Packing for multi-day trips, guru advice.

[jordansahls]

So, I'm looking for some tricks and tips on how you all fit your over abundance of gear into your tiny packs. What I want to know is how you jenga your gear so that it fits. It's like packing luggage into your car. Two people could have the same luggage, but depending on how you pack it, only one may get it all to fit. I'm typically that guy who stares at the car wondering how the hell he is going to get everything in. So what nifty space saving tricks have you learned? Any specific order that you pack things so that it all works out? In my (limited) experience, I typically overlook little things that make a difference. Basically, I could be smarter and more intentional with how I pack my gear which is why I'm coming to you all for those little nuggets of wisdom.

[G-spotter]

if you aren't gonna use it don't pack it

 

then, put the heaviest shit on the bottom.

[max]

get lightweight compression sacks for your puffy items (bags and coats). Bring your gear to the store to make sure the sacks you get are SMALL.

 

use thick rubber bands (like the ones you get with broccoli) to hold goretex jackets and pants rolled tight

 

roll (or fold), don't wad

 

put the big heavy items in first, pack the light fluffy stuff in the crevices around the big items

 

most of all, don't bring it.

 

skip the bottle, get a water bag.

[layton]

Water bladder goes in first if using one. sleeping bag with compression sack goes in bottom. Stuff in extra space with other clothes you won't be using. If wet weather, line with garbage bag. If using closed cell foam pad, put it on the side compression straps. Divide up group gear bases on both size and weight. Cram the rest of that shit in there. It should all fit except the rope and helmet. The rope gets strapped tight under lid (use slings if no strap) and helmet is secured to back of pack so it won't flop around. Put day's lunch and sundries in lid. If that doesn't fit and you're going for less than a week with a 45L pack, you are bringing too much shit. Get a lighter tent and sleeping bag first, then reduce your food and clothing (except breakfast/dinner - eat all of that). This last tip increases your chance of bailing, but also success.

[OlympicMtnBoy]

Pretty much what they said, heavy stuff and stuff you won't need during the day (like dinner and sleeping gear) goes on the bottom. Water bladder close to your back, the rest of it stuffed in around that stuff. The only thing I use a compression sack for is my sleeping bag as I find keeping my puffy and clothes in them makes odd little hard to pack balls with lots of wasted space. I can normally stuff those things in nooks and crannies around my sleeping bag, stove and pot (if brought), etc. If I have a big approach before technical climbing I will pack the rack near the bottom (on top of my sleeping bag) to keep the weight loaded lower down too.

[montypiton]

lose the aluminum stays, plastic framesheet, and worthless 1/8" "bivvy pad" that come with so many so-called "climbing" backpacks. replace all of the above with a half-length evasote or ridge-rest pad folded to create a soft "frame" for your pack. now you have a real functional bivvy pad, and you've lost a buncha useless crap. then, as Oly-mtn-boy suggests, forget stuff-sacks and stuff soft gear into nooks & crannies created by less maleable items like stoves, pots, hardware. as layton suggests, bladders trump bottles - the part that isn't full folds away to nothing. carry NO single-purpose items. every item needs to be multi-purpose - an item that performs three functions means you carry only one item instead of three -- doesn't take long for this to add up. tools like camera, gps, cell-phone ride in holsters that clip to pack-straps or hip-belt -- keeps them at hand, and they don't take up space inside the pack. I've carried snacks this way as well - don't have to stop walking/climbing to eat.

[ivan]

2 words: dehydrated water

[Rad]

Actually, Ivan, you've captured the biggest way I save weight: don't carry water. Look at the map and identify water sources along your route. Hydrate well at the trailhead, plan to hydrate at each water crossing, carry as little as you can in the intervening regions. That said, serious dehydration will cause you serious problems, so be careful.

 

Other messages above sound very reasonable.

 

[jordansahls]

Thanks for all the information, lots of stuff to think about. You all have mostly confirmed and reinforced what I was thinking or what I have been told. I understand that a huge part of traveling light has to do with comfort. Willing to suffer a little usually means a lighter pack. I'm about to head out for a winter ski traverse for a week and every year when I do my first long winter/spring trek of the season I always wonder how I can lighten my pack. Food seems to be the big issue on long winter trips. I usually try to pack calorie dense foods in order to save weight, and I don't usually pack any warm dinner meals. Stoves are typically for melting snow and making tea in the morning and at night. Anyways, thanks for the tips. No matter what you know, chances are good that others know it better and have some tricks to share.

[Drederek]

a cup of lard has 2000 calories!

[CaleHoopes]

Rad's point is a good one. So, the ability to pack resolved itself when I started focusing on fast and light.

 

If you can reuse something for another purpose, do it.

Practice to figure out what you can live without

Get tips to go LIGHTER and the volume with work itself out.

 

Check out this book: http://www.amazon.com/Ultralight-Backpackin-Tips-Inexpensive-Lightweight/dp/0762763841

 

Unless I'm cragging or such, I've reduced everything down a great deal. Four days on Rainier with a summit attempt including all climbing gear and such and the pack itself? 36ish lbs. Did I have to buy some special gear? Yes. Is everything very packable? Yes. Did I not bring some fancy luxuries (like a 26 oz sleeping pad)? Of course I didn't bring luxuries. It's FOUR DAYS for gosh sakes. I can endure a lot in only four days time.

 

#1 piece of advice? Practice. Fill the pack, go out for a few days, come back and evaluate. Take stuff out. Practice again. Rinse and repeat.

 

[CaleHoopes]

Oh and yes. I don't carry a bunch of water I'm not gonna drink. I portion to get to camp, and go from there. I may have bottles for it, but I don't take extra.

[Swanny]

Packs with minimal pockets provide fewer places to stash small items that add weight and bulk. My favorite pack that gets used 95% of my trips whether one night or multiple nights is the MHW Diritessima 46. It packs and carries a variety of loads really well and doubles equally as well for daypack use since it can be stripped down.