Need a recommended pack for me and my kid

Posted by: Paulo

Need a recommended pack for me and my kid - 05/05/11 10:18 AM

This year I'm planning to take my 5 year old on a hike for 3 days. I'll be carrying the majority of the stuff so need something a bit bigger than what I would need for myself.

IN a few years I'll probably be carrying the stuff for my son (now just about 3), but my daughter will be able to handle a bit more. I'd like something that I can also use on solo trips.

What would everyone recommend? What are your experiences?
Posted by: OregonMouse

Re: Need a recommended pack for me and my kid - 05/05/11 10:41 AM

If you look at prior posts in this section, you'll find a bunch of posts about kids' packs. Steadman appears to have found a good one!

Trying to find a day pack for a pre-school child that has a hip belt (important to take pressure off the shoulders) and doesn't hang down below his crotch is not easy! I won't be looking for another kids' pack until the 11-year-old outgrows his Deuter Fox 30, since the younger kids have hand-me-downs to grow into. The one the six-year-old uses (Granite Gear Sidekick) was unfortunately discontinued several years ago.

For a slightly older child able to carry more weight, the REI Comet and Deuter Fox 30 are both good, although heavier than I'd like.
Posted by: Paulo

Re: Need a recommended pack for me and my kid - 05/05/11 11:28 AM

Thanks OregonMouse,
I do remember that thread, but, I'm not looking for a kids pack. I want a pack that allows me to carry the majority of her stuff and mine for a 3 day trip.

The problem is that I'm out of the country until the summer so I won't be able to check out friends packs etc. I'm relying on anyone else that has done a similar thing to tell me what worked for them.
Posted by: Steadman

Re: Need a recommended pack for me and my kid - 05/05/11 12:24 PM

I'm using a 7 year old Kely Super Tioga (4100??) external frame pack I picked up 7 years ago on sale from Campmor for me. In summer conditions, I have enough extra space to put swimming gear in the bottom (sleeping bag) compartment - which my first kid enjoyed last year.

Kelty's external frames (http://www.kelty.com/c-12-external-frame.aspx) no longer seem to have the long pocket on the left side of the pack that I keep my rain gear and trowel in. However, I've found the pockets to be handy, and not just for kids.

Your other option (which I haven't tried yet) is to either build or strip down an external frame, and tie the stuff sacks to the frame. I'll play with this idea more after I get a scale and find out how much this stuff really weighs. I saw some neat ideas in the Make your own Gear portion of the site that I'd love to play with when I have time and have developed some more skills.

Or you can just go to Campmor and pay them their discount rate for one, no further thought required (http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/SubCategory___40000000226_200368422) until you want to shave some pounds off.
Posted by: OregonMouse

Re: Need a recommended pack for me and my kid - 05/05/11 05:30 PM

Since you're looking for a pack for you, you might get more varied answers in the lightweight gear section. You might ask one of the mods (or rather, one of the more experienced mods, unfortunately not including me laugh ) to move this thread for you.

I think you're the person I answered on BPL, but I'll repeat the info here for this audience. My son takes surfing gear with him, especially his heavy and bulky wet suit, on our family backpacks to Washington's Olympic coast, so he has an 85 L Osprey Atmos. Without the wet suit, he wouldn't need such a big and heavy pack. I've been able to take one grandkid at a time for 3 days using my usual 40L Six Moon Designs Comet (now discontinued), without even having to use the extension collar. That includes one pad and sleeping bag (2.5 lbs. TNF Tigger) for the youngest kid and a Tarptent Squall 2 (34 oz.) as well as food for both of us--total pack weight for me about 25 lbs. The 6-year-old carries his own clothing (including a complete change of clothes for the inevitable getting wet), snacks, water bottle and small toy in a day pack that has a hip belt (total pack weight 5 1/2 lbs.). The two older kids (now 9 and 11) also carry their own sleeping bags and pads, and the oldest now carries several pounds of community gear (not much lighter for me because he eats more!)

It really depends on how heavy and bulky your combined gear is. If you have the rest of your and your child's gear, try stuffing it and the equivalent in weight and bulk of 3 days' food into a measured container to see how much space it takes up. (For "quick and dirty" calculation, 1 liter is about 60 cubic inches.) Then weigh the total. That will give you a good idea of what size pack you need and what weight its suspension needs to be able to support--you will find both specifications on the pack manufacturers' websites. You may find, as I have, that you don't need a bomber pack at all but can use your current one. If you do need something more, check out the websites for both mainline packs (Osprey, Deuter, etc.) and the beefier "cottage industry" packs such as ULA-Equipment for those specifications (size and weight supported). However, please note that pack fit is almost as individual as shoe fit, so what fits your specs or works for others may turn out to be highly uncomfortable for you, just as many size 10B shoes don't work for me even though that's the size I normally wear. You may have to wait until you return home, box up your gear and take it shopping with you.

In another 2 years, your older child should be able to carry her own sleeping bag and pad in addition to her clothing, snacks and water, so unless you plan to take the younger one out sooner than that, you shouldn't need to carry more than one kid's sleeping bag. If you're taking the boy out sooner, though, you will need room for 2 sleeping bags. If you don't have one for the boy yet, I recommend the TNF Tigger, which is about a pound lighter than the one you have for the girl but is very warm (approximately 20* F) and surprisingly durable (my grandkids' bags have been through many launderings without significant loss of loft).
Posted by: topshot

Re: Need a recommended pack for me and my kid - 05/05/11 06:02 PM

I ended up deciding on a GoLite Pinnacle in this situation. It can handle anything from 25-70+ liters. The only issue I had was when you got above 25lbs total, the supplied foam backpad would buckle just above the hipbelt. Still carried OK - was just an annoyance. I had up to 32 lbs in it. I've since removed it and just use a foam pad as a burrito for the structure. I've been very pleased with it.
Posted by: thecook

Re: Need a recommended pack for me and my kid - 05/06/11 03:42 PM

I've got an Osprey Aether 70L that I really like to for family trips where I am the pack mule. However, that is because the pack fits me well. Best bet is to figure out how much weight and space you need, then go try on a bunch of different packs that fit those criteria to find one that is comfortable.
Posted by: Paulo

Re: Need a recommended pack for me and my kid - 05/07/11 09:45 AM

I just found last years deuter 65+10 on sale for $120 with a 15% discount... My only issue now is whether they'll let me use a Canadian credit card (only accepts US billing addresses).
Posted by: finallyME

Re: Need a recommended pack for me and my kid - 05/10/11 01:25 PM

I use an external frame when I bring a small kid, because I can carry more.

By the way, when my oldest son was 4, I bought a Kelty Starfish. It was one of the few packs that fit him. Now his little brother, who is 4, will be using it this summer. It doesn't hold much, and it doesn't have a frame, but it holds about what I want to give a 4 year old.

Always remember the one rule with kids. Whatever you give them to carry, be prepared to carry it yourself.