The information below is from my "Intro to Backpacking" seminar. I found the Intro seminar an effective way to pass the information on to multiple people at once. If you would like a seminar hosted to cover the information in greater detail, please find 10 people who also want to do the class and talk to the Scoutmaster about putting one on the schedule.
The information below builds off of information from "Intro & Definitions." Please review that page first before diving into this topic.
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Hiking backpacks are all fairly similar. They are designed to ride on your back. The hip belt is designed to move the load from your shoulders to your hips. The shoulder straps are there to keep the load from falling backward. Load lifters pull the weight further off of the shoulders. Compression straps tighten the backpack material to keep things from shifting. They come with loops to strap stuff on the outside. So what's the big deal? Well, a lot, actually.
In general, your backpack options are:
External Frame, Internal Frame, and Frameless variants.
Adjustable and non-adjustable models.
Men's, Women's, and Unisex fit.
A wide variety of sizes.
The most popular type of backpack today is the non-adjustable internal frame backpack.
Category
External Frame
Internal Frame
Frameless
Backpack Weight (Empty)
Generally heaviest (5+lb).
Generally between external and frameless (2.5-5lb).
Generally the lightest backpack (<2.5lb).
Backpack Carry (Weight)
Good for heavy loads (>50lb).
Good for moderate loads (25-40lb).
Good for minimalist loads (<18lb).
Backpack Capacity (Volume)
Typically large (80+ liters)
Good for most backpackers (50-70L)
Designed for the Ultralight crowd (40L)
Backpack Features
Large, heavy support structure, lots of pockets, lots of storage room.
Has some support, and some pockets. Generally the features most backpackers want.
Lacking in features, designed to be minimal weight for people who carry the minimum amount of gear.
Many backpackers pick the internal frame because they're comfortable and offer a support structure that can carry moderate loads.
Category
Men's Packs
Women's Packs
Unisex Packs
Torso Length
Longer
Shorter
Generally the same as a Men's pack.
Hip Belt
More straight than women's packs.
Curved, and more flared than men's packs.
Generally the same as a Men's pack.
Shoulder Straps
Normally J-type straps.
Normally S-type straps.
The S-type straps are shaped to be more comfortable for the traditional female form.
Generally the same as a Men's pack.
There are a lot of decisions that go into picking a pack: Size, weight, features, cost, etc. My general recommendation is to figure out what you want in a pack before purchasing. Even consider renting a pack or two before investing.
For generic blanket advice, look for a pack that's comfortable on you, can carry 30-40lbs, about 60L, and is in the 2-3lb range. If the pack isn't comfortable, you won't have a good time. If you're carrying more than about 40lb or need more than 60L at any point during a 3-season trip, you should rethink your loadout. The REI CoOp 55 (Men's and Women's variants) is a popular, budget-friendly option, and almost everyone I've spoken to found it comfortable. REI also rents this pack if you want to try it first.
Below you'll find the general options Tents come in:
Support Structure
Freestanding
Semi-Freestanding
Non-Freestanding
Wall System:
Double-Wall
Single-Wall
Shape:
Dome
Coffin
A-Frame
Category
Freestanding
Semi-Freestanding
Non-Freestanding
Support Structure
Fully supported by tent poles.
Partially supported by tent poles, but needs to be staked out to be fully set up.
Generally doesn't have tent poles, but uses trekking poles and tension to set up.
Weight
Heaviest (usually about 5lb).
In-between (about 3-4lb).
The lightest (can be 1-3lb)
Advantages
Most intuitive to set up. Most stable.
Usually lighter than free-standing. Easily staked out to finish setup.
Lightest variant. Typically uses trekking poles (making them multi-use).
Disadvantages
Weight. Typically around 4-6lb. This is a heavy backpacking tent.
Can be less intuitive to set up. Requires staking out parts of the tent for full setup.
Hardest to set up. Generally requires 1 or 2 trekking poles to hold shape, and the structure to be staked out properly to keep the tent under tension to maintain shape.
