Pack your bags!!!!

[rich290185]

Hi guys,

first of all love the site, soooom many plans running round my head now!!!

I have done lots of camping and am really looking forward to doing some "proper" camping, but my question is a simple one....:o

how do YOU pack your pack?

I mean what order is best to fill your bag sleeping gear at the top or bottom?

brew gear as close to hand as poss ect ect....

cant wait to see what the pros have to say,

Rich.

[swkieran]

i always pack me clothes and wash kit at the bottom,my bedding stuff in the middle except roll mat,tent at the top along with anything i may need to grab first.my knifes and fire steel go in one pocket at the side,as do my tinder stuff and first aid kit.

[comanighttrain]

Depends on the pack!

I use the army type packs (Webtex bergan and now Snugpak Rocketpak) which have two large side pouches and main central bag.

I put the shelter, hygiene and stuff i wont use during the day in the central bit, lightest stuff at the bottom (so usually tent, sleeping bag, food and hygiene kit) and then day kit (clothing layers, that days food, water, brew kit etc) into the sides. In the top pouch I just put misc items...such as maps, torch, first aid... any overspill from the sides...

General rule of thumb is lightest at the bottom, heaviest at the top, day kit in easy to access areas.

[LandRoverMatt]

sleeping and shelter in one area with clothes and wash stuff and big pockets on side with water cooking equitment and food and water and any other stuff and in the lid (bag top) with cordage fire lighting stuff

[Bushwhacker]

The stuff you need first when you get there is the stuff you pack last.
First I line the inside with my gore-tex bivvy for extra waterproofing, then put in spare clothes, sleeping bag on top and fold and tie off the bivvy.
Groundsheet then goes on top and the tarp on top of that.
Cook set and food in one side pocket.
Fuel, knives and cord and scrunched up lemonade bottle in the other side pocket.
FAK and washing kit in compartment on the top flap - FAK placed for instant retrieval.
Roll mat strapped to the outside.

First thing you want to do when you get there is shelter so you pull your tarp out first and get it up.
Once you're sheltered you can peg down the groundsheet and set your bed area, then cook, sleep or do whatever you want.

Doing it this way means you can stop en-route and just cook as everything for that is in the side pocket.

That's pretty much all I take apart from some ridiculously oversized bino's around my neck.

[rich290185]

Thanks, sounds good

any one else?

[jus_young]

Don't know about being a pro but heres mine...

Sleep gear such as bag, tarp, sleeping mat in the bottom compartment of the pack. Then in the main compartment the bottom layer is spare clothes, then bits and bobs bag and wash kit followed by food and cook gear on top. I may have a fleece or chunky jumper on top again if required. The seperate top compartments of the pack hold my waterproofs and woolly hat whilst first aid kit, trowel and knife are in the side compartments. Water is usually in a bladder held in a mesh section in the main compartment.

May not necessarily follow the 'heaviest on top' rule but works for me at the moment.

[Martin]

I'm not sure that heaviest on top is the way to go. This would leave you seriously unbalanced when crossing any terrain other than flat and level ground. Heavier, weighty items should be packed at the bottom of your pack. The weight will be supported by the hip belt anyway.

Martin

[comanighttrain]

I'm not sure that heaviest on top is the way to go. This would leave you seriously unbalanced when crossing any terrain other than flat and level ground. Heavier, weighty items should be packed at the bottom of your pack. The weight will be supported by the hip belt anyway.

Martin

This link seems to describe both as acceptable in different situations - http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/loading+backpack.html

[fish]

heavy close to my back and low down,lighter stuff to the top and front of the ruck.

[Mountain Goat]

sleeping bag and dry clothes in dry bag at bottom
food not needed until camp is set up next
tent
stove and food needed that day
Side pockets - spare clothing
top pocket - basic survival equipment - firesteel, knife etc. + hat and gloves

[Whistle]

Depends on the pack!

General rule of thumb is lightest at the bottom, heaviest at the top, day kit in easy to access areas

Agree depends on the pack ... I use this 5.11 Rush 72 Military Style pack ...

http://www.511tactical.com/All-Products/Bags-Backpacks/Backpacks/RUSH-72-Backpack.html

Pockets for everything and all easy access , even the main compartment opens wide like a suitcase , nothing gets lost in the bottom of the pack

but you might forget which pocket you put stuff in ... Ha ha ha !!!


Cheers Whistle

[Adam Savage]

Sleeping bag and spare clothing in a drysack at the bottom, waterproofs on top of that.
Tarp, bug net, bivvy bag, cordage, headtorch and various small items, in left hand pouch.
Cookset, food, utensils, cleaning equipment, first aid kit, and spare batteries, in right hand pouch.
Hammock rolled up in sleep mat strapped to the top.

Usually :D

[GwersyllaCnau]

I have quite a heavy tent at 3kg. I wedge my sleeping bag wrapped in a bivi at the bottom along with my dry clothes and sleep mat. On top of this I place my tent vertically in the middle so that when wearing the pack it is as close to my body and as central as possible. Around this I then pack any other stuff try to balance it. My cook kit weighs 1kg so goes on the opposite side to my food. Waterproofs, fak and torch in the lid pocket. Water is in a 58 pattern waterbottle on my hip belt. I find packing like this gives a COG close to my body, my coook kit is accessible during the day and if I really want to I could get my waterproofs without taking the pack off (useful with a poncho). My tent is easily pulled out when I need it, just got to make sue I pack the swedish army stove with the hook away from the tent.