Backpack recommendations for a 12 yo girl…

I have a 12 yr old girl as well. I found an adjustable youth pack at REI during their garage sale. She is 5' (Shoot, I don't know….she is growing so fast at this time) tall and it fits perfect with a lot of room to grow into. I would suggest measuring her torso to start.

Not sure of your budget, but, that could be a factor. There are many options online.

My daughter tested my sisters women's medium Go-Lite pack and that fit her too. It isn't adjustable. She also tried on my wife's small Dana Designs Terraplane and it fit as well.

Check this one out: http://www.rei.com/product/808326/rei-passage-65-pack-youth#tab-description

Here are the two she fits:

Then you definitely want a pack with an adjustable torso. Added bonus, it will grow with her.

I recently bought the REI Passage 38 for my daughter, who is a year older but a few inches shorter than yours. She tried it on in the store and liked it a lot. They also had a different model (just checked but it's no longer listed on their website so don't know the name), REI brand at 40 liters, and this other model she liked at first but I didn't like that it was a shorter overall pack and as we stuffed it to simulate a gear load it bulged out fatter — by contrast the Passage is constructed more narrow and taller, which is better for load-carrying.

She also tried on the Deuter Fox and did not like the fit at all.

I'm not saying the Passage is the greatest pack in the world, but for $80 (after 20% off that was recently offered) I think it will work well for her and not break the bank. And anything from REI you could return by mail or next time you will be near a store, even up to a year later.

Comes in green or purple, torso adjust 12"-16": http://www.rei.com/product/870881/rei-passage-38-pack-kids

The Passage also comes in a larger 65L version.

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EDIT: Ha! Gordon, you beat me to it. BTW, that blue pack in your photo is the other REI pack I was referring to, I think you can see in the photo how it is more wide and deep rather than tall, which personally I think will not carry the weight as well as a taller, narrower pack that allows you to center the weight over your spine and feet a little better.

Which pack you get her is not the most important question. I would personally recommend that it should have some sort of light frame, but I am biased.

The BIG thing is to make very sure she is not carrying more than 1/4 of her body weight. This may be hard to do, but have a thought for the immature cartiledge in her spine and her future health. Do NOT load her up so she damages herself – or gets too tired and doesn't want to go again. Yep, that means Dad gets the big load. One of the benefits of Fatherhood.

Cheers

Gordon and JR, your recommendations look very good. I will be sure to check those out. Great pic of your family as well JR.
Roger, I couldn't agree more regarding weight. I plan to let her carry about 15 lbs total. That should work for a one nighter or weekend – which is all we plan to start with.
On the flip side, she is an avid dancer (since 5 yo) and is in way better shape than me. I may have a hard time keeping up!
Thanks again,
Jeff

I agree with Roger’s comments with the pack having a frame and about the amount of weight your daughter should carry. I would add that a pack that is adjustable in back length so that the pack fits properly is just as important.

One little story – my daughter and I did a week long trip earlier in the year, at her suggestion we swapped packs. I went along thinking it was a bit of a joke and she would dump my pack after a couple of minutes. I was carrying all the gear and food for us for the week and some water so my pack weighed about 20kg (not very UL, i know). She takes off up the hill with a 700m ascent and didn’t want to stop until until we summitted 90 minutes later. I was seriously impressed, that pack weighed more than half what she did, but she didn’t want to swap packs again either. Moral of the story: don’t under-estimate your daughter.

Some packs to consider:

Exped Lightening 45: 1kg, adjustable length harness, available in US
Macpac Torlesse 30 Jnr: A new kids pack from a New Zealand company, looked good in the shop
One Planet Traverse: Made in Australia, this is the pack my 11 year old daughter uses. She loves it and has never complained about it being uncomfortable. For a photo of the pack being used, see my recent trip report, she’s the girl with the red fleece and purple raincoat.

I bought my daughter a ULA ohm 2.0 when she was 12 and it was a good fit for her. She carried her own gear for a section of the wonderland. Her general impression of the pack was "It's like it's not even there."

I got her one with the s straps.

I second the Lighting 45, great pack and the adjustable frame will be handy as she grows.
If you want something a bit lighter look at the Six Moons packs. They are nicely discounted at the moment.

I got an adjustable circuit junior for my soon to be 11 year old. Fits well and will provide space for bulkier and lighter items. She has the Osprey 35 L pack, I forget the name. It has served her well for a couple of years and will be handed down to brother. She has little room to carry a lightweight tent or group gear this coming summer in the osprey.

My daughter tried on every pack REI had with a 25 lb load, walking up and down stairs.

The deuter act lite was the most comfortable for her. The granite gear blaze was in 2nd place. The osprey aireal was a distant 3rd, and the rei flash pack was a no-go due to the wide spaced shoulder straps.

