View Full Version : Filling empty space in pack
I have a ULA Catalyst backpack that I purchased recently for an upcoming thru hike of the John Muir Trail. The pack is just about perfect for that hike given that my bear canister takes up a good amount of room in the main compartment. I can have the sleeping bag at the bottom loosely compressed in a large dry bag, the canister vertically on top of the bag, small stuff sacks/dry bags on each side of the canister, and my tent and rain gear on top of the canister. It all fits about perfectly. The most weight I will carry on the JMT will be on the last segment where I'll probably come in at around 36 pounds. Normal all-in weight for other segments should be around 26-30 pounds. Well within the Catalyst's capacity.
My issue at the moment is that for every other trip that I may want to take, including local trips, where I will not have a bear canister, the pack volume is too big! I can deal with this additional space to some degree but compressing the sleeping bag less but there's still a ton of room in there if I'm going to be out for a couple of nights. For that type of trip, a Circuit or even Ohm 2.0 would be perfect.
Now I realize the simple solution may be "just buy a smaller pack for local trips" ... but I've been spending a ton of money on backpacking gear getting ready for my JMT hike and I really don't want to drop another $225 on a Circuit. Are there any strategies for consuming the volume within a pack like the Catalyst without adding a bunch of unnecessary weight for shorter trips?
I have also thought about getting a Circuit and selling my hardly used Catalyst and just making the Circuit work for the JMT thru hike ... but the Catalyst works so well for that application that I'm hesitant to downsize plus I would be slightly exceeding the Circuit's rated limit for the last segment of the JMT.
BigHodag
03-09-2013, 13:27
Unless your problem is having too much weight down low and not enough weight up top and its effects on balance, I don't understand the actual problem.
If you want the canister weight higher, find something light and spacious to put in the bottom. Air pillow, yoga ball, etc. I'd make it a luxury item that adds to your trip pleasure. Else wise, fill a large plastic trash bag with styrofoam peanuts, empty plastic bottles, or similar to decrease the available pack space.
Slo-go'en
03-09-2013, 13:41
You could continue to carry the bear canister for all your trips, which might not be a bad idea.
An elastic mesh pocket sewen on the inside, front panel and a special, rectangular ballon which fits the pocket and could be filled with air to take up the empty space would be a neat feature for these larger packs.
Of course, most packs address that problem with cinch strapes on the sides of the bag. Maybe you could add some?
You could continue to carry the bear canister for all your trips, which might not be a bad idea.
An elastic mesh pocket sewen on the inside, front panel and a special, rectangular ballon which fits the pocket and could be filled with air to take up the empty space would be a neat feature for these larger packs.
Of course, most packs address that problem with cinch strapes on the sides of the bag. Maybe you could add some?
I could carry the bear canister for all trips but it weighs a couple of pounds and it would be nice to eliminate it when not needed. There are compression straps on the pack and I could fold the top down quite a bit but it still seems a bit "empty" and I've read that packs ride better when the volume is full. I'm sure I'll figure something out - adding a couple of fleece pieces that I wouldn't normally carry due to volume considerations might do the trick.
Slo-go'en
03-09-2013, 14:17
Yea, packs which are only half full don't carry too well. They work better with the contents more or less evenly distributed. Some bulky fleece would do it and be lighter then the canister. Eventually getting a smaller pack will the the ultimate solution.
bigcranky
03-09-2013, 15:13
You could sell the Catalyst when you get home and buy an Ohm 2.0.
johnnybgood
03-09-2013, 15:22
Seeing that you live in northern Virginia,have you ever considered looking into an area REI garage sale. There are no less than 4 area stores near where you live and certainly you must have at least visited one of those in your quest to get ready for your upcoming JMT hike.
Yes, you must get their early to get the best deals,but this sounds like a trade off to spending a ton of money on another pack at this time. Great deals on returned backpacks including Osprey,Granite Gear & REI and other name brands.
I bought an REI Flash 65 from one of these sales for an amazing $15.83 and the only blemish was a quarter sized hole in the side mesh pocket. Also bought an Osprey Stratus (no longer sold) that had no blemishes and was used for a weekend hike and returned for $59.83.
Seeing that you live in northern Virginia,have you ever considered looking into an area REI garage sale. There are no less than 4 area stores near where you live and certainly you must have at least visited one of those in your quest to get ready for your upcoming JMT hike.
Yes, you must get their early to get the best deals,but this sounds like a trade off to spending a ton of money on another pack at this time. Great deals on returned backpacks including Osprey,Granite Gear & REI and other name brands.
I bought an REI Flash 65 from one of these sales for an amazing $15.83 and the only blemish was a quarter sized hole in the side mesh pocket. Also bought an Osprey Stratus (no longer sold) that had no blemishes and was used for a weekend hike and returned for $59.83.
