Search
Recommended Products
Related Links


 

 

Informative Articles

Make Money While You Travel
If your passion is travel, why not get paid for doing it? You can earn up to 70% agent commissions from your personal travel and then start selling it to your friends and family. Why not get paid for traveling to the world's most exciting...

Top Holiday Travel Destinations
Despite the high cost of fuel and other travel expenses, an estimated 63.5 million Americans are planning to travel at least 50 miles or more from home this Christmas and New Year. Hotel rates are up nearly 15% at some popular destinations,...

Travel Guides- An Overview
Travel Guidebooks- An Overview By Victor K. Pryles©2005 http://www.paupertravel.com (548 words) You can get reliable, useful information from guidebooks. Yet, some are better than others and often, it's important to know what...

Travel Light: The How And Why
I learned how to travel light from lightweight backpacking, then found it was just as useful to keep it light on trips overseas or driving across the country. The last time my wife and I went to Ecuador, I had 10 pounds of luggage, all in one...

Traveling and Playing Golf Today
Taking the family out for a holiday and you play golf! If you're a golf enthusiast, you will know that golf is all about who you play golf with and where you play golf. It makes a world of difference! In fact, it's a good idea for you to take your...

 
Ways To Use Backpacks - Travel In Comfort

Backpacks are commonly associated with kids carrying books to and from school. However, there are many other ways to use backpacks. Campers, hikers and mountaineers have been using backpacks for decades. It allows them to have their hands free when climbing over a wall or fallen trees, using a walking stick when traversing rough terrain, or climbing a mountain and still being able to carry all of their gear, makes the backpack a vital piece of their equipment.

It was from these groups that college students first got the idea to use backpacks as book bags. Now most students at all grade levels use backpacks to haul their school supplies back and forth. One concern of parents and pediatricians is the increased incidence of back, neck and shoulder pain, and numbing of the hands and arms, among kids who routinely carry heavy backpacks to and from school.

When these symptoms could not be linked to any other causes, it was found that the one thing all the children had in common, was, that they all used backpacks. Obviously the backpack in and of itself, is not the whole problem. The load being carried, the way the pack is worn and the construction of the bags, marketed as book sacks for kids, all contribute to the problem. Orthopedists, pediatricians, physical therapists, and chiropractors all agree that kidsĄŻ backpacks, should not exceed 10-15% of their body weight, even when using ergonomically designed backpacks.

Some groups say up to 20%, that is a 10-pound pack for a fifty pound kid. This is the equivalent of a 150lb adult, having a 30-pound weight bouncing repeatedly against his back, causing repetitive impact injury. Too narrow, unpadded shoulder straps can pinch the nerves and cause numbness and tingling in the arm and hand.

An overloaded bag can pull backward and cause the child to lean forward to compensate, this can cause


compression of the vertebrae and pain in the neck and shoulders. You donĄŻt have to abandon backpacks for your kids. There are back friendly backpacks out there. You just need to know what to look for. Get a bag that has wide shoulder straps, padded back and at the very least a waist belt.

Ideally, it should have chest and side straps also. There are other uses for backpacks. Young parents sometimes use backpacks for a diaper bag, when they are out for a stroll in the park or are pushing junior in his jogging stroller. This is also a good way to carry your water bottles, keys and other incidentals at the same time. Travelers often use backpacks as carry ons.

They fit easily under the seat or in the overhead bin, and you still have access to your book, notes whatever. Many people carry their laptops in their backpacks, when flying or walking to work school. Occasionally, women will use smaller backpacks as purses, again it leaves your hands free to push a cart or remove items from the shelf. It is also wise to use a pack when bike-riding.

It leaves you free to handle the bike safely. Crafters will often use a backpack to transport fabric and other sewing notions to a guild meeting, leaving both hands free to carry the sewing machine.

Hang several see through backpacks to store fabric by color. Hang them on a pegboard so that you can see at a glance what you have. This would also work for knitters and crocheters, as a yarn storage solution. As you can see there are many ways to use backpacks. I am sure you have ideas of your own.
About the Author

Elaine Smith is a freelance writer with advice for consumers on purchasing a variety of School Backpacks her numerous articles provide a resource of interesting and information. Visit her website for more info. http://www.backpack-n-backpacks.com