A top loading pack is not as versatile as a pack with side and/or bottom zipper admittance, for example. Before you slap down the Visa, make sure that your camping backpack has plenty of compression straps and meshy or stretchy side pouches: sunglasses, canteens, hydration packs, sleeping mats, sleeping bags, hiking poles or sticks, Swiss Army knife, TP, compass, towels, flashlight (torch), binoculars, sunscreen and bug repellent should all be effortlessly accessible.
Durability is important with any purchase where one hundred to over four hundred greenbacks are laid down. A camping backpack should be lightweight and durable—words even respected by NASA! At any rate, durability in a camping backpack equals big-toothed (water resistant) zippers, siliconed nylon near the compression panels and underside of the pack. Test the camping pack at the camping outdoor store before you leave. Pack it full as you can, zip it up and down, throw it around and run mad. If the managers allow this, you can probably trust the pack is second to none.
Just as Mr. Nelson intended, the camping backpack should be comfortable. Long hauls with bloody blisters and festering wounds (around insects and mosquitoes) are no day in the park. Make sure to test the backpack (fully loaded: camp stoves, tent, and the whole caboodle) before making any purchases. Have the camping store or outdoor store clerks help you properly fit the pack until it’s oh-so beyond belief comfortable.
