struggiling to get gear down to 35 litres

[drewdunnrespect]

Hiya gang

Thanks for all the advice and I will do as some of you say and cut down one item
At a time and hope fully one day get to the 35 litres in summer

 

[mountainm]

Hiya gang

Thanks for all the advice and I will do as some of you say and cut down one item
At a time and hope fully one day get to the 35 litres in summer

Get a response pack for your bits and bobs on wear that on your waist at the front. You'll be surprised how much you can pack into one and it's useful to have some stuff always available.

 

[drewdunnrespect]

Mountainm that's not a bad idea I think I might

 

[Squidders]

To be honest, most people I see with 35 litre packs tend to just tie loads of stuff to the outside. Seems weird but I guess some people like the prestige of a small pack because carrying less means knowing more apparently.

 

[mountainm]

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74034 response pack here if not too late?

 

[Paul_B]

OMM do a 4litre front pouch called the trio. It fits their sacks and any other one with d rings or some other means of attachment to the rucksack straps then has bungees with hooks to attache to waist belt or other place lower down. Has a mesh backing for sweat and inside that is a clear plastic pocket for a map. That and an extra 4 litres. Might be enough if you stash stuff there efficiently.

Can I just say that bulky but squishable stuff can often be used amorphously to fill gaps around other items. Try to avoid a load of cylinders with the air gaps that result. You can get a drybag with an event base. IIRC sea to summit do them. Fill this and dump in the base of sack and load on top. The air will come out through the event base and you get that amorphous, space saving mass in the base of the sack, hopefully saving you space.

I do know that some MMers can get their two man gear into one 10litre sack and one 20 litre sack. MMs like OMM (which this was on the blog for) operate under FRA rules on the kit list AFAIK which includes a two skin tent , mat, sleeping bag, long trousers, warm layer, full waterproofs, stove, fuel and food for two or three days with spare to at least make a brew at the end. Basically an overnight kit for two. That is slightly less volume than you have so it is possible but the hammock kit might prevent it.

Why don't you like ground dwelling? It has its faults but also its advantages. I will be getting 6 days food plus all the kit I need for a full week into a 50 litre and probably still have a lot of spare space. I usually have to cinch the compression straps in so the weight is nearer my back and the sack is thinner. I'm also considering getting a UL tarptent thingy at about 300g (2ndhand as I can't afford $255 plus carriage and duties from USA). A drop of over 300g from my tarp plus it is better in bad weather as it has a back wall and a beak at the opening. Also longer than my tarp so my head is further back.

Anyway, how far off the 35 litre do you think you are? Perhaps there is a swap for the 35litre to someone with say a 40 litre or a more useable 50 litre? Afterall 35 litre is a good all year round day sack volume. Or just get the response pack or the trio from OMM if you are close to 35 litre pack volume. Some carry waterproofs on the outside of the sack which does not affect the carry much. You can alweays use UL straps to keep them tidy and attached to the sack. BPL-UK do some velcro ones as does POD in many retailers. CCF mats are so light they can often have negligible affect on carry outside of sack. Outwell IIRC do CCF mat that is ok for 3 season that weighs 130g. I have one and that is accurate weight too. Don't some swingers use CCF for warmth instead of underquilts or blankets?? Might be better. Also can cut it to size to reduce weight and pack volume. Also they can be scored and taped to fold up neatly to put as padding against the back where they can replace the back system if you can remove it like in alpine sacks with alloy staves or a reinforced pad as the back support such as OMM Villain or Mountain Mover.

 

[oldtimer]

I swopped my 35 litre for a 50 some time ago and recently tried downsizing back. Very unsuccessful. The %) is a better pack, heavier, but more comfortable to carry and takes everything. I hate altering things around as like to organize for a range of conditions as I split my time between the UK and the Pyrenees. My UK kit was ideal in August one year when the temperature droppe to -5C. My own set up (ground dweller) comes in at just over 12K without food. When I was still trying to get my kit into £%L climbing bag, an outdoors shop in Cambridge suggested a Macpac module which is about 7L to strap on outside. Its just like response pack. It now holds those things I need quickly on the march eg map, compass, GPS, monocular, snacks, FAK etc and I either clip it to the hrness in front or wear it like a waist belt. Thye whole thing can then be transferred from trek pack to daypack so nothing gets forgotten. In sensitive areas it fit inside either pack. As for the big items eg sleeping bag packing problem, I lost an argument with my wife who swears by a large stuff sack which squashes the load into corners of the pack. When my compession bag split I tried her way- she was right- overall pack space is smaller. But then she's 71 years old, 4'11" and 35 litres is a huge pack to her.

