How to Pack Your Pack

[Rick]

Spring is here and for many areas that means snow is disappearing and being replaced by sunshine and warmer temperatures. That also means that a lot more folks will be out hiking and backpacking. Did you know there is a right way to pack your pack? There is and it depends on whether your pack is an external or internal frame or no frame at all.

Here are some tips from REI on the best way to keep the weight distributed.

http://www.rei.com/learn/Camping/rei/learn/camp/packing2f

[Tahyo]

That's going to come in handy sooner than you think. My two sons want me to go on some backpacking trips with them in a month or so. I've been sorting through my gear and seeing what I can either do without or lighten considerably. I'm "old school" backpacker where I use to haul a fair amount of gear, but those days are over.

[dilligaf2u2]

See I been doing it all wrong. Beer should go on the botton and bacon should fill the rest of the pack. I have always put the beer on top for easy access.

Well live and learn.

Don

[GVan]

Dilligaf, Your original way sounds good to me.

My "Allice" has a lot of pockets and ties to attach the regularly used things and the large pocket for long term and bulk storage.

[Rick]

Now that you know how to pack your pack, you need to know what goes in it. While I don't necessarily agree with all of the author's choices I do agree with the categories. Some food for thought.

http://gorp.away.com/gorp/gear/features/backpacking_gear_2.html

[Aurelius95]

Now that you know how to pack your pack, you need to know what goes in it. While I don't necessarily agree with all of the author's choices I do agree with the categories. Some food for thought.

http://gorp.away.com/gorp/gear/features/backpacking_gear_2.html

Rick, is this the right link? It showed two types of shirts/weather related gear. Did you mean to link that? There were no "categories".

Aurelius

[Rick]

Directly below the shirts it says:

Move on to For Feet, Head, and Hands

At the end of each category there is a link to move to the next.

[Ridge Wolf]

That about sums up the way to pack your pack.. with the heavier items closer to the back and mid to high level to prevent the strain. I have a Molle pack with several pouches that I am using this Spring and Summer. The outside mounted pouches carry most of the minimal surivival equipment reserving the inside of the pack for other 'standard camping' equipment and heavier items. What I had built earlier this year is very similar to the pack survival kit in that 'perfect survival kit' book. I am eager to try this out as I haven't used a molle system before but rather the standard backpack setup. Should be interesting to see how I fare with it as it is heavier overall because it is military based.