pack size

[Nurrgle]

I also need enough water capacity for 36 hours, roughly 6 liters (13.2 lbs of water) per person. Last time I didn't bring rain gear on a desert trip it rained every night, regardless of what the forecast said. That means I will need full rain gear and a shelter that can handle +30 mph winds (I will be camping on the plateau a few times and when it rains it blows in the desert).

That is a ton of water weight, I personally rarely have anything more then a Nalgene or two on me.

I have done 14 day trips with a 65 comfortably, All of my clothes, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad fit in the sleeping bag compartment. Food goes in next, usually just some oatmeal, fruit rollups, freeze dried dinner, etc.. Finally stove, filter and other odds and ends. The only hygiene stuff I bring are the little teeth finger scrubber things and Sea-to-Summit multiwash.

Usually have a pair of shorts, a set of smartwool, and a t-shirt in my bag for clothes. Three pairs of socks and two of underwear. Oh and I always have my rain shells but they pack to small and light I forget they are even in there.

 

[Nick]

That is a ton of water weight, I personally rarely have anything more then a Nalgene or two on me.

Ditto. I've had more than a few times where I had to lug 6-8 liters for a good chunk of a day, but never for much more than that. And it still fit in my 36-50L pack just fine. And if there's anything I've learned on BCP in the last few months, I am not an ultralighter.

 

[Yvonne]

Ditto. I've had more than a few times where I had to lug 6-8 liters for a good chunk of a day, but never for much more than that. And it still fit in my 36-50L pack just fine. And if there's anything I've learned on BCP in the last few months, I am not an ultralighter.

ha, and you inspired me with your 36L pack to go light.
I do not go light because of all the camera gear I always bring, but everything else is pretty light so I can use my wonderful 38L or 50L packs. And I do even bring a camp chair

 

[Aldaron]

I have a hard time wrapping my head around the pack sizes of many others, too, so don't feel bad. My pack weight is pretty good, with a base weight around 18. But it still takes a 65 for me to carry it. I can only fit my WM sleeping bag in the sleeping bag compartment, so I'd love to know how others fit more in there. I was pretty happy to get my weight down but now I'd love to know how to get the pack size down, too.

 

[Aldaron]

Maybe I take bigger food than many. I primarily take Mountain House meals for dinner. Do most people take cold snacks?

 

[Nick]

Is it simply a matter of how densely you pack things? My base weight is only like a pound less than you, Keith. That's wild that there is such a discrepancy in what size pack it takes to haul such a similar load.

 

[Aldaron]

I think that's a good point. It certainly doesn't take a 65 to fit gear for a summer overnighter in good weather. But I did notice in the Winds that your pack seemed packed more tightly than mine. I kinda just throw mine in there and call it good.

 

[ogg]

I guess I must one of the few oddballs in the Big Pack club, currently favoring an 80L pack. I have 65L pack but it just won't work with a full sized bear can for me. The 80L pack has a better suspension and carries heavier loads over 35 lbs much better. Packing is a breeze- I can literally toss everything in, tug the compression straps, and I'm good to go. I don't like carrying a lot of stuff outside an internal frame pack, other than my shade umbrella. I often see on the trail hikers with small packs and a bunch of gear hanging and swaying all around it, looking like foot-borne equivalents of the Joads' truck. In my experience, that can adversely affect the way an internal frame pack rides (external frame packs: not so much. I'm kind of fan of external frame packs and own three, but I've gone back to internal frame packs with my current 80L, at least for a while).

 

[Nick]

Lots of stuff attached to the outside of packs is a pet peeve of mine too. If it doesn't fit inside, you need a bigger pack or less stuff. If I was lugging a bear canister, I'm sure I'd need at least a 50L, maybe more. That changes everything.

 

[steve]

One way I fit more stuff in a small bag is by leaving a few stuff sacks at home. Also, my pack is one huge tube with no extra "sleeping bag" compartment. I understand why a lot of people don't love the single-tube setup; multiple pockets are super convenient. It took me forever to get used to one big compartment (like a dry bag), but now that I've figured out how to pack mine better, I'm a huge fan.

