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External Frame Hiking Back Pack vs Internal frame back pack – Guide by Jonsky
By Hikerpro | April 16, 2009
A backpacking bag is excellent for camping because it keeps your hands free for other things like helping out your friend or to hold a walking pole. Carrying a duffel while hiking in the woods would be inefficient and would make a man tire very quickly.
In general, there are two type of backpacks used for outdoor activities like hiking. In the golden days external frame bags were commonly used but since a few years after its introduction internal frame packs are more common.
An external frame backpack consists of a rigid external frame that is strapped to the wearer’s back using an array of straps. The way the load is placed in an external frame backpack makes it difficult to keep balanced. This presents a problem when you need to climb up hills or mountains so the natural solution, the internal frame backpack, was born.
Some old time hikers still choose external frame packs because you can carry some stuff by securing it to the external frame. Most people like to tie stuff that they may need fast access to the frame. Be careful not to have too much hanging on the frame that it becomes like a bus in India. It can make moving around difficult or make you lose your balance too easily.
Another reason to use an external frame hike backpack is because they’re cool to wear. “Cool” meaning that ventilation is good so it is cooler to wear.
In this modern day external frame hiking packs have almost been completely replaced by internal frame hiking packs. It is known that they are simply much more convenient and carrying a heavy weight is so much easier because the center of gravity is much lower and since the weight is much more closer to the body, it is also more balanced.
Internal frame hiking packs compensates for the lack of external lashing points with a big capacity. Some have features that allows you to carry your other camping gear like bivvy, sleeping bag or poles on the outside. The closeness of the pack to your back also makes it more compact in a way, giving you more freedom to move. Even though this type of hiking backpack tend to make your back, it still gives you better comfort than external frame backpacks. Some producers are sharp enough to improve the overall ventilation of the hike backpack by having minimal surface area in contact with the back.
Whether you choose external frame or internal frame hiking packs it is important that you get the right fit for you because it makes a huge difference in the comfort you feel especially if you carry a heavy weight. Also remember that expensive doesn’t always mean better quality. You can still get a cheap hike backpack that’s of high quality.
Look for internal frame hiking backpack at http://www.hiking-camping-world.com/
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