Scout 45L

Hi everyone and thank you for reading my review. I want everyone to know I have a ton of packs in my shed and the only reason I purchased this is because of my skinny son and all of the other reviews from “scout” parents. First, I didn’t need this. But I did and here’s why. My son crossed over from cub scouts to Boy Scouts and needed a pack. Not 1 pack fit his waist. At the time, 23”. I preplanned a long time ago and purchased all these super cool ones. Nope: too big. My son is now a 26 1/2 waist (3 months after crossing over) and this pack fit him like butter to include the torso. I believe the website states the waist belt is 26” at the smallest, but I do think it goes as low as 25”. Completely sold on this element alone. For the price point and the size, not having to go woman’s bag or over $200 this is the right bag. Second, quality. The bag is decent quality. Not top of the line. Factor price point and what this bag has to offer for the average 11 year old learning values in life, this product is of excellent quality. Having said that: parents: upon arrival, pre check every thread, button, snap, drawstring, zipper prior to use. I’m just saying. Seller: you need to get with BSA and market this exact product for them. I’ve been a leader for 5 years and and a frequent shopper at the scout shops. We need products like this. At least give it a try. Just a slight FYI: for the boys out there who may have a mild dose of scoliosis or have not hit that 1 critical growth spurt yet-this is it. I’m NOT a doctor, but if you’re going to put a pack on you child-this is the one. I do see this pack lasting a long time in scouts based on quality and versatility. The straps are in the right places too!!! For a 55L pack, the exterior space is just as valuable. Thank you for such a well thought out product. Note: I did recieve this product in excellent packaging (excellent) but 1 button was damaged (manufacturing flaw). And I’m not exchanging it. I’m that impressed to still rate it 5 stars. And, you boosted my sons ego with this pack. Full disclosure: this is a scout mom review!!!! There is plenty of room for EVERYTHING to include the “mom care kit”.

I got this backpack after weeks of researching all the different kinds. I went on a three day, 28 mile hike at Myakka River State Park, in Sarasota, Florida. This was my first hike, so I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a pack. The pack has plenty of room in it. I packed way to much because of it. In one of the side pockets I put all of my smaller stuff, mp3 player, fire starter, lighter, headlamp, and digital camera. And in the other I managed to fit 1.5 lbs of trail mix and a large package of beef jerky. In the top there are two pockets one on the outside and one on the inside. On the outside pocket I put my poncho, and first aid kit, and a pack of cigs. It has two mesh pockets on the side they are plenty big I put a 1 liter water bottle in each. They held fine and didn't fall out at all. The sleeping bag compartment is small but you can fit regular sleeping bag in it. I don't know if you could fit one of the winter bags. It is a tight fit but if you push, pull and zip enough you can get it in there. The zippers appear to be of high quality. The main part is very large, I fit 5 liters of water, two large cans of beef stew, and three days worth of clothes. I attached my tent and fold up stool on the bottom loops on the outside of the sleeping bag pouch. My pack weighed about 45 lbs when it was all packed. It was my first trip and I learned a lot like, don't wear boots, and don't pack to heavy. The only thing I have to say negative about this pack is the shoulder straps don't really have the padding I would prefer. My friend had a Coleman Hiking pack, his shoulder straps had/ a lot more cushioning on it. And the things holding on the chest straps are always falling off and I had to slide the chest connector up the shoulder straps every time I took my pack off. I can think of nothing else negative to say about it. Overall excellent pack, for a steal of a price.

