Loading your Pack

[unky_gumbi]

Ok heres the question, how do you load your pack for a 4-5 day hike?
What do you take and in what order to you pack it? Saying what the area you normally hike in would be good to because I am sure that someone trekking up north in the late fall early winter is going to pack much different then someone in the deep south in the middle of summer.

 

[hollowdweller]

Really depends on time of year and what pack I am taking.

I have one pack that has a lot of difft compartments and stuff and one that is bigger that is just one big compartment with 2 small compartments in the lid.

Generally speaking any extra clothes or socks are in the bottom. Then the tent, then ground pad or sleeping bag, then stove and cookware/dishes, then food on top.

In the most accessible part I usually have first aid, fire, navigation.

Hatchet and water filter usually on the outside. If I'm carrying water it's usually on top too.

In my other pack with all the compartments I usually have a similar situation but some stuff is in certain pockets because it takes up all the space and the pack is only 2100 cu in. But it's also a front loader so loading by accessibility/need is not as important. I usually also hang my water cup and head light on the outside so when it gets dark I can find them.

 

[hollowdweller]

PS the longer I go the more dried food or concentrated food I take. If it's just like 2 or 3 nights and 4 days I take heavier food.

 

[beef]

For a 2 to 3 day trip:
4 to 6L water in side pockets of bag (these are easily accessible and take up no internal space.
Tarp/ knife/ rainjacket in front pocket (don't have to get everything else wet when setting up camp.

FAK in top pocket (to minimize bleeding time)

Quilts/ clothing/ hammock in main compartment, with billy and food on top.

Map in waterproof case strapped to outside of pack

On a week long trip, I load the majority of the food (heavy!) in the bottom, then have the quilts and everything on top, then that days food on top of that for easy access.

 

[unky_gumbi]

I always thought that it was best to pack your shelter at the top of your pack so that it was easy to get to with out disturbing the other stuff r to get out of the elements as soon as possible. Food wise I am a bit of a planner and I will stick what ever I plan on eating through the day and at lunch in an outside pocket for easy access, but breakfast and suppers are below the shelter and stove. I am just curious as to how other people pack compared to myself.

From Bottom to top I go
sleeping bag, because it has its own compartment
Clothes
Food
Stove cookware and water purifier
Shelter
In the hood compartment I put my fire kit, first aide kit and map of the area
Outside pockets I will stuff snacks dry socks and lunch for the day
Khukuri gets strapped to the outside left side in the compression straps
Main knife compass and other gadgets on the shoulder straps for ease of access
and a spare knife in with the cookware.

I only have one sizable pack a Crestone 60 and I just got that today, but before I would borrow a friends Terra 60 I think it was, very similar features to the Crestone. The side access is nice so I can get to anything I need, but I also have a couple of kilt pins stuck in the hood just in case the side zips blow out while in the bush. That is a tip I picked up from the friend who's pack I would borrow

 

[JCK]

On a week long trip, I load the majority of the food (heavy!) in the bottom, then have the quilts and everything on top, then that days food on top of that for easy access.

Isn't it better to have the heaviest stuff in the middle of the pack, so that way it is meant to be around the middle of you back, and closer to your back. Or I was told something like that

 

[BenchmadeBoy]

I'll put my sleeping bag at the bottom, along with the dry clothes I wear once I reach camp. I'll also garbage bag this stuff as insurance against moisture. Then cooking stuff and fuel, then food (always above fuel!) then stuff for the day. Rain gear, compass, first aid all in the top pocket. Tent and sleeping pad usually near the top. Load the pack up in a few different ways and see how it feels. Essentially the stuff you need during the day is near the top and the night time stuff near the bottom or something like that

 

[beef]

Isn't it better to have the heaviest stuff in the middle of the pack, so that way it is meant to be around the middle of you back, and closer to your back. Or I was told something like that

Probably, but I don't like to over compress my down gear. And since my baseweight is around the 4 to 5kg mark normally(ie. no food and water), it doesn't really matter.
The water is the heaviest bit and that is in the outside pockets

 

[tknife]

Depends on the type of pack too. Externals I always carry more top heavy. With internals I try and weight it evenly and snug it tight to my back.