One advantage of a single tube design is how the gear all smooshes together. Since I don't have a separate compartment for my sleeping bag, I'm able to use every spare inch of space since all my gear flows into each other's personal space. My pants can push into my sleeping bag, which wraps around my water filter, and allows my stove to sit on top. Packing this way allows it to compress tighter, and allows the bag to sit on my back the way it was designed to.

Ever since I ditched my stuff sack for my bag, I noticed that my pack rode better My bag can now expand and fill in all the nooks and crannies, rather than sitting in a tightly wadded up dense little rock in my pack. By allowing the sleeping bag to spread out, I'm able to cinch down my pack to be able to roll it down tighter and smaller than back when I used a stuff sack.

I also buy my favorite mountain house meals in bulk, then repackage them in a ziplock. That saves a lot of weight and some space too. I also HATE strapping crap to the outside of my pack, that drives me insane. I'd love to hear what else people to do keep their load small.

 

[steve]

fortunately a lot of bags these days allow you to strap a bear canister to the top of the bag. So quite a few 50-60L packs can accommodate a full BV canister without it taking up any extra room in the pack (though I hate taking that thing unless absolutely necessary)

 

[Nick]

I've never really understood the bags with all the different compartments. Single tube is great, IMO. I haven't tried ditching my sleeping bag stuff sack. Sounds like I need to.

Just curious @steve, what is the weight difference between a Mountain House packet and a zip lock bag?

 

[Parma]

my pack is the Gregory Contour 60. It has a large compartment that rests against your back and a medium sized compartment with a U shaped zipper on the front...i like this setup.
http://www.rei.com/product/847186/gregory-contour-60-pack

one thing on this pack i really like, is the side zipper access to the large compartment. so if something is at the bottom, you can access it from the side instead of taking everything out or digging from the top.

 

[steve]

I haven't tried ditching my sleeping bag stuff sack. Sounds like I need to.

give it a shot. You may hate it, or you may love it. I don't miss mine one bit.

Just curious @steve, what is the weight difference between a Mountain House packet and a zip lock bag?

Great question! I'll bust out the scale and find out one of these days. Ziplocks also pack up smaller when I'm done. Not a huge deal on a single overnighter, but those mountain house bags add up quick. on a longer trip.

The main weight savings is shaving the serving size down from 1.5-2 servings to 1. Not that it's a huge weight savings, but hey, it saves more weight than cutting the tags off your underwear.

 

[Vegan.Hiker]

If I was lugging a bear canister, I'm sure I'd need at least a 50L, maybe more. That changes everything.

I'm actually able to fit my bear canister, along with my tent, sleeping bag, and stove inside my Kestral 38L with room to spare for extra clothing. My canister is pretty compact though.

 

[Nick]

Wow! To be honest, I've never used one. I bought a Bear Vault once but I returned it after I actually got my hands on it and thought about packing it. What canister do you use?

 

[Vegan.Hiker]

Bare Boxer Contender. It's pretty lightweight and compact and I can cram about 3 days of food in it.

http://www.bareboxer.com/default.htm

http://www.bareboxer.com/faqs.htm

I may pick up the bigger Bare Boxer Champ for my trip with the infamous Joey in Sept since the contender will be too small and apparently Joey is a bear magnet.

 

[Nick]

I may pick up the bigger Bare Boxer Champ for my trip with the infamous Joey in Sept since the contender will be too small and apparently Joey is a bear magnet.

You might need one of these too...

 

[Vegan.Hiker]

Lol a UL folding ladder lashed to my pack for tree climbing might not be a bad idea either.

 

[balzaccom]

Lots of stuff attached to the outside of packs is a pet peeve of mine too. If it doesn't fit inside, you need a bigger pack or less stuff. If I was lugging a bear canister, I'm sure I'd need at least a 50L, maybe more. That changes everything.

I am going to offer a minority report here. First of all, we do a ton of hiking in the Sierra, and in the national parks a bear can is required equipment, That said we still use a couple of 50L packs for everything up to about 8 days.

But you will ALWAYS find a fleece hanging on the outside of my wife's pack, and if it's laundry day, you'll probably see a pair of socks hanging on mine. The good news? They're clean, so you won't smell them as you pass by.