Kinda urgent help needed for daughter re: lightweight backpack

[teb]

Hi guys, wonder if any of you could advise on which particular backpacks to look at?

Daughter is only 5ft tall and is very thin and petite. She is doing her Duke of Edinburgh expedition and needs lightweight kit. She had a practice run with borrowed kit and it nearly killed her, it was all far too big and heavy for her small frame to manage.

So we need to buy her good lightweight kit if we've any hope of encouraging her to actually enjoy the outdoors lifestyle. The problem I'm having is finding out which brands/models will fit someone of her height. Most of what I've seen seems to go from 5' 4" tall upwards.

We don't have many stores that stock a good selection of packs so we can't go try things for size. Most of what is stocked here is the kit that's on the DofE recommended kit list and that's all too big and heavy for her. Her other kit that we've just bought her (sleeping bag, mat etc) is all very lightweight and small so I don't think she'll need the recommended 65-75l size they state. I was thinking somewhere between 40-60L?

Her preference is for something with decent padding on the hipbelt and shoulder straps as she has no meat on her bones and often feels things digging into her but most of the really lightweight packs don't seem to have much in the way of padding at all and I've read reviews elsewhere about women feeling parts of frames rubbing on their backs even although the backpacks were ultra lightweight jobs.

I'm running out of time so could use some help. I'll probably need to order online so if anyone has any suggestions I'd be glad of them. We're hoping to find something that weighs in between 1kg - 1.5kg ish (2-3 lbs ish), certainly no higher than 1.75kg at a push. It may end up being a choice between comfort and weight if we can't find something that's decent on both aspects. She'll likely be carrying kit weighing around 6kg-8kgs at a wild guess right now. We're buying all her kit and are going for good quality lightweight versions of everything so I'm not sure exactly what the load will end up being yet.

We're in the UK btw so so can't really access some of the US/Australian lightweight packs unless they are in UK online stockists too.

Thanks in advance if anyone can help.

[laika]

The Osprey Sirrus 26 is perfect for our 9 year old daughter, there is a 36 litre version that weighs in at 1.25kg. Very good padding on the waist belt but 4 litres short of your 40-60L criterion. Failing that, the Tasmanian Tiger 2 in 1 pack (60 litres) might be worth a look ( http://intranet.tatonka.com/infosys/php/artintt9.php?7717_TT%202%20in%201%20Pack ). This is heavy (2.6 kg) but is in fact a 15L MOLLE pack piggy-backed on the main pack so in the first instance your daughter could just use the main 45L pack. I can vouch for the build quality and comfort of the TT kit - exceptionally durable and comfortable. I have the TT field pack and the weight distribution system is excellent so don't necessarily be put off by the extra weight of the TT but it is a lot heavier than the Osprey. Hope this helps.....

[jus_young]

Welcome to the forum teb, lets see what we can do :)

Totally agree with the recommended kit list and weight issues which is why I don't automatically point our DofE participants towards it.

The first thing with lightweight packs is that they are not going to be cheap but then kids never are eh? Secondly, with regards to the capacity of the sack, I would opt for closer to the 60 litre mark as although the weight may be down on the gear you are buying there is still an issue with the physical size of the items that may not change too much. With that in mind I can recommend the Osprey Exos packs which come in three different capacities - 38, 48, and 58 litre, as well as covering small medium and large back sizes.

I personally have the Exos 46 (previous version as it has recently been updated), have spent a small fortune of lightweight gear, and find that things can still be a little tight on space. If the pack is a little large for whats inside then it can be compressed after all. It can also carry the weights you have in mind with ease although personally I think that you may have underestimated slightly.

Linky is here and I know that there are a number of stockist that will do mail order

http://www.ospreyeurope.com/gb_en/view-by-series/hiking/exos-series

Hope that helps.

[suggy]

+1 for Osprey, my missus tried on allsorts before settling on Osprey.

[laika]

Ignore everything I said and listen to jus_young! Didn't know about the Exos - much better than the Sirrus and half the weight of the TT. Apologies for adding noise to the signal.......

[teb]

Welcome to the forum teb, lets see what we can do :)

Totally agree with the recommended kit list and weight issues which is why I don't automatically point our DofE participants towards it.

The first thing with lightweight packs is that they are not going to be cheap but then kids never are eh? Secondly, with regards to the capacity of the sack, I would opt for closer to the 60 litre mark as although the weight may be down on the gear you are buying there is still an issue with the physical size of the items that may not change too much. With that in mind I can recommend the Osprey Exos packs which come in three different capacities - 38, 48, and 58 litre, as well as covering small medium and large back sizes.

I personally have the Exos 46 (previous version as it has recently been updated), have spent a small fortune of lightweight gear, and find that things van still be a little tight on space. If the pack is a little large for whats inside then it can be compressed after all. It can also carry the weights you have in mind with ease although personally I think that you may have underestimated slightly.

Linky is here and I know that there are a number of stockist that will do mail order

http://www.ospreyeurope.com/gb_en/view-by-series/hiking/exos-series

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the welcome and the help.

The Osprey looks good on paper and as luck would have it, I've just discovered whilst searching this morning that a new place has opened up 2 weeks ago near us that stock this so we can see it in the flesh. I'm going to pick her up after school today to check it out.

You're right about cost as I've found out but I would very much like to encourage her willingness to embrace outdoor pursuits so it's something I can justify in my own mind. (Also selling things on eBay helps, lol!) Things are always much more positive if they don't involve the kind of pain, struggling and hardship that can come from ill suited kit.

You also may be right about underestimating sizes/weight etc but I've become somewhat obsessed with the subject and I'm doing lots of research on new kit. I've just got a (need to whisper this because of the cost) Sea to Summit Spark SPIII sleeping bag that weighs 640g and compresses down to the size of a grapefruit. It's treated down and my first impressions of it are good. Ultra lightweight, very soft and comfortable and very warm. I've also changed her cutlery and got her a titanium spork which saved another 40g. I've even swapped out her emergency ration pack and got lightweight jelly beans as one item instead. See...obsessed. There is not one area of her kit that I haven't looked at to see if there is room for improvement. :D

Anyway, we'll look at the Exos to see if we can judge which size would be best to go for but if the sizes all compress down anyway and they are all light, then perhaps we'd be just as well getting the larger version. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thank you.

And thanks to everyone else who posted to help too.

[jus_young]

Ignore everything I said and listen to jus_young! Didn't know about the Exos - much better than the Sirrus and half the weight of the TT. Apologies for adding noise to the signal.......

Far from it, all opinions are welcomed and can be very useful for others as well :)


Thanks for the welcome and the help.

The Osprey looks good on paper and as luck would have it, I've just discovered whilst searching this morning that a new place has opened up 2 weeks ago near us that stock this so we can see it in the flesh. I'm going to pick her up after school today to check it out.

You're right about cost as I've found out but I would very much like to encourage her willingness to embrace outdoor pursuits so it's something I can justify in my own mind. (Also selling things on eBay helps, lol!) Things are always much more positive if they don't involve the kind of pain, struggling and hardship that can come from ill suited kit.

You also may be right about underestimating sizes/weight etc but I've become somewhat obsessed with the subject and I'm doing lots of research on new kit. I've just got a (need to whisper this because of the cost) Sea to Summit Spark SPIII sleeping bag that weighs 640g and compresses down to the size of a grapefruit. It's treated down and my first impressions of it are good. Ultra lightweight, very soft and comfortable and very warm. I've also changed her cutlery and got her a titanium spork which saved another 40g. I've even swapped out her emergency ration pack and got lightweight jelly beans as one item instead. See...obsessed. There is not one area of her kit that I haven't looked at to see if there is room for improvement. :D

Anyway, we'll look at the Exos to see if we can judge which size would be best to go for but if the sizes all compress down anyway and they are all light, then perhaps we'd be just as well getting the larger version. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thank you.

And thanks to everyone else who posted to help too.

The lightweight bug can be very addictive indeed, thankfully I am recovering from it now and the obsession is somewhat less than it used to be.

There is always the other levels of DofE to help justify the cost. I have two children that will be undertaking it now, my son has been with the Scout movement for years so has plenty of kit but my older daughter has decided that it is something she would like to do and have the pleasure of buying everything for her now as well!

[teb]

Well that wasn't a great success. There was nothing in the store that fitted her well, including the Osprey(s) (more versions than just the Exos). There were some that she could have got away with at a push but they simply didn't feel comfortable on and she hated the feel of all the Osprey packs she tried. She disliked the packs that had straight backs (like the Osprey or Lowe Alpine packs that had the straight mesh backs), she felt they dug into her at the area where her back ended and her bottom started and the straps felt uncomfortable as they had to be pulled in quite tightly in order to get the packs to sit better on her. She much preferred the Berghaus Torridon as it didn't have a straight back and it had plenty of padding. It just seemed to dwarf her and looked far too big tbh. If they did that model in a smaller version it would have been perfect.

The chap that was fitting her was very good and did say she would struggle because of her petite size and that the 30L sizes were a much better fit for her frame but she'd struggle to get all her kit in, especially further down the line when the expedition was for longer. She wont be growing any more now though (we know this - health stuff) so it's not as if we can buy small now and get bigger later, we'll always have this problem.

I have got no idea where to go from here. Surely there must have been other small teenagers out there who've had the same problem?

[jus_young]

Ok, so as you have previously said, sounds like the problem is down to two things. One is the padding issue around the hips where the weight needs to be, and two could well be the actual frame of the packs.

Rather than dealing with 'conventional' packs as we see them in the UK, you may need to look at some of the packs from our American cousins. There are a few manufactures from over there that make the packs with minimal framework, and the frame that does exist, if at all, can be shaped easily to provide a more comfortable fit. Padding on the belts can also be more favourable for the smaller frame as well.

Have a look on this site as they stock a range of these style packs in different capacities and also have a very good Youtube channel with reviews and info.

http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/30-to-50-litres/page/0/

Their customer service is also excellent so if you have any questions they will get back in touch.

[sjl14]

Not sure if this would help but what about trying a smaller size rucksack that she finds comfortable and combining it with a ribz front pack?

[laika]

I hope this isn't adding more noise to the signal: Osprey have a 48L pack that has a 'large range torso adjustable backsystem and hipbelt' (for instance here - http://www.outdoorkit.co.uk/product.php?product_id=9604&category_id=1904) that is specifically designed to accomodate a range of sizes as kids grow. This may offer more degrees of freedom in terms of adjustment than conventional packs and is hopefully large enough for the moment... ATB

[ADz]

I can also vouch for the Osprey Exos, Its a great pack and one of the lightest full proper backframe packs you can get. I would have preferred slightly wider hib belts but its still comfy.

[teb]

Ok, so as you have previously said, sounds like the problem is down to two things. One is the padding issue around the hips where the weight needs to be, and two could well be the actual frame of the packs.

Rather than dealing with 'conventional' packs as we see them in the UK, you may need to look at some of the packs from our American cousins. There are a few manufactures from over there that make the packs with minimal framework, and the frame that does exist, if at all, can be shaped easily to provide a more comfortable fit. Padding on the belts can also be more favourable for the smaller frame as well.

Have a look on this site as they stock a range of these style packs in different capacities and also have a very good Youtube channel with reviews and info.

http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/30-to-50-litres/page/0/

Their customer service is also excellent so if you have any questions they will get back in touch.

Thanks for the link, I think the least of the evils, as they say, would be the Brenta 50L but I can't find a local stockist so it would mean ordering online (Amazon have it) and returning if it's no good. It may come to that but I've since found 3 separate reviews on the Deuter ACT lite 45 + 10 who say this bag is the best for for petite frames. Ironically one is from a parent of a girl whose height and weight are identical to that of my daughter and this was apparently the only one they could find to fit her properly. Another review was from a young woman who was the same height and only a few pounds heavier. I realise this doesn't necessarily mean it will fit my girl well but it looks promising on paper.

The back has an adjustment system identical to that of the Berghaus Torridon and has very similar padding so I'm hopeful it may feel better for her. It's not as light as the Exos but nor is it as heavy as the Torridon, it comes in at 1.5kg compared to the 1.73kg of the Torridon. It is also only 28cm wide compared to 42cm of the Torridon so it may not overwhelm her frame as much. My only concern is the height of it. It's 2cm shorter than the Torridon but it looks as though it may sit high up judging where the straps are, it may be too 'top heavy' if it's far above her head. It will be tomorrow before I can get her to a store to try it out, but in the meantime I'll continue to make a short list of possibles and where they can be got from. Thanks again for the help.


Not sure if this would help but what about trying a smaller size rucksack that she finds comfortable and combining it with a ribz front pack?

I haven't seen those before, I can see they would be quite useful in the right setting. However daughter thinks she would feel even more weighed down if she had something on both front and back and tbh I can see where she's coming from on that. Appreciate the suggestion though, thanks.


I hope this isn't adding more noise to the signal: Osprey have a 48L pack that has a 'large range torso adjustable backsystem and hipbelt' (for instance here - http://www.outdoorkit.co.uk/product.php?product_id=9604&category_id=1904) that is specifically designed to accomodate a range of sizes as kids grow. This may offer more degrees of freedom in terms of adjustment than conventional packs and is hopefully large enough for the moment... ATB

I didn't realise kids packs went to that size. I don't think Osprey are the brand for her tbh but if the Deuter doesn't work out then I'll certainly look at other kids versions, thank you.

[teb]

Hi guys, just thought I'd come back and update this in case it helps anyone else in the future.

The Deuter ACT Lite 45+10 SL bag is an absolute winner for small frames and shorter people. It fitted my daughter like a glove and she says it feels comfortable on. The only (small) issue I have is that it is a 'high' bag, by that I mean it sits high on the back so the top of the bag is level with the top of her head. Most of the other brands we tried sat lower than this. On the setting for taller people it would obviously sit lower but she has to have it adjusted to suit her frame and height and this means it sits high. To be fair the Berhaus Torridon did this too but to a slightly lesser degree.

However this doesn't bother her in the least, it was just an issue I had. Hopefully it will remain stable due to it fitting well and the height of it wont matter. It was quite difficult tracking this model down, many stores stocked Deuter but not this model, I have no idea why. It seems to be the answer for the more petite person.

Thanks for the help and I hope this thread may help others in a similar situation.

[rik_uk3]

Not sure if this would help but what about trying a smaller size rucksack that she finds comfortable and combining it with a ribz front pack?

Thats the way to go I would think. Pop into a large Tesco and look at their packs, some are really very good.