Kids backpack recommendations?

[trailrunner]

Next summer my family is gearing up for a 3 week trip to London, Paris, maybe some smaller French cities like Lyon, Switzerland, and Iceland. My plan is one bag for everyone, including my 7 year old son. Last time we went to Europe he managed to carry everything in his 12 L REI Sprout backpack (including on a 40 min hike down a mountain to our hotel in Switzerland) , but he was only 4 then so his clothes took up less space. Given our travel in early June and time In Iceland and in the mountains, I am guessing we'll need more heavier clothes than last time. It might be nice to bring the Sprout along this time as a day pack, but it isn't the most packable thing.

He has carried both my Aeronaut PCBP and my Synapse 19 on shorter recent family vacations before but they seemed a bit big for him-but maybe you have success stories to relate with kids and these bags? Any suggestions for us for a kid's backpack in the 18-20 L range with good organization? Right now he is about 126 cm (50 in) tall.


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[Amy]

I went on the same hunt for a school/travel pack for my tall, skinny 7-yr-old granddaughter. She really wanted a Daylight Backpack in Plum, but it was too long for her body, and I worried that the lack of a sternum strap would make it slip off her shoulders. She was able to wear my Synapse 19 as long as I included the sternum strap. However, I finally ended up going to REI for the Tarn 18, which was actually child-sized, and also included a waist strap.

I really do hope that Tom Bihn releases that child-sized backpack by Christmas, though!

[DeBru]

I have a petite 10 year old daughter and the S19 has worked quite well fir us, with our daddy-goat carrying a couple extra necessities that wouldn't fit.

[trailrunner]

Just to update this thread, we did end up getting the REI Tarn 18 which he LOVES. I worried about overpacking the S19 and it bulging out against his back, particularly with the shoulder straps so wide relative to his skinny little body. The Tarn seems a bit more structured so that bulging won't be as much of an issue. He particularly likes the side zipper pouches for "snacks". It may be a bit of a challenge to fit everything, but I did a test pack and I am pretty sure we can do it! First test will be next week with a visit to the grandparents for 5 days. If we can do that in winter, I think we will be good for the trip next summer.

[haraya]

Bravo for one-bagging it with the kids! My 7.5yo has been using the Tarn as his daily school bag for going on two years. (It's held up well, though it shows more dirt than a TB bag, and the mesh side pockets are getting a little worn. Still hoping for a kid-sized pack from TB! ) I really like the fit on him - even though the capacity is only 1L off of the S19, it is narrower through the shoulders. (He's on the small side for his age - say 42# and about four feet.)

When we did a 3-week Europe trip last year, he carried the S19 through the airports but it was and is still a bit big for him. This year he sometimes uses the S19 occasionally, to carry one or two things, and I even scored a Smart Alec for him off eBay, for days when he has a bulky folder to carry, but those two bags are still oversized for his frame, and easy to overpack for him. If I were to do it over at this age, I'd bring the Tarn for him.

One thing I was happy about was that for that trip we also brought a smaller pack - the North Face Sprout (8L - looks to be about the size of the prototype mini backpack that was featured on the TB blog) - as my son's daypack. Just the right size for a water bottle and some snacks, but not so big that he would take it off and hand it to us to carry. It wasn't the most minimalist way to travel, but it saved us a lot of packing and repacking, which was nice when we were moving every few days.

Have a great trip!!

[Snowster]

It isn't Tom Bihn or anything but,

https://www.cotopaxi.com/products/lu...ck-del-dia-ifl

I personally one bag with a Cotopaxi bag. It replaced my Synapse; they make good stuff, and part of every purchase goes to a charity.

[trailrunner]

@Snowster, that is a fun pack!

@haraya A daypack is something I am still considering--he already has a smaller REI Sprout which is about 12L which would be ideal as a daypack--he used that pack to one bag it on our trip to Germany and Switzerland when he was 4 (including a 40 min walk down a mountain to our B&B carrying all his gear!). On that trip we just unpacked and left most of the stuff in the room and used the same bag as a daypack. I don't think the 12L will be packable inside of the 18L and still have room for everything he needs to take (maybe one of us could fit it perhaps?). We may try to find something else (TB --any news on the little bear backpack?) or just did what we did last time and unpack and take the 18L out for the day. It seems pretty good whether it is mostly empty or stuffed to the gills.