I think there is a real opportunity here that most scout and guide troops and parents seem to miss, myself included up until now, which is to use the problem of inedequate gear and clothing choices as an opportunity for a few critical DIY projects as shared learning experiences. Great was to boost morale in a troop also, if everyone in a troop wears the same troop made moccassins, or bedrolls, or two-person pup tents, hiking staff...

OK, backpacks, once they've started down the road to functional gear and clothing choices...

http://www.primitiveways.com/pack_frame.html
Sylnylon stuff sack, custom fitted triangular wooden packframe.

If we follow my clothing suggestions, keeping the main insulation layers, the weight of clothing packed won't be very much. This leaves the bedroll, skin layers, rain layers, extra socks, blue foam pad, their half of a two-person pup tent, map, compass/whistle/thermometer, knife, matches, buddy burner, mug, spoon, canteen, their share of food. Hat and mitts go in pockets when not warn. So regardless of the size of the kid, they could slide their blue foam pad into their nylon stuff sack, then stuff in their bedroll and food and extra layers, and then tie it onto their homemade triangular wooden packframe.


Maximum Weight Guidelines...

Maximum Skin Out Weight (pounds) = Height(inches) x Height(inches)
e.g. 16 pounds for 48", 25 pounds for 60", 36 pounds for 72"

Packweight shouldn't be much more than 50% of that however, in my opinion.

So for the 'average' 12 year old, 12.5 pound pack and perhaps 4 pounds of clothing worn. That 12.5 pounds would include perhaps 1 pound of water and food for 1 day at a time, or 1.5 pounds. So the base pack weight would be 10 pounds.

1 pound for packframe and nylon pack bag
1 pound for blue foam pad and half of puptent
3 pound for sleeping bag or bedroll
1 pound for nylon raingear
1 pound for socks, map, compass/whistle/thermometer, knife, matches, buddy burner, mug, spoon, canteen
========================================
7 pounds, leaving 3 pounds to spare, perhaps 2 more days of food on a long trip


We must all realize this can be done, because it's been done for over 20,000 years !!!
Most of the struggle is in dealing with our post-modern consumerism. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
You would think that something like Scouts and Guides might be part of the solution. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />