Recommend me a rucksack…

for my son. He’s only a little fella, 8 yrs old, but on recent camping trips he has taken my old 35 litre Berghaus. I’m a fan of Berghaus, if only because I’ve had this one for nearly 25 years, so would be looking at something in that range. The problem is 35 litre is not quite enough for all his stuff, however a big rucksack would be too long for his body.

ideas?

take less stuff? 35l is a lot for a little one is it not? strap stuff to the top of it in a waterproof stuff sack?

35l not so much, includes sleeping bag, karrimat, plate bowl etc. then his clothes and more often than not wellies and spare shoes

iirc Lowe alpine did some older models [ 5-10 years ago] that were short bodied – possibly also look at climbers rucksacks as they also tend to be shorter in the body.
35 l is a fair bit for a wee lad to carry though. Can you not carry some of your own stuff 😉

Karrimat on outside ?

I have an old Lowe Alpine Countour Mountain. That was 40litres but relatively short, and had space for strapping stuff to the outside. Don’t seem to do them anymore though.

I’ve got a Berghaus Arete 45. I like it.

Somebody who likes to write about rucksacks said… I bought this pack to be used as a climbing sack for day climbs with long walk-ins. As it happens, I tend to use this more as a backpacking sack.
My first reaction when I saw this pack was “here is someone who actually uses a pack when climbing”. Everything that you need for a typical days climbing will fit into the pack. The pack itself is made of tough Esdura 600 D fabric and there is reinforcement at key points on the pack. Best of all the pack has its own integral reinforced gear loops.
Naturally it has ice-axe loops and wand-pockets and compression straps on the side. It can also take a H20 pouch and has a concealed hole for the tube and guide straps on the shoulder strap.
The closure for the main compartment has a reinforced ring (above) which prevents any wear closing the pack even when full loaded. It also has a closure strap that allows the top to be tensioned up even when not fully-loaded or used to retain a rope. The top-pocket has a tough zip closure with an over-size zip on it allowing it to be closed when wearing gloves.
The back (shown) is shaped with some generous air-channels. I was skeptical if they would be effective but they are.
The shoulder straps have several sliding adjuster buckles so both medium and tall people can adjust this pack to fit by playing with the buckles. My pack (right) is set on the tallest buckle but there is another a few inches below it that can be used.
The overall pack weight is a genuine 1300g.
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Is the little guy going to lug this thing loaded any distance? How about something like this?

Jansport backpack with wheels?

Osprey does kids’ sacks, see: http://www.ospreypacks.com/Packs/SprintSeriesYouthBackpackingandActiveEveryday

Not sure if they’re available over here, but worth a check. Really good packs, expensive but nicely made and designed.

I’ve got a Berghaus Arete 45. I like it.

That’s going to be a tad long for an eight-year-old boy though…

Dunno, his head will just about stick out the top…

yes, of course, karrimat outside, just making the point that even a little one has lots of stuff to carry

Anyone know this one?

http://www.shop-outdoors.co.uk/index.php/catalog/product/view/id/422/s/berghaus-freeflow-35-8/

One point about Osprey, I don’t know if it’s across the range but certainly with the Raptor series, you can get the same models in different sizes.

but will Osprey last 25 years like what my Berghaus has?

It’ll last until it’s the wrong size for him / he hits puberty and decides it’s “gay.”

Deuter sacks everytime for me. Look at the ladies SL models for shorter back lengths. Cheaper and more durable (at least for me) than Osprey. The ACT SL’s often have an adjustable back which would help for growth. HOw about the ACT Trail SL @ 85GBP.

Does it need to have moveable dividers?

Does it need to have moveable dividers?

what what what?

You’ve just witnessed the birth of a meme.

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/recommend-me-a-bag

More of a memette, really.