I wish there were some places at the very bottom of the bag so I could lash a cord or whatever attachment through (to attach a tent, sleeping pad, etc) and not have it bounce around. I'm sure the loops are useful for hiking axes or some such thing, but I'd prefer to have a way to not have something flip-flopping around back there. In other words, I'd like a little more reinforced bottom with some possibilities for such a thing, even if it added up to half a pound. ON THE OTHER HAND: I love the hunter green version. Great for camouflage but also has a great attached bright yellow rain fly that you can cover your entire pack with. This will help in emergencies, even if you had to cut it off for a flag, whatever. I like the top-loading aspect with the very secure extra-gusseted closure that closes underneath the toggle.. Great feature. What I would have liked, also, is something I have in a Kelty pack I bought once: The top portion of that Kelty bag came loose entirely and you could use it as a shoulder bag or fanny/waist pack. It seems like a waste to not have that feature now as it was so useful. I really like the separate sleeping bag compartment, though there are some gaps where the zipper doesn't go around completely. If you lose some gear, you may have to remove the sleeping bag or whatever and check to see if it didn't sleep down into that compartment. The pros on that feature are that it's easy to get to that without pulling everything out of the pack, or you have a separate compartment for whatever gear you need to get at more easily. Granted you have to take the pack off, but it's a nice option. I'd recommend using a contractor bag or trash bag, etc, to line the bottom of the top section so gear doesn't fall through into the sleeping bag compartment. The fabric looks to be of good lasting quality and nicely water resistent, though I haven't field tested this yet. Though I'm not used to the idea of having to have to take the aluminum slats out, having a friend help adjust them to the curve of my back, I can see that this can be a great feature. My gripe on that is that, though it'll be a great option, the labels give no directions on how to line those things up to your back when you bend them. Not interested in spending a lot of time experimenting with that once the pack's loaded and I find that it's just not the right fit (yet). Overall, I give this 5 stars. The price is wonderful and for a person my size (5'6"), it holds the optimal amount of liters/inches of gear and will be versatile enough to play with. It's a great price, and that is very important to me. Not all of us can afford to go it with something from Marmot or whatever, but that doesn't mean we should walk around in pain or with a leaky, ripping, junky bag. A nice medium!

This a good, sturdy pack, with limitations. pros - Hefty material, solid zippers - Tons of pockets in all the usual locations - Sleeping bag access from below is great, fit my bag easily - Hydration pouch is a plus - Great capacity - Bungees on the exterior for jackets - Brain/top pocket holds a lot - Adjustment for torso length Cons - When a tent or sleeping pad is attached to the exterior straps it gets in the way of attaching the hiking poles to the sides. Attaching poles to the sides is a must for me. - The waist belt and shoulder pads are quite stiff. - It is relatively heavy compared to more expensive/technical backpacks. - It is adjustable, but the build is not specifically designed for women. I wore this around the house fully loaded, and made multiple adjustments to the straps and size. I like the pack (love the color) but ultimately needed something lighter and more comfortable for very long backpacking in tough mountain conditions. I think it would be great for moderate overnight backpacking, especially if you are not trying to optimize every ounce of weight. Men might find this pack perfect. I also think it would be great for backpack traveling. I opted to spring for an Osprey because it fit my needs better.

This bag is solid. If you're like me, when you get something that you are going to put through some serious use, you check it all over for faults or weaknesses. I found none. Just awesomeness. On it's construction - Extremely well made. Stitching on the bag itself and the straps and harnesses is absolutely solid. Materials are all nylon, with features engineered into it that improve it's water resistance and overall functionality. It has a rainfly on the bottom, compartments for everything including a bladder. I trust that this bag is going to make it through whatever I put it through, it's already been through a lot. On it's features - All I can say is this was designed by people that know what it's gonna be used for. You've got multiple quick access compartments for whatever, you've got top and bottom bungees for stuffing clothing layers into, and a spacious interior for your campsite equipment. On it's use - It's fully adjustable, so make sure you place the back supports where they need to be before you hit the field. If you size it correctly on yourself you will be able to carry this comfortably for miles and miles. Still reading? Get the bag, size it, pack it, and go have some fun already!

