Hey everyone. my little girl is wanting to come out hiking with me. I have had her try on diferent packs where ever we go. I cant fidn one that isnt super loose on her. Would any of you know which pack woul be good for her? I am wantin something that she can carry some if not most of her gear in andhas a "camel back".
If it were my daughter, I would have her carry her own school backpack. That way she has something that she is used to carrying, and will hold a fair amount of stuff. I wouldn't worry so much about the camelback.
But a word of advice! Check our her backpack first, to make sure she doesn't have a ton of extra stuff in it from when she takes it to school. Six "my little ponies" and all their gear adds some unnecessary weight to her pack!
Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6799
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
Good luck. I haven't been able to find a supportive pack for kids in which the pack doesn't weigh 2.5-3 lbs.
One of the biggest complaints from young children is that the pack straps put too much pressure on their shoulders. A pack with a good hip belt and load lifters really helps this problem. Unfortunately, only a few of these are made and they are, as I said, heavy! It's a shame when half the recommended weight for the average 7-year-old is the pack itself!
Definitely do not use her school backpack unless it has a good supportive hip belt!
Yes, do watch what she brings!
EDIT: There's quite a bit about kids' packs in the "Hiking with Kids" section of this forum.
Edited by OregonMouse (12/06/0910:59 AM)
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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey
Oregon--good point about the shoulder straps. I guess I remember my own kids, and how much weight they were willing to carry. We generally ended up with less than ten pounds: a sleeping bag and their clothes. That would just fit, and weighed something like 7 pounds total.
With that kind of weight, the shoulder straps aren't quite so critical. But if you are carrying any more than that, I certainly agree.
As OM stated, you should be looking for a pack with good hip belts. This will carry most of the weight. She should be carrying very little weight on her shoulders.
The Deuter Fox is a good, lightweight children's pack. It also has a hydration pocket inside.
<edit: just re-read your post and you don't say whether you are dayhiking or backpacking. Camelbak makes a mini-MULE kid's pack that carries a 1-L bladder and has around 500 cu inches of storage for other small items. It's a good hiking pack, both my kids share it alternately or fight over it, if we're all going out.>
I picked this up for my 7yo son - good price, and it appears to be a good pack. no idea how he likes it yet - it'll be under the tree for him in a few weeks
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