Backpack: all about the balance – Dave Brown (Ottawa Citizen Dave’s Outdoor Life Column)

***good

“Backpacks: all about the balance,” is a short but informative read that gives many great tips and ideas. I found it lacked a bit of detail but overall it was well done. It really enforces and supports what I learned in class on the subject of backpacks.

     

  At the beginning of the article, Dave Brown explains the three zones of packing a pack. The first zone is the bottom which is reserved for lightweight items such as sleeping bags and clothes. The second zone in the middle rear part of the pack used to hold items such as food and other gear, and the third zone is in the middle and top parts of your pack reserved for items need during the trip or quick access. The article then gives various packing tips such as keeping the fuel bottle for the stove outside of the pack and away from other gear to avoid leakage and destruction of other gear, and even having a waterproof cover for your sleeping bag. To end the article, Brown explains in which zones of the backpack to pack certain essentials such as sleeping bags and cooking utensils.

   

  I personally found this article to be an article that was very straight forward and enhanced my knowledge on how to pack a backpack. The article introduced me to different ideas about packing backpacks.  Although we did cover the subject a bit in class, I feel as though this article was a bit more thorough in explaining the information when it comes to packing a backpack. I really liked the new idea I learned of the “three zones” in the pack and how to organize your items and gear into three categories before packing them into a backpack. After reading this article, next time I pack a backpack to go hiking I will definitely change and improve my packing methods by attempting to follow the tips and instructions I read in this article.

BROWN, D.

Backpacks: all about balance

In-text: (Brown, 2014)

Bibliography: Brown, D. (2014). Backpacks: all about balance. [online] D2868859.u488.quicksilkdns.com. Available at: http://d2868859.u488.quicksilkdns.com/articles/other/460-backpacks-all-about-balance [Accessed 4 Oct. 2014].