, enlist the help of the leaders! I wouldn't be surprised if they know of outgrown packs ready to hand down! Probably other gear, too.

I got my 10 yo son a MLD kids pack that is 10oz. Very well constructed and fits him very good. He is pretty thin and also on the lower end of the weight bell curve.
http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=106

What equipment are you trying to buy for $150 - 200? Backpack, sleeping bag, tent, clothes, shoes, cook kit?

If you are going to cap his carried weight to 20 lbs, I'm not sure how important a framed backpack is.

I agree with BZH, you could get a used climber's day pack and use a cut down folded foam pad as a stiffener. Your son probably doesn't need a full pad and a foam one is @ 12 bucks.
Some of the climbers packs are cheap and have a frame of sorts already. I saw a Deuter Speed Lite 30 on sale for 75.00.
A DIY tarp set up with a little velcro bug netting would be cheap, small and light. I would think you could find a small down bag someone's outgrown or upgraded from......

I'm looking at the REI Tarn 18 as a possibility. The one thing I'm not thrilled with about the pack is the attachment points that look like his sleeping bag would be riding really far back and causing him to lean way forward to balance the load. I'd love it if I could get all of his gear for a weekend trip into this pack and still keep it around 10lbs if possible.

Really love the look of this pack but its out of my price range. By the time I added on all the extra pocket I thought he would need and find useful I was already at $290!

Unfortunately I'll have to cap his carry weight at around 10lbs unless I can beef him up a bit more before his first trip. I'm still not sure when his first backpacking trip is but he has 2 regular camping trips which are park n camp types. I'm gonna diy gear as much as possible and go from there. They wont allow scouts to make a cat food can stove so I gotta find out what his alternatives are with that. I think right now I'll have to focus on the big 3.

Love the look of this pack too but I think its a little too big for him. A lot of nice features on it too. Right now its looking like the REI Tarn 18 is the best fit for him and his needs right now.

BZH, putting 20 lbs. on a 50 lb. kid is like putting 60 lbs. on a 150-lb. adult! Have you ever tried carrying 60 lbs. in a frameless pack? You also have to remember that a child's bones and joints are immature, and this holds true through the teenage rapid growth years. That's why physicians get so upset about those heavy book packs with no real support that are foisted on school kids.

For kids, it's really important to have a pack that transfers most of the weight to the hip belt, even if you have to get a heavier pack. It's all those frills and doodads and bomproof fabric on the standard kids' packs that make them weigh so much! That's why I suggested butchery as an option!

And don't the Scouts share gear, like tents and cooking gear? Please do talk with your leaders! Your son is absolutely not going to be able to carry as much as a 16-year-old 6-footer!

As far as I know the are all gonna share gear. They have 10 kids in their patrol and one of the skills will be planing and preparing a whole days menu for the whole troop so I'm not sure what they plan on doing as far as shared cooking gear. There's another boy that's about the same size as my son, only thinner and a couple inches taller so any help will go towards getting this 2 lighter gear if possible. I'm sure they will still need to carry their own sleeping bag, tent and clothes as well as first aid and possible a few other things before the split up the rest of the gear. We're canceling the meeting tonight because of snow and I believe their first meeting as the new recruits will be the 26th of this month and I'm hoping to find out more by then.

The Eastern Mountain Sports in Saratoga has a decent stock of packs to get an idea of fit, if you're over on the south east side of the daks. Dick's across Rt. 50 has some stuff, too. Some of the young guys in EMS are excellent and will help you out with suggestions and fitting.

Cool, thanx.

I second the ULA pack....it's what I am getting my granddaughter...

The ULA's look nice but I can't afford a pack like that. I'm thinking that with a home made pvc frame that maybe I could get away with using his school pack instead.

A homemade pack is definitely an option, but be sure most of the weight transfers to the hip belt. (Most school packs don't have hip belts.)

Yeah that's definitely something I need to research a little bit on and see what I can do. I'm sure that's end up being a questions and answer session for MYOG sometime soon.