So far, I have taken this thing on a week long trip through India, where it was strapped to the back of a motorcycle as I rode through the himalayas (I'm not kidding here). It held up great and the rainfly was very useful and easy to put over it when it poured on us. The pack endured heavy strain as it was packed to the brim and strapped down hard every day and came out without a scratch (I was surprised about that). So far I've also used it on multiple hikes and hunting trips through thick brush and between 3 deer I've packed out over 200 lb of venison in the mountains in Utah and Washington. I've thrown it through the washer to clean out all of the blood and it came out like new. The only wear I've seen on mine is a couple of threads have loose on the bottom where it hides the rain fly, but it doesn't affect anything serious on the pack. It's already well outlived its price and It's got to have at least enough life to redo everything I've already done with it based on its current condition. Pros: Extremely durable great price (gives you more peace of mind when being rough with it) great size, perfect for carry-on (taken on around 10+ flights, never a problem) fairly light when empty Convenient storage on top pouch with an underside zip up pocket for more protected items. Pretty comfortable, even when filled with 60+ pounds of meat. Holds Mountain Dew well. Cons I wish the waist fabric things were the smaller size, as I don't keep it buckled in very often and they get in the way if I forget to buckle them behind the pack. Did not come with delicious bacon. One of the drink holders is slightly smaller than the other, making it more effort to get my large size (in diameter) nalgene bottle in it. It still fits, but it's hard to put in one handed while its still on my back, the other pocket is easier like I said. The internal frame bars are hard to get back in, I washed it once with them in and took them out for a second wash, I wish I had left them in both times. I had to stick my hand on the inside and guide them past some material that was inside the frame pocket.

To start, I'm 6'1" 185 lbs and bought this pack for me for the purpose of 2-3-day back country camping trips with 5-10 mile backpack hikes through mountainous terrain, which I've been doing regularly for the past 25 years or so. I'm a bit of a minimalist, so no fancy propane stoves, lanterns, or the like for me, and i was hopeful this pack -with its advertised smaller size- might be a good fit my purposes as most packs of mine end up with a lot of empty space I don't use. I was pleased with the look out of the box. Zippers and seams appear strong, intelligent design with plenty of pouches and places to tie stuff, such as my cooking pot, on the outside. It took a little figuring to sort the straps for my height and get the waist belt resting on my hips instead of cinched around my guts. Although I manged it in a totally satisfactory way, ideally, I may be a little tall for the pack and would imagine it'd fit better if I were a few inches shorter. As far as it's size vs my wide shouldered average adult male frame, it fits wonderfully with no indication of being too small to affect mobility or add extra joint pain at the end of 5-10 mile walk through rugged terrain than any other pack would. My one struggle with the pack was attempting to fit my 10-degree mummy bag (an average adult bag you'd pay $60 for at a store) in it's stuff sack into the bottom sleeping bag compartment. There's simply no way I was gonna fit it in, and i even tried taking it out of the stuff sack to try and stuff it in the compartment alone. No go. Thankfully, the sleeping bag compartment has an internal zipper that can be opened to allow it to be joined with the main pack compartment, which i did and simply stuffed my bag and stuff sack in from the top of the main compartment with no struggle and no discomfort upon putting it on my back and walking down my road a bit. However, after adding my tent to its proper place on the outside bottom and throwing a small tarp in the pack, the space remaining is not great. Because I'm a minimalist, generally needing only plenty of socks, a hoodie, and maybe a set of thermals, I'll be fine having enough space for 3 days food and my remaining gear. I pack my water off my belt loops, so i haven't looked at the water bladder and don't intend to. So, to summarize, I wanted to write this review for anyone who might be looking at this pack for similar stuff that I do. It's price and quality are solid. And it will suit my situation wonderfully. If you want to pack a 10-piece orchestra and your entire wardrobe and stay gone for 7 days, you may want to consider something larger. Once I've gotten some use out of it, I'll hand this pack down to my 5'8" 120 lbs daughter, whom it will fit wonderfully, and buy one a bit bigger for me. Quite likely my new one will be Teton as well based on the winning balance of price vs quality of this of this pack. 4 stars is the best I can give without having spent more time punishing it outdoors. Update: I've now taken this pack on 4 trips, which included a number of miles off trail bushwhacking through brush, climbing over deadfall, and scaling rocks. The pack is handling it all fine with no signs of failure. I've used the rainfly in action and can confirm it's well designed and does its job. Over these four trips, I've become more sure that this pack is not suitable for my 6'1" height (however, i've made it work with no discomfort and only minor annoyance), so i just received Teton's Hiker 3700 today for me and gave this pack to my shorter daughter. Ratings change to 5 well deserved stars.

Immediately satisfied will follow up with an actual product review. After this years backpacking trip(appx.24mil). I’ll let ya know