Pack size question [Split from What Gear is Essential]

[eucalypt]

Hi All,
Im looking at buying a pack and wondering what size ya'll would consider appropriate/use.
I'm Looking at a 60L + 15L removable section.

[Liamy77]

it depends on the bulk and weight of the gear you want to fit in it..... take your gear into the shop n try it out n see, untill you have an idea of what you need....

[tasadam]

Or borrow a pack from someone and see how it all packs in, get an idea for size.
Any particular reason why you want a 15L removable section? My old pack was 65 litres, now I use 75 litres and have done for a few years. It does me nicely.

[Franco]

You cannot always compare the given pack size from one brand to another.
The reason is that some include external pockets others don't and the way the main compartment is measured is not uniform either.
In a recent survey by BPL (Backpackinglight) the real inside compartment size of 21 packs was measured to be from 95% ,of the advertised size, on a couple down to 61% on another pair. Most were around the 80% mark.
BTW, what this mean is that a 65 L pack could hold from around 62L (95%) to about 40 L (61%) ...

So essentially you need to have your gear in the pack before you know.
(you can obviously put your gear inside a garbage bag and then fill the same bag to the same point at the shop and see what packs can hold that)
Franco

[Son of a Beach]

How many days/nights are your walks? What tent, sleeping bag, mat, stove/pots, etc, will you be packing in it? Do you plan to take a full professional photography kit? Fly fishing gear? Where will you be using it?

This question is impossible to answer without having a good idea of your usage. As others have suggested, borrowing packs may be a good way to start, to get a feel for how much space you need to cram all your gear in.

Some people are happy with a 40 litre pack, others use a 90 litre pack. Mine is about 80 litres (I think). It only gets full on very long walks (eg, more than 10 days), or if carrying gear for the young kids in my family. If I had the money for a second pack, I would probably get something around 60 litres for the sake of carrying less weight. However, I'd also need a smaller tent to go with it.

It's a simple question, but there is no simple answer.

[vagrom]

Canvas, 75 L (thereabouts), single compartment. 1) Macpac, 2) One Planet. That's all there is to know.
Single compartment- they'll think you're an old hand;
As simple design as possible- hard to find these days;

[ILUVSWTAS]

Yup.

Mungo 60l for me. Might be a bit small for most, but I can manage 7 days (and hopefully later this year 10) in mine.

[Nuts]

What pack, someone might know it?

Where do you plan to walk, for how long?

If only one pack then perhaps that size would be most useful. Most (besides Nik) seem to have a couple of packs. Ive got packs that size but never use them. That being the case they are redundant you can save a couple of kilos quite easily for something that would do the same thing (other gear considered of course)...

Depends on your experience but lighter has got to be better..right?

Pitfalls for young players but maybe starting with a 40L pack is better than dragging yer *&%$#! around the bush wondering at what stage you'll start to have fun?...

[photohiker]

Pitfalls for young players but maybe starting with a 40L pack is better than dragging yer *&%$#! around the bush wondering at what stage you'll start to have fun?...

Yep. Regardless of what you need, you always manage to fill the pack you have, so if you have a 75L pack, guess how much you'll probably land up taking?

[ninjapuppet]

Canvas, 75 L (thereabouts), single compartment. 1) Macpac, 2) One Planet. That's all there is to know.

Funny That.
After just arriving back to Syd airport from NZ, I was looking at all the packs passing on the luggage conveyor belt and noticed ALL the packs were macpacs. I counted at least 12 before my pack arrived.

[eucalypt]

Thank you all this is all very helpful. I have not had my own pack before nor walked overnight in the last few years. Looking to get back into it this year and need to get my own gear. The pack i was looking at was a North Face. But from your replies here i'm thinking i'll need to have a proper look at all other gear before buying a pack so that i know the right size..

[Mountain Rocket]

I am glad I found this thread. I normally steal my dads pack which is some ancient obscure brand but it was always big enough for me.
Now I am living on my own in Tas (moved from NSW) and after recently looking at packs I got really confused (not knowing how large the pack I used to use was). I like the look of the One Planet Mungo and as I am a large back it would come in at about ~65L. The guy in Snowgum was trying to tell me that a 65L pack was only good for ~3 days and I should look at a ~75L+ pack.
I am of the opinion that the bigger the pack the more sh-t I will just put in it. I am only a small guy (not even 60kg) and am still growing (eighteen years old) so I think I will be doing myself a favor all 'round by getting a smaller pack. I was hoping to be able to get 5-7 days worth of stuff into the pack so I can try and tackle some of the longer walks down here but am now worried a 65L pack won't get me there. Are these fears misplaced?
It is worth noting I will be buying all new gear and I already have what I consider to be a small (and light) tent, so I hope to be able to keep my size and weight down as it is a big priority for me.

[photohiker]

I am of the opinion that the bigger the pack the more sh-t I will just put in it. I am only a small guy (not even 60kg) and am still growing (eighteen years old) so I think I will be doing myself a favor all 'round by getting a smaller pack. I was hoping to be able to get 5-7 days worth of stuff into the pack so I can try and tackle some of the longer walks down here but am now worried a 65L pack won't get me there. Are these fears misplaced?

You're on the right track. If you mind your item bulk and weights you should easily get everything in a 65L pack. Especially since you are buying new. I did 14 days with foodrops using a Mariposa plus (46L + pockets) and 12kg base weight. At 60kg, you are right to be taking this seriously.

Consider getting the pack last. I think you can hire them (Paddy's or a walking club) if you really need one while you are deciding and sorting your stuff out.

[Dale]

My last few trips have been with the Six Moon Designs Swift pack. It's a total volume of 56L but this includes the large mesh pockets across the back and sides. It's a frameless pack, so not for everyone - you need to use a pad to add a 'frame' to the pack. At 485g (including wing pockets) it's light, carries well and works for me for overnighters and multi day trips.

http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/index.php ... Itemid=109

I weigh 63kg so can relate to keeping pack weight down, every extra kilo adds just that much more to the %

Good luck choosing a pack !

[JohnM]

Like a couple of others here, I'm not a big guy (under 60kg). Many times I've used the old Macpac cascade and loaded the thing up to buggery. I'm fit so can get away with it, but it doesn't make for pleasant walking.

A while ago, I decided to Get hold of a 60 litre pack (a Deuter ACT Lite 50+10) and reconfigure my gear to fit. I can now carry enough for 5 or so days in that if I'm careful, and on a summer weekend walk, no problem at all.

I reckon if you're not a big guy, it makes a lot of sense to figure out how much you're going to be genuinely comfortable carrying (weight and bulk) and buy the pack. Then get the gear to fit. Having a finite pack size that isn't so big, really makes you think carefully about what you put into it.

I'm far from having an ultralite mentality, but it just isn't fun lugging too much weight around. And the smaller you are, the more care you have to put into your pack and gear.

But yeah, all bets a off when I take my daughter! Then I'm a pack-mule.