Tent too big or pack to small???

Help! I'm planning a wild camp and need some advice on gear.

I have a Kestrel 38 and I'm really struggling to fit my kit in. My tent (Aztec summit 2) and sleeping bag (ME Firewalker 2) pretty much fill the pack. I think my tent is the main problem, I bought it a while back and have used it for car camping. I didn't realise how it was next to the kestrel til I tried packing yesterday.

Rather than swap pack/tent just yet I was wondering if anyone else overnights with a kestrel 38 (or similar) and if so what gear do you take and how do you pack it?

If I do need to change gear I was thinking of getting a zephyros 2 or similar OR maybe upgrading to something like a 50l pack.

Any help appreciated

Mike

Summit tent specs

Sleeps: 1-2

Season: 4

Weight: 2.8kg

Packed Size: 40x20x15cm

I use a 35lt and usually have a little room to spare, one of the main reasons is i have my tent on the outside of the pack, bottom end stands in one of the stretchy side pockets and the top is secured under the packs lid. I know some people object to having the tent outside the pack but it's not been a problem for me.

In your case it may be easiest and cheapest to get a bigger pack, unless you're planning on lightening your kit anyway, then purchasing a new tent will be a good investment.

Include a little history in your walks. Pecsaetan - Ancient Derbyshire, Staffordshire and South Yorkshire - http://pecsaetan.weebly.com/

Agree with Jake (after your edit) you're gonna struggle with that pack/tent combo.

Include a little history in your walks. Pecsaetan - Ancient Derbyshire, Staffordshire and South Yorkshire - http://pecsaetan.weebly.com/

I'd deffo look at replacing the tent, i'm guessing a Zephyros would pack quite a bit smaller, and how about a lighter more compact sleeping bag ? late spring into early autumn i use a cheap jobby from Decathlon that packs down to nothing, think it cost me £20, or see if you can get hold of one of the Tesco down bags.

Include a little history in your walks. Pecsaetan - Ancient Derbyshire, Staffordshire and South Yorkshire - http://pecsaetan.weebly.com/

Mole wrote (see)

Dont let getting hung up on having a small pack stop you getting out...

What he said.

I've just done 6 days with my heavier kit in a 55+10lt pack, carrying a 2.7kg tent.!

Reason was at any moment the gerroff my land brigade could have trashed the lot and i didn't want my "best" gear in millions of pieces.

Include a little history in your walks. Pecsaetan - Ancient Derbyshire, Staffordshire and South Yorkshire - http://pecsaetan.weebly.com/

Welcome to our world

If you're after a cheap, not too heavy backpack, have a look at the Karrimor Bobcat 65, I had one briefly before selling it as surplus to requirement and it was quite ok for the price.

I've often backpacked with a 35L day-sack, for weeks and months at a stretch, and it's been fine. However, it's only been possible because everything in the pack has been lightweight and low-bulk. Even so, there's not much room for more than a couple of days worth of food, and that means I could only follow routes that offered regular chances to resupply. (No problem on most Alpine trails, where you might get two or three options to eat and drink each day, almost regardless of the terrain!)

On the other hand, I have owned tents and sleeping bags which simply couldn't be squashed into a 35L pack.

You need to decide whether to go for a bigger pack, which you can do cheaply, or whether to replace most of your kit, which is of course going to be expensive.

My answer to your direct question is much as posted above by others. A 38L pack is rather small for even an overnighter unless you have lightweight gear and it is easier and cheaper to change the pack than to replace all the gear.

I currently use a 44L Osprey pack. I can just about squeeze in everything I need (including food and three 500ml water bottles) for a night on the hill. But I could make things easier for myself if I chose to. One of the reasons it's all a bit of a squeeze is that I like my comforts. So I take a SIM and also a compressible foam pillow (which, though light, adds bulk) whereas if I was less fussed about my comfy bed I could save weight and a fair bit of space by substituting a rollmat (CCF mat) and an inflatable pillow.

Re your sleeping bag: do you fully compress the syn bag? Have you cinched the compression straps tight as they'll go? That might save a few centimetres perhaps.

Re your tent suggestion: I've got a Zephyros 2 and it's not particularly light (can't remember off-hand - just under 2KG I think). As supplied, it's not particularly compact either. If you leave the two end struts in place with the tent rolled round them the pack length is about 400mm - 450mm (I can't measure it just now because it's in the loft). But there are suggestions and ideas on re-packing (including modding the end struts) on the OM Forums Zephyros Owners thread.

Re carrying items on the outside of a pack, opinion seems polarised - some people seem to regard it as a mortal sin. To me, it depends to a degree on where one is walking. For example, in undergrowrth and woodland, external items might be susceptible to snagging and/or ripping. Or on difficult or steep going, your balance and centre of gravity could be affected. But for general hillwalking, I personally don't mind carrying stuff on the outside of my pack.

You could probably get by with upping the size of your bag a tiny bit. I did the Great Glen with an Osprey Talon 44 and a Vango Spirit 200+. Bit of a squeeze to get everything in, but managed in the end Didn't even have to stamp on it or anything.

That bastard Skip wrote (see)

Re carrying items on the outside of a pack, opinion seems polarised...

I like a 'clean' pack, with everything inside. When I see too much stuff strapped outside packs, I can't help thinking of Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee, struggling along the trail to Mordor, with all those pots and pans clattering on the outside of their packs.

I've got several bags with stretchy pockets on the outside and they're awfy handy for flysheets, mats and suchlike. I keep my enamel mug clipped to a shoulder strap, Paddy

45L+10 is a handy pack size for when your stuff's a bit on the bulky side.

Trouble no one about their religion;

respect others in their view and demand that they respect yours.

~Chief Tecumseh~

Paddy Dillon wrote (see)

That bastard Skip wrote (see)

Re carrