Will a 50l bag be enough? (new member)

[joshua3299]

Hey guys I'm new to the camping/fishing scene but in the summer me and a friend have decided to do just that, travelling around england. We are looking to go for around 2-3 weeks and was wondering will a 50l bag such as the Northface alteo 50l be able to hold a sleeping bag, some food, clothing and other essentials. I don't want to take too much and just want to hold what I need. Also I have a question, what is that thing i always see on the bottom of peoples back packs. They tie it on with a string and its rolled up? Is that the sleeping bag?

anyway sorry if these are really noob questions, I am new to all of this

 

[Shewie]

It all depends on how bulky your items are Joshua, a summer rated bag should be a small package, what will you do about shelter?

The item you see on the bottom of packs sounds like a sleeping mat, probably a foam one which can handle getting wet if it rains. I prefer to slip mine inside an empty pack and then stuff everything else within that tube.

 

[crosslandkelly]

Hi,Welcome to the forum. For 2 - 3 weeks you're going to get a few different weather conditions. Wet Gear, Dry gear, Warm gear. Something to sleep in, something to sleep under. Bivvi and tarp, tarp and hammock, or small tent. Cook set, wash kit, food and water. Do you know anyone who can lend you a large rucksack. just so you can try packing a selection of gear and get the feel of what you might need.

 

[petrochemicals]

dear joshua,

really the size doesn't matter, it's what you do with it, honest. Everyone has this at sometime "Is it worth carrying a heavier bag"

If your kit weights 5kg and your food and water weight 7kgs (5 days food 2 litre water) you have a minimum of 13 kg plus consumables like fuel and the bag itself. 15 kg is a load that I would not carry without a good bag.

The heavier larger bags are also more designed for heavier loads, which is why they're heavier, but feel lighter in the long run.

There is nothing to stop you carrying a half full bag. I would say smaller bags mean lighter loads on the whole.

Plus a bit of extra room also makes packing alot quicker and easier everyday, less of a jigsaw.

If you are going to be stowing your kit on a camel or in a canoe, then it really doesn't matter !

 

[petrochemicals]

just remembered someone has one going for a pittance.

Chisler in member classified. Karrimor jaguar. Don't buy new yet !

 

[Tiley]

Welcome to the forum. Do also remember that, while you're off out for 2-3 weeks this time, you may wish to go for longer or on a different style of trip at a different time of year next time. I presume that you won't necessarily want to buy another pack for that, so try and think of all options with regard to what you might want to do in the future. I think you might find that having just a few more litres extra space (say 65-70 litres...) will give you a good deal more flexibility AND will mean you don't have to have stuff strapped to/dangling from the outside of your pack - a real pain when travelling anywhere and so not recommended in my book!

 

[bopdude]

Is this trip going to be a walking trip or are you in a vehicle, what sort of shelter ( as has been asked ) are you planning on driving and then walking to a camp ?

Oh, lots of questions lol

 

[decorum]

There seems to be two ways forward for you.

1. Buy a pack and then try to find kit which fits in it.
2. Buy your kit and then buy a bag for it to go in.

The benefit of the second route is that you have a better indicator of what size pack you need.

Much of the space in the pack will be taken up by your sleeping bag. Bags with synthetic fillings are bulkier but cheaper than their down filled counter parts ~ a warm bag can be left partially unzipped, one which doesn't insulate well enough will lead to miserable nights of broken sleep . A compression set is a great help .


Some thoughts to ponder...

Space for spare clothes ~ two to three weeks of travelling is going to take its toll .

How are you going to source your water and food? Water filter? What are you going to cook in and on?

Availability of fuel on your route ~ learn to use your stove properly before embarking on your trip. Don't rely on being able to have camp fires!

Good boots will be a must ~ not necessarily expensive, just boots which suit your feet.

Decent waterproofs ~ do a whole load of research. Some surplus MVP (similar to goretex) is bomb-proof knocks the spots off of some of the civvy options ~ but, again, surplus kit tends to be bulkier and heavier than civvy street options.

Living in your boots might not be feasible and even a pair of flip-flops will help your feet relax and breathe at the end of the day Repairs and spares kit ~ what are you going to carry in order to perform quick and / or proper repairs? Hole in your water proof? Zipper stitching failed on your sleeping bag? Sole flapping on your boot?



50L is a mid sized pack and although doable, if your budget is tight, you might struggle.

 

[Lister]

You miht find this software helpful: http://www.sherpa-en.pistoo.net

Once you've entered all the information, you can see what your heaviest, lightest, bulkiest, slimmest kit is and it's overall size, handy if you're trying to figure out if your ruck will be big enough.

 

[troutman]

A 50L rucksack has its pros and cons:

1) It will stop you packing too much- (can be both good and bad)
2) The weight and bulk should not be too bad as its size is mid range.

Firstly make sure your pack FITS YOU. If it doesn't you will end up uncomfortable very quickly. Also try packing it with everything you need- insulating layers, tent? waterproof, food and fishing gear.
You can attach your roll mat to the outside easily- Don't go without this, it provides plenty of insulation. Your sleeping bag can be put into a dry bag then lashed onto the outside if you have limited space. Also cooking equipment needs to be stored somewhere.

You really need to do your research, do a few practice packs and list everything that you need and everything you want, then cut down to the necessities. In the UK, if you forget something there is a good chance you will find somewhere to buy it- so take the essentials and research it first. Ultra light kit and compact cooking systems (multi fuel?) would be ideal.

 

[rg598]

As others have said, whether or not a 50L pack will be enough depends on how much gear you will have and how bulky that gear is going to be. Also, are you carrying food for three weeks? If so, unless you have very minimal gear, you will probably need a larger pack.

For reference purposes, I use a 62L pack for my three season backpacking. You can see the gear I put in it here: http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/2013/02/my-three-season-camping-and-bushcraft.html

I have used a 50L pack in the past to store the same gear, but the larger pack allows me to more easily carry large amounts of food. It also doubles as my winter pack for most trips.

 

[Elen Sentier]

Hello and welcome. It really all depends , as others have already said . I go out with an ultralight Gossamer Gear Murmur but not for as long as you. I find the heaviest stuff and perhaps the most bulky is food so how capable are you of living off the land? Or are you going from point to point where you can either buy food or poste-restante it to yourself every couple of days? Or do you have a food dryer so you can make up quite large amounts of food that will be very light-weight? Ditto jerky. Anyway ... just my two penn'orth

 

[Paul_B]

Weight and bulk of your kit make rucksack sizes a simple question to answer. If it fits in great, if not go bigger. Simples.

For example, I can go out with a 20litre sack with all I need for a day or so. I prefer a 50litre simple climbing sack. It is light and comfortably carries up to 28kg!!! I'm not happy carrying that though. Size does not make a sack comfortable it is fit, stability, load weight, back design combined with how it transfers weight to the hipbelt. I know some light, mid-sized sacks which cope with 20kg plus. If you're carrying more than 20kg you're better worrying about replacing your other kit. I'm down to sub-10kg loads. It's only the food that changes according to length of trip.