Great idea! I'll have to watch out for a sale.
rocketsocks
03-09-2013, 15:57
Saw this posted the other day, and thought it was very interesting. In stead of putting a bear canister in your pack, attach it to the out side of the pack, but keep the food in your pack while hiking, it seems it would allow more flexibility as far as pack-ability is concerned.
Line the interior of the pack with a closed cell foam pad like a burrito. It'll take up a lot of space and give the pack structure, so much so that you can probably pull the frame out of the pack.
Spit Walker
03-09-2013, 19:11
I have the same problem. I bought some down pants and stuff them where needed. I wanted the pants anyway and it works for my system. As I run lower on food I pack my contents different by kinda stacking contents then compressing with pack straps. Its not a good weekend pack though...
Get a smaller pack is the answer. AND, you DO NOT have to drop another $200+ on another pack either. Look at the ULA Ohm or ULA CDT.
Get a smaller pack is the answer. AND, you DO NOT have to drop another $200+ on another pack either. Look at the ULA Ohm or ULA CDT.
I'm not sure that I have my gear light enough for the CDT ... Probably the Ohm is more realistic. ULA makes great packs.
Get a bigger bag for your sleeping bag (i.e don't compress it).
Ditto for clothes.
Don't"nest" things inside each other as much.
MuddyWaters
03-09-2013, 22:49
dont stuff your bag,
Keep everything inside
use the compression straps
It will be fine.
But there is no law against having a quiver of packs to suit different trips.
Its actually fun.
But there is no law against having a quiver of packs to suit different trips. MuddyWaters
If you can swing the price this is really the way to go from several stand pts. When having TOO LARGE of a backpack for a hike and not having the option to downsize to a more appropriate sized backpack the tendency is to bring more than what you need or will really use. You can also look for packs that help minimize/alter the volume with compression straps etc.like the GoLite Jam packs.
Nameless
03-11-2013, 18:08
The gearskin changes volume to fit every trip.
Leave air in a thermarest. Builds bulk, but not weight.
Starchild
03-11-2013, 18:16
The things that come to mind is don't fully deflate your air mattress or get a inflatable pillow and leave it inflated.
I don't know what's wrong with having a nearly empty pack. My Catalyst is like a limp noodle on local 3-season hikes, and there's nothing wrong with that. If anything that's great because I can pack quickly and get away with it. Like I said earlier, sometimes I'll remove the frame and use a rolled up foam pad inside.
ChinMusic
03-11-2013, 19:54
I have a ULA Catalyst backpack that I purchased recently for an upcoming thru hike of the John Muir Trail. The pack is just about perfect for that hike given that my bear canister takes up a good amount of room in the main compartment. I can have the sleeping bag at the bottom loosely compressed in a large dry bag, the canister vertically on top of the bag, small stuff sacks/dry bags on each side of the canister, and my tent and rain gear on top of the canister.
Be careful not to have the tent or rain gear being "pinched" by the can. It can rub a hole in the material.
Be careful not to have the tent or rain gear being "pinched" by the can. It can rub a hole in the material.
I've noticed that. I'm planning to buy a thinlight 1/8" pad to wrap around the bear canister to prevent abrasion. It's a pretty tight fit.
I don't know what's wrong with having a nearly empty pack. My Catalyst is like a limp noodle on local 3-season hikes, and there's nothing wrong with that. If anything that's great because I can pack quickly and get away with it. Like I said earlier, sometimes I'll remove the frame and use a rolled up foam pad inside.
I'll have to get out there more and experiment. I've read everywhere that packs "ride better" when the volume is consumed by something - doesn't have to be heavy but the volume should be filled up. That makes some sense because things won't be moving around and shifting on the trail.
The long term solution will be to get another pack but I'll probably wait until next year to do that.
ChinMusic
03-11-2013, 20:04
I've noticed that. I'm planning to buy a thinlight 1/8" pad to wrap around the bear canister to prevent abrasion. It's a pretty tight fit.
Excellent. I learned it the hard way.
I'll have to get out there more and experiment. I've read everywhere that packs "ride better" when the volume is consumed by something - doesn't have to be heavy but the volume should be filled up. That makes some sense because things won't be moving around and shifting on the trail.
The long term solution will be to get another pack but I'll probably wait until next year to do that.
It's not so much that you would want it full as you want it full enough for the compression straps to do their job. Even so, that doesn't matter much when you're carrying a very light load. Usually a small load is a light load, so you might not have anything to worry about.
The only time I really wish my pack would compress very tightly is when I'm hitching.
Alligator
03-11-2013, 22:38
Pack with abandon, meaning just throw all your stuff inside.
You know you really want a second pack...