I've got some skinny/lanky kids, so I know of what you speak.

My 8 year old is in a Deuter Climber. REI has them for about $70.

My 10 year old is in an old model REI Comet pack (since discontinued).

Deuter Fox 30/40 or an Osprey Jib 35 are also possibilities.

All should be on sale in another month or so.

Do you have his sleeping bag yet? How about long johns/other clothes? Working pack fit won't matter unless that is sorted out. From your comments it sounds like you are already here in your thinking, but fitting my oldest always involves bringing all the stuff to the store, packing the pack, weighing the pack, and having her walk with it.

We'll be in for a new pack in another year or so, so if you find something cool and cheap, let the rest of us know. Outfitting 4 kids is expensive unless I shop the sales...

First off, I am a scoutmaster...and I love taking them backpacking.

Here is a video I did about cheap packs for scouts.
youtube video

So, first off...spend your money on a sleeping bag. That is the most important. I would look at the kelty bags, but there are a lot of good options. This is your biggest weight savings.
Second...he should be sharing gear. I know every troop is different, but I make my scouts share gear. I also give more gear to the big scouts, and less to the smaller ones. You end up having to do that anyways... might as well do it before you leave. I bought 3 man tents for the troop that split pretty evenly, weight-wise, into three sections. The tents are 6 lbs, but they are scout proof and 2 lbs isn't a whole lot. I also put at least one big kid with 2 little kids and make him carry the heaviest part. I have 2 jetboils (type of stove) for the whole troop (about 10 boys) to use. That means one kid carries the stove, another the pot, and another the fuel. So with 2 stoves, 2 boys carry the stove part, 2 boys carry the pots, and at least 4 carry a fuel canister. The remaining boys carry water filters.

I will say this....I don't take 10 and 11 year olds unless their dad is with them, and he carries some of their weight. My son is 11 and I have been carrying a lot of his stuff since he was 4. It is just the way it is. If your son is 10 and small for his age....Dad really needs to go with (or an older cousin/uncle that is strong and you can trust).

I've been looking for the lightest gear I can find just so that he can carry a majority of his own weight without feeling everyone is carrying his gear for him. I managed to get him the 1lb 8oz wally world special for a sleeping bag, they had a field line molle that was fairly lightweight too. I got him a foam pad that he sat on end and sat on it so I was like cool, doubles as a chair of sorts. I did find some 3.4oz packable daypacks today at wally world too that I couldn't turn down. I don't think they'll work for an overnight trip but most certainly would fit the bill for a long day hike. I made him a coffee can cooking pot which I still need to modify just a little to turn into a billy can style pot. I'm also making him an ultralight pocket sized fishing kit as well. He has his own one man tent but also a bigger one that should easily squeeze in 2 smaller scouts and a bigger scout. I slept in it with him one night with a little room to spare so that might end up being a shared tent if need be. Most of the hiking they do will most likely be in the Adirondacks to places that have designated fire rings so a camp stove may not be a necessity depending on the scout master and how stern he is with the leave no trace policy. My goal is to try to get his gear down to 10-12lbs total and in the meantime work on beefing him up. Have to force him to eat every night. I'll be going with him on some of his adventures but i also want him to learn some independence as well so I wont be going on all of his trips. I'm thinking about shooting just for the harder hikes to help him with his gear. I do have an ultra light stove that folds up and could fit in your pocket, I also have the lantern that fits on the same canisters but i thing his little lantern and a headlamp would be better then what little light that thing puts out. I think the next thing is to get the gear I have for him now and to weigh it up and see what the damage is. Hopefully I still got wiggle room because I still need to get him clothes yet and toiletries and 1st aid and such. I'll check you video out as soon as I hit the submit button here, thank you.

