TETON 55L Scout Internal Frame Backpack for Hiking, Camping, Backpacking, Rain Cover Included

So I went out to several stores and tried on several different packs in the 100- 200 dollar range. This one was about 75 in the stores so I thought what the heck let's try it on and give it shot. It fit me well and overall was very comfortable. I am fairly short by guy standards; 5'6 160. So I hoped on Amazon and saw it was just about 50 bucks. Well like most, I was expecting some of the problems I have read about here. However, I have yet to have any of them. Since buying this, I have hiked Mt Washington in NH, Mt Davis in Pa, and Back Bone Mountain in. I have also taken this pack on multiple climbing excursions. I must say this things has held up amazingly. I have had zero problems with it thus far. For my local climbing trips, it has handled my full climbing gear (200 ft rope, harness, helmet, carabiner, belay, etc...) plus food water etc for the day. For my hike up Mount Washington, which anyone who has done that knows how crazy it can get, it performed very well... I ended up having to use the handy dandy waterproof "sheath" that came with the pack. It has endured some serious abuse and keeps on taking it. I would recommend this pack to anyone at this point. As to the pack itself, it has tons of little features. It has locking mechanisms on the lumbar straps, 2 outside pockets that are literally the perfect size for a Nalgene, It has a pocket on the top for random things (I used it for flint and my back up plan of 9V battery and steel wool), At the bottom it has a place for your sleeping bag. All in all a fantastic pack for the price, until I wear this one out I do not anticipate needing another one. Well at least not until I learn how to ice climb and knock out Mt Rainier! All in all this is a great pack for the price and I would recommend this to anyone who is just starting out in their hiking career UPDATES!!! 6/22/2011 So over the last week I did 3 more high points with this pack where the use of a ultra-lightweight tent was required (i have the Seedhouse SL-1 in case you are in the market for a tent). And again this performed more than adequately. I trekked up the Appalachian trail to Mt rogers in VA and then drove to Black Mtn. in KY and then spent 3 days hiking on and around Spruce knob in WV. Once again the rain fly came in handy mt Rogers was under severe winds the entire time i was there... This pack hold everything I needed. I have added some D-ring accessories to it my self for easy access to food and my camera, but otherwise it is the pack as I bought it. I am not sure if I am missing something the other reviewers are saying, but the side pockets (the ones about mid way up the pack) are large enough to Hold my 32oz Nalgenes, but you just can't zip them shut (mostly because of the lid), if you need clarification on this I can send some pictures to you. The only down side I can see thus far is the eventual need for space for longer duration and technical climbs... But as i am using this for 2-4 days trips, it works great. Likely My Last update! 11/28/2011 As the winter approaches and my hiking time is slowly replaced by strip mall and market time. Since my last update I have used this pack extensively. I hiked a 30 mile portion of the Appalachian trail on my way to Clingmans Dome in TN and then in once that was completed I did about a 10 mile hike on my way to the top of Mt Mitchell in NC. I must stress that I am very much the minimalist... I take very little extra that one could safely do without. That means a couple sets of clothes, cold gear, tent, bag, food, water, and obviously first aide and water purification. I keep a small multi-tool on me and a rather large knife I was issued in the desert... That's about it... I have yet to come across i situation where the pack is more than maybe 2/3rds of the way full... But at any rate, I have had very little issues with this pack aside from the chest strap... The clasp did give way finally, about mid way through my 30 miler to clingmans... Luckily I came across a nice woman who was willing to give me one of her extras... I made on modification to the pack it's self. The mid-side pouches sewed on some netting so over the top of them and got ride of the zipper so I could fit my nalgenes there. But other than that the thing has been flawless... I likely will not need a new pack for some time... Hope this info has been helpful