 

[neeman]

The heavier weight at the top of the pack helps keep the center of gravity of the pack higher.
This means you do not have to stoop as you walk.

Look at the icon in the post above, and understand as you shift the pack weight up or down how the person will shift to compensate
(Remember the old Bergen rucsacks!!!)

So bulky sleeping bags and clothes go at the bottom
Heavy compact items like a tent and poles go on the top
Food which is heavy but not so compact goes under the tent

 

[hollowdweller]

I always thought that it was best to pack your shelter at the top of your pack so that it was easy to get to with out disturbing the other stuff r to get out of the elements as soon as possible.

I usually have a raincoat or poncho easily accessible. Unless it's a gullywasher the tent is usually the last thing I put up, however I stop and eat along the trail so food on top.

Also almost all of my stuff is either put in gallon or larger ziplock bags or plastic grocery bags.

When I use the one compartment pack I often line it with a garbage bag first anyway, but w the tent on the outside so you can pull it out and get to the tent if nto packed too tight.

 

[mtwarden]

a few things- I use a pack liner for my sleeping bag and clothing- these are stuffed into the bottom of the pack, on top of that goes tent, mattress, cook kit, food- heavier items closer to my back, lighter items further from my back- at the very top of the main compartment goes my rain gear

side mesh pockets hold water bottles, belt pocket holds compass, sunscreen, bug dope- basically any small items needed on a semi-regular basis

the top zippered compartment holds my map, fak, hat, gloves, ditty bag, toiletries and a bag containing the day's snacks

clif notes: keep the heavier items closer to your back, keep items you need on a regular basis handy

 

[hollowdweller]

 

[MustardMan]

Perfect timing for this question, as I just revised my backpacking checklist yesterday for a trip this weekend. Not much changes when I switch from a weekend trip to a couple of days, except the amount of food I carry, and possibly adding a water purifier.

The gear list remains basically the same for cold weather as warm, I just change the type of clothing and insulation I'm carrying - a light pad might replace the heavy underquilt, and I'll carry a light synthetic bag instead of a thick down pad. I'll also replace clothing and leave behind one or two winter-specific things, like the yaktrax shoe grip enhancers.

I generally pack the hammock and sleeping bag near the bottom, since I will only need to get those out once I get to camp. Above that goes the various other gear, with food related stuff to one side and spare clothing to the other, so I can get to the food if I stop while hiking, and get to the clothing if weather changes. My tarp and rain gear go at the very top of the pack, or sometimes lashed to the outside, so I can get to them first if it's raining. The awesome thing about a hammock setup is that you can pitch the tarp separately from everything else, so you put your tarp up first, then do the rest of your setup under cover from the rain. Very handy.

I just switched an AARN Body Pack, which is a really cool balanced design, that has large pockets on the front of the pack to balance the weight on your back and make it feel a lot lighter than it really is, so my water bottles go in the front pockets, along with some snacks and small essentials like sunblock and lip balm and so on.

Here's the gear list:

[B]Sleep system[/B]		[B]Miscellaneous[/B]
Tarp			Knives
hammock			headphones
Underquilt		camera
			tripod
Sleeping bag		sunglasses
pillow			maps
stake bags		trekking poles

[B]Food[/B]			backpacks
alcohol stove		pack covers
fuel			headlamp
cooking bag		flashlight
bowl/cup		extra batteries
utensils		hanging lamp
tinder		
fire starter		sleeping pad
mountain hs		multi tool
snickers/mojo		belt
coco/gatorade/tea	whiskey flask
trail mix		hand warmers
jerkey			sit pad
WATER		
hand sanitizer		

[B]Personal[/B]		[B]Clothing[/B]
toiletries		merino pants
TP			merino shirt
towel			rain gear
toothbrush		underwear
first aid kit		shirt/pants
allergy meds		socks
bandana			jacket/coat
hiker's wool		gloves
burt's bees		hat
sunblock		yaktrax
lip balm

 

[HawGorn]

For me it's tent allways at the top, either tied to the frame or under the flap. Foam mattress either topmost or at bottom on the outside.

