Backpack Fit

I wear a size large in coats and jackets so I assumed I needed a large size backpack and purchased accordingly. I have since learned my pack size is medium. What a difference it makes to have the right size for fit and comfort! In fact, the right size is required for good weight transfer to the hips.

I have been on several hikes where the boys we took along used packs that were too large for them. What a hardship it makes! Parents seem to have the idea that they can buy a back pack that will last for years and so it does because their sons will never go on another hike and the pack may in fact last for 50 years in storage. I was once on a hike where a 12-year boy had a large external frame pack. With the belt tightened all the way he could still put his fist between the belt and his waist. Needless to say, he did not have a good experience, and I'm sure that this was the last hike this boy ever went on.

Whenever we have boys on a hike, we always have a pack check night so that we can find problems such as these before, rather than during the hike. On pack night, be sure to check every boy's pack. Do not assume that if a boy has a father who hikes, his pack will be okay I made this mistake and ended up with two terrible packs on a 3-day hike. Both of them came very close to a complete failure that would have created a great hardship and ruined the hike.

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