Help!! Can't fit gear!!!

[ethanrdavis8]

Hi I'm a Boy Scout and just got a Kelty Coyote 4750 (I know not the best but it was a gift) I am going snow camping and can't fit some stuff into my pack. My only problem is with the main compartment. I can barely fit my sleeping bag, tent, tarp, snow pants (rolled up) and heavy coat (rolled up). I also read that a pad can be placed on the outside, but I don't know how. I know you have to use the straps, but I am still confused. Thanks for any help!!

[bredler]

I also read that a pad can be placed on the outside, but I don't know how. I know you have to use the straps, but I am still confused. Thanks for any help!!

Roll it up and put it on either the top or the bottom (depends on pack design) like this:http://www.ir.bbn.com/~vkawadia/pics/alaska-backpacker.jpg


Or vertically like this:
http://www.johnnymolloy.com/Books/Backpacker%20on%20Florida%20Trail%20in%20Osceola%2 0National%20Forest.jpg

Either way works.

Also you seem to be confused about the basic tenets of the polling feature. Although perhaps interesting, your poll doesn't have much to do with the question.

[Patrickjd9]

You probably need to compress your sleeping bag. There are sacks for the purpose, but you may be able to improvise by squeezing the air out with the sleeping bag inside a plastic trash bag and taping/tying the bag shut.

Also, do you need tarp and tent? If you're using tarp as groundcloth, use black plastic (3 or 4 mil) from Home Depot.

Compression stuff sack:

http://www.mountainsports.com/msmain.asp?Option=Detail&Detail=081661

[Patrickjd9]

Ethan, I looked at the Kelty. Seems like a good pack to start out with. I used a Kelty pack for my first 20+ years of backpacking.

Looking at the pic, you should also be able to tie something to one side or the other using the built in straps. Watch out for unbalancing yourself, though.

Winter gear is bulky, its unavoidable. You might also be able to compress your winter coat if it's down or synthetic fill as I descried above.

Good luck and enjoy!

[Lyle]

I guess it would help if you listed what you mean by Heavy Coat, Snow Pants, Tent, and Sleeping bag. Are these things designed for backpacking, ie lightweight and compressible, or are they things designed for snowmobiling, ie overkill and VERY BULKY?

If they are the latter, you probably won't be able to get everything in. Maybe make a list of what you have and folks on here can maybe help you come up with workable alternatives.

Don't take offense, maybe what you have is ok, we just don't know what your experience level is and if you are trying to fit too much bulk into your pack in the first place.

Also, where are you headed to do this camping?

[tazie]

Also, where are you headed to do this camping?


With that snow gear sounds like he's leanin' toward that Alaskin' cruise.

[Grumpy Ol' Pops]

sleeping bag


Back in the days before ultralite was a buzzword, sleeping bags were often rolled along the long axis and secured in an upside down u-shape to the top and sides of a backpack with thin cord (rope) or even bungee cords. A sleeping pad can be placed inside the bag before rolling. But if you have that much gear with you, perhaps you need to go over all of it again and downsize. Get rid of all those things you "might need," and then go through the downsizing process again and again until you have everything you really need. If the problem is that your clothing is too bulky, can you get something that is less bulky but just as warm?

[Blissful]

Hey everyone - Ethan is 13, so take it easy on technical backpack jargon stuff. Unless his parents buy him the gear, he won't likely get it himself. So he will need to carry what he has unless his dad can get online here and we talk it over with him :). The pictures are great!

Hey Ethan, you might want to go with your dad to an outdoor shop that sells backpack gear (not Dicks Sporting Goods but a real backpacking shop) with your stuff and your pack and let the guys there help you arrange things in your pack. And maybe get your dad to buy you what's called a compression sack for your sleeping bag which will make it a lot smaller and can fit better in your backpack. These kind of stores often give Boy Scouts a discount with your scout card too.

Have fun and glad you are on White Blaze!

:)

[rafe]

Yo, Blissfull, you dissin' Dicks? :cool:

[gungho]

Dick's doesn't exactly have the most knowledgeable staff IMO

[DAKS]

welcome to WB ethan! i hope you have a great trip! where are you going? are you going to be backpacking with this gear or is this a car camping trip with your troop? if you are doing more of a car camping trip, don't worry about trying to fit everything in your pack. in addition to your pack, take a large duffel bag for any remaining gear that just wont fit. i remember my first winter campout with my troop many many years ago. i too had the same problem with getting all of my winter gear into a small BSA issued backpack. i had all sorts of gear tied on to my pack with rope and bungee cords! it didn't look very good, but it worked for the weekend outing. so far, others have offered some great advice on how to comfortably pack your gear. i hope it works out for you! BE PREPARED and have fun!

[Grumpy Ol' Pops]

tent, tarp

I have to assume that you are taking this trip with other hikers. If that's the case, are you all packing tents, tarps, etc.? One-man tents? If you plan to use two-man or larger tents, split that load between two or more people. There's no reason you have to carry everything. Have you considered your food items? Can you repackage any or all items and save unnecessary weight and bulk? For example, are you planning on making pancakes and feel you have to carry the entire bottle of syrup with you when a smaller container can be more than enough?

[ethanrdavis8]

Thanks for all the help guys. I wish I could go to a backpacking store, but my dad is in Afghanistan.

Anyway, after a series of canceling then rescheduling, we are heading up to Mt Charleston, NV. I am the only bringing a tent, as everyone else is sleeping in the cabin. But hey, I'd rather be cold and enjoy pure camping!

I looked at the pictures (thanks!) but none of them match my pack. I would upload a pic, but this laptop doesn't have the memory card slot I need. So if you guys could just google image the Kelty Coyote 4750 that'd be great. Thanks for all the input!!

[envirodiver]

Ethan that's a pretty good sized pack. You probably don't want to carry more than that. Go to www.Campmor.com (http://www.Campmor.com) or www.rei.com (http://www.rei.com) and get some accessory straps. You can use these to attach your sleeping pad to the outside of your pack easily. You can also find compression sacks on these 2 sites. They work to compress the things you put into them and will decrease the size a lot.

That strip of fabric with loops that run down the center of the back of the pack is called a "Daisy Chain". You can use the straps and the daisy chain to attach your pad vertically. There are also places that you can attach things horizontally if you can get your straps under and secure it.

Straps are easier and work a bit better, but if you know some knots you can also tie it onto the outside with some sort of cord.

[AlwaysHiking]

i too had the same problem with getting all of my winter gear into a small BSA issued backpack. i had all sorts of gear tied on to my pack with rope and bungee cords! it didn't look very good, but it worked for the weekend outing.

Was hiking in Sky Meadows a few weeks ago. Saw a troop heading up to the campground there. They had people carrying packs, buckets, large storage containers, coolers, and arm fulls of stuff I couldn't even identify! It was very amusing to watch while I was waiting for the people I was hiking with. On our way up to the AT we saw some of their ditched gear only a half mile in! I'm sure they had a few instances of doubling back for all that gear. With as much as they had they could've been staying for a month.

I'm sure that trip was a memory maker for those scouts too!