 

[BOD]

...
35litres is probably unatainable with hammock/tarp/underquilt/sleeping bag/blanket/gear hammock/enough cord to rig a tall ship/84 carabiners/all the shock cord in the western world etc. (did i miss anything that's essential to hammocking?). ..

You need all that for hammocking? TRy a Hennessy. No shock cord, carabiners, little cord.

gear hammock??

Drew why not sleep with clothes on in layers. Can ditch the blanket and underquilt then

 

[shaggystu]

You need all that for hammocking?.......

well no, probably not, it was meant as a slightly tongue in cheek observation about the amazingly complicated hammock set ups that i've seen some people using. obviously "enough cord to rig a tall ship", "84 carabiners", and "all the shock cord in the western world" weren't actually meant as literal statements, more my feeble attempts at humour

i have seen people with sleeping bags, blankets, underquilts, and gear hammocks though, and it often seems a really kit heavy way of getting a good nights sleep. i've also seen people with some pretty minimalist hammocking set ups, they do seem to be in the minority though.

stuart

 

[gregor-scott]

You need all that for hammocking? TRy a Hennessy. No shock cord, carabiners, little cord.

gear hammock??

Drew why not sleep with clothes on in layers. Can ditch the blanket and underquilt then

Exactly! my hennessey packs down to the same size as a full length Thermarest. so that's the difference, the only extra I would take is in colder weather, my UQ which packs up to 5L so not far off a bivvy bag! all in all I think you can get a hammock setup down to as small as a ground setup. however with either swinging or ground sleeping you take as much as YOU feel necessary for your comfort, what's the point in going off to the woods for the weekend to relax and have fun but coming back knackered because you didnt sleep well.

 

[John Fenna]

To be honest, most people I see with 35 litre packs tend to just tie loads of stuff to the outside. Seems weird but I guess some people like the prestige of a small pack because carrying less means knowing more apparently.

How true - 35L sack with 75L of kit lashed to the outside!
Me - I tend to use a large rucksack and get everything inside - and inside a good dryliner- if there is room to spare then I use the comression straps - bigger packs tend to be kinder to my aging back these days.
As my knees are shot as well I do not tend to go backpacking much anymore so do not feel the need to go super lightweight...these days I go for comfort and convenience first and foremost (even if this means a couple of trips from van to pitch).... as the old saying goes - "Any fool can be uncomfortable".
And that can mean carrying either too much kit too far or skimping on kit when there is no need to!

 

[Highbinder]

Just take a bigger pack Drew, if your equipment is too large to fit in the 35 then there's not much you can do about it mate. I know when I had the Snugpak UB and Elite 4 bag that was half of my Sabre 75 taken up already. The only way you'll get your hammock rig in a 35L is if you swap the UB for a 3/4 down version like one of Unsponsored's. It's getting warm enough now though mate that you could drop the UB and go back to a mat.

+1. My unsponsored UQ took me through winter in conjunction with a roll mat, and now that it's hot out (went out camping this monday/tuesday just gone and it hit 32C during midday ouch) the UQ does me fine by itself.

AFAIK the snugpak is synthetic, right ? That'll be why you can't compress it down much. My UQ fits in my sleeping bag's stuff sack. Frees up a lot of space.

Also, 35l is TINY. If you're sick of carrying a large pack how about you change to one that can accomodate a range of different volumes? My golite pack expands up to 70ish litres, but I use it mostly at 40-50, and with the cinchs and loops you can shrink it down to about 25ish litres.

 

[Barn Owl]

I've just packed my Berghaus centurio with side pockets,30l pack and 10l pockets.

In it i have spare trousers,socks,t shirt and underwear.
wash kit, hobo stove with mugs and gas, wee airic sleepmat, wee pillow, sleeping booties, brew kit, bcb mess tins, 2x litre water bottles, food for 1-2 nights, poncho, issue basha (as groundsheet if needed), shemagh, cap, leather gloves.

In pockets are down sleeping bag in bivi bag.

DD 3x3 tarp, scout hammock and midge net.

1st aid kit in lid pocket with headtorch compass fire starting kit etc.
Axe and saw in space behind side pocket.

Bit of a squeeze but do-able.
What i think i need to be comfy.

No way I could get in a 35l sac though.

 

[zarkwon]

Sling it underneath in a dry bag. Works for my Sabre 35. I'm not using an underblanket now though anyway.

 

[Highbinder]

No way I could get in a 35l sac though.

I think it's definately possible. The majority of my bulk is insulation, sleeping bag, uq, extra clothes. If I had the dinero I could switch out my bag for a top quilt, which would save me half the pack volume (and 1/2 a kilo) compared to my sleeping bag. Take microfleece and down body warmer instead of my wool jumper and shirt, take an empty linen bag to stuff with a jumper instead of my travel pillow, and I've easily saved 10l of space if not more. Whether doing so has any worth is another matter entirely.