Rucksack capacities ?

[Silverclaws]

Rucksack capacities, how would I work out what size of rucksack to go for ?

My plans are fairly lightweight backpacking and world travel, what capacity would be a suitable minimum for my desired use ?

In the past, I have just grabbed what was comfortable, and crammed as much as I could into it, first a Lowe Cerro Torre, then a Berghaus Red Point, but there has got to be a method to get it near right. Any Ideas ?

 

[m.durston]

i have two rucksacks/bergens that cover most of my camping needs throughout the year.
i have a dpm patrol pack which is 45 litres, i use it as a daysack for my airsoft bits but others on here have used a rucksack of similar capacity for a summertime overnighter taking the bare essentials.
my other bergen is a berghaus cyclops vulcan. its 100 litres and is this drops down to 70 litres when you take the side pouches off.
i use this bergen as my main bushcrafting overnighter one as where i go we have to take our own water in.
in all cases what i do is lay out exactly what i am taking and then select the right daysack/bergen for the task.

it really all depends on what your looking at taking ie how basic are you willing to go and what climate you will be travelling through.
in a tropical climate like thailand for example you wouldnt be taking a 5 season artic sleeping bag and and your best wooly pully and bobble hat!
so you wouldnt need a 100 litre plus rucksack to carry a 2 season bag and a couple of sets of t shirts and shorts.

 

[durulz]

It's easy.
Look at the rucksack.
Then, imagine it full of stuff and how much it would weigh.
Ask yourself, do I really want to carry all that?
If you say 'no' to yourself, then it's too big a rucksack.

A good 'catch all' size is about 45L. If you don't need all that space then don't fill it. If you do need more space then discipline yourself to not carry so much. Of course, the worse the weather then the heavier the pack - maybe a 65L for bad weather to carry extra warm/dry clothes.
Remember, carrying a 45L pack, filling it up, and then strapping stuff to the outside is not really getting away with just a 45L pack (some like to brag that 'all they take is a 40L pack', and then omit to mention how much they've tied to the outside). It's best to get all your gear INSIDE the pack where it will be safe from the elements etc. If that means taking a bigger one, then that's the right thing for you.

 

[Lasse]

Depends on how expensive the toys inside the bag will be... Ultralight and ultracompact gear will certainly fit in a 45l or anything like that, depending on how much water and food you need to carry at once. But if your gear is bulky (although maybe lightweight) a nice big 88 litre sack might be the way to go...
Make sure to try which ever bag you consider on before buying with the maximum amount of weight you would like to carry inside it. No point in having a small, lightweight pack if it feels terrible on longer walks...

My first bag was a Highlander Forces 88, which I still like, but by getting more lightweight, more compact kit the bag became too big for most trips so I bought a Lightwave Fastpack 50. I'll certainly use the Highlander again for longer trips or whenever I need more gear...

 

[EdS]

bear in mind that there is a new method of determining sac size so companies are now using- following a move inthe US to standardise the method.

Basically the new way is to use "standard" wooden balls and packing method rather than the 101 ways that used to be used. When this new method is used the pack size is greater than the old way of polystrene beads etc as there is no compresion of the media. For example my new Haglof 28l is as big as my old North Face (>10 years) 35l sac.