Making it all fit?????

[FreshStart]

Excuse me if this has been asked, ive searched and cant come up with anything. Whats the best way to pack a pack so everything fits? Ive been trying all differant things to cram all my gear in my pack and its just not working. I just got the Atmos AG 50 and the contured back of the pack makes it really difficult for me to get my tent and sleeping bag into the bottom. Is there any secret to this. I have things in compression sacks, compressed as much as possible. Im a total newb to hiking and im planning my first weekend trip and cant seem to find a good way to stow all my gear. Any tips would be really appreciated. Whats works for you guys?????? This is bending my mind:confused:

[BirdBrain]

Get rid of the compression sack for the sleeping bag. Let it be the soft material that forms around other rigid objects. Do the same thing with your clothes. Compression sacks create inflexible bowling balls that weigh more. That will not solve all your issues, but it is a start.

[ChrisJackson]

I have a tough time too sometimes getting all my gear in my 50 liter pack...and, I'm in Georgia. I see your in New Jersey. My point is I currently have the luxury of a smaller ~25* bag. I can just get all my gear and 5 days of food in (including a readin' book!) Have you tried *not* using the compression stuff sacks? Even though some of the stuff is compressed in sacks, there can be small voids of empty space between them that could be filled if you just go without the sacks and cram everything in... Also, consider what you can lash to the outside of your pack. Keep tryin! You'll get it.

[BirdBrain]

Look at your food bag. Many people carry wonderful treats that take up too much space. Calorie densities will help. Things with liquids take up more room. I have no problem fitting 10 days of food in my food bag. No. It is not as good as the hikers that carry honey buns and bread. It is lighter and more compact.

[perdidochas]

Get rid of the compression sack for the sleeping bag. Let it be the soft material that forms around other rigid objects. Do the same thing with your clothes. Compression sacks create inflexible bowling balls that weigh more. That will not solve all your issues, but it is a start.

Just a little science, compression sacks do not make things weigh more (besides the weight of the compression sack). It is an impossibility. Admittedly, the compression sacks create inflexible bowling balls that are more dense, but they weigh exactly the same.

[Jedeye]

Not sure what type of tent you are trying to fit in but perhaps you can keep the tent poles on the outside? And like BirdBrain said don't worry about compression sacks for everything, just stuff it in and let it take the shape of the pack. I like to keep my shelter near the top if I need to set it up in a hurry and the days food should be in a outside pocket. Feel free to post a detailed list of your gear and that will probably help others give you more detailed input.

[BirdBrain]

Just a little science, compression sacks do not make things weigh more (besides the weight of the compression sack). It is an impossibility. Admittedly, the compression sacks create inflexible bowling balls that are more dense, but they weigh exactly the same.

You made my point. No compression sack weighs less than one compression sack. It should have been obvious that I was referring to the added weight of the redundant sacks and not the object(s) in them. Everything weighs something. The lightest choice is the one left behind.

[FreshStart]

Im using the Big Agnes Fairview 2 tent and the Nemo Rhythm 25 Sleeping bag. Not the smallest of tents and bags I guess.

[Walkintom]

You may do better strapping the whole tent outside your pack. I always wind up doing this.

The tent is usually the last thing I pack and the first thing I get out when I'm leaving/arriving so it's convenient to strap it outside my pack. I tend to be able to put my tent in one of the side pockets and use the side straps on the pack to secure it. Since I try to stay at or under 30 pounds it's never an issue packing it this way.

[HooKooDooKu]

BirdBrain is dead on... to a point.

Things that you can significantly compress smaller are going to give you more room left over in your pack. The point BirdBrain makes very well is that if everything is stuffed down as small as it can go, then the pieces won't be able to fit together filling all the nooks and crannies of your pack leaving unused dead space.

In the case of a sleeping bag, maybe you want to put it in a compression bag, maybe you don't. It depends upon how well you can loosely compress it. So you might need to try both ways... sleeping bag compressed and cloths fill the nooks and crannies... sleeping bag and cloths fill the nooks and crannies.

I used to place my sleeping bag and cloths in a waterproof bag in case it rained or I fell in a creek. But the act of placing all that stuff in one bag makes it impossible to use the contents of that bag to fill all the nooks and crannies. So no I use a trash compactor bag (ACE Hardware store brand because they are odorless) as a pack liner. I stuff my sleeping bag and then place my sleeping bag and sleeping pad inside the pack liner. I then fill all around these with cloths. I then close up the bag and put the food bag and other items that can get wet (like the cook pot) on top of the liner. Using a liner allows me to ditch using a rain cover, because if I do get caught in the rain, my pack might get wet, but my sleep system and change of cloths inside the pack liner stay try (same thing if I take a tumble in a creek).

