Buying a
backpack for the World Race can be pretty overwhelming.  You don’t know
the reality of how it’s going to be used and, if you’re like me, you
have no idea what you’re looking at when you walk into an outdoor store.
 
I probably overspent.  I got one of the best packs in the
store.  I also know several people who went for the cheapest option who
wished they had spent a little more.  My goal in this
blog is not to make you an expert, but to give you enough awareness that
you don’t just freak out and buy the most expensive thing on the rack.
 
Internal Frame
— This really isn’t even an issue, but most sites I look at mention it
first.  Also someone tried to give me their external frame pack, so I
thought I’d mention it.  You want an internal frame pack (pretty much
all you’ll see in a store) rather than external (old school aluminum
piping visible on the outside), like the one on the left.
 
 
Size — Anywhere
from 60-70 liters should work.  I personally think 70 is pretty big, but
a lot of women on my squad had packs that big.  The
thing to remember is this: if you have the space, you’re going to fill
it, whether you need the junk or not.  Smaller pack means less weight to
carry.  One of the biggest lessons on the Race comes when you realize
how little you actually need to live for a year.  You’ll make it work.
 
Fit — The fit of your pack is
pretty important.  The pack is one item I would by no means recommend
buying without having at least seen the same model in person.  Packs can
be small, medium or large.  The length of your torso makes a big
difference.  Different hip belts can vary a lot.  I even got a pack with
a hip belt that they molded to my hips in the store (they heated it up
and I walked around for 10 minutes with it on).  Get with someone at the
store who knows what they’re doing.  Outdoor stores are notoriously
customer friendly.
 
Pockets and Zippers — There are
three main places you’re going to be able to access/load your stuff into
your pack: [I’m not necessarily recommending this pack, but click here, for a thorough description of these three kinds of zippers/doors]
Most
packs are going to have a “lid” on top so you can load stuff through
the top of the pack.  There will usually be a drawstring (like on the
left) to secure stuff under the lid.  The lid itself is usually a little
pouch too. 
 
 
 Many
packs will have a compartment with a separate zipper for your sleeping
bag on the bottom.  There will be a removable “wall/floor” that will
keep that compartment separate from the rest of your stuff. 
 
 
 
Some packs will have a zipper somewhere across/down the
body of the pack so you can “front load”.  Front loading is nice so you
can get to stuff without having to unload everything on top of it. 
Front loading won’t really be all that necessary if you plan how you
pack well.
 
 
 
 
 
 
That should be enough to keep you from being totally
overwhelmed.  The fact is that while this item is going to be your
closet, your pantry, and your medicine cabinet for a year, just about
any sack you can throw some clothes in will work in a pinch. 
 
The store may want you to buy an airporter (which you’ll
probably want and we’ll talk about in a couple weeks) or a rain cover
(which you probably won’t need but couldn’t hurt anything but your
budget).  The key will be to identify your budget and the features you
really want.  There’s no replacement for heading to the store and
looking at a bunch of different kinds of packs.  You really got to see
these in person to get a feel for them.
 
If you’re looking at something that’s confusing feel free to post here, or on facebook, with questions.
 
Over the next couple of weeks we’ll also cover tents,
sleeping bags, and a few accessories you may be interested in.  Check
back often to join in discussions in the comments and to check for those
upcoming blogs.