Stuffed

[toonces]

Need some packing tips here. I bought a Lowe Alpine Contour III a few days ago and have been fitting my gear (worst case scenario) inside. So far, it looks like all my stuff will fit (stuffed) inside, but I haven't even added food, fishing gear, or camera gear (uh oh). No room for the water bladder, so I'll likely use the outside pouches. So I dumped the sleeping bag's stuff sack and just stuffed it into the bottom bag pcket and was able to fit packable rain bottoms and uppers. Only have one outside pocket and that's got my emergency/first aid junk. Top removable double pouch has my clothes. Main compartment has my tent (in it's stuff sack with stakes/poles) and sleeping pad. I can save a huge amount of space by dumping the pad or lashing it to the outside somehow. Is that a good idea? I don't see the sleeping pad being uber essential so having it ride outside seems ok. My rod and tripod each fit on the sides with the nifty compression lashes and bottom side pockets. Should I dump the stuff sack for the tent and smash it into the bottom of the pack?? Seems like a good idea to me, but I don't know much so... Oh, and that tripod weighs a lot and seems to tip the pack to one side. I can counter it by putting heavy items on the opposite inside of the pack, right? Thanks for any tips.

[brad nicholson]

if you maxed out a contour iii you are seriously packing. i would suggest going thru and discarding much stuff. post a list of where you are headed for how long and when with a list of all your stuff and i'll help you with suggestions!

otherwise, i think the sleeping would be fine rolled up and lashed to the outside.

[MN Josh]

Toonces,

I noticed in your post that you have your tent, pole, stakes, all together in the stuff sack. If you take out the poles and slide them down the inside corner of the pack (against your back). Then, leave the tent as loose as possible in the stuff sack, if it's too tight it becomes like a rock and harder to pack. Stakes can be packed separate too, just don't leave them on the bottom of the pack.

Here's how I pack a weekend load. Into my Marmot Eiger pack (about 2500 ci) I first put my chair kit (down the corner of one side), then my folded thermarest, then put my plastic ground sheet (now Tyvek, Thanks EdK!) then my down bag goes in. On top of that I place my Ti Pot with the stove and some cooking extras inside. Then my clothes go in around that to add form to the pack and cushion to the gear. Then my food goes in, packed loosly in a large stuff sack. On top of that goes my Betamid. Shells and outerwear go on top or around the Betamid, for easy access. A small(!!) first aid kit goes in the poocket under the lid. Maps, my 10 essentials, and snacks go in the top lid....though in the summer, I put my Platy bladder in there with snacks and move the other items to the main pack or pockets in the case of maps.

Hope this helps,

Josh

[Duckman_]

What pad do you have? A foam pad takes up too much room to go inside, at least for your deal. You can open it up and line the interior, which helps, but its still bulky. Outside the pack it goes. If its an inflatable(what I use)like a Therm Untralite, etc..it always goes inside(as everything else). What tent? What bag? Cloths??? The single biggest mistake I see with newer packers, is that they bring waaaay too many cloths. NO spares except socks. All your layers should be just enough while worn together for your coldest senerio for THAT trip in mind. Also, many carry waaay too much stuff for that bigass "what if", as you mentioned. Drop that stuff. That stuff IS a "what if", meaning a liability to your trip being "fun". My warm weather load(down to the high 20s aprox)is 9.6lbs(including fuel but no water/food yet)using a 2400" frameless ruck pack. 3/4 Therm Ultralite pad and Western Mtneering Highlite bag both go in the bottom. Light chair(yes, a frggin chair)goes vertical down one side as does the Fiberplex carbon tent poles to my Sierra Designs Light year tent. The tent itself goes vertically in the middle of my back so when I open my pack, its right there sans my raingear and snacks maybe...so I can pull it out without unpacking anything else. The hard stuff goes around it...PowerGiga and fuel, titanium pot, skillet, cup, ditty bag(kitchen, ti spoon, spares, towels, etc), filter(but keep it excessible towards the top for trail access), MSR Dromlite, etc. Then fill in the spaces as Josh stated with your cloths(no cloth bag=too bulky), using the least needed during the day stuff. The lid goes my "brain" stuff. gloves, headlamp, toilet paper, map, etc. Trail bladder goes inbetween lid and pack body. Camera goes on a shoulder strap or corner external pocket, depending on the pack I choose.

