JanSport Carson Pack - Special Buy

Comments about JanSport Carson Pack - Special Buy:

In early 2009 my then 15 Y.O. son learned that his Boy Scout Troop had secured a 12 day 70 mile trek at Philmont Scout Ranch. At 5'-5" he had outgrown his last pack, a cheap internal frame bag that would not be up to a trip of this magnatude. His, heretofore lone backpacking trip (one night, out and back 3 miler) rudely revealed the inadequacies of it: too small for him with no more room for adjustment, uncomfortable with his own gear, unbearable with crew gear, and hot.The Jansport Carson seemed to fit the bill for his trek at Philmont: it had the room with 80 liters, was lightweight at less than 5# (barely) and inexpensive, <$100 from the REI Outlet--SOLD! In fact, I bought two, one to replace my aging Jansport D3. A fine old bag that served me well but is overkill. OTOH, it did allow me to haul the better part of a 30 pack up Alander one MLK weekend... Oh yeah, about the Carson. Based on Philmont liturature and the previous crew's experience ('05), we knew he could expect pack weights ranging from 35#-50+# after resuppling. FWIW, my base pack weight (Big-3) with 3 liters of water, no food, was 39#. Yeah, I still use some older gear. Last summer and earlier this year, we used the packs on monthly shakedown hikes on CT sections of the A-T. We found the pack comfortable to carry, with plenty of room for crew gear, easy to pack and get at packed gear. Now 5'-11" at 16 Y.O., he returned from Philmont and said the pack was perfect for the trip. Even on the day they summited Baldy twice when they became "disoriented", and turned a 10 mile day into a 22 mile extravaganza (they were still in camp by 4:pm!). Pros: 1) light for an external frame pack; 2)easy to pack, organize and access the many pockets and 2 internal compartments; 3) hydration bladder compatible; 4)comfortable even carrying heavy loads, and cooler to wear in 90º+ weather.Cons:1) not very waterproof, I know, no such animal. I've never owned a pack cover, I pack everything into ziplocks and compactor bags inside the pack. However, after one brief but intense downpour, I arrived at camp hours later to find almost a liter of water in the bottom compartment of my pack. (It leaks through the bag's zippers that open to the compartments.) I own one now (size large); on a similar day it prevented me from supplementing my water supply... 2) not for bushwacking. But what do you expect from external frames?External frame packs are almost an anachranism. There aren't many to choose from and are heavier than internal and frameless packs. But for me, I'd buy this pack again. I highly recommend it for others who, like me, don't have much experience or time to get out backpacking.

Comments about JanSport Carson Pack - Special Buy:

This pack is great! External frames are hard to come by these days.[...]This is a heavy duty pack. I do all sorts of backpacking. One of the great points on external packs like this one is when there is snow on the ground or the ground has snow on it. You can just rest it against the tree and set it on the ground. The external frame elevates it off the ground.Plenty of room. I was able to fit my Zero degree sleeping bag in my internal compartment. Extra fuel, bivvy sack, and all other winter gear I needed. This bag has tons of room and I didn't have to adjust it much once I got going.

Comments about JanSport Carson Pack - Special Buy:

My brother and I each have this pack and had no problems carrying all our gear, comfortably for 4 days. We loaded it up - needed to adjust the shoulder straps to the right position and we were set and ready to go. We fit a bear canister in mine, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, plus fleece liner (snow camping) with plenty of room to spare. The external frame gave us flexibility to strap our fishing gear and other things we didn't want to get smashed. I bought another one for my 17 year old as this summer he "gets" to go now.

Comments about JanSport Carson Pack - Special Buy:

I love external frame packs, but they're so hard to find these days. I especially like how they're easier to take off and put on, and they seem more sturdy to me. Anyhow, I agree with the previous reviewer's comment about the hydration pouch, but I figure since it doesn't get in the way, it won't bother me. If that was the sole reason I bought it, I might be dissapointed, but I really like this pack. Very good ventilation.

Comments about JanSport Carson Pack - Special Buy:

I loaded this pack up with 50 lbs for the two-nighter. I wanted to see how it feels to simululate an extended hike with the extra gear.

The pack loaded very easily, and carried with comfort for the first day. Due to the thin and relatively hard paddings, however, it began to dig into the pelvis on the second day and on. In order to compensate, I tightened the shoulder strap, and it caused poor circulation on my arms. Loosen the straps, and the pack was a little loose around my shoulders, swaying sideways a little too much for my taste. The shoulder straps and the waist belt need extra padding, at least for my body. Or, maybe I should eat more spam and put on some fat around my waist for more cushion.

The compartment is divided into two, but the dividing panel is sown in on three sides. This prevented me from storing inside the longer items such as tent and sleeping pad (yes, call me namby-pamby, but I have to have a 25 inch-wide pad). The lower compartment was too small for the 0 degree sleeping bag (if I cannot get a good night's sleep, I get cranky, and kick the small animals on the trail), even though it was compressed tightly. I was able to carry the longer items strapped under the pack, for it has the plastic eyes sown in for the straps to loop through.

I thought Kelty Tioga 5500 looked ridiculous for its over-sized paddlings, but I now appriciate it for the comfort it provides on a long hike.

Carson has three lateral straps with buckles that cross over the long loading panel. This is a very good design, for, you can still keep the stuff from spraying all over the trail, when the zipper decides to give out because you mercilessly crammed in extra gear. They also keep things cinched down, as your load decreases. If you are doing a short weekender, the cross straps allow you to keep the pack cinched, and you can keep the stuff snug to your body without having to rattle around inside.

Given the price I paid, this pack works well, carries well, and is good for a short hike. For an exteded hike, if I know what is good for my pelvis and the patches of skin in the general vicinity, I will have to do with 35 lbs or so of gear. For an extended hike, I think I will have to wrap extra cushioning material around the pressure point on the pelvis, wear thicker pants, or put on a spare tire.

Comments about JanSport Carson Pack - Special Buy:

The Hydration pocket is located externally between the pack and the back padding. The problem is if you fill your water bladder (mine is 80oz), it forces the back pad into a convex shape making it very uncomfortable! So, I don't use the hydration feature and drag along Nalgenes! For the price, I can live without the hydration function!

Comments about JanSport Carson Pack - Special Buy:

Backpacking & snow camping for 32 years. Own both Internal & External frame packs, incl. two of these. Sometimes need large capacity to carry extra gear and safety supplies for smaller youth who can't share the load. Despite the hype on internal frame packs, external frames still carry and distribute the weight better, + allow your back to breath better in hot weather. Buy this for that week+ long Philmont/High Sierra trek, or winter camping where more gear/fuel/food is needed. Use the <2500 cu. inch/<40 L internal frames or ultra-light, frameless for go-light weekenders or aggressive through hiking.

Comments about JanSport Carson Pack - Special Buy:

After looking at a lot of packs, and trying several on, my son decided on the Jansport Carson. He hasn't been sorry. With tons of room he can pack it up for a weekend trip with his scout troop, or cram it full for a week of summer camp. Because it has two main compartments he has no trouble organizing and finding his gear. The external frame lets him jam it full and still carry it comfortably, while the guys with the internal frame packs seem to be forever adjusting the stuff in their packs trying to find the perfect combination.