Description
This article is from the Outdoor
Activities for Young Children FAQ, by Gloria Logan
glogan@atk.com with numerous contributions by others.
73 BACKPACKS FOR CARRYING KIDS: The Tough Traveller backpack (the more expensive model)
The *Tough Traveller* backpack (the more expensive model) is a good
unit that I've been quite satisfied with. One thing impressive about
it is that the designers came up with the only *quickly* adjustable
back height adjustment I've ever seen on a backpack; this is important
because Mom & Dad are seldom the same height.
I made some useful modifications to the pack.
Most important: I made the child's shoulder restraint straps easily
adjustable by attaching them with plastic ladder buckles (the same kind
as found on the shoulder harness straps). This way, you can quickly
loosen them each time you lift the child out. I also replaced the
"male" half of the child's black plastic waist-strap buckle with an
identical day-glo one; this makes it a lot easier to locate in a hurry.
I also opened the seam on the cargo pocket and sewed in some straps
with which to tie it to the frame so it doesn't bounce against the
frame and make an infernal racket.
Some kind of bottle pocket that the child can reach would be helpful,
but I couldn't find a way to do it.
The pack is woefully short of cargo capacity, so it's helpful to sew on
extra pockets for water bottles and small items like wallets, car keys,
etc.
If the pack squeaks, pull out the frame and wrap teflon plumber's tape
around the top of the frame to lubricate it.
The newer models have an improved rain cover/sun shade; the earlier
model was pretty bogus.
Don't feed children anything remotely chokable while you're carrying
them on your back because it's hard to watch them.
Some kind of bulky blanket is helpful to prop up the child's head when
she falls asleep.
I used to carry my daughter to the park by myself and found it
necessary to have all mittens, hats, etc. tied on with idiot strings if
I didn't want to turn around and backtrack a mile to look for them.
Unfortunately, I have discovered that it IS possible to put a 3
year-old piggy-back on top of a 50 lb. pack as long as the trail is not
stumbly (ooh, my aching neck...)
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>The *Tough Traveller* backpack (the more expensive model) is a good
>unit that I've been quite satisfied with. One thing impressive about
>it is that the designers came up with the only *quickly* adjustable
>back height adjustment I've ever seen on a backpack; this is important
>because Mom & Dad are seldom the same height.
I can also vouch for the tough traveler:
Anyone looking for the pack should know they have five models in the
product line, I am familiar with four of them:
COLT - cheap little light weight pack
MONTANA - More rugid then the colt but not a very good frame
????? - middle of the line, first model with decent frame.
KID CARRIER - Good Backpack 120-150$ depending on where you buy
it, lot's of adjustments, very comfortable for a full
days use. Carries up to 50 pounds in blue and red.
BRONCO or ???? - top of the line , adds better lumbar support carries
up to 60 pounds, comes in camoflauge (sp?) colors
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LL BEAN no longer sells the Tough Traveler. They have an imported
variation on the same style. It sells for $99. A friend who has had
both (the stand on the Tough Traveler broke. LL Bean took it back.)
likes some of the features of the one LL Bean carries better. I haven't
personally tried it, but I love my Tough Traveller!
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>Question for all those with Gerry backpacks:
>So, how does one take it apart to wash the canvas? I've tried, but
>couldn't figure it out. Is there a way to unsnap the metal frame
>apart?
I always hosed mine down in the bathtub with my hand-held shower,
adding a little detergent rubbed in with a washcloth or scrub-brush.
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We purchased the Tough Traveler pack for Benjamin when he was only
7 months old. At 19 months he continues to love it as do mommy and
daddy. The complete line of Tough Travelers are well made, and come
with the essential waist belt. To get a brochure on all of the Tough
Traveler Products I suggest calling the company at 1-800-468-6844.
They will mail you a brochure and tell you how to get a hold of
the real thing in your neighborhood. I purchased the Montana. I also
considered the KELTY line of backpacks but they were too large for
my 4-11 foot frame and more expensive. LL Bean and several other
similar mail order houses sell the tough traveler packs with a
different label.
To give you an idea of what to look for:
Works for all the folks who might use it
Waist Belt
Diaper Bag attached
Lots of places to adjest the fit and ride
Adjustable seat
Kick-stand
Cannopy for sun protection
We took Ben and pack camping this past weekend. We hiked for three
hours at a time with son in tow. He loved the hikes. Between hikes
we could not approach or move the pack without causing a false
alaram and having him crying for another ride.
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we also have a Tough Traveler backpack for our son. Even though he is
relatively light (~22lbs @ 21 months), the TT was very preferable to
the Gerry backpack we received as a gift. The TT also has shoulder
straps that our Gerry lacked. In the Gerry, when our son got angry,
he could "arch" his back with his feet on some part of the bp frame,
causing me to worry that he'd fling himself backward out of the bp!
-----
If you plan to use the backpack a lot, I would by an expensive model
which is more like a backpack (padded shoulder straps, padded hip belt)
than just a baby carrier. We had a Tough Traveler given to us by a
good friend. We have been exceedingly happy with it. Cost is about
$100-120. We have used the backpack since Keith was 4-6 months old.
Keith is now 3 yrs old (will be 4 in August). But he is very light
--- 28 lbs with clothes on. We do lots of hiking and some backpacking.
Keith has been up to the top of Half Dome 3 times and on one backpack
trip. Because Tough Traveler is built more like a backpack it has a
frame and you are able to carry more of the weight on your hips. My
only complaint is that I had to "sew" the straps which adjust the
position of the hip belt in reference to the backpack. These straps
would come loose otherwise and I would end up carrying Keith's weight
on the shoulder straps instead of the hip straps. Keith is into
walking more. Just this past Sunday, he walked up to Hunters Point
(2 miles round trip) while walking Belka (one of our Samoyeds). But
Keith still loves to ride in the backpack. In fact, sometimes I would
prefer that he would like to walk more.
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children, child, kid, Outdoor Activities, backpacking, ski, canoeing, biking, camping, trailer