[walt walkabout]

If you are using a Thermarest pad buy the stuff sack made for the pad and strap it outside. All my packs 2 Danas and a Aether 60 have straps on the bottom and that is where the pad is put.
If you don't have straps on the bottom secure it to the top of the pack.
One other thing is try out your rain pack fly,if you have one, to make sure it fits over everything strapped on the outside.
Walt

[toonces]

Yeah, on the advice of a couple of people, I went with the Countour III instead of a bigger pack. I like it; fits nice and all. I'm sure I can get all my stuff to fit snug with everyone's advice and some creative packing. That said, here's what's going inside if I'm fully loaded (which will not happen if I go hike in the dessert, for instance, since there is no water to fish in hehe):

- 4 pairs socks, pants, shorts, long base layers, shirt, 4x underoos, outter pullover, packable rain upper and bottoms
- solo tent
- foam pad (lashed to outside)
- synthetic bag (30+)
- food (2-7 days worth), 2 x wzter bottles
- fly fish tackle, reel, rod (lashed to outside)
- 35mm SLR camera body, 17-35 lens, 70-200 lens, extra batteries, lots of film, voice recorder, tripod (lashed to outside)
- first aid kit, emergency kit (inside small drybag), map(s), gps, compass (all this stuff in outside pocket)
- personal stuff kit inside small drybag, small journal/watercolor kit, water filter

Not much stuff now that I look at it. I think the stuffing of the clothes will help fill up space so I have that much more space to use for other items.

[brad nicholson]

you can't possibly really need that many pairs of drawers?

[Duckman_]

ONE extra pair of socks. Wash'm in a creek (no soap)and rotate'm. NO extra roos. NO spare cloths. Carry a syn camp towel instead and wash yourself off in a creek every so often(even then, only if its hot and even then only if its 4+days and longer). Syn cloths need not be swapped out lke cottons like to be. Drop the pants/short for some zipoffs. If not, drop the pants...keep the shorts, and use your long base..and/or your rain pants(They need to be waterproof/breathables for more function-like Marmot Precips)for those few times you NEED(prop never ever in warmer conditons)long whatevers on the trail. Otherwise, its always shorts during the day, and at camp you can use the above to get by before getting in your bag. There about 1/3 of your cloths gone right there...bam. Summer my raingear consists of a Precip jacket and tall gaiters while worn with shorts..period. The gaiters help keep my feet(the only REAL thing I hate being wet if its warm)dry. Rain pants are useless when its hot. Only maybe for the call of nature..in the rain...at mid night..maybe. Tall gaiters worn most of the rest of the time ALLOW me to wear shorts, say in briars, tall grass, mud, etc etc. My std trailwear bassically.


Bet that syn bag it big. My WM Highlite is truly grapefruit size. I don't like syn bags just for this reason, plus they are heavy. Mines 16oz. My "winter" bag is a WM Ultralite...at 1lb 12oz. Not much bigger.

Personally, unless your up in Alaska with its open tundra, or sea yak'n, drop the gps. Its just a toy more then anything.

Watercooler kit? Your kidding, right? Drop it. A creek is your cooler, IF you need it to begin with.

Voice recorder? Um....

Bet your personal stuffs huge as well. When doing a lower section of the AT a few years back, I met a dude I named..."Heavy pack". Books, binoc's, journals, extra extra fuel, you name it. 60 firggin pounds. After the first 50 miles(Blood Mtn/Neels Gap)of ups and downs, he jettisoned 70% of that crap.

Oh, he did complete the AT months later. Wrote me letters the whole way. Cool eh?

Just some more thoughts. You did "ask"..right?:)
Duckout



- 4 pairs socks, pants, shorts, long base layers, shirt, 4x underoos, outter pullover, packable rain upper and bottoms
- solo tent
- foam pad (lashed to outside)
- synthetic bag (30+)
- food (2-7 days worth), 2 x wzter bottles
- fly fish tackle, reel, rod (lashed to outside)
- 35mm SLR camera body, 17-35 lens, 70-200 lens, extra batteries, lots of film, voice recorder, tripod (lashed to outside)
- first aid kit, emergency kit (inside small drybag), map(s), gps, compass (all this stuff in outside pocket)
- personal stuff kit inside small drybag, small journal/watercolor kit, water filter

Not much stuff now that I look at it. I think the stuffing of the clothes will help fill up space so I have that much more space to use for other items.[/QUOTE]

[walt walkabout]

Only things I would add Duck is a stocking cap and maybe gloves.
Walt

[MN Josh]

Only things I would add Duck is a stocking cap and maybe gloves.
Walt


Listen to Duckman's great advice only as long as your credit limit holds out!!! It took me a year or two to all the acquire tiny lightweight gear, but it has performed wonderfully. I just need the WM Megalite (for the broad-shouldered lad!).

Also, I agree with Walt about the hat and gloves. For Summer and Fall, nothing beats a pair of thin Polypropelene gloves and a thin helmet liner skullcap. If your head is warm, you can often get away with less clothes or a cooler sleeping bag.

Josh

[brad nicholson]

what is more important saving a few ducats or attaining the best gear possible? :)

as always, that high dollar item seems pretty cheap when your cheaper one goes to pot in the back country far from anywhere so you might as well just get it up front...

other than that, i would just like to add that after duckman's reply he may never post again!

[Duckman_]

LOL!

Oh come on guys...I wasn't THAT bad..was I?:) Just stating hard learned lessons is all I guess. He is the one that will carry whatever he decides is important, not me. Thats one of the great things about this stuff. Your on your own, and thank God for that, in this "minivan safeti-crat" world we live in now.

Rule number one...the farther you walk, the less you'll use all that stuff. Ask any AT thru hiker. Food water shelter...food water shelter...food water shelter. Those are THE main concerns. The rest is just filler.

