Gear Review - TETON Sports: Scout 3400 Internal Frame Backpack

I recently came across the TETON Sports: Scout 3400 Internal Frame Backpack on Amazon, while I was casually browsing hiking packs that might not be carried at my local REI.

Although I've been pretty satisfied with my Zulu 40 pack by Gregory Mountain Products, I wanted to see what other hiking packs were out there, and when I came across $69.68 price tag and 4.5 star Amazon review on the Scout 3400, I knew I had to try it for myself.

I hiked with the Scout 3400 a handful of times over the course of a month and was pleasantly surprised with its performance, with only a few complaints.

Here is my review of the TETON Sports - Scout 3400 Internal Frame Backpack.

The Brand - TETON Sports

TETON Sports was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Cedar Hills, Utah with a showroom and warehouse in Salt Lake City. It boasts a range of sleeping bags, backpacks, tents, sleeping cots, camp pads, hammocks, and other outdoor accessories.

Their mission as stated on their website is:

Get Outdoors and Enjoy Life.

All their products are designed here in the USA and manufactured overseas in China and Vietnam. They have a strict quality standards and stand by their products with a lifetime guarantee.

Anyone who shops their products on Amazon will see the overwhelming numbers of positive reviews on their products, with the consistent theme being affordable gear with good quality and a high level of customer satisfaction.

Price, Quality, & Warranty - $69.99 (Amazon)

When I first saw the very affordable $69.99 price tag for the Scout 3400, I knew I had to try this pack out. All my prior outdoor packs have been on the more expensive side, so I wanted to see what I could get for my money with this multi-day internal frame backpack

As the name suggests, the Scout 3400 has 3400 cubic inches, or 55 Liters, of storage capacity. This makes it ideal for 2-4 days adventures, and its storage capacity is similar to the Gregory Zulu 55 ($199.95) and Osprey ATMOS AG 50 ($240), but at a fraction of the cost.

As I've mostly used the higher-end internal frame backpacks from REI, I was able to notice a few subtle differences on the Scout 3400 in relation to the pack's quality and materials.

The pack has a sturdy 600D Ripstop shell made with a 600D Oxford Canvas ("D" for "denier" - a measurement of the strength of the fabric). It's a rough and tough material that feels very resilient to tares or punctures, but probably not something you'd want to lay down on.

The pack's buckles and zippers feel like a cheaper plastic and susceptible to breaking, but for such an affordable pack, it makes sense that corners would be cut somewhere.

The Scout 3400 comes with contoured, padded shoulder straps, and a padded waist belt. I thought the padding was comfortable, but a bit itchy on my bare skin if I wanted to hike shirtless or in a sleeveless t-shirt.

TETON Sports also has a unique Lifetime Warranty and rather than fixing your bag, they will replace it or get you the parts you need. As stated on their warranty page:

We won’t waste your time fixing your product, we’ll just send you a new one so you can hit the trail. And if you simply need a replacement product for your gear (a new zipper, buckle, tent stake, etc.), don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Let us know what you’re needing and we’ll get the new replacement piece sent out to you ASAP

Looking over some of the reviews on Amazon, there were a few reports of the bag ripping or the zippers breaking early in the pack's use, but considering 1-3 star reviews only make up a mere 10% of the 2,000+ Amazon reviews at the time of this post, I wouldn't let these few cases deter you from trying one yourself.

Layout & Features

The Scout 3400 has several storage pockets and features. Below are the dimensions listed on the TETON Sports website:

SIZE - 30" x 17" x 12"

CAPACITY - 3400 Cubic Inches / 55 Liters

HYDRATION CAPACITY - 101 Ounces (3 Liters), Bladder Not Included

PACK WEIGHT - 4.5 lbs.

WAIST BELT - Adjustable 26" - 60"

TORSO LENGTH - Adjustable 15" - 19.5"

The Scout 3400 comes in Hunter Green, Mecca Orange, and Coyote Tan. I liked the Hunter Green for its woodsy military look.

The Scout 3400 also comes with a multi-position torso adjustment that fits a wide range of body sizes. I found the adjustable velcro mechanism fairly easy to adjust and could see this as a good feature for anyone sharing their pack with other people.

The top pocket of the Scout 3400 is pretty standard. It was about the same size as my past daypacks, but the pocket's zipper was located closer to the shoulder straps than the outer face of the pack.

The 3400 offers two medium-sized pouches on the left and right sides of the pack, where I was able to sufficiently store some of my smaller gear (ie. knife sharpener, cordage, emergency battery pack, etc.).

I was disappointed that there weren’t any pockets on the waist straps. This is something I’ve become pleasantly accustomed to on my Gregory packs due to the ability to access smaller items while hiking, without having to take your pack off.

The main drawstring pocket of the pack was very roomy and I was able to comfortably store my Rompl towel, SOL emergency pack, a backup thermal sweater, my Nikon D450, and camera tripod, with room to spare.

Here is what one Amazon customer was able to fit into their pack:

Amazon customer's gear layout

I didn't use the integrated rain cover in the bottom of the pack, but took solace in the fact it was there should I ever need it. It seems to be standard on most outdoors packs now and I'm glad this bargain pack followed suit.

The separate sleeping bag storage pocket at the base of the bag was a new feature to me. Most of my packs have been for day use, and sleeping bag storage pockets become more common on the larger multi-day/night packs.

I used this pocket to store my Vibrams Fivefingers instead, as I do not have a compact sleeping bag that would fit this pocket, nor do I have the need when day hiking.

I was able to fit my 3 Liter Camelback water bladder into the pack's integrated sleeve. However, I found the overall bladder integration to be lacking, as there was only a single cloth loop on the pack's shoulder strap that locked my drinking tube in place, rather than the freedom of a hose clip on other packs.

The Verdict

After trying out the TETON Sports Scout 3400 hiking before returning it to Amazon, I was able to get an impression of the pack quality, features, and feel. Here are the highlights:

LIKES

- Price Tag ($69.99 on Amazon)

- Storage Capacity - great value for the money

- Strong 600D material - rip resistant

- Multi-Position Torso Adjustment - customize to your height / body size

- Color & Style - Hunter Green FTW!

- Integrated Rain cover

- Unique Lifetime Warranty

DISLIKES

- Questionable Materials (ie. buckles, zippers, itchy shoulder straps)

- Lack of Hip Pockets

- Poor Water Bladder Integration (no water hose clip)

All-and-all the Teton Sports Internal Frame Backpack is great buy for anyone on a budget or looking to try out their first multi-day backpack. With such a low price and high storage capacity, buyers should feel comfortable getting their money's worth and then some with the Scout 3400 and TETON Sport's Lifetime Warranty.

While the lack of hip pockets and less than optimal water integration may be a frustration to those who have had these options in the past, the uninitiated will likely find the Scout 3400 still performs great and is backed by a massive community of supporters online.

I would recommend the Scout 3400 for anyone looking for a strong, affordable multi-day pack, who isn't deterred by a few features that are more prevalent in the more expensive high-end packs.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️★ (4 out of 5 stars)

Edited 6/26/2019 for formatting and spacing.

References:

http://store.tetonsports.co

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F34ZKS/