Modern Backpacks - for Day or Overnight
It seems the ubiquitous backpack is seen everywhere these days, from the tiniest pre-schooler's backpack stuffed with toys, to that of a professional cross-country hiker, filled with the necessities of daily survival in the wild.
Within this vast range of backpacks come several categories of bags, separated basically by function. The broadest group is comprised of the traditional day backpack. This type of backpack is used for casual tasks, such as carrying schoolbooks or athletic clothes, or the like. It is the perfect type of conveyance for the odds and ends of daily living; I've even seen them, on the backs of college students trudging across town, filled with dirty laundry. The everybag for every man.
The next category includes those backpacks which are actually meant to be used in the traditional sense, for hiking and camping. These backpacks are constructed with aluminum framework. Those with external framework are preferred by hiking purists. Made with an H-shaped frame, the pack is attached to the hiker's body with heavily padded shoulder straps, assisted by backbands and a hipbelt. It gives the camper good ventilation against his back, avoiding that "used gym clothes" smell from all the perspiration. Its many side pockets and straps can convert the bag into a veritable camping supply store, with a place even for your sleeping bag and tent.
An internal framework has flexible stays of aluminum which help transfer the weight of your cargo onto a padded hipbelt. The internal bag gives the wearer more of a "macho man athlete" look but it can cost almost twice as much as does the external frame.
A further category of recreational bags includes those which are much smaller and differently shaped, not to mention having a totally different function. These specialized packs include the hydration pack, fanny pack, lumbar pack,waist pack, and hip pack. Hydration packs have a water bladder or pouch attached to a drinking tube and are held on the camper's body with shoulder straps. The simplest versions of the other packs in this category are basically a pouch and a belt. They are engineered in such a manner that the weight of the pouch is centered in the small of the back, near the center of balance, causing no strain on your body.
Your choice of backpack is only limited by your imagination.
Within this vast range of backpacks come several categories of bags, separated basically by function. The broadest group is comprised of the traditional day backpack. This type of backpack is used for casual tasks, such as carrying schoolbooks or athletic clothes, or the like. It is the perfect type of conveyance for the odds and ends of daily living; I've even seen them, on the backs of college students trudging across town, filled with dirty laundry. The everybag for every man.
The next category includes those backpacks which are actually meant to be used in the traditional sense, for hiking and camping. These backpacks are constructed with aluminum framework. Those with external framework are preferred by hiking purists. Made with an H-shaped frame, the pack is attached to the hiker's body with heavily padded shoulder straps, assisted by backbands and a hipbelt. It gives the camper good ventilation against his back, avoiding that "used gym clothes" smell from all the perspiration. Its many side pockets and straps can convert the bag into a veritable camping supply store, with a place even for your sleeping bag and tent.
An internal framework has flexible stays of aluminum which help transfer the weight of your cargo onto a padded hipbelt. The internal bag gives the wearer more of a "macho man athlete" look but it can cost almost twice as much as does the external frame.
A further category of recreational bags includes those which are much smaller and differently shaped, not to mention having a totally different function. These specialized packs include the hydration pack, fanny pack, lumbar pack,waist pack, and hip pack. Hydration packs have a water bladder or pouch attached to a drinking tube and are held on the camper's body with shoulder straps. The simplest versions of the other packs in this category are basically a pouch and a belt. They are engineered in such a manner that the weight of the pouch is centered in the small of the back, near the center of balance, causing no strain on your body.
Your choice of backpack is only limited by your imagination.
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