Anyways....the cap and gloves were a given for any trip any time. I carry ONE head item in the summer. A fleece neck gaiter. Can be 'that' obviously, but also doubled over, its an earband. Can be made into a balaclava with a baseball cap. The top can befolded over for night duty for head coverage while in the bag.

Fingerless poly gloves are it for summer. The large surface area on the back of the hands is key here. Winter I carry these for 'in the tent' duty only usually, but also my Marmot windblock fleece deals, and also some W/B shell gloves if need be.

[toonces]

Ok, cool. So yeah, I can dump those extra duds easy and have a pack towel I can use to wipe my self with. That shorts/longjohns tip is good. Or pants rolled up like I'm used to maybe will work too hehe. Not much I'm gonna do about the bag since I bought it and have it and used it already. Don't really plan on buying extra stuff at the moment. WaterCOLOR kit, not waterCOOLER :) Small, notebook-size thing that prolly won't make it in the pack most of the time if ever. Voicerecorder stays; it's tiny and is much better than pen and paper to record exposures and such. I've gone through and removed things I don't see needing consistently from the personal stuff pouch. Good tips!

I think it'd be funny to have one of you pack my pack versus me and see the difference. I hear about over-packing all the time so I stuck with a bit smaller pack than I thought I needed and hopefully, it works out. Thanks for the tips.

[brad nicholson]

worry too much, i've been backpacking, biking, and climbing for about 12 years pretty solid and i still have times when i go on a week long trip and at the end ask why i took something particular along with me!

experience is the best teacher in this department.

[Gam]

with increased pack volume.

I solved my packing problems with a Bora 95, I usually wrap the coleman inflatable mattress around the inside, put the kitchen sink in, then the charcoal and grill, next comes the Wenzel cabin tent, filled Igloo cooler, DVD player, and several pairs of blue jeans. I've found that cutting the handle off of your tooth brush saves space and weight.

[Duckman_]

LOL! Water-COLORS. Ooooohh. Um..sorry man. My mistake.


Again, I'm just talking for me. Who am I to say what anyone else should, or should not pack. Just playing devils advocate really, and talking for me. Hell, until I stopped drinking 2 years ago, I always carried burbon. Even SHIPPED a 5th to myself at the NOC in NC which I picked up on the 4th of an 8 day section hike. Sad isn't it? Have a great time packing.

Gam...your crazy. Got that new bike yet? Gotta another race in 10 days.

[walt walkabout]

Hey Gam, don't forget the TV strapped to the top of the pack. Darn extension cord is a pain. Found out if you wrap it around your trekking pole you can sorta let it unspool as you walk. And then you gotta walk back and plug it back in.
Walt

[Gam]

LOL! Water-COLORS. Ooooohh. Um..sorry man. My mistake.


Again, I'm just talking for me. Who am I to say what anyone else should, or should not pack. Just playing devils advocate really, and talking for me. Hell, until I stopped drinking 2 years ago, I always carried burbon. Even SHIPPED a 5th to myself at the NOC in NC which I picked up on the 4th of an 8 day section hike. Sad isn't it? Have a great time packing.

Gam...your crazy. Got that new bike yet? Gotta another race in 10 days.

haha I'm going nutz over the bike issue, but I gotta have a new canoe too, you can see through the bottom of my two man canoe. Need them both NOW. ack! You don't how close I came to buying one of those 149.00 hardtail aluminum frames and an XTR build kit, visions of a 19 1lb. hardtail. Dude I used to ride with bought the local bike shop, has the Klien, Gary Fisher, Trek thing, I suppose I will wind up buying one of those from him just to support him.

[Duckman_]

Must be the Supego HT Acess frame your speaking of. Well good on the support thing. Buy a carbon Fuel 100 or 9.8 carbon HT. Some light AC hub'd 317 wheels w/ Marwi ti spokes or Sepim bladed deals, ti/alum hardware and BB, carbon post, seat, bars, Next LP carbon cranks, B4SL disc's with Stans alloy rotors, triple ti Eggs,....and...and...YEEEAAAH!

Oh..sorry, lost control there abit.

My 21lb 11oz FS race bike. I just can't figure where all my money goes....

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Can ya tell I've been riding alot? Com'n Wayne, lets ride...man. Sissy.

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Duck

[Gam]

No fair, you got leg transplants.

[Duckman_]

"Lieutenant Dan...you got legs"...(in my best Forrest Gump voice:)).

[Gam]

That's necessary stuff. I pack a Windsor and Newton field kit
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You need one of these too, a Strathmore Field Watercolor pad, 140 lb. cold press with alternating 60 lb. for sketches. Leave your tent at home.
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[toonces]

Thanks to the tips, I was able to easily fit all my stuff into the pack and haven't even used the top, removable daypack thingee. This is will ALL my clothes in the pack too which, unless i'm romping around nekkid, will make the pack roomier and slightly lighter when I use them. I just need to add food and water.

[wayne-o]

those are girl legs......