14″ Torso

Sara, A 40 liter pack for a 14" torso? Tough to find without going to adult ladies packs.
I have two candidates for you. The first one might be too small at 1500c.i.

"Things I need:
Material that can hold up. – these are 420 denier nylon, strong enough, but still lighter than 600 or 1000.
Well made- these are Montbell.
Decent mesh pockets on the sides.- Yes, two.
A hipbelt.- Yes, very important IMO also
A decent suspension that is not overkill.- "Real" suspension system, foam padding.
Must have decent straps.- Good shoulder straps, adjustible(!) sternum strap, two side compression straps on each side.. but no load lifters.(could be added)
What I'd prefer is a pack from a small company- Hmm, well its a "little" company started and still owned by Isamu Tatsuno.

What I have in mind is the 'Granite' pack.
The "Jr." is for kids 130-150cm(51" to 59") tall. Pack weighs 630gm, 1500 c.i.
https://www2.montbell.com/english/asp/products/Spg_itiran.asp?selType=3&mode=&cat=1303
Instead of some kiddie pack, these have all the features youd find on a traditional pack, including zippered lid, and buckles on the top for a rope or sleeping pad. You can cut off the ice axe loops if you want, but they could be used for child size trekking poles (carbon fiber of course!)

A larger choice for 15" torso is the Versalite 50liter short.,same feature set, plus load lifters, 1.08kg(2.38lbs). Note the 'short' is not shown on this page, maybe only available in Japan?.. $107.50 in Japan.
https://www2.montbell.com/america/asp/products/Spg_shosai.asp?cat=1301&hinban=1223269

I bought one MB pack, and got two friends to do the same. We're all happy with them. They are a little heavy, but construction is first rate; these would last for years of abuse (your boy would grow out of it first..but then you can use it!?)

If MB in the states doesnt have these, I'll airmail one to you if you. No profit on my part, just shipping cost.

ps "ZeroPoint" is MBs line of packs

Hmmm….that might work. I hadn't seen that pack before. I'll take a close look in the morning, and check the heights. He is also tall for his age, nearly 4 ft 8 inches! (56"). I like the look of the pack though!

Got one a few years ago for my daughter when we first started lightening up on our own without knowledge of L/UL niche gear. Heavy at 3lb and capacity might be larger than what you want. Sorry, it’s all i know in the torso range you mentioned. Well constructed. Adjustable 11″-17″ torso length – it will grow with him. Hydration compatible and full featured (hence the weight). The Scherer cinch makes snugging up the hipbelt very easy to do. Robust fabric/material/construction will take a lot of abuse and last for years. Very comfortable, 30lb or less, according to my daughter. [Note: Just ‘click me’, as i’m one big blue hyperlink, and let me take you there.]

.. and the suspension is adjustable; that's a great feature. I see the aluminum stays are removable; could save a little weight that way, and cut off the features which are not needed. Great looking pack.

I'm forgetting if there is a also PE frame sheet associated with the frame. I think it's partial, i forget – had it apart once some years ago, but also might come out with the stays – just can't remember. Not sure how well the load-lifters would work w/o something real rigid functioning as a frame, i.e. not sure if a v-frame would work well above 15-20lb, but it's worth a try.

I tried the pack on once w/the suspension adjusted to its max, but it was too small to get any real idea of fit since my TL=18".

I've used Kelty packs over the years & they sure do last. For non-L/UL gear they are an exceptional value – very robust. NEVER had one fail in any way. My Satori 5750 (cu. in.) had well over 600 miles on it and if cleaned up a bit would look quite new (though used) – no holes worn in it. This pack was, "oh so comfortable" at nearly 50lb & weighed a lb (or more) less than most other 90+L packs. The Lynx shares some contruction & materials (e.g. Scherer cinch & Brock foam & breathable spacer mesh, to name just a few) with the $275 ($149 at REI at the time) Kelty Satori 5750.

Hi Sarah:

I thought I remembered you owning a Mountainsmith Seraph. Have you tried that on him? It's technically a mite bit long on my daughter who measures 14", but she found it comfortable on the trips we took this past year with ~13lbs. Of your requirements, the only think that isn't great are the mesh side pockets which are a bit fragile for kids.

I don't know what the minimize torso length with be for the updated Gossamer Gear Mariposa Plus coming in march, but with them switching from a S, M/L, to a S, M, L, maybe the small will actually be small enough?

In theory LuxuryLite's external frame pack works down to 14", but I am not sure. I was definitely too long for her 12" torso. It doesn't seem like 2" would make been enough of change, but since it's not here anymore there isn't a chance to check it out.

–Mark

I hadn't thought about my Seraph. I'll try it on him. Though he wouldn't get it! I like it too much! ;-)
I'll look at the Gossamer Gear one also.

My big pack is a Kelty Illusion Womens 3500-which I did try on him, but the pack was just too big, even though the torso went down to 12". It dwarfed him.

If the Seraph works on him, google for it. I noticed that while all the large ghosts seem to be gone, there are still a few seraph listed as in stock.

–Mark

It does work!! Woo-hoo! At 2 lbs? I cannot complain! I may be buying one for him, and it is nice in that it is not a "girl" color.

I was perusing the REI Super Clearance online this morning, and found the REI Comet pack for under $30! I ordered it for him. It is a 2250 ci pack, so bigger than what he uses. It is 2.8 lbs, so not super light, but lighter than what he has now.
I'll have it in a week, and I can go from there!

I bought an REI UL 45 Women’s Small pack for my 11-year-old nephew. It fit and rode well and doesn’t look ‘girlie’. That model is discontinued, but their new pack appears to be similar. The size small is a 42-liter pack and weighs 2.5 pounds (claimed). The lower limit for torso length is listed at 15″ so it may be too big for your son. I’m posting this in case somebody else is looking for something similar but a little larger.