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My youngest son will be 13 in April, already 5'8", and getting into the scouting thing. Got him set up this weekend with a Deuter Aircontact Lite 65+10 pack and I will be using my Trailwise that I bought back in 1975... :-> My Trailwise is basically a big honking rectangular bag with two pockets on each side, and one on the back, attached to a sturdy aluminum frame with decent but not great shoulder straps and padded waist strap. When I was young and dumb I carried all my gear plus 5 gallons of water up a mountain. When I later realized that water weighs 8 lb a gallon I didn't feel so bad about all the huffing and puffing I was doing. This trip I might carry 5 liters of water and a Katadyn. Curious to know what packs you folks recommend for us 52 year old types that want to get back out into the wilds for trips of 3 to 7 days...??

Wish us luck -- we will be doing a 3 day 30 mile hike on the Massanutten in early April... hope to get him into backpack hunting some day... will start him out each weekend carrying progessively heavier loads, and slightly longer distances, so he can sort out his kit.

Good luck, it sounds like fun.
I'd think a Gregory or Osprey at about 5000 cu or 80 + liters would be a good place to start looking. I made the final switch from external frame to internal frame just two years ago. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how well the good internal frame packs work.
If you want a backpack/hunting pack, then look at the Kifaru and Mystery Ranch packs for internal frame. For external frames, a lot of the guys here swear by the Barney's packs.
There's a lot of good choices.

I'm not sure that I should chime in on this subject again. The last time I got flamed so bad that I'm reluctant to make suggestioins. But here goes anyway. A lot of people on this forum like Kifaru equipment because they market to the military. Well I'm a veteran and I have never been impressed by military packs.

I've been backpacking for fifty years, used just about every kind of pack that's out there. The last ten years has seen a revolution in development of ultra light backpacking equipment. If you use modern ultra light gear, you should be able to keep your total pack weight under thirty pounds and keep your $$ expenditures reasonable. My pack weighs 22# when fully packed for a weekend outing, but I have spent about $1,000 over the last three years to achieve that. You can achieve a total pack weight of less than that, but you have to leave out some convenience items.

I recommend that the boys in my scout troop buy an REI Cruise UL 60 for pure ultra light backpacking. It weighs 3# 3oz and has a volume of 3,500 cu.in. IMHO it's the best choice for weight/volume/convenience/cost on the market today. It costs $169. There are lighter packs, but they are not as convenient. There are better built packs but they weigh more and cost more. It's lightly built so it's not recommended for hawling out elk quarters.

The Kifaru Late Season weighs 4# and has a volume of 3,200 cu.in. It might be a better built pack and therefore, if you plan on using it for hunting, it might be a better choice for hawling out elk quarters. It costs $393.

I actually use an Ospre Exposure 66. It's an ice climbing pack and therefore built for hawling 50# of climbing gear into a climb. So it's capable of hawling out an elk quarter. It weighs 3# 15oz. and has a volume of 3,600 cu.in. I bought it about three years ago and I think it cost about $400. I don't see it on their web site, so maybe they're not making it any longer.

I don't think you need to carry that much water. I used to carry 2 liters of water and some water purification pills. Now I carry one liter of water, an empty water bag and a Katadyn water filter. The only time I carry more water is when I think that water will be scarce, like in the desert or if I plan on camping where's there's no stream or spring.

No matter what pack you decide to buy, start your comparison shopping by looking at the suspension system. Many packs have fancy gimmicks, whistles and bells, but that's just neon for the tourists. No matter how much bling there is on the pack, it won't carry comfortably unless it has a real good suspension. So I recommend that you limit your choices to only those packs that meet that criteria.

Thanks for the recommendations. I got my son fitted for his pack at the local REI, and need to do some research on what will work for me. I will start with your recommendations above.

KC, I notice you are in C Springs, I was stationed at Carson in 79-82 (2-34 Armor) and my oldest son who is active duty will report there next month for his next assignment. Colorado is a great state and I hope to visit him this summer, camp at Twin Lakes, and make the trek to the peak of Mt Elbert... have not make that hike since 1981 or so...

Speaking of which, I need a backpack too.

A lot depends on what gear you are packing. If your present gear isn't pretty compact/lightweight, a smaller ultralight pack may not do the job. Also, seven days involves a certain amount of food. Oklahunter's recommendation of a 5,000 ci bag is probably a good place to start if you're looking for one pack to do it all. I've found that on some scouting trips, if something goes wrong (illness, injury, etc.) you may end up packing out more than you planned so I'd err on the side of more capacity than less.

Lots of good packs out there at varying prices. Depends on your budget, your needs and what fits you. REI has good, moderately priced packs as do Gregory and Mountainsmith. I find lots of good buys in Craigslist for our Scouts including REI, Osprey, Gregory, Lowe, Dana, etc. Most are in very good to like new shape. One and done for some erstwhile hikers. REIs and Lowes are generally under $100 and I've seen Ospreys and Danas in the $150 range. Just need to keep your eyes open. I have found a couple of like new Lowe packs for $25 to $50 and some Gregory's for $50.