Inside of the pack top to bottom: Fleece jacket for break time, food, clothing, sleeping bag. All packed in individual stuff stacks. Food is sometimes packed in a large plastic case, at camp it 's unbelievably convient. And no crushed crackers... :thumbup: Though it does bring some additional weight... :thumbdn:

Cooking gear and the lunch for that day - depending on the pack - where it is easy to access during the day.

Rain gear, FAK and toilet paper placed for easy access: Front pocket, side pockets...

 

[Bushman5]

not much for me....

starting from bottom of pack:
wool blanket>tarp>rope>cup/water pur tabs/freezedried food>fleece jacket>thin shooters mat against the back>FAk>flashlight

knife, ax lashed to outside of pack, chopper and small blade on belt. fire kit in pocket.

for winter i might add a jacket

 

[Toucan Oasis]

Tarp.
Hammock
Multi tool
Machete
Sleeping bag converted to a quilt
BIG first aid kit
Warmlite poncho with bug screen.
Rice, often in the form of RiceAroni, that San Fransisco treat.........for you old farts.
Liter of shine.

Where I live there isn't much need to carry food.
The naturals here, and a 16 oz. soda bottle wrapped with 30 lb test and you're good to go.You can stuff yourself with wild edibles. Where is Mac ?
A 22 can get you more meat than you can eat, in a matter of minutes, at dusk.

 

[ROCK6]

I like to pack my siltarp on top. When I stop to set up camp, it’s the first thing that goes up in case an unexpected shower hits.

Most current packs have a couple of external pouches for raingear, LED light, FAK, mosquito spray, 550-cord, etc. You want some of these items readily available so you don’t have to dig.

Pack in reverse of how you set up camp (hopefully you’ve rehearsed it a little):

For me…packed last to first:

Siltarp is the first item that gets put up (top of the pack, followed by…)
Hammock goes next
Water filter(s) and containers come out next to get that process started
Cooking gear/food get’s pulled out and organized
Sleeping bag ,sleeping pad and extra clothes get put into the hammock (bottom of pack)

Some places we’ve backpacked, I’ve had to have water filters and containers at the top so I could fill up at the closet water source prior to getting to the camp site (saves on having to walk back after camp is set up).

ROCK6

 

[Rick Marchand]

I sport a trusty old Med. ALICE pack for personal reasons (I know many folks hate' em, mine is modified)

Main compartment
-(Fall/Winter) large 15x30 tarp, double layered wool blanket anorak, mitts)
-(Spring/Summer) Hennessey hammock, wool blanket, BDU shirt
-extra clothing in bottom of bag (thermals, socks, underwear, regardless of season)
inside radio pouch
-tinderbag of jute, cedar, steelwool, 8hr tea candles, ferro rod and a butane lighter

Left outside pouch
-32oz Nalgene nested in a Snowpeak Mini Solo cook set.
-food items

Middle outside pouch
-cordage, duct tape, wire
-leather work gloves
-FAK


Right outside pouch
-coleman multifuel gas stove
-bandana
-2 cans of SPAM (mmnnn-mnnn)

Top flap pouch
-4 to 6 large garbage bags
-2 bandanas or a shemagh(sp?)

Strapped to the outside
-hatchet or hawk
-folding bucksaw (tubesaw)
-shovel (Winter)
-a pad of foam rubber slipped between the frame and under the shoulder pad.
-2 lengths of bicycle innertube slid over shoulder straps to use for making ranger bands.
-if I am not training, then I will take a sleeping bag for comfort. (strapped to the bottom)

 

[desmobob]

I'm really liking the Mystery Ranch CrewCab system I bought last year. With the majority of the load carried in separate load cells or dry bags, it's easy to sort gear and get to anything without having to unpack lots of other stuff... it solves the age-old difficulty of backpacking: the thing you need now is always at the bottom of the pack.

Stay sharp,
desmobob