This may sound like a stupid question but it is drivivng me crazy!~!!
I do alot of hiking 3 seasons out of the year. Since I have joined this forum I have obtained a few more items I now consider as part of my "essential core kit" (go figure) which has filled my pack (Camelbak rim runner 1500cu.in.) to the point that(with my other normal hiking gear)there is absolutely no room for anything else. I have another pack that is considered a day pack that is 2500 cu. in. when I put my gear in this one there is plenty of room to spare but it feels so much bigger and bulkier than I am used to and seems like overkill. SOOOO ... Do I need some extra space in my pack or is it ok to have a pack with no available space left when hiking.

It's fine to have a pack with no space. Rule of thumb is you tend to pack till you fill something... the other option is to just reevaluate everything you pack. I was on a hike this weekend and decided I'd packed way too much (partly cuz my gf was there too). In reality, a fanny pack would have been fine.

i agree, nature abhors a vacuum!

my 1,500cc was too small, in light of the water i sometimes need to carry for a day hike - so i got a 2,000cc that holds twice the water and had more room for more stuff. now it's full again! go figure..

this could be me: my pack

LMAO!!! Thats exactly what I am affraid of!! And then thinking it is all essential gear to have for a day hike..

Backpacks and paychecks

You will always find things to fill up a bigger backpack, bigger pack = more stuff to carry.

Just as you will always find things to spend your paycheck on, bigger paycheck = more stuff you buy.


I think it’s a law of nature?

That's funny. I'm always trying to leave space in my pack. When I go hiking it never fails that one of my buddies has a heavy pack. We'll usually distribute our gear more evenly...why make the guy with the 60lb pack suffer and slow everybody else down. If I can put a part of a tent, some pots, or whatever in my pack and even things up, the whole trip will be easier and everybody will have more fun.

Also, It's common practice with search and rescue to leave 20% of your pack free for 'team gear'. If I show up with a drum tight pack to a search or even to a training exercise, then have to carry 100 feet of rope and some carabiners or extra first aid equipment as my share of my load, I have to ditch stuff to do it. That takes up valuable time and I might, in my haste, leave behind something important without thinking.

I am not sure I follow the thread of this discusion. Are you discussing whether or not it is a sin to have a pack that is not jammed full of gear?

Is this a stealth discussion of best back-packing practices?

Don’t worry. It all balances out… Usually right after you start asking yourself those preparedness what-ifs like “What if I get stuck in a survival situation and I don’t have my pack?”

Suddenly your pack becomes much lighter because you start sticking your essential gear in your newly purchased belt pouches. Then you move on to other preparedness what-ifs like “What if I’m not wearing pants?”

erk my back pack is to big 120lt bergan. bobs are the smaller other arms version

Hi All, A question I find useful after every trip "Did I use ___item" If after several trips I havn't needed it consider leaving it home. In my opinion a survival kit is just that, it helps you survive, you may not be comfortable, but you should carry enough gear to make survival likely. An exception is seasonal clothing, always dress or have available clothing for the worst possible (expected) conditions. Old norweigen proverb "There is no bad weather, just bad clothing". Another "Clothing is the 'shelter' you walk around in".

Nighthiker is on the right track. I was wondering if a pack should have a little room left over in it for those "what if' scenarios. In which case I need to go up from a 1500cu.in. to something a little larger.

To some extent this is useful. However, I've found that there IS core gear, such as rain gear. I've been on 10-day trips where there's no rain. But, you know what happens at 8,000 feet- that 70-deggree summer day drops to 40, lightening acts up, and suddenly everyone without raingear is hypothermic (happened before). So I carry it.

On the other hand, I've found that 3 pairs of underwear and socks, and 1 pair of pants, is plenty for that time frame(oh, don't fret. I run around in boxers while my pants dry)

In terms of a day-pack, food is usually the item I've found most useless, then a fixed blade knife.

mtnlvr68,

(I hope none of you take this the wrong way!)

I am not encouraging anyone to carry more stuff. However, some of my kit is in compartamentalized bags inside the main pack. While I do leave a little room, depending on ammount of clothing for expected weather, the organizer bags my types of gear are in can easily be emptied into my pack and/or pockets, thus giving me more space to pack once I attach the organizaer bag to the exterior of my pack. Once I have setup an exterior atachment system for one of the bags, the 550 cord used is put into the organizer pouch for storage.

One example of needing more space.
So, If I am Hiking and suddenly become disgusted with all the trash others have neglected to packout, I have the needed space to clean up a little. (the trash bags I carry for emergency ponchos can still be used as trash bags too!)

happy to hear i'm not alone in this category.

One option...and it's a compromise no doubt...is to buy a large pack but one which is light for its size and has many compression options (straps, elastic, removable 'day pack' sections, etc.). You'd still have the big maximum space, but wouldn't have to carry a big, heavy floppy, 1/2 empty pack.

The thing I hate most about carrying my 60L pack is the pack! Once it's on my back and strapped in it's fine even if overloaded. If it's not full enough, it's floppy and doesn't feel right. If it's overfull it's hard to get onto my back by myself...and there's no way I'll get any of that stuff out without taking it off again.

The day that I can go into the bush for a weekend with a small pack (35L or less) and still have everything I need, will be a VERY happy day...I'm working on it but still nowhere close.

Thanks guys for the advice! I think I will take you up on it and just move into the larger pack.... I got another fight coming I can see it now!! ("there's room now for this and it dont weigh much")