HOW to pack a pack! Tips and Tricks

[ATMountainTime]

Seen alot of discussion on gear, etc, but wanted to hear more about HOW people pack. Things have changed alot since i was in scouts, and would love to hear any tips, tricks, etc.

For example I have a Big Agnes air matress, but it's kind of a pain in the rear to fold, roll up and get back in the little baggie, what do others do?

Again and other idea's as it relates to packing is welcomed too.

[FarmerChef]

I'd start by saying that it depends on what kind of pack you are using and what kind of stuff you're bringing. So I'll simply give my personal experience and let other's chime in with their combinations and style.

I have GoLite Jam 50L into which I stuff my half of 2 person sleep/shelter system as well as my portion of 5 people's worth of first aid kit, cook kit, etc.

The GoLite is basically one big compartment. First, I fold up my 10x12 Tyvek groundcover until it's approximately the size of the back of the pack. Then I put it in to form the backboard of my pack - distributing weight down to my hips.
Next is my sleeping bag (very, very small) which takes up a tiny spot on the bottom of the bag.

Next in goes my stuff sack pillow with all my clothes that I'm not wearing and won't reach for quickly (those go on my body or on the outside of my pack).

On top of those two go the first aid kit and then the cook kit (which has a 4 quart pot so it's about as round as the internal volume of my pack). This completes most of the base contents of my pack and is all packed in ditty bags or compression sacks.

Next in is all the food. We have been using grocery bags to separate out groups of food and because my wife and I are packing half each of 5 people and the dog's food for up to 5 days at a time. It's a lot of food.

Once the Jam is all buttoned up, I use the top compression straps on the pack to secure my z-rest to the top of the pack. Anything else (maps or tent stakes for instance) go in the outside pocket. Some handy items are carried in the hip pockets. Main water is in the bladder sleeve and aux water (if needed) is in the side pouches.

That's it for me.

[garlic08]

The best way I've found to pack involves not packing very much. My sleeping bag or quilt and all clothing goes in first (in a plastic bag if rain is expected), followed by tent or tarp, then food. Maybe a jersey in a ziplock on top for breaks under shelter. My pad forms the back of my frameless pack and is accessible from the outside. Maps, water purification if I bring it, medical kit, headlamp, and journal go in an outside pocket, so do water bottle and rain gear and maybe some snacks for quick access in bad weather. In real heavy prolonged rain or for possible immersion in deep fords I put the maps and stuff in with the sleeping bag and let everything else get wet. In dry country there will be bulk water storage in the main body, too.

[Venchka]

Things have not changed since you were a Scout. Load distribution hasn't changed. The ideal location of the Center of Gravity remains the same. Only the backpacks have changed. When I started backpacking I used my old Scout bag and external frame. I went through a few bag+frame combinations before ditching them for a non-external frame backpack. Glad I did. :D

From a Scout web page...

19984

Wayne

[Mountaintop]

I'd start by saying that it depends on what kind of pack you are using and what kind of stuff you're bringing. So I'll simply give my personal experience and let other's chime in with their combinations and style.

I have GoLite Jam 50L into which I stuff my half of 2 person sleep/shelter system as well as my portion of 5 people's worth of first aid kit, cook kit, etc.

The GoLite is basically one big compartment. First, I fold up my 10x12 Tyvek groundcover until it's approximately the size of the back of the pack. Then I put it in to form the backboard of my pack - distributing weight down to my hips.
Next is my sleeping bag (very, very small) which takes up a tiny spot on the bottom of the bag.

Next in goes my stuff sack pillow with all my clothes that I'm not wearing and won't reach for quickly (those go on my body or on the outside of my pack).

On top of those two go the first aid kit and then the cook kit (which has a 4 quart pot so it's about as round as the internal volume of my pack). This completes most of the base contents of my pack and is all packed in ditty bags or compression sacks.

Next in is all the food. We have been using grocery bags to separate out groups of food and because my wife and I are packing half each of 5 people and the dog's food for up to 5 days at a time. It's a lot of food.

Once the Jam is all buttoned up, I use the top compression straps on the pack to secure my z-rest to the top of the pack. Anything else (maps or tent stakes for instance) go in the outside pocket. Some handy items are carried in the hip pockets. Main water is in the bladder sleeve and aux water (if needed) is in the side pouches.

That's it for me.
That's pretty close to how I packs as well, except my air mat is folded in a square in the bottom of the pack. I also like to sit on my compression sacks to flatten them out a bit. Tent on the outside. Water treatment in the side pockets.

[yellowsirocco]

Think about how you want to access your gear during the day. You don't want to unpack your whole pack just to get things like snacks, raincoat, or toilet paper.

[SunnyWalker]

It seems that weight distribution between Internal packs n Externals packs are supposed to be different. I always pack my pack the same though.

[bannerstone]

I fill my main pack body in a (3) part system



Sleeping insulation / hammock in the bottom in a dry roll top bag.
A tall slender food bag incl cook kit & everything w/food smells (roll top dry critter bag)
Tall slender clothes bag (roll top dry bag)


The tall slender food and clothes bags are side by side at the top of the pack so I can access them easily throughout the day.