My son just turned 10, so I purchased this pack so we could go on our first father/son backpacking excursion. He was carrying a Teton Summit 1500, which was perfect for his size, but which meant that I was carrying most of the major gear in the Teton Scout 3400. The first thing that impressed me about the Scout were the adjustment options. I'm 6'0" and I was I bit worried that this was more of a junior sized pack, but after I made the torso height adjustment and followed the suggested setup instructions, I found that this pack fit me like a glove. It was very stable and very comfortable, even with gear for two. Speaking of gear, and as others have pointed out, the second most impressive feature of this pack is just how much gear I could pack/attach. With the aid of a quality compression bag, I was able to pack two 40 degree bags, 2 pillows, tyvek, extra clothes, food, stove, fuel, and a couple of other odds and ends in just the main compartment (with the false bottom removed). The side and top compartments are spacious and easy to get at, and the extra straps, loops, and bungees on the exterior of the pack provided a very secure ride for my hatchet, camp shovel, water bottle, tent, and camping pad. The third, and most unexpected, impressive feature of the Scout was the effectiveness of the attached rain cover. We wanted to pack as light as possible, so we took a tent that didn't have any extra room for the packs. Instead, we hung them both up on improvised hooks, which may or may not have resembled a tree branch tied to a tree trunk--completely exposed. As the forecast for the evening was looking a bit wet, I put the rain covers on both packs and hoped for the best. 12 hours of heavy precipitation later, we removed the covers and both packs and their contents were bone dry. It was amazing! The Teton Scout 3400 is 100% quality. Not only will I enjoy this pack for years to come, but I imagine that my son will inherit it when he gets a bit older and is able to handle a "full sized" pack. Also, knowing that I can adjust it to fit him as he grows makes this relatively small investment even that much more of a no-brainer.

I made an effort to go smaller for more backpacking trips this season. A person I camped with had this bag and I purchased it on amazon. I always used a 75L bag that fit everything including a camp chair, nothing ever hung from the outside and it never felt heavy. It was a great bag until the buckle broke after years of use. What I love about this bag are the side pockets and bold color. In addition to going smaller I also wanted outer side compartments which my old bag didn't have. During the summer I hammock camp. I can store a compressed sleeping bag, inflatable mat, inflatable pillow (and a +15 liner in the Fall) in the sleeping bag compartment. The main compartment has my clothes, cookware, snacks/food and the hammock (ENO set). Side and lid pockets contain tools, small items, first aid kit, toiletries etc. A tent for post September trips I can strap easily to the bottom. There's room for hiking poles on each side of the bag. Aside from either a tent or hammock, everything else in the bag is pretty standard light-weight things I bring on these trips forever but for some reason it feels way heavier in this bag and I'm not bringing anything of luxury like a camp chair. I also find myself strapping things to the back of the bag often. I wish there were small zippered pockets on the hip straps, that's really the only thing keeping this from a 5 star review. If you carry a bear canister it will basically take up most of the main compartment. You really have to pack light with this one. Overall it's a pretty well made and sturdy bag. I've used it on 4 separate Adirondack backpacking trips. This past weekend I used the rain fly which comfortably cover the bag and attached tent. Nice bag, just keep it light-weight and you can get away with a 2-3 backpacking trips.

I think this is a great little pack that is great for two day or two day camping, I am a boy scout so this is a pretty decent pack for me. the hipbelt really transferred loads nicely from my back to my hips, so my back wasn't doing a whole lot of work. The only problem is on me, not on them, my sleeping bag, which is like, 1.5 feet wide took up about 3/4 of the bags 55 liters. I really like the space for the hydration bladder (I didn't really use mine, though) I also think the back is pretty handy. The little rope / holder thingies are really great for holding stuff, like my sleeping pad. It's a great deal, as the manufacture's suggested retail price is 139.99$. The last part is the gear loop, which I didn't really use... Pros: - Medium sized pack - Good quality - Legit brand - Good side pockets - Included rainfly Cons: - A bit small - Instructions and details were a little bit unclear Overall: This is a great pack and you should really consider it, if you are a scout like me, if you are a expert I'd recommend something from Osprey or something like that. - Brian Yin, 11 yr. old scout

