Maybe ( & this is just a suggestion) you might find it easier if you use a dry liner for most of your kit that you will only be getting out at the end of the day, & one or two dry bags on top for gear that you may or will use during the day. As i said its only a suggestion, but one that i find that cuts down on the amount of dead space that using loads of separate dry bags will occur.
I find that the trick is not to over fill any stuff sacs so that they can mould into shapes. Some have to be 'stuffed', your sleeping bag is going to fill whatever it is in for example; but other things can be more loosly filled.
I have had 30 odd years of packing sea kayaks though so am used to using odd shaped container.
I use a 60+ litre pack most of the time and adjust volume by how compressed my sleeping bag is. On longer trips or if I am carrying extra kit with groups the sleeping bag is heavily compressed I also change my diet so more pasta and rice on longer trips due to weight/volume.
Back after a wet windy and wild time in the lakes.
Nick Nick, I had food for four evening meals and five breakfasts, Then chorizo, cheese and loads of chocolate. On top of that the usual kit sleeping bag, tent stove, layers, waterproofs etc.
Padstowe, I had tried a larger dry liner but with the curved back of the atmos it didn't work too well.
Steve D, in the end I split the food up into seperate stuff sacks, with it all in one bag, it didn't crush/squash down too well.
I fit it all in eventualy, but the rucksack was at its full extension and I found myself trying to fit/stuff things like my wash kit and a couple of Chorizos into odd nooks and crannies.
I have a few tricks but one is to have one dry bag for overnight kit like sleeping bag and dry clothes (don't take too much). This bag should be only full of soft stuff. I then pack it withing the sack and fold the dry bag over and step on it within the bag so it moulds to the shape of the sack in the bottom then roll it up carefully but quickly to minimize the air that gets in.
The idea behind this is to avoid creating solid, cylindrical dry bags that create way too much dead space but amorphous stuffing bags. This can be helped by switching to those dry bags with an eVent end panel. These eVent ends allow air to be squeezed out just like the valve in dive suits to equalize the bouyancy (well in some ways).just shove the soft stuff into them and drop in the sack and squash down.
Whatever you do do not create these solid bricks outside the sack and expect them to efficiently fill your bag.
The other tip is to carry less. It is amazing at how little you can get away with, even on multi day trips.
I do hope you separate your tent into different, smaller bags for the different bits. One for the tent, another for the pegs and the poles are separate (even strapped to the outside if neede. It is amazing how not using the big, heavy bag it came in with all the bits together actually saves space.
In answer to the basic question though, getting that many days worth of food + stuff for camping in not entirely warm temperatures and wet conditions - into an slightly awkwardly shaped ~50 litre rucksack is good going.
I just got the problem. A mate had the Atmos and sold it off as the back encroached too much into the sack and made it seem to have a lot less volume than the 50 litres stated. Although not unusal for bags to have a "small" 50 litres or whatever volume (possibly due to differing methods of determining the volume) the Atmos does apear to be a particularly over-optimistic volume measurement. I know someone who switched to a 45 litre bag and still gets more in then the Atmos.
Change you sack mate or just use for shorter trips. I have a sack that is the other way. A10+ year old Berghaus alpine sack that is 50l + 10 but has a lot more volume than that. All in a sack weighing about 1.3kg. It was lightweight before lightweight became a real popular selling point. I used to carry 28kg in it!! Now its nearer 6 to 9kg which makes me really happy or at least my back happy. Plus it is ultra stable. I carried 18kg in it and was still able to scramble like it was a small and light day sack!!
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