There are three main types of gear bags you may need in Scouts:

1. For carrying gear for most camps - a Duffle Bag or similar;

2. For carrying water, food, etc., on most camps and activities - a small backpack; and

3. For hikes - a hiking backpack

1. Duffle Bag

Get something large enough to put all your gear in, perhaps around the 70 litre mark. But remember, you don't need to fill it every camp!

There are now some waterproof ones available - well worth considering. Mountain Designs & North Face are two suppliers of the waterproof ones.

2. Day Pack/Backpack

This needs to be only pretty basic - most school backpacks would do the job. You want to be able to carry water, snacks, sunscreen, raincoat to activities - whether on camp or a day activity.

That said, you want to make sure it's comfortable to carry, so many of the recommendations in the "Hiking Pack" section are still relevant.

And ultimately, if you do a lot of day-packing, you can buy a smaller version of a hiking pack.

This is where it gets a bit more complex. On your first hike, try to borrow a pack rather than buying one. This will give you a chance to learn a bit about packs and hiking before spending a lot of money.

Size: Suggest a maximum of around 65 litres - and as a Scout you need to avoid filling even that to keep the weight down. We recommend a pack that’s designed to keep everything inside it, rather than having items hanging off everywhere to get caught in trees, ripped, etc.

Fit: Ensure that your pack is adjusted for your body shape (your leaders can assist with this of course). If buying a pack make sure there's enough adjustment in the frame for you to continue to grow!

Type: Hiking packs and travel packs are quite different. The frame & harness of a travel pack is generally not as good for hiking, and so we recommend hiking packs for our activities. Some travel packs are ok for hiking, but make sure you research carefully first.

Quality. You'll often hear that "you get what you pay for", and this is probably generally true of packs too.

Waterproofing. Most packs are quite waterproof when new, but will leak over time at wear points. Invest in a pack cover for additional wet weather protection.

Single cavity or multiple? Personal preference really. If you have a multiple cavity pack it’s easier to get to specific items (e.g. to get the tent out first), but you need to pack more carefully to avoid wasting space.

Recommendations?

• If you're a beginner, start off by borrowing a pack and see how you go.

• There's many good brands of pack out there. Here's a few to check out:

One Planet

MacPac

Berghaus

Black Wolf

Lowe Alpine

Osprey