Everything You Need To Know About Backpacks

We all know that campers and hunters need a place to stash and carry their gear, but when perusing the camping supply aisles in stores you can easily get overwhelmed trying to find a backpack that is large enough to carry your gear. You might also have thought you might be better off bringing along a pack mule or a camel. However, if you could find a backpack that can meet the challenge, you wouldn't need a four-legged beast of burden to cart around your items.

The Crux Backpack from Mountainsmith

The streamlined design of the Crux from Mountainsmith sacrifices nothing when it comes to comfort and load control. This particular backpack is ideally suited for climbing or backpack trips.

See more backpacks from eBags.

Many backpackers, campers, and hunters just carry way too much gear with them on trips into the wilderness, and often find themselves carrying too many unnecessary items. But, no matter what you need to carry with you, a place to carry them is a necessity. Fortunately, many backpack manufacturers take all this into consideration and have come up with solutions to all your backpacking problems. Whatever your backpack needs, you can find the right backpack to suit them.

You definitely need a place for things like rain gear, food, and plenty of water. You may also want to bring along field dressing gear or your first aid kit -- remember, this is very important, especially if you will be camping or hunting in an area that is far from immediate help should an accident occur.

Since you will be bringing so many different and important items, you will want to be certain that your backpack is made of a lightweight material. That way you will not have to drag around a huge heavy backpack with gear that also weighs a ton. But remember that the weight of the backpack is not nearly as important as the durability of the material. Your backpack should be made of strong, water-proof material. The backpack should be able to withstand hard wind, heavy rain and snow, and you should be able to basically throw it on the ground and not worry about it tearing or leaking water onto your gear. Many camping gear manufacturers now coat their backpack material with silicone to make it more durable and water proof.

Weight displacement is also extremely important for those campers who are traveling long distances. A wider backpack will make the weight of the pack lay on a larger portion of your back, and that will ultimately make carrying the backpack easier on your shoulders and back.

Another important consideration is the functionality of the backpack design. There should be pockets on the outside so you can easily access your water supply, and there should be interior mesh pockets to organize smaller gear items. Also, having a lot of padding on your shoulder straps will greatly increase your comfort level.