If packing out meat is in the cards and money is no object then an MR or Kifaru could be a very good choice and I'd look at a Guide in the latter.

I don't think anyone ever gets flamed here for making suggestions. Bashing gear that works great for many might get some strong reactions though.

I guess I'm "old". I bought a Kelty Tioga II back in the very late 70s or maybe '80. It's been my trail pack. Lately I've been switching to lighter and more compact gear. Suddenly I've got extra space and was thinking maybe a smaller pack would be better, otherwise I get ideas about loading more stuff in the pack ... counter-productive. I've packed upwards of 80 pounds in the old Kelty on shorter trips where we decided "cush" was more important than "light."

So I got to shopping around looking for an external frame pack in the 2800 - 3500 cubic inch range. It looks like that niche has dried up?

I don't want an internal frame pack when I'm hiking oven-type canyons, upwards of 95 degrees, in summer, I want air flow.

Any suggestions?

Tom

T O M, Try to find a used Dana Designs Terraframe. By all accounts they were the best external frame ever made. I've seen them come up for sale from time to time. Some of the newer internal packs really tout their "airflow" so those may be a possibility as well.

Several of the internal pack makers have worked on better ventilating packs for that use. I just bought my 10 year old an Osprey pack that has very good ventilation for an internal frame pack. I know Osprey has a adult hot weather pack in the size range you're interested in.
I don't know if you've used a smaller internal frame pack. In that size range, a narrow pack has a fairly small "footprint" on your back and it's not as miserably hot as a larger internal frame pack.
The other way to go is to pick up a used tioga frame pack and have a smaller bag sewn for it if you need to. Some of the basic tiogas had pretty small bags on them to begin with. It'll cost less than a new internal frame.

Tom,

Here's one for your consideration. No 1st hand experience though.

http://www.kitterytradingpost.com/product.php/prodid/952

Mike.

Thanks for the thoughts and pointers. I'll go do some diggin'! If I had the self-discipline to not fill every pack I carry clear to the gills I'd probably be fine with my old pack, but you know how that goes ...

Tom

I've gotten by with 18 lbs of gear, in 2200 ci which includes gun, binoculars and a camera, for three days. But only in warm weather.
Seriously, You need to try some packs under load. And you need to have some idea how much weight and volume you need to carry. For seven days, in cool weather, I can't see myself getting by with less than 5000 ci and probably 6000 ci plus.
One thing I wouldn't do is carry more than 1.5-2 liters of water. The exception would be if I needed to go all day w/o any water sources in between. Water weighs 8.8 lbs. per gallon. 2.2 lbs per liter or quart.
Yes, the bigger the pack you have, the more you tend to carry. Frankly, it takes some expereince to determine, and make yourself, leave the extra "I might need it" stuff home.
So get one that fits properly and is stable under load. That's first. What works for me might not be a good choice for you. The better brands mentioned all have the potential to meet your needs. E

Weigh all your gear and make your list before tossing stuff in the pack and you can really avoid the "fill to the brim" problem that can happen with a bigger pack. Just because you have a big mixing bowl, it doesn't mean you don't have to measure the ingredients. That is my lame metaphor for the day.

I've been backpacking for 20+ years. I don't know all there is to know about backpacking, but I do know there have been advances on both sides, internal and external frame packs. After buying a couple of the biggest baddest internal frame packs I could, and then finding out I didn't need all the stuff I took, the packs I bought 20+ years ago I don't want to use. I bought lighter, smaller internal frame packs too. They currently serve me well. However, when my brother wanted a pack for a trip, and I had a job and he didn't, I immediately bought him an external. I've always thought of the external pack as "old school", and I guess it is. But I've never thought the internal was necessarily better. So, after buying several internal frames what did I end up spending time looking at the other day...a Jr Tioga for my son and a Tioga for myself.

If I were to buy a backpack today, and wasn't interested in technical climbing (if you don't know what that is, it's all off trail, possibly climbing with ropes and harnesses) I'd buy an external.

Actually, it's funny I came across this post because I was going to post something similar. I'm hoping to find a "hauler". Most of my stuff can be stuffed in a dry bag and attached to an external frame. What I'd like to haul out though, I'd like something with a frame, without the pack (not a Tioga).

T_O_M, try a current Tioga on for size and see if it will do the job (I think it will).

You're a g*dd*mned genius Gump! You're exactly right. Bring what you need. Luxuries can stay at home.

I'm going to try to take that in a positive manner and assume that Forrest Gump is a personal hero of yours and you have elevated me to a similar pedestal. Autographed photos are available upon request.

I've used external and internal packs and prefer the latter for off trail use due to it's lower profile and lesser chance of hanging up on brush. I also prefer the weight closer to my back for steep grades.

I didn't really think about it, but I guess I could see how it might not be a compliment. It was meant as a compliment though.

Thanks, I need all the compliments I can get.