Size of pack
Has anyone thru hiked the A.T. with a pack under 50 L ? I'm guessing the norm is 50 L - 70 L.
People have hiked with half that
For instance, Matt Kirk's pack was about 25L if I recall correctly.
What obviously matters is how much volume YOU need.
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 08-26-2016 at 13:22.
Wow, how in the world you can get by with such a small pack. Thanks for the reply.Originally Posted by MuddyWaters
Plenty of light and fast types out there with 25-35Ls
I met a guy on the Blue Ridge Parkway hiking in shorts and a tshirt...he had some 550 cord that he had tied into a web that he wore over his shoulders like a pack and just tied his stuff to it...he didn't have much...I'd be surprised if the whole thing weighed 5 pounds. He used a sheet of tyvek as a sleeping bag. He carried a couple of power bars with him and other than that he only ate in towns...which was probably close to every day because he said he was doing 25+ miles a day.
Easily....once you spend some time carrying all the useless crap you will really learn what's a necessity....we've all been there.....
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This thread interests me since I am considering downsizing to a Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider 2400, which is a 40L pack.
https://www.hyperlitemountaingear.co...uct_tabs_specs
I will follow this thread with great interest.
OkeefenokeeJoe
Neither fast or light. Actually fat and slow and I can fit (excluding water) with four days of food in 35 liters.
My 52 l (total) is 1/3 empty most of time in warmer months. It gets full when pack fleece and winter bag in late fall.
If you post your gear list, people will be happy to tell you how to downsize.
True! .
Just for another data point, this is pretty much my situation. My 50-ish L is usually nowhere near full.
I'm of the firm belief that if you have a relatively lightweight kit (even nothing really UL), 50 liters is all you need for late spring through early fall for a hike like the AT.
You sure see a lot of large (60L plus) or monster packs (75L plus) early on the AT down south. Stuffed full. Crap dangling all over the place. Up north, not very many packs larger than 50L, and tons in the 30-40L range. There is a correlation here, if you follow.
The pack I plan to use on a thru next year is about 40 L. I'm no ultralighteri, just fairly careful.
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
I got a 70l pack which I love but could go smaller by a lot. But I like my space and pack.
I use a 40 L gorilla and can fit 15lbs of food (7 days) with a 10 lb base weight.
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In the warm months, I could probably do long hikes with a 45 liter pack.
But I don't think the weight saving would be enough at the moment to justify buying another pack, so I go on hiking with my Granite Gear Crown VC60 that also fits my stuff in the shoulder seasons. I don't have to pack it full.
I always know where I am. I'm right here.
the size of your other gear will have impact on pack size.
There are wonders out there, now to find them.
Exos 38 works for me during warmer months.
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I used a 45L pack on this years late spring, 700 mile section hike. It worked, but I really would have liked a little more space. 50-52L would have been optimal for me. The problem was, I could fit all my gear in 45L okay, but I was limited in the amount of food I could carry and that on occasion was inconvenient.
You really have to start being a minimalist and start spending serious money to make 50L and under work. I also helps to have some experience in knowing what you can get away with - or without.
Follow slogoen on Instagram.
I will do this after I return from a work trip. I feel like I need everything, so we'll see what the experts say.
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