Size of backpack...

[SL_amani]

Hello hikers! I have a pretty standard question: what is the typical size backpack thru-hikers use? I bought a 60L Indigo pack a few months back (3,500 cubes) with general weekend camping in mind. But now I have the idea of hiking the AT, and am worried that perhaps I bought a pack too hastily and now need to get a larger one.
Also, is it necessary to mail caches ahead of time? Or are there towns frequent enough for this to be unnecessary?

[hammock engineer]

If it can fit all your gear, water, fuel, and 5 days of food you will be fine. If anything else the smaller pack doesn't leave room for unneeded stuff.

From what I see minus a couple places where mail drops are helpful, 3-5 days of food is enough. Minus the 100 mile wilderness in maine.

[ShakeyLeggs]

Best way to answer your question is get all the gear your gonna need for your hike. I.E. hammock, cloths, kitchen...

Then head for and outfitter and find a pack that will hold all of it including your food and water.

When I attempted my thru in 01 I used a 5000ci pack and found it to be a bit large after my final gear shakedown.

YMMV

[hammock engineer]

Best way to answer your question is get all the gear your gonna need for your hike. I.E. hammock, cloths, kitchen...

Nice plug.

[Tinker]

I've done fine on week long hikes with less than 4,000 cu. in. capacity. That was before I started paring down my gear. That's spring thru fall.

[ScottP]

Hikers get by with packs between 20/25L up to 90+L. It's just a matter of style, and the sort of life you want on the trail. As long as all your stuff 'makes sense' together, you're fine.
If you want to hike really slow, you'll need a big pack, because you will need more days of food between resupplies
There is no need to maildrop. there are a few places where you can get stuck with crappy food, but it really isn't all that big of a deal. It's another lifestyle choice. Do you want to have to worry about getting to certian, specific times when post offices, etc. are open, and do you want to eat a menu you have prepared in advance? there are opposing challenges to not maildropping--your diet can become inconsistent, and if you're picky about food you could get yourself into trouble. You sure that 'grocery store' isn't a gas station?
You can have a good, healthy diet cheaper by ordering food in bulk and maildropping it. Even if you do maildrop you'll end up picking up more food from grocery stores along the way--ice cream, cheese etc. By shopping along the way, you do open yourself up to painful impulse buys.
Also, if you maildrop and have never thru-hiked before, you probably don't have a great idea of what and how much to maildrop, and how often. do you know right now if you want to have 3 or 7 days between maildrops?

[dirtnap]

3,500 cubes works fine for me. I've had 11-12 days of food (and everything else) packed into my 3,500 cube Equinox Katahdin. At times I consider getting a smaller pack, but I like to have the extra space.
-dirtnap

[Peaks]

Hello hikers! I have a pretty standard question: what is the typical size backpack thru-hikers use? I bought a 60L Indigo pack a few months back (3,500 cubes) with general weekend camping in mind. But now I have the idea of hiking the AT, and am worried that perhaps I bought a pack too hastily and now need to get a larger one.
Also, is it necessary to mail caches ahead of time? Or are there towns frequent enough for this to be unnecessary?

Maybe two suggestions. First, does all your gear plus food fit into the current pack or not? Second, if you already think that you have a pack that might work, why not start out with it, and then plan to check out what Mountain Crossings has. After you have been on the trail for a few days you will have a much better idea of what works for you.

Questions about resupply? It's been talked about before. Read Baltimore Jack's resupply advice.

[DiamondDoug]

Remember the expanding goldfish principle: goldfish grow to the limits of the size of their tank they are in - move them to a bigger tank they grow more. Carry a big pack and guess what - you'll fill it up.

.

[neo]

use this pack it is 3350 ci great pack neo

http://www.backcountrygear.com/catal...ail.cfm/EQ2010

the equinox katahdin
i prefer the color black
http://www.backcountrygear.com/image...oxkatahdin.jpg

[DawnTreader]

3500 works well for me also.. It has too much room sometimes, as I have to use will power not to add things to my pack just because they will fit...

[SalParadise]

I was tight on a 2900 ci pack, so 3500 should be more than enough. I had compact gear, though. 3500 seems to be the standard on the Trail, though. If you're got a little extra, you'll also find clever ways to strap a lot of stuff to the outside.

Many hikers (including myself) have gone without resupply, but there are advantages otherwise--definitely read Jack's article, it's really thouough and I'd say a must-read for everyone.

[Jim Adams]

used a dana bridger in '02. 3800ci and it was too big.
geek

[Gaiter]

there is a couple polls on this
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1126
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=18059