Newbie all the way

[Lesley]

Virgin backpacker here.... planning a trip late Oct. I would love tips on how to pack effectively.  Also is there a break-in process for new packs? Anything would really help.

Thanks   

mer-les

[Fiddler]

The general rule is to put the lighter stuff (sleeping bag, clothing, etc.) in the bottom, middle weight stuff in the middle, and heavier stuff in the top part. The exceptions are the water bottles (must be kept where you can get them without removing the pack) and small things you might need quickly (knife, camera, etc.) which can be kept in a side pocket or one of the small add-on pouches that clip on the hip belt. Some things like tent poles or sleeping pad can be lashed to the outside of the pack. The idea is to have the pack's center of gravity between or slightly above the shoulder blades. That way a fully loaded pack won't tend to pull you backwards so much. You will probably have a natural tendency (as most do) to lean slightly forward while walking with a pack, so this also helps center most of the weight more or less over the hips for better balance without leaning too far forward. Also be sure the hip belt is snug enough so it won't slide down over the hip bones, but still loose enough to be comfortable. You'll know when you got it right. Pack it all, including your water and food, and do a few practice walks around the block till it feels right. No breaking in except maybe the hip belt, the longer you wear it the better it feels.
One more thing - - if you have anything in your pack except your emergency equipment (first aid, fire starter, etc.) and don't use it for 2 or 3 days you don't need it. Leave it home next time.

[Lesley]

Wow, that's a lot of stuff I didn't  think to know about. My spine thanks you. Karma for you!

Mer-Les

[lawnmowwer]

I personally like My weight lowwer in the pack mostly in the mid section of the pac, but ask a 100 people and get 100 opinions. The advise on the three day rule is great if you don't use it why carry it, excluding safety gear hopefully you will never need those idems.  Remember to carry some zipplocs for trash, and pack everything in plastic if you don't use a water proof pack or a pack cover. Water soaked cloths and sleeping bags are very heavy and do not insulate well.  Always ask questions. The only stupid question is the one not ask. My scouts usually learn this the hard way after a painful blister or a shoulder rubbed raw. I suggest a short hike and don't hesatate to stop and change something. Your pack if new has enough ajustment that you will not understand what all those straps do till you use them. Reading in a book is one thing. getting a rub or pressure point to stop is another.  Hope your hike is great.

[Fiddler]

I personally like My weight lowwer in the pack mostly in the mid section of the pac, but ask a 100 people and get 100 opinions.

How right you are. Things will be changed around to suit the one carrying the pack, only experience will determine what is best for you. But you gotta start somewhere.

Remember to carry some zipplocs for trash, and pack everything in plastic if you don't use a water proof pack or a pack cover.

As for the trash, I always like to carry out a little more than I brought in. I don't try to clean up the whole trail, just pick up 1 or 2 extra pieces. As far as packing stuff in plastic bags for wetness protection I think the oven baking bags are the best, they are extremely durable.

[Lesley]

Karma to all who gave me advice. I will defiantly be doing some trial runs around the block. My neighbors will get a kick out of it.  Ha! Ha!

[lawnmowwer]

I use the 2.5 gal. hefty freezer bags.  This allows me to eleminate air space and get a more compact B-pack. I am slowly replacing all my gear agian( thanks to new tech. in equipment) and some of my old junk is to bulky in fit easly in my 65 liter pack. I also have to care lots of extras for the yonger scouts. If you are 11 and weigh 60 lb. you just can't take much. sleeping bag, tent parts, change of cloths, water and ops you are already overweight and haven't eatten yet. The best amount to carry is 1/4 your body wieght or less, but never over 1/3. With new equipment this should not be hard.

[Delynn]

I insist that my Scouts never carry more than 25% of their body weight as well.  Even on a 5 day winter backpack in the Sipsey last year, my older two sons (age 12 and 15 at the time) and I carried <25%.  It makes the trip less work, and more fun. 

[Slade]

Someone correct me if I am way out of line but I want to say women do better packing the heavier items to the bottom of a pack due to their lower center of gravity. Its been a long time since I helped with packs though so my memories may be very wrong....

[theprocon]

You aren't counting all the years of hanging out with me......that is detrimental to someone's thought process.

[Cuffs]

Someone correct me if I am way out of line but I want to say women do better packing the heavier items to the bottom of a pack due to their lower center of gravity. Its been a long time since I helped with packs though so my memories may be very wrong....

In theory, that is correct, but it still does depend on the person and their preference.  I carry mine slightly higher than most... 

[Cuffs]

Dont use compression sacks.  Use regular stuff sacks instead, but dont cram them full either.  it is easier to mold a soft bag to fit into crevices and odd shapes than a hard ball...

[Cuffs]

And the best advice of all, attend a beginning backpacking workshop.  They are usually free and contain more information than you can ever absorb in one sitting!

[Lostsheep]

I'm late and most of this has been covered, but I'll add my $0.02. This comes straight from REI in their learning center. Maybe you'll find it useful:

Newbie all the way

My questions...what kind of pack are you using? How many days are you going for? How heavy is your gear? Do you plan to split your load with others or are you carrying everything?

I use an internal frame Kelty Redcloud pack and my experience (that works for me) is this:
1. I put my sleeping bag in the bottom compartment of the pack along w/ my groundcloth.
2. I have restuffed my tent into a larger stuff bag so that I can have it almost flat and pack on top of this instead of having a narrow tube of tent. This helps with my packing of the tent because I prefer as much as possible inside my bag as opposed to strapped to the outside. So, on the inside of my pack, I have my tent at the very bottom as flat against the bottom as possible.
3. Imagine looking down into your pack from the top. I make two "columns" of gear on the inside. On one side I have my compression sack of clothes and in the other stack I have my food. These is some of the most dense gear I have therefore I pack it close to my body and in the middle of my back to help with the center of gravity.
4. On top of this pile is gear I may need quickly such as my rainjacket and gaitors.
5. Strapped to the very bottom of my pack is my airmattress.

Now, my pack has two outside pockets. One on either side. I use one side to hold my water purifier & tent poles, while the other side to holds my pot/stove, and fuel.

This is going change person to person with they way they feel comfortable. Also, if I have to modify any of my gear (i.e.-change my sleeping pad, use my hammock instead of tent, different foods), then the packing usually varies as well. Typically I like to keep as much of the heavy weight against my body for balancing. Trial and error will be your best practice.

Good Luck.

[Lesley]

Thanks to all for the great advice. As of right now I'm only doing weekend backpacking- to gain experience for longer treks. I use a gregory Jade 50 internal frame womens pack.  After a few overnight trips I'm all about stuffing my sleeping bag in the bottom. I do split gear/food with 1-2 other people so that is still being adjusted. I'm interested in getting a hammock to one day supplant the tent system, so all this experience will have to be reevaluated. For now I'll just keep on trekking.

merles