Hi,

Have you already purchased all of the items? If not, I might suggest a slightly different backpack and water bottle. I would recommend a backpack with a side sleeve to hold the water bottle. That way the water bottle will be easy to get to, and less likely to be forgotten. Since staying hydrated is important, it will be easier for the kiddies to remember to take a drink if it is more visible. An outside pocket is also nice just in case of leaks. For the water bottle, I also recommend one with a sports-type top, rather than the large opening with just a screw on lid. This would make overpouring water less likely.

Did you remember to put each kid's name and and family contact info on the back of the family picture? You could put it in a laminated luggage tag and loop it to the outside of the backpack. This would prevent the picture from being lost in the bottom of the backpack, since it wouldn't be taken out to be "used."

What happened to extra plastic bags? I see some in the picture, but they seem to be used to contain other things. What about just loose plastic bags for just in case?

Have you thought about how the girls will personalize the backpacks? If they all have matching bright yellow backpacks, they really need an easy way to tell which is whose. Make sure that the method you use is durable and won't wear off. If you use paint, make sure it won't chip off. If you use adhesive, make sure that the adhesive is strong and doesn't leave loose edges that lead to peeling.

Have you considered having each kid get to put one additonal item in the backpack completely of their own choosing? For example, one might choose a stuffed animal for her personal comfort. Another might want to add a set of markers, or a book. It would be interesting to see what the kiddos would come up with on their own. Of course, you would make each kid justify the reason for the item before it gets placed in the backpack. And make sure that it is okay for the item to be kept in the backpack indefinately.

You say that your troup is all girls. If many of them have long hair, a small comb and some hair elastics would be a good idea, especially if they tend to wear long hair loose. In hot weather, it's really nice to be able to gather long hair up in a ponytail or braid.

It sounds like the backpack will contain some emergency items as well as some regular use items. I recommend putting all the emergency items together is a single bag inside the backpack (much like you have done with the FAK). That will make it easier to get at the regular use items and will protect the emergency items from being banged around so much. Don't overstuff the backpack. If a kid has to empty the backpack to get the one thing she wants, there's a chance that everything won't make it back into the backpack (especially small loose items).

Oh and donating $50 worth of gear per kid sounds like a lot of money to me. Maybe that isn't a big financial deal for you. However, if it is, you could considering making the kids "earn" the backpacks by doing something useful for the troup that saves you time or money. Each kid gets issued a generic packpack on loan. When they do whatever is necessary to earn the backpack, it becomes theirs and then they get to personalize it.

sorry for being so long winded ...

-Kuovonne