Independence is a good thing to teach....but I feel that 10 and 11 is too young to do that. Every kid is different, and there are some kids from parents on this forum where at 10 or 11, they could probably do it all themselves without even a troop. But, for most, sending a 10 or 11 year old on a campout without a parent is just torture for the scoutmaster. They need a lot of individual attention to make sure they are okay. When they are surrounded by 12 and 13 year olds, or even just 10 and 11 year olds, they won't speak up about problems they are having...like if they are too cold at night, or other problems that an adult working one on one would ask outright in a private setting. The scoutmaster is just too busy working with all the boys to catch everything. Something to think about. You are the parent, and you know you kid better than anyone.
Anyways, my charter organization won't let 10 year olds go camping at all, and 11 year olds can only go with a parent. Of course, they also don't fund a Tiger Cub program. They also separate the 11 year olds from the 12 and 13 year olds. There is a big difference between an 11 year old and a 12-13 year old. I agree with the policy. I don't know how the Girl Scouts manage with the 6 year olds.
Looks like you are on the right track for gear. He doesn't need a lantern, only a headlamp. Also, I would never buy a sleeping bag from Walmart. There are too many good/cheap Kelty and Eureka bags less than $50. Look at Campmor.com.

To each their own I suppose. At my sons current size he's grown accustom to everyone babying him and that needs to stop. I'm not about to shove him into the forest with a knife and bottle of water for the week either. I'm doing my best to make sure he's fully prepared and capable. Our pack has been doing camping trips with these boys since they were tigers and I've been on every trip with him so far. This year they will be doing a week at camp at the parents aren't allowed. It's my opinion that he'll be fine on this trip because he will be with friends that he's been on camping trips with before. This is a park and camp type situation and they will most likely be in a cabin for that one. As far as backpacking goes, we've only been on one family backpacking trip together and I pulled most of the weight on that trip. I do plan on going on other backpacking trips with him but seeing how I've never been through boy scouts myself this is all new to me. I still have no idea where the backpacking trip(s) will be or if he will even be going on one this year but I want to be prepared if he does. As of right now him and 9 others crossed over so they will be their own separate patrol. I've already bought the walmart bag and I also have plans to buy a down jacket and fleece hoody as well as gloves and hat to take as well. I'm doing what I can for him and I was under the impression that the adults aren't invited on all of their adventures but if I am then so be it I'll do a few until I know he's comfortable with the group he's in. I feel that by teaching him a little independence at an early age it'll help boost his confidence which he has a lack of at this point. I think my next purchase is gonna be the down jacket, preferably a hooded jacket. I was checking out patagonia but after reading some of their recent reviews it seems they have begun going the cheap route with faulty zippers and easily torn materials. So I guess I'm heading into lightweight clothing at this point and want to get the major purchase now before the bill collectors get the rest of our return.

Wow, to each their own. I do think you are doing a great job, BTW.

As a former Scoutmaster, I know that those 10 and 12 year olds can amaze you with what they can do - but I also agree that the things they can't do create a lot of work for the Scoutmaster.

Do your Scoutmaster a favor - volunteer to be an assistant scoutmaster (or merit badge counselor, or troop committee member), even if you limit your role only to helping plan and participate in the overnights. Depending on your relationship with your son, you can stay pretty close, helping his patrol, or can pull back, helping the troop as a whole.

Trust me - you'll be the SM's new BFF!

Tonight was their first meeting and I already have him signed up for a "Man Vs. Wild" camping trip. It's a friday, saturday and sunday trip but I'm not sure if my wife will be able to get that friday off so I can go. My son is excited about it and it will teach him vital survival skills he may need if he ever gets lost. He's really shown me some improvement in his self reliance in the past month. This trip should be cake, they have a big cabin they'll be staying in and he's already getting to know some of the boyscouts so with or without me he'll be fine on this trip. No hiking required. I would like to get him a nice down coat for this trip. Gotta find something in size small with a hood that has good reviews. Thanx everyone for your help thus far. I just have a little fine tuning to do with his gear and what not and then it should just be a matter of seasonal tweaking of his pack list. Starting to feel better about what he's got.