Very pleased with this bag so far! I'm about 5'2-3 (and female) and the bag doesn't overtake me. So far I've packed it almost full with supplies: sleeping bag, tent, good sized first aid kit. Lantern. And a few other things, still with plenty of room. One thing I loved about this bag was the pockets! And when it arrived I was not disappointed. There are a rinds pacified Ickes on the sides /!; a lot of secret pockets in the top cover that I thought was a nice touch. It was obvious this company took time to think of storage anywhere possible, which is great. The color was a little hard to judge, and I would judge it off of the other reviews with pics. It's like a very light burnt orange. Gender neutral, and looks rugged. I like it a lot! Haven't yet used used it on a long term hike. But it seems fairly sturdy and it will hold up. There are a lot of adjustable straps that make it fit to the body, and are easy to use. The rain cover has its own little pocket which is nice, though it doesn't perfectly match the bag (not a big deal just thought I would mention). Will update my review when I take it in a hook few hikes. But from the looks of it. It looks great and sturdy. Especially for the price!

I purchased this backpack for my short section hikes of the Appalachian Trail and it performed very well. The shoulder strap assembly was adjustable to my shorter frame and it was generally very comfortable to carry. It's a smaller, narrower pack, but it held quite a bit of gear (see the picture). The narrow shape made it easier to squeeze through those tight spots on the trail. The sleeping bag compartment could hold either my Teton 20+ degree sleeping bag or my Texsport bivy tent. The compartments on the sides and top gave me easy access to things I needed on the trail (water purification, first aid, emergency supplies, etc.) and there were plenty of places to attach other gear like my sleeping pad. I wasn't super rough with it but it got some heavy use and it held up well. It is a solidly constructed piece of equipment, maybe a little small for a thru-hiker (unless you go light or ultralight) but for a weekend backpacker like me it was perfect. I highly recommend this product.

I got everything I needed out of this one - durability, practicality, and comfort. This was for long range backpacking so durability was critical. I could not afford for a zipper or buckle to come off, and this thing was very well made. It's also designed with plenty of auxillary straps, pockets, water bladder compartment and even a rain cover to make this highly functional. I was very impressed with the internal main compartment space. It was so large as to easily accomodate my bear cannister on top of the rest of my belongings. The pack is very well made and has key adjustable components that allow you to tailor the fit to your body size. I especially liked the waist strap which was bearing a LOT of weight and required absolute durability, which it accomplished very very well. I highly recommend this pack which is on par with packs far more expensive!

I just got back from a two day trip in the White Mountains in NH. I gave this pack an intense workout climbing Mt. Washington and tested every strap, zipper, compartment, stitching, etc. I'm a 5' 9" guy and about 180 pounds and the pack fit nicely on my back. I owned a Kelty pack for the past 20 years and just handed it down to my older son, since I needed more room. I had a sleeping bag rolled up and strapped onto the bottom clips. I had a Coleman, 2 burner camp stove fit perfectly inside the main compartment of the pack. Plenty of clothes in with that. A Coleman propane tank fit nicely in the bottom compartment along with my rain gear. I fit my camera equipment (I carry a lot of it) in the top compartment. I strapped a bag of tent poles (my son carried our 3 man tent in the old Kelty pack to distribute weight), a full size tripod and a lantern with bungy cords onto the back of the pack. I stuck a few water bottles in the side pockets. It has plenty of loops and rings to attach equipment. I'd say I had about 50 pounds of gear in this pack easily on very rugged terrain. This pack is really an awesome deal and it is great looking as well. I plan on keeping it for years to come and also plan on picking up a smaller version for my youngest son. FYI..If you buy this pack and you think you didn't get the included rain protector, be sure to unzip the compartment at the very bottom of the pack. It is located inside there. I was about to call the company thinking they didn't include it. The rain covering is also very nice and an excellent added bonus for this unbelievably low priced pack. You can't go wrong with this one.