[swisscross]

Your bag and tent are a little bulky.
Try stuffing your sleeping bag in a trash compactor bag at bottom of pack.
Remove the fly and the poles from your tent stuff sack. Poles on outside of pack and fly stuffed around or on top of tent packed horizontal.

Not sure what pad you have either. Some take up a bunch of space. I have an original neoair L and fold it flat and place it under my tent on top of my sleeping bag (in compactor bag)

[tarditi]

aside from the "bring less" suggestion, you can make sure the items you bring are all really essential... in some cases things may need to serve multiple uses.
Can you carry your tent (or anything else) externally?

[bigcranky]

That's not a huge pack. It might be just too small for your gear, sorry to say.

[4eyedbuzzard]

That's not a huge pack. It might be just too small for your gear, sorry to say.
That's the funny thing about discussions such as these - I bet you there are others thinking exactly the opposite - wondering exactly what gear the OP is carrying for a weekend hike that takes up an entire 50 L pack.

EDIT: A google search will reveal that the curved form of this pack brings many similar comments regarding how gear fits, or doesn't, inside this pack.

[Slo-go'en]

You need a bigger pack. The sleeping bag has a 19L volume and the tent is about 10L so that's 60% of the packs capacity right there and probably most of the main compartments capacity. ( I couldn't find a break down of volume of the various pockets).

A 50L pack is okay if you have a tiny UL tent and a down sleeping bag with minimal clothes and food. With the tent and bag you have now, a 65L pack would be more reasonable.

[bigcranky]

What Slo said. People with traditional gear usually need larger packs.


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[Carbo]

I returned my Osprey 65L AG to REI for this reason (taking forever to get everything to fit/or not fitting at all). If I need to hang my tent and sleeping bag outside of the pack, my 35 year old external frame will do fine. I also like all the zippered pockets on the external plus easy access to top, mid and lower sections of the pack. May not be as comfortable but I find the difference in comfort is minor. Difference in $$ is major.

[FreshStart]

Thank you for all the suggestions!!! After wrestling with it some more I was able to loose the compression sack that I had my tent in, compress my sleeping bag as much as possible and put that right in the bottom center of the pack and then fill those strangly shaped sides by just stuffing my tent down there. Fly and footprint on one side and the tent on the other. Thinking about it I'm sure that does a number to the tent over time, but either way this freed up some much need space and should work out.:banana

[HooKooDooKu]

This is why I always want a pack with at least some lashing straps on the bottom, so that I've got the option to lash the tent, sleeping bag, or sleeping pad to the outside of the pack. You don't need much. I use the REI Flash 62 that has a pair of straps at the bottom that are only about 3/4" wide. But that's more than enough to allow my to lash my 3P tent to the bottom (when camping with both my boys).

[BirdBrain]

Thank you for all the suggestions!!! After wrestling with it some more I was able to loose the compression sack that I had my tent in, compress my sleeping bag as much as possible and put that right in the bottom center of the pack and then fill those strangly shaped sides by just stuffing my tent down there. Fly and footprint on one side and the tent on the other. Thinking about it I'm sure that does a number to the tent over time, but either way this freed up some much need space and should work out.:banana

Not sure that is a good long term solution. If your tent is going in with everything else, you will want to protect everything else from the tent. The tent gets wet and dirty. Losing stuff sacks for sleeping bag and clothes is a better choice. As far as damaging the tent, random stuffing is better than repeated folds.

[FreshStart]

Ugh didn't think about that. I could do the trash compactor route and leave just the tent on the outside?


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[BirdBrain]

Ugh didn't think about that. I could do the trash compactor route and leave just the tent on the outside?


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Some people put their tent on outside of bag. That is not a bad idea. However, that does not help with issue of filling voids on inside of bag. That is best done by sleeping bag and clothes.

[Mobius]

Ugh didn't think about that. I could do the trash compactor route and leave just the tent on the outside?

That's what I do. Quilt and clothes in the trash compactor bag. Tent and sleeping pad outside the compactor bag (but inside the pack in my case. One either side). Food bag and cook kit sits on top of it all.

[Slo-go'en]

Ugh didn't think about that. I could do the trash compactor route and leave just the tent on the outside?

You could try strapping it to the outside, there looks to be straps near the bottom of the pack. But unless it can hang directly below the pack, it might upset your center of gravity. That's a pretty heavy tent and you want to keep heavy things close to your back.

I would pack the tent, sleeping bag and food in the main compartment using clothes to fill in any voids. Sleeping pad strapped to the outside (in a stuff sack to protect it). Everything else in what ever pockets remain. If that isn't enough, get a bigger pack.

[CarlZ993]

Sounds like you need to either A) downsize your sleeping bag/tent combo, or B) up-size your pack.