Good for
Car camping. Camping trips with short hikes in. Strong backpackers who don't want any fuss setting up their tent.
Backpackers who want to reduce weight but don't want to make the plunge to a non-freestanding tent and don't mind spending a little extra.
A backpacker who wants to cut weight and understands that the tent will take some extra skill to set up, and that careful consideration needs to be made for how the tent is staked out.
Category
Double-Wall
Single-Wall
Description
Double-Wall tents generally have a mesh inner net and a separate rain fly, making the two walls.
Single wall tents generally just have the rain fly, and maybe a partial inner net separating the vestibule area.
Advantages
Double-Wall tents are generally considered better in terms of moisture management. By having the inner net tent, there's some resistance to keep you from bumping up against the rain fly and getting condensation on your bag.
Single-wall tents are generally lighter and less expensive.
Disadvantages
The extra material for the second wall adds weight to the tent.
Moisture accumulates on the outermost wall of a tent. With only one wall, the user has to be careful not to touch the inner wall with his or her sleeping bag.
Category
Dome
Coffin
A-Frame
Description
Dome tents are the classic shape. They can have multiple doors, which is an advantage for people sharing tents.
Coffin tents have one door in the front and people climb in feet-first. Coffin tents save weight by reducing the amount of material and support structure.
A-Frame tents are usually non-freestanding tents. They hold their shape with two support poles and tension. Generally the lightest. Can have multiple doors which is and vantage for people sharing tents.
Again, hard to give a blanket recommendation, but I generally recommend looking for the following:
Double-wall,
2-door,
2-person
2-3lb range.
Scouts find the double-wall tent most familiar and a double-wall tent offers some protection from condensation. A 2-door, 2-person tent means the Scout can share with a buddy relatively comfortably and split the weight of the tent, reducing his/her pack load. Tents in the 2-3lb range will tend to be more expensive and less durable, but there aren't many items where spending extra allows you to shave pounds off your pack at once.
Remember: Renting is an option if you're just starting and want to figure out what you like. If you're determined to buy one, four tents I would look at are:
Freestanding:
Freestanding:
Non-Freestanding:
Non-Freestanding:
($350, 2lb-14oz)
($400, 2lb-8oz)
($300, 2lb-8oz)
($170, 2lb-14oz, Chinese brand tent. Check that you're ordering the double-wall variant.)
(coming soon)
Sleeping bags insulate by trapping air and when you lie down on your bag, you push all that air out and compress the material. Sleeping pads are designed to replace that lost insulation. Even on warm evenings, lying on the ground that's cooler than your body temperature will cause you to lose heat through conduction, and you can develop hypothermia. Sleeping pads are not optional.
The measure of insulation a thermal pad has is represented in its R-value. The R-values are a measurable parameter that indicates resistance to the transfer of thermal energy. I.e., more R, more insulation. The table below shows recommended R-values for various seasons and temperatures.
R-Value
2
3-4
6
> 6
Season
Summer
3-Season
4-Season
Winter
Temperature
Warm
Cool
Cold
Extreme Cold
For sleeping bags, I recommend a 20°F rated bag in the 1.5lb-3lb range. You can usually find these in the $150-$180 price range. I recommend a 20°F bag because it gives you 3-season camping in California, and you can double-bag for increased warmth if you want to go winter camping.
REIOutlet.com and REI.com are great places to start looking for bags. You can filter by temperature rating (15-29F), and weight (1.5lb-2.99lb) on both sites.
For sleeping pads, I recommend a pad in the 8oz-1lb range with a minimum R-value of 2 and up to an R-value of 4. You can find closed-cell pads that meet this criterion in the $20-$50 range, and inflatable pads in the $100-$250 range. Some pads I would look at are the Therm-a-Rest Z-lite, Nemo Tensor Insulated Pad, and Therm-A-Rest XLite pad.