Miscellaneous items stored outside the main pack body in various pouches and pockets.

Tarp
Toiletries kit
Fuel/alcohol
Water/fiter
Headlamp
Maps/camera/cell phone, etc.
Rain shell


If an items is outside the main pack body it is either something I need quick access to or doesn't really need to be protected from moisture.

In extremely wet conditions I will use the clothes bag in my main pack as a dry safe for my phone or other items that I need to protect.

David

[rocketsocks]

Sleeping bag on the bottom, along with sleep clothes in side the bag,clothing on top of that, kitchen on top of that, pillow, gloves, hat,and light jacket on one side tent on the other side stuffed around the sides of kitchen, food bag on top of all that, raincoat underneath the brain, in the brain can be found all the stuff that one brings to subdue fears, and some snacks,water goes between pack, and mesh back rest(osprey), water filter in side pocket, Nalgene bottle in other side pocket, pack cover in back pocket on pack along with tent poles and then just general stuffing of things where ever they fit, if need be.Oops, sleep pad lashed on the bottom, or if using my Big Agnes air mattress..."Bro, just stuff it in the bag it came with" :) but really I roll it and then start the fighting

[ATMountainTime]

I do sometimes miss my External Frame from when i was a kid, it was always good for a gouge from the clips.

Im packing with a Atmos 50, and BA UL2, so for poles and stakes on the outside, where does one strap them in? use the water holsters?

thoughts about the bags with everything? meaning do you use the tent bags? stove bag? compression sacks etc..

[rocketsocks]

For right now I'm using all those stuff sacks, but have been rethinking this as well.

[ATMountainTime]

and thank you guys for the input. its going to help ALOT!

[Chummin' for Bear]

My way of packing is very similar to Garlic08's thread above. I have a frameless GVP pack (equals Gossamer Gear G4), so my pad forms the back of the pack. In the main compartment, I put a heavy duty compacctor bag for rain protection. Inside this goes five things in this order, sleeping bag, camp clothes in stuff sack "against back", cook set bag "not against back", food bag in stuff sack, and on top goes my Montbell Thermawrap jacket for easy access. My water bag goes in the large center outside mesh pocket and in the two side mesh pockets are rain gear, tarp shelter, water purification, gallon size zip lock for trash, TP in zip-lock, snacks, etc.

My favorite "trick" is using a small cuben fibre pouch (from Z-Packs) on each shoulder strap. One pouch contains my camera for easy access. The other pouch contains all of my small items (i.e. first aid kit, knife, ear plugs, meds/vitamins, chapstick, headlamp, ID, debit card, cash, whistle/compass/thermometer, etc.). I love having all of these giblets in one place that is easy to reach while hiking.

[Malto]

Similar to Garlic with one major difference. For multi day hikes or legs I have two food bags. One has extra food for later days in the hike and the other (day bag) has all the food needed for the day. The extra food bag goes in the very bottom of the pack because I want the weight evenly distributed and I don't need to access it. It also allow my quilt and bivy to conform to the shape of the bag and also to the food bag and cook pot above it. Basically the layer go, hard, soft, hard, soft. One thing to note is that generally my food weight is heavier than my gear weight(8 lbs).

[HooKooDooKu]

I recently went from an external frame pack with lots of lash points to an internal frame pack with one lash point. So my pack method basically comes down to how to fit everything in the pack.

Similar to others, a few keys include allowing quick access to Toiletry Bag, 1st Aid Kit, Rain Jacket, and hat. I used to stuff my sleeping bag in a stuff sack, but the resulting rigid bag left lots of wasted space. So now my clothes and sleeping bag get stuffed together in the bottom of my back in a water proof sack. Food is inside its own dry sack. Trash is placed in a waterproof ditty bag lined with a common kitchen trash bag. The trash bag is also stored in the food bag so there is only one bag to hang to keep smells away from the bears.

[RodentWhisperer]

Here's a system from Erik the Black. I've come to swear by it myself, with minor modifications (for instance, I've no GPS):
19990

[hikerboy57]

I do sometimes miss my External Frame from when i was a kid, it was always good for a gouge from the clips.

Im packing with a Atmos 50, and BA UL2, so for poles and stakes on the outside, where does one strap them in? use the water holsters?

thoughts about the bags with everything? meaning do you use the tent bags? stove bag? compression sacks etc..
i have the same tent and an atmos 65. yes i strap the poles on the side into the bottle pocket

[leaftye]

By focusing on reducing weight and bulk, I'm able to pack primarily for speed and convenience. That basically means I don't have to pack a certain way to ensure that everything fits, and the items in the bottom of the pack would the last items I want to unpack. Most items that I intend to use during the day is in the front mesh pocket. In that way I'm like Malto. My main food bag is in the bottom of the main compartment, and food for the day is in the mesh compartment. Most days the main compartment is only opened once--at the end of the hiking day.