The harness on the deuter and granite gear both seemed to fit her well, but I think the reason the deuter felt better to her is it's shape. It's a taller, narrower shape rather than a wide squat shape – so it didn't pull her side to side when it's swayed with her stride. The deeper depth packs also caused her to lean forward more, and she claimed they felt heavier.

Ps: The deuter weighs just under 4 lbs, but that weight is from the comfy yet supportive harness, more durable fabric, and full size lid. The lid is her favorite feature based on how much she uses it :). The more durable fabric is my favorite feature. I have to carry 2 extra pounds of her food to offset the weight for her – but then I don't have to remind her to treat it carefully. This makes for a nicer family outing. I have less stress, and she doesn't feel like I'm "nagging" her with the reminders.

Pps: the deuter adjustable harness is awesome. I wish someone made a light weight version of it.

"The ULA Circuit comes in Kid sizes."……The Circuit can also be ordered with a 12"18"adjustable harness system works great for kids. Purchased two ULA Circuits for two older granddaughters (presently ages 16 yrs) six years ago after extensive communication with Chris McMaster as mine were the first of the Circuits built for children. The girls have carried TOTAL WEIGHTS of 16 – 20 with the pack without ANY issues coming from them on all on our adventures that average 9 days. Last year's adventure for eleven days I adjusted the both packs prior to the trip o so slight and, the Hip Belts fit properly with room for expansion.

TORSO MEASUREMENT: Maddy 13.5", Kelsey 13.75"…ordered a SMALL; HIP BELT CIRCUMFERENCE MEASUREMENT (1 inch below iliac crest): Maddy 27", Kelsey 29"…ordered XS: S shaped Shoulder Straps.

Girls are age 11 in this picture.

Cannot go wrong with a ULA Children Circuit and especially if you communicate personally with Chris McMaster o tweak it to the children needs…….. chris@ula-equipment.com

I've seen kids hike with an adjustable Ospry that looked good.

I scored a MYOG pack on Gear Swap my 13 year old daughter will be using this next season and she will be handing down a MLD Kid's Prophet to my 11 year old daughter, also from Gear Swap. Might be hard to score a random deal by Christmas though.

I am not convinced kids need a pack with a suspension, but I do use CCF pads as frame sheets for added comfort. That kids ULA looks promising, and the MLD Burn in size XS looks great but maybe still a bit big for your daughter right now. Both would likely have strong resale value. I don't think I will have any trouble selling the MLD Kid's Prophet when the time comes. Might think about going the custom route with Zpacks or Zimmerbuilt too. They should hold a good resale value on the Gear Swap Forum. I am a bit skeptical of the adjustable torso, so I plan on buying and selling kid's packs as needed, just like I do for my own gear.

I think what others have said about keeping their kid's overall load light is very good advice. I have my girls carry their own sleeping bags, cloths, and personal gear. I carry most everything else. Yet another added bonus of going UL! This year, my 13 year old will also start to carry all her own food and her own shelter (my old Zpacks Hexamid and a cuben ground sheet).

> I am not convinced kids need a pack with a suspension, but I do use CCF pads as frame sheets for added comfort.

>I think what others have said about keeping their kid's overall load light is very good advice. I have my girls carry their own sleeping bags, cloths, and personal gear. I carry most everything else.

+1 to what Ed said. Why would I have my son use a pack heavier than mine (trimmed GoLite Pinnacle)??? So far we've made it on REI packs (Super Nova & then Tarn 18, which I should have bought first). I just got him a Flash 22 for Christmas since he'll have the next size up in clothing and the Tarn was totally crammed with the items he carried this past summer. The Flash should work for his loads for several years (and maybe until he starts going on his own). If for some reason it won't fit him well enough now (50" and 54 lbs), I'll modify it or possibly MYOG if I have the time. His load won't be more than 10 pounds total.

Between the ages of 9 and 14, probably 4'6"-5'6", and about 80-100lb, my son carried a Deuter Fox30, then an older women's Jam2 (small), and an Osprey Talon 44. His fit issue was always the hipbelt size being too long. He's now 16 and still carries the Talon44 — he loves that pack. Total pack weight for him has always been right around 18-20lb, still is.

You might check out the videos on the Tougas family hiking the AT. I couldn't think of a better testing ground for kids and packs.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/beyond-our-boundaries-episode-19-tougas.html#.VIOa9We9bCA

With the Osprey is that it has no padding at all in the belt and shoulder straps. That's the Ace 50 I believe. I also bought the Passgae 40 fro REI for my 13 year old. It was the only pack that fit her as she is TINY. On the list this year is to get her a child's Circuit.

+1 for the Deuter Fox 30

It is a really great little pack with some crazy adjustability to help it fit smaller folks (young or old).

It is the pack of choice for my 40+ year old sister who is 5' and has a short torso.

Tried a LOT of packs and it was the only one that fit her comfortability.