Hiking backpacks?

[Ringel05]

Just add a little Flubber to any pack and it'll feel light as a feather.

 

[Wry Catcher]

Someone gave me a suggestion for a good ergonomic backpack, but I can't find it.

I want one that will not cause my back to spasm, if possible. Probably an internal frame....

Also, do they make hiker's backpacks for kids?

What kind of hiking ? How long and how far you going into the woods and how big are your kid ?

Kids are 7 & 8, slender, the boy is pretty stout and the girl very slender. I don't know how tall they are, they're average for 7-8 year old kids.

Day hikes for now. Maybe we'll do some hike in camping trips next year or the year after. But this year, I would just like to have a backpack so I can hike in further than a couple of bottles of water will take us, and feel like we're covered. I turned back on a trail I would really have liked to explore because I didn't have enough water, and no way to comfortably carry water. I'm actually thinking that for this year, maybe hydration packs are the way to go....

Consider,

Water Filters at REI.com

 

[Momanohedhunter]

What kind of hiking ? How long and how far you going into the woods and how big are your kid ?

Kids are 7 & 8, slender, the boy is pretty stout and the girl very slender. I don't know how tall they are, they're average for 7-8 year old kids.

Day hikes for now. Maybe we'll do some hike in camping trips next year or the year after. But this year, I would just like to have a backpack so I can hike in further than a couple of bottles of water will take us, and feel like we're covered. I turned back on a trail I would really have liked to explore because I didn't have enough water, and no way to comfortably carry water. I'm actually thinking that for this year, maybe hydration packs are the way to go....

Consider,

Water Filters at REI.com

Just be willing to put some $$ down. No excuse not to. They also have the straw type to.

 

[Momanohedhunter]

Here are the small packs I was talking about.

Amazon.com: mini alice pack

The "green tick".

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Large-ALICE-Field-LC-1-Green/dp/B004HWVP0Q/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1311638548&sr=8-4]Amazon.com: Large ALICE Field Pack LC-1 Green: Sports & Outdoors[/ame]

And my water filter.

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Frontier-Ultralight-Filter-Military-Version/dp/B004GVRA8E/ref=sr_1_6?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1311638619&sr=1-6]Amazon.com: Frontier Pro Ultralight Water Filter System (Military Version): Sports & Outdoors[/ame]

I have sucked some nasty water through mine and I am still alive.

 

[Ringel05]

What kind of hiking ? How long and how far you going into the woods and how big are your kid ?

Kids are 7 & 8, slender, the boy is pretty stout and the girl very slender. I don't know how tall they are, they're average for 7-8 year old kids.

Day hikes for now. Maybe we'll do some hike in camping trips next year or the year after. But this year, I would just like to have a backpack so I can hike in further than a couple of bottles of water will take us, and feel like we're covered. I turned back on a trail I would really have liked to explore because I didn't have enough water, and no way to comfortably carry water. I'm actually thinking that for this year, maybe hydration packs are the way to go....

Ok. First, an external frame pack and expensive DOES NOT mean more comfortable. REI and there ilk are ok, but I would buy off E-Bay. Go to the big stores, and try them on, but you will save money buying used. And if you dont like it, you can put it right back on E-bay and sell it. For your kids, I would look at a small A.L.I.C.E. pack. They have no frame and the kids find them quite stylish. The straps will need to be taped when you (they) get it adjusted ware they want it but it is a good pack. You can also get a water filter and pump water ware you are at. Don't scrimp on the water filter either, giardia is a bitch. I use a military surplus large A.L.I.C.E. and have actually lived out of it. You can carry everything you would need and more. I got my pack, sleeping mat, and sleeping bag for the whopping sum of $75.00. The down side is that they need to be customized for comfort. They aren't called "the big green tick" because they are beautiful and comfi.

I have medium and large Alice packs, both are very comfortable and inexpensive.

Used U.S. Military Large A.L.I.C.E. Pack With Metal Frame, Mil Backpacks / Bags, Brand Not Specified at Sportsman's Guide

I also used to wear a Molle load vest with a three day assault pack and attach some of the extra items I used to carry around the front to better distribute the load.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=792422

 

[AllieBaba]

What kind of hiking ? How long and how far you going into the woods and how big are your kid ?

Kids are 7 & 8, slender, the boy is pretty stout and the girl very slender. I don't know how tall they are, they're average for 7-8 year old kids.

Day hikes for now. Maybe we'll do some hike in camping trips next year or the year after. But this year, I would just like to have a backpack so I can hike in further than a couple of bottles of water will take us, and feel like we're covered. I turned back on a trail I would really have liked to explore because I didn't have enough water, and no way to comfortably carry water. I'm actually thinking that for this year, maybe hydration packs are the way to go....

Consider,

Water Filters at REI.com

thanks!

 

[AllieBaba]

Tell me how you pack 3 gallons of water into a bug out bag, and have room for everything else. I've don't see the water included in the packs I've seen online.

 

[Valerie]

Tell me how you pack 3 gallons of water into a bug out bag, and have room for everything else. I've don't see the water included in the packs I've seen online.

CamelBak Classic Hydration Pack - 70 fl. oz.

CamelBak Classic Hydration Pack - 70 fl. oz. at REI.com

CamelBak Day Star Hydration Pack - 70 oz. - Women's at REI.com

 

[Dot Com]

I've hiked @ 500 miles on the AT & also suggest REI. There are different packs for different amounts of time spent out and different terrain.

edit: just saw how all you wanted was a "bug out bag", Forget it.

 

[AllieBaba]

I'm not ready to go station to station yet, and neither are the kids.

 

[AllieBaba]

I've hiked @ 500 miles on the AT & also suggest REI. There are different packs for different amounts of time spent out and different terrain.

edit: just saw how all you wanted was a "bug out bag", Forget it.

I just watched a Nat'l Geo special on the AT and I'm so envious.

I'm trying to figure out what we have here that even comes close to it. I want to do station to station. Not this year, and maybe not next. But some day. Before I die. Hopefully before I die, I hate to think of myself haunting trails as an out of shape ghost.

 

[Ringel05]

You want a BOB?

It ain't cheap by any stretch of the imagination but has everything you need to survive.

Ready Made Resources Solar Power Disaster Preparedness Store Emergency Supplies - READY MADE RESOURCES ULTIMATE BACKPACK BUG OUT BAG (BOB)

 

[AllieBaba]

Holy crap, no way! I could build a fucking house for that, or buy a camper trailer at least!

Here's what I want to start working on:
Pacific Crest Trail Association - Home

 

[uscitizen]

Backpacks cannot hike, they have no legs.

 

[Ringel05]

Holy crap, no way! I could build a fucking house for that, or buy a camper trailer at least!

Here's what I want to start working on:
Pacific Crest Trail Association - Home

Are you doing overnights? Day hikes? Week treks?

 

[CountofTuscany]

Someone gave me a suggestion for a good ergonomic backpack, but I can't find it.

I want one that will not cause my back to spasm, if possible. Probably an internal frame....

Also, do they make hiker's backpacks for kids?

Go to any good camping store and try them out. It's hard to make a recommendation because you really have to fit them to your body. I've been using my fathers pack, which he loves and has carried heavy loads over many miles, but it has pressure points for me after a few miles. I have a longer torso than he does and it fits me differently. You want to make sure the weight is distributed evenly across your back and believe it or not the waist strap is very key.

 

[CountofTuscany]

Tell me how you pack 3 gallons of water into a bug out bag, and have room for everything else. I've don't see the water included in the packs I've seen online.

It's spread across your whole back. You fill a bladder that is a couple of inches thick, but tall and wide.

 

[AllieBaba]

Holy crap, no way! I could build a fucking house for that, or buy a camper trailer at least!

Here's what I want to start working on:
Pacific Crest Trail Association - Home

I

Are you doing overnights? Day hikes? Week treks?

I want to at least one overnight/2 nights by the end of the season. So I want a pack I can do that with. No weeks this year, I would like to eventually...I want to eventually to do station to station, I would like eto be able to hit it for a week...but not this year, probably. I wouldn't feel comfortable taking the kids for a week. So I want something that will work for that. I really, really like the way the odyssey looks but I'm continuing to look. I also like the standard alice...though it seems a little heavy. I have some issues with my back, nothing major but I really do want something that will reduce as much strain as possible, particularly this season. It would be a drag to be miles form nowhere and get a spasm. I like the ALICE packs as far as practicality, but I'm concerned they are ultimately designed for men, and as such won't work quite right with my shoulders...

So what I think is I'll get the pack I want, and get used to wearing it, before adding much gear to it. I need to get one that will work as I work my way up in miles, because if I switch I have to start all over with getting used to it.

So I'm looking at one two nighter probably sometime at the very beginning of October. That's my answer I think. And I'm looking at the Pacific Crest Trail. I don't know what leg yet...probably right around the Bridge of the Gods, since that's really close.

 

[CountofTuscany]

Holy crap, no way! I could build a fucking house for that, or buy a camper trailer at least!

Here's what I want to start working on:
Pacific Crest Trail Association - Home

I

Are you doing overnights? Day hikes? Week treks?

I want to at least one overnight/2 nights by the end of the season. So I want a pack I can do that with. No weeks this year, I would like to eventually...I want to eventually to do station to station, I would like eto be able to hit it for a week...but not this year, probably. I wouldn't feel comfortable taking the kids for a week. So I want something that will work for that. I really, really like the way the odyssey looks but I'm continuing to look. I also like the standard alice...though it seems a little heavy. I have some issues with my back, nothing major but I really do want something that will reduce as much strain as possible, particularly this season. It would be a drag to be miles form nowhere and get a spasm. I like the ALICE packs as far as practicality, but I'm concerned they are ultimately designed for men, and as such won't work quite right with my shoulders...

So what I think is I'll get the pack I want, and get used to wearing it, before adding much gear to it. I need to get one that will work as I work my way up in miles, because if I switch I have to start all over with getting used to it.

So I'm looking at one two nighter probably sometime at the very beginning of October. That's my answer I think. And I'm looking at the Pacific Crest Trail. I don't know what leg yet...probably right around the Bridge of the Gods, since that's really close.

Will you have the need to attach a sleeping bag or a tent to it as well?

 

[AllieBaba]

Yes.