Fitting backpacks is one of the first taskings on our first shakedowns
for my various H.A. Crews. It should be for you as well - you will oft
be amazed how poorly adjusted some Scouts' packs are, either because he
has grown 4 or 5 inches since the last time it was adjusted, or because
he has a new pack and the "adjusting" (if any) was done by an
inexperienced "salesman" at the store. A properly adjusted and properly
packed (that is, proper inside weight allocations) backpack is far more
comfortable to wear and carry. This is increasingly important when/if
you are carrying more than about 50 pounds. Note that I usually do at
least two sets of adjustments - first, when everyone first shoulders
their packs (with a full load, of course), and then again after 3 or 4
miles, after it's had time to "settle" in position. Typically, the
second check results in just some minor tweaking, but it's still worth
doing. I also have the other Scouts and adults watch, so it's yet
another learned skill. I recommend it to everyone heading off to the
Ranch or any other backpacking trek.
troop6scoutmaster@comcast.net wrote:
> I beg to differ. Many external frame packs are adjustable and all
> packs need to be fitted properly. In addition, many internal frame
> packs are sized based on maximum and minimum torso lengths, which,
> reflect the effective range of adjustment for the pack. We recommend
> these packs to boys joining our troop because they grow with them and
> are very affordable. Once the boy has a couple of years under his
> belt, he can (and will) choose for himself. My son traded his Kelty
> Yukon external frame for a North Face internal frame ... On our last
> Philmont shakedown, we adjusted several packs, one of which was an
> external frame that required a torso length and back pad adjustment.
> this pack also allowed for shoulder strap width and hip belt height
> position adjustments.
>
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Received on Fri Jun 25 21:31:02 2004
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