Everyone has their system for packing. I'll give you mine: I line my pack w/a trash compactor bag. I put my sleeping bag in a waterproof stuff sack. Ditto for my clothes. I insert both stuff sacks vertically inside the pack's compactor bag. I fill the nooks & crannies around the two bags with other stuff. If using a standard double-wall tent, I'll store the pole bag (w/ stakes) in the outside wand pocket of my pack. The tent & fly are crammed into an appropriate space (if the tent fly & ground sheet are wet, I make sure they don't go inside the compactor bag). I close up the compactor bag & put other items on top of it that I don't worry about getting wet (raingear, food bag, etc).

Good luck setting up your rig.

[HooKooDooKu]

Forget about bags and protecting stuff from a wet tent for just a moment and attempt to address the question of "do I need a bigger pack"?

Is it even possible for you to get everything in your pack? Stuff your sleeping pad, sleeping bag, cloths, tent, cook-gear, food and other stuff. Does it all fit?
If no, then what can be pulled out and lashed to the outside of the pack?
If nothing can be lashed to the outside of the pack, then it's time for a new pack.

But if you can get everything, THEH start looking at how you can get it all in there and keep stuff protected from one another. Perhaps cloths and sleeping bag need to be in one bag and tent in another. Perhaps these are side by side. Perhaps you stuff sleeping bag and cloths in the bottom. Then put cook stuff and other items on top of that. Then get another bag and put it on top and around the other gear sitting on top of the cloths.

[tf bear]

get a chest pack and place smaller items there. it will balance out your load.

[MuddyWaters]

Excuse me if this has been asked, ive searched and cant come up with anything. Whats the best way to pack a pack so everything fits? Ive been trying all differant things to cram all my gear in my pack and its just not working. I just got the Atmos AG 50 and the contured back of the pack makes it really difficult for me to get my tent and sleeping bag into the bottom. Is there any secret to this. I have things in compression sacks, compressed as much as possible. Im a total newb to hiking and im planning my first weekend trip and cant seem to find a good way to stow all my gear. Any tips would be really appreciated. Whats works for you guys?????? This is bending my mind:confused:

Bigger pack, or less crap.
You realize your pack should be no more than 2/3 full to leave room for food and water, right? right?

[No Directions]

I usually put my tent on the outside of my pack. And even though my pack is larger than yours (REI Flash 62) I usually have unused space in my pack. The only time I fill it up is when I take my hammock on multi day trips and everything is on the inside. A 50 liter would probably be too small for me in that situation.

[Woodturner]

I've been backpacking for forty years but I'm a late convert/newbe at the ultralight game. Maybe I went about it wrong, but I solved the problem of my tent not fitting in my smaller pack by getting a new tent. Two actually, an OR Helium Bivy and a Six Moons Designs Lunar Solo. I figure the bivy will be good for weekend trips and the tent will be great for longer ones. As I don't do a lot of really cold weather camping, I also added a down quilt weighing around a pound. At any extent, my tent, quilt, and sleeping pad take up about the same amount of space my MSR Hubba Hubba at not a lot more weight than just the MSR tent alone.

[twistwrist]

Pack it like an "egg". Sleeping stuff on bottom, heavier, bulky stuff in the middle, and lighter items on top. Stuff clothes and other little items anywhere you can in between all the big things.

[FreshStart]

Just got back from my first overnight trip on the AT. We did dunnfield creek NJ north bound to millbrook-blairstown road, a shade over 12 miles. We did about 9 miles yesterday and took it real easy today. It was awesome to say the least. Now I see why you guys are so obsessed:banana. As for the "making it all fit" it went perfect. I stuffed my tent on either side and my sleeping bag in the middle on the bottom of my pack. Used a trash compactor bag and left my tent and water bladder outside and everything else in. Had plenty of room left over for all the other goodies. I can't wait to get out again, I'm already planning my next trip! My only issues was a bit of chaffing on both of my hip bones, other than that it went great. I'm sure ill feel it tomorrow!

[4eyedbuzzard]

Just got back from my first overnight trip on the AT. We did dunnfield creek NJ north bound to millbrook-blairstown road, a shade over 12 miles. We did about 9 miles yesterday and took it real easy today. It was awesome to say the least. Now I see why you guys are so obsessed:banana. As for the "making it all fit" it went perfect. I stuffed my tent on either side and my sleeping bag in the middle on the bottom of my pack. Used a trash compactor bag and left my tent and water bladder outside and everything else in. Had plenty of room left over for all the other goodies. I can't wait to get out again, I'm already planning my next trip! My only issues was a bit of chaffing on both of my hip bones, other than that it went great. I'm sure ill feel it tomorrow!Glad to hear that your trip went so well. Yeah, and the second day back is when out of shape muscles will complain ;)