What size is your pack?

[Mountain jack]

i've being using a 65ltr rucksac i purchased from major a supermarket 2 years ago it's took some hammer over the years and still going strong cost me about £24 i did use a 120ltr bergan before that but found i had a habbit of putting more kit in to it, that i never really used but took just in case.

 

[TinkyPete]

OK here goes......

I have a fair few bergens and packs of various types and sizes, they are used for different things and jobs, this may take some time

Smallest first.....

1. I have one of the original Camelback MULE packs which has a 3 Litre bladder and about 1 litre of space but with the pockets on it you can fit a large amount of kit for the size

2. Bumbag which has 5litres of space but also 2 side pockets to hold kit/water bottles (this and with my mule is all i need for a good days bimble with lots of stuff)

3. A lightwieght running pack which holds a 3litre bladder and about 20-25 litres of space has two hand zip pockets on the belt bit to hold odds and ends easy to hand.

4. A green 30l munro sack tough and hard wearing but hardly used nowadays but still got it. single main compartment and a small lid pocket on it.

5. A NI issue pack, my main work bag hold a lot of kit, but can use it for everything from a few hours worth of kit to upto a week worth (summer kit) without any extras only the basics

6. A Osprey 38 litre sack (a very new purchase) mainly used for when civi walking (planning on doing the coast to coast with it). Holds a huge amount of kit got loads of feautres and loads of hidden extras and pocket, really a well thought out bag and tough will hold well over 38 litres that is says.

7. An all arms bergen, the old combat handbag used mainly when working out of a car or to hold various projects and kit (trying to keep my tidy is a ever increasing job)

8. lowe alpine 70+10 Alpanyo bergen great expedition bag or for long distance walking when carring alot of kit, I have used it on the pennine way and the west highland way, still ok as its green and black.

9. PLCE shortback Bergen in DPM my work bag that keeps my exercise kit (SOP) packed and ready to go at all times. gets used alot but exclusively for work.

10. PLCE longback bergen in green, my new long term bushcraft bergen for long trips, working on the contents but when finished will be packed and ready to go at a moments notice

In additions to the bergens I have several set of side pouches including a couple with the yoke used to hold various bit of kit for when needed but a couple hold desginated kit for when needed so only have to strap them to the side and then already good to go. I also have a medics pouch which holds my team medics kit and other kit pouches which hold NBC and bivi kit too which can go into the bergens or get strapped to the sides. I have various webbing systems too all used for work from normal webbing through chest rigs (got a bout 3) through to assault vests (only 2 of them) and an old COP vest too which I could use for kit too........


Something tells me I have too much Kit

 

[Andy2112]

OK here goes......

I have a fair few bergens and packs of various types and sizes, they are used for different things and jobs, this may take some time

Smallest first.....

1. I have one of the original Camelback MULE packs which has a 3 Litre bladder and about 1 litre of space but with the pockets on it you can fit a large amount of kit for the size

2. Bumbag which has 5litres of space but also 2 side pockets to hold kit/water bottles (this and with my mule is all i need for a good days bimble with lots of stuff)

3. A lightwieght running pack which holds a 3litre bladder and about 20-25 litres of space has two hand zip pockets on the belt bit to hold odds and ends easy to hand.

4. A green 30l munro sack tough and hard wearing but hardly used nowadays but still got it. single main compartment and a small lid pocket on it.

5. A NI issue pack, my main work bag hold a lot of kit, but can use it for everything from a few hours worth of kit to upto a week worth (summer kit) without any extras only the basics

6. A Osprey 38 litre sack (a very new purchase) mainly used for when civi walking (planning on doing the coast to coast with it). Holds a huge amount of kit got loads of feautres and loads of hidden extras and pocket, really a well thought out bag and tough will hold well over 38 litres that is says.

7. An all arms bergen, the old combat handbag used mainly when working out of a car or to hold various projects and kit (trying to keep my tidy is a ever increasing job)

8. lowe alpine 70+10 Alpanyo bergen great expedition bag or for long distance walking when carring alot of kit, I have used it on the pennine way and the west highland way, still ok as its green and black.

9. PLCE shortback Bergen in DPM my work bag that keeps my exercise kit (SOP) packed and ready to go at all times. gets used alot but exclusively for work.

10. PLCE longback bergen in green, my new long term bushcraft bergen for long trips, working on the contents but when finished will be packed and ready to go at a moments notice

In additions to the bergens I have several set of side pouches including a couple with the yoke used to hold various bit of kit for when needed but a couple hold desginated kit for when needed so only have to strap them to the side and then already good to go. I also have a medics pouch which holds my team medics kit and other kit pouches which hold NBC and bivi kit too which can go into the bergens or get strapped to the sides. I have various webbing systems too all used for work from normal webbing through chest rigs (got a bout 3) through to assault vests (only 2 of them) and an old COP vest too which I could use for kit too........


Something tells me I have too much Kit

Yep, you got too much kit Pete. lol You can never have too much kit.....EVER !!!!

 

[Paul3103]

4 panniers, totalling about 75-80 litres.

I don't carry anything, the bike does it all.

No petrol/diesel/gas, just leg work.

Cycle touring, the hobby of the future. 1/4 the speed of a car*, with more accessability than a backpacker**

* I can get rolling at 15mph+ - I don't know of a car that can average 60mph to travel the length of the uk, more likely to be 40mph - and that's motorways!

** Backpackers in my experience tend to stay near towns/bus/train lines.

Try it some time, it's great.

 

[shogun]

i have one pack just bought it karrimor sabre 75...atb Allan

 

[J4C3]

Rush24 id guess around 30ltrs also has a snugpac response pack attached and a maxpedition large bottle holder maybe taking it too 35 ltr.
TBH its my first time this Friday and its only an over nighter, ill just gauge what i need to expand into,as i already had the Rush24 so figured id give that a go as a trail platform to run off

Got it all kitted out as we speak but that with thermarest and sleeping bag stowed onto the out facing molle,but im sure i can do better next time ,working on a few ideas to reduce but until ive trailed it in use theres no point,may get a maxped 6x9 side pouch either side ,adding around2.5 ltr a side i think the hammock and trap will fit in one and then FAK,Firekit,food in the other making more room to stow my other kit

But ill prob just go with a used old 80litre ish army bag time will tell

 

[soulstar1963]

old army bergen havent got a clue what size it is, either with or without side pouches........cost £4 at a car boot

 

[Sbek]

My pack (Arizzon Wolverine 70L) has much more capacity than the declared 70L as you can unfold the collar nearly 30 cm above the main chamber. that, and all the pockets inside the top flap add around 15-20L. What is even better, the pack is very compressible so you can easly 'hide' its capabilities.

 

[Graham_S]

I have quite a few packs.
Probably too many to be honest.
The main examples are as follows;
1. LK70 with MOLLE straps; Mainly my winter pack, or longer trips with heavier loads.
2. Lowe Mountain attack 55; the one I used before I got the sabre, good pack, it did a couple of Moot trips, still gets used when I go out with the scouts.
3. Karrimor Sabre 45 (and side pouches); the usual suspect, generally stays packed, ready to go.
4. Karrimor Jaguar 45 (20 years old and still going strong!); Not been used for a while, still an excellent piece of kit.

In addition to them, there are the assorted lumbar packs I use for days out, plus the MaxP bags, and my various daypacks

 

[DaveBromley]

I use an issue 100L longback donated to me by southey very kind!!

Dave

 

[Loenja]

i hate my bag, its a pretty cheap eurohike wilderness 55 @55l ,
its fine but it doesnt have any attachement points on the outside or modular pockets which i would like.
it is comfortable though which i guess is the main thing, so i gues that me with my "i must have the best, with all the bells and whistles" syndrome

 

[sgw1]

My old, heavy and massive Karrimore has been retired. I now mainly use a 30Ltr Alpkit Stealthy Gourdon. Light, 100% waterproof and, well, stealthy. If it doesn't fit in, it doesn't go.

I use it for backpacking/wildcamping and cycle touring/wildcamping strapped on top of rack and panniers.

QUOTE=Paul3103;684476]with more accessibility than a backpacker**

** Backpackers in my experience tend to stay near towns/bus/train lines.
[/QUOTE]


Curious about your points above Paul. I do a lot of wildcamping by bike but resort to backpacking to reach many more isolated spots which would be both practically and legally inaccessible by bike. I can manage to get my bike to some pretty remote and high places but am still restricted to bridleways. How is it you can find walking more restricted than cycling? After all you can walk anywhere that you can cycle, but not necessarily the other way round.

As for backpackers tending to stay near towns/bus/train lines, I couldn't agree less! For me and many others I meet, getting away from those things are the main reason for backpacking in the first place.

 

[ex-member Raikey]

i,m keen to cut down weight and would call myself a lightweighter but my last few overnighters have needed a little more gear everytime,

i used to use a maxpedition falcon for my full kit, but i,m getting a lil older and those little bits of extra make it more comfortable dont they?

so i ended up with all kinds of stuff hanging off it before goin up a few litres,

i cant justify the £100+ for the move up to the condor so i got a second-hand NI pack for 20 odd quid, and i love it,...

cant organise my gear as well as the falcon but its a small sacrifice i reckon.

 

[Metatron]

I have a Eurohike Revolution Aqua 90, it has a 90 litre capacity in the main compartment and room for a large sleeping bag in a secondary compartment underneath it, plus pockets. I'm 6" 5' and it feel right for me, fully loaded I've walked 12 miles with no issues, but the straps and support systems are excellent.

 

[3bears]

I go out with a 5.11 rush 24 now, very roomy!

 

[iamasmith]

I use a Falcon II which is 25L because during the day that's about as much as I want to carry. Camp stuff goes on the outside and with a couple of pouches and the strapping I can easily more than double that carrying capacity and it's still easy to carry and distributes the load well.

 

[ex-member Raikey]

I use a Falcon II which is 25L because during the day that's about as much as I want to carry. Camp stuff goes on the outside and with a couple of pouches and the strapping I can easily more than double that carrying capacity and it's still easy to carry and distributes the load well.

Ian,

dont you find when fully loaded and gear hanging underneath that its a bit unstable?

i mean like, it sits very far off the back, if it was a tad wider and less deep i reckon i could get on with it a lil better,

i switched to a NI Patrol pack, and still cant 100% deciede,

 

[The Lord Poncho]

I just can't imagine what you are all putting in these 120L bergens...

I suppose becuase most of the time i get to do bushcrafty type things these days, its instructing Scouts. So within the big 120 litre bergen goes plenty of demonstration and instructional kit in addition to my own personal stuff.

For 5/6 day expeditions, i find food and fuel take up about 40% of the availiable space though....

 

[Yorkshire]

my packs 80l but compressors much smaller if hardly anything in

 

[Giantwalks]

Bergans Powerframe 130L+. Normally 158 liters, improved to 214 liters.