Mountainsmith Youth Pursuit Internal Frame Backpack
Youth Pursuit backpack by Mountainsmith.
Retail Price: $99
Order here at Amazon!
Specs: Fit Range: 13″-17″, Dimensions: 28.5″ x 16″ x 12″, Volume: 3173 cu. in. (52 L), Weight: 3 lbs. 9 oz.
Findings: On a recent trip in the Chugach Mountains in Alaska, we had the opportunity to run Mountainsmith’s Youth Pursuit backpack through the paces. There are not many options out there on the market for quality youth backpacking packs. This is one of the good ones!
We really liked the separate sleeping bag compartment. It is important to teach kids how to organize their gear in their packs — the separate compartment helps. There are also pockets on the front and sides as well. A spot for everything! The detachable top is great, but would be better if it could turn into a fanny pack for day trips while out on an extended trip. We could fit quite a bit a gear in the top pouch and it really would be a great size for a fanny pack. The pack is easy to adjust which is critical for a youth pack and kids that are growing everyday. The volume of the pack is perfect for a 5-7 day long trip. Most youth packs aren’t large enough to carry enough gear for longer trips, the Mountainsmith pack is the exception. I would like to see more stretch cord on the front to hold jackets etc. There are some, but more is better. The hip belt is great-lots of padding, nice buckles. The webbing allows for cinching down on even really skinny waists. The zippers work great! (Nothing annoys me more than zippers that don’t work well!)
Detail of Youth Pursuit shoulder straps.
As for the size of the pack, we tried it on several different sized kids. It fit 4’7″, 4’9″, and 5’1″ kids well. The 4’5″ and shorter kids we tried it on were too small for it. The shoulder straps didn’t fit on them at all. Actually, the shoulder straps are a bit big in general. The padding is awesome, they just need to be a bit narrower.
My kids really liked the pack. There were no complaints about carrying 20 pounds at all! It is priced reasonably, well made and performs as expected. That earns the Youth Pursuit two thumbs up!
Youth Pursuit backpack by Mountainsmith.
Detail of Osprey pack shoulder straps.