 What size of rucksack do you use for wildcamping? I'm going to be needing to buy a bigger rucksack for wildcamping as I only have a small daysack at the moment and I'm wondering what sizes most people use?
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 Depends on how many days, what time of year, where, chance of resupply etc. How much kit do you need to carry?
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 Must say I prefer a tent to be honest... (b'boom tsssss! I'll get me coat etc.). The easiest way to size a rucksack is to take everything you want to put in one and see what size of bags will work. To do that you'll need a selection of rucksacks and the kit you want to put in it. Any decent outdoor shop should be able to supply the rucksakcs, and you can supply your load (or borrow similar items from the shop). That way you'll know, rather than base an estimate on other folks' experience which is based on different personal kit and different personal preferences for what to have along. Case in point, I might use a 32, 35, 40, 60 or 70+ litre pack for wild camping, depending on a host of factors (which tent am I using, how long am I going for, how much food do I need, how cold is it (and thus sleeping bag thickness and extra clothes count), will I need special gear on the trip (climbing stuff, for example), can I share tent/cooking gear, and so on). If I can give you 5 different flavours of "it depends" just for me it's hopefully clear that you'll either need to more narrowly define what you intend with "wild camping" or work out the answer empirically using your actual gear. Pete.
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 Packed size of tent, sleeping bag, mat, cookset, spare clothes, ancillaries. I use a 50 litre Osprey Atmos. It's so comfy on me that I use it as an overnighter as well as for multi-days. I just tighten/loosen the straps. It's a happy cycle - cut down pack-size of kit allows you to use a smaller rucksack. I can't afford to keep buying new kit, so am happy with where I've reached. Heck, I remember hauling a Berg 65 litre pack up a hill for an overnighter. Tent - packs in compression sack, pole down side of pack. Sleeping bag - down, so compresses small. Cookset - all fits into titanium mug, and a separate drinking mug. If I'm carrying a few grammes in redundant packweight, then so be it. We all have difference spending money and different things to spend it on.
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 Having just bought a bivvi and tarp, I managed to get everything for one night into my 35L OMM Jirishanca; my son squeezed his tent and other gear into his 32L OMM!!
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My first overnight trips were with my 25ltr daysack with the tent strapped to the outside. When I first got into longer trips I knew I'd need something bigger but rather than fit the rucksack to the kit I fitted the kit to the rucksack. I decided that anything over 45 ltrs would be too heavy and uncomfortable to want to bother doing it so bought one that size and paired the stuff I had down to fit, adding newer, lighter stuff here and there as funds allowed. 45 ltrs works fine for me for up to five or six days at a time.
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.jpg) I'm no lightweight but for summer can easily get everything in a 38ltr pack  . I have found it all depends on the pack size of your tent and sleeping bag mostly as these can take up most of the room.
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I could manage three / four days with my Mountain Contour 45 were it not for a bloody big camera & lens taking up so much room.
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 I use a day-sack for everything. Currently I'm using a little Berghaus Freeflow thing that doesn't hold much more than 30L or so. All my stuff is lightweight and low volume, so there's no point having it rattle round inside a big pack, and anyway, I don't really get any pleasure out of lugging stuff over the hills anyway, so the less the better. Even if I'm out for weeks at a time, most people who meet me assume I'm just out for the day!
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| Edited: 16/06/08 18:51 |
 I use a 50l pack, which for 3 day/2 night trips in summer is about 10l too big. But it's an Akto and like Duncan I like it too much to swop for anything else. Plus I can use the same pack for longer trips or for winter camping.
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 I agree with Peter. But fwiw I now tend to use my 53 litre POD Black Ice ( a few years ago I was using a 60 litre POD and going back beyond that 70 or 75 litres was certaiinly the backpacking norm). For me the Black Ice will happily do a winter weekend or a summer week, including all food and fuel and up to 3 litres of water if necessary, all carried inside. For a summer weekend or overnighter it isn't full. One school of thought says don't buy a pack any bigger than you can get away with as you'll only fill it, but personally I'd rather have a bit of spare room, and I'd certainly hate to buy a small pack for backpacking and then fail to get everything in or have to lash lots of bits on the outside.
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Your pack is an Akto? S'funny, I've got a tent called an Akto. Small world eh? 
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Matt - I hate the idea of lashing stuff to the outside of my pack. I find my little Berghaus day-sack is just the right size. When I see people with pots and pans dangling off their packs, or chunky rolled-up sleeping bags lashed to them, I think of those hobbits on Lord of the Rings. Boy... could they have done with some advice about backpacks!
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Paddy, I'm sure your kit is all finely honed inside your daysack, but if Cammy's only just starting on the wildcamping his may not be. Of course he'll have to judge. I just don't think it's necessarily fair if we create the impression that the norm is backpacking with kit in a 30 or so litre pack these days - a hell of a lot of people don't!
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 45 + 8 Berghaus Arete for me. Like Matt's Pod it does me all year round. I dont like the pack rammed full anyway, it makes it hard to pack, hard to find stuff in it and hard to get stuff back into it on the hill. The longest Ive been out with it is 3 days but I reckon I've got my kit sorted so that for any extra days it would only be more food I'd have to carry and theres still space for that.
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 Due to the fact that I use mine for weekly cycle excursions in Scotland, and can't afford to buy a second one, I use a Berghaus 35+8, for wild camp walks as well. I'm by no means a lightweight camper but find that I get everything in with just a waterproof strapped on the outside where I can get at it easily. I also use it as a day sack where it also gets filled cos I have to carry my wife's stuff too! Gary
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| Edited: 16/06/08 19:24 |
 I would imagine the average is around 45-55L. Just been playing around with my 35L sack and finding it an tight fit to get everything in (tent, sleeping bag taking up most the space). I'm also not keen on strapping stuff to the outside. I don't think you would go wrong with a 45+10 sack.
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 I have just two sacks 35l and 60l. The 35l is a tight fit for just me as I only have a 2 person tent and a foam mat (this has to go on the outside  ) The 60l is used when colder or when the mrs is out with me. I had the 60l sack befor I started down sizing the sleeping bag and tent. When the mrs is out with me I have the pleasure of lugging all the food, the 2 person tent, the synthetic sleeping bag... so then 60l is about wright with swmbo using the 35l.
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 I actually use a Golite Pinnacle 72 litre rucksack for day walking, wild camps and backpacking. If your going for framed or heavier packs then obviously its best to take just what you need, but I think this idea isn't really neseccary when using lightweight packs as the weight penalty for the difference between 50 litre and 72 litre is extremely minimal. The lightweight and large packs simply have easy roll down tops so they are really easy to compress and for me my 72 litre sack which only weighs 740g works for day walking anywhere and also works for backpacking long distance so I only need one bag instead of three! the Golite range compress really weel are very comfy and simple and I use the inner sit mat on my Pinnacle for my feet when camping as I have a 3/4 length mat now. I would seriously consider getting a pack big enough for backpacking but that will also compress down and be light enough for wild camping. I don't see the point in buying another bag to do longer trips or cutting yourself short. It doesn't make much differnce going between 50 and 70 litres when the bag is a lightweight design anyway! It does depend on what sort of kit you have invested in but don't struggle your kit into a small and heavy bag, instead go for something designed around the lightweight philosophy and give yourself enough space to pack your gear in. Lightweight gear doesn't always gaurantee small pack size too and having a nice balance of weight distribution in a well packed pack is something to head for.
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 If you're a beginner, tend towards a larger size of around 60 litres. People on here with small packs have learnt how to pack small and light from experience. You can always carry a bigger pack a little empty, whereas you're f@*)^d if your pack's too small to carry all your gear.
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