Notes from our visit to Eastern Mountain Sports
Wow! I don't know about the rest of you, but I learned a lot. We definitely covered a lot of ground... For all of the parents out there, PLEASE don't go rush out to buy anything. Nothing is needed right away and we want to make sure that our eating machines (children) don't out grow any of the gear. Plus, we may be able to negotiate some group discounts. Our first "Shakedown Hike" is in May, at Wharton State Forest. The terrain is flat, and we won't have to carry all that much. Everyone will need a backpack, but that doesn't mean that we all have to go out and buy anything... The troop has a couple "loaner" packs that will do just fine for the first shakedown. We do, however, need to know who has access to a backpack and who does not. For those that don't have access to a backpack, we'll work on finding one.
A big, huge THANK YOU to Mr. Howell for taking notes!
You should not be carrying more than a 1/4 of your weight. The presenter who is 160 lbs only carries a 12 to 15 lbs pack.
A wide padded hip belt that fits above the belt line is important to distribute the weight properly
Internal frame pack will cause you to sweat more unless you buy the expensive ones with a fabric screen and special poles between you and the bag
External frames transfer less weight to your hips making it harder to support on your shoulders
Shoulder straps should fit snuggly on your shoulders
Small folks may want to get a junior or womens pack
Body measurement for your pack is from the point on the spine where your neck bends at the shoulders to the point on the spine opposite your belly button. This torso length should match the torso length stated on the pack
The presenter had a bag he got on the Internet. The brand was Granite
Gear, he mentioned other good brands Osprey, Gregory,and of course
He suggested
When talking about size he spoke in volume 70 liters or 4500 cubic in. is more than we will need.
In his pack he lined it with a trash compactor bag. He used his sleeping pad as an outline then filled inside of that. He packed trekking poles as tent poles. He used a chemical water treatment kit(aqua meera) don't know about spelling. He said it was the same as
In his bag he also had sleeping cloths, cooking kit, food bag with rope, first aid kit, fire lighting tool, water bottle
Sleeping bag - he had a 40 degree down or synthetic bag that collapses into about 1ft by 6in pouch. He also packed a silk liner for colder nights. He said that would add 10 degrees to the bag. Tyvec ground cloth, store sleeping bag when not hiking in a cotton bag not compacted for longer life
For shoes he suggested steel shank hiking boots, they were heavy. He said if you are carrying over 35 lbs this is important. Otherwise he said light hiking boots suggested brands were Vasque Breeze, Garmont Flash
We can receive a 15 % discount if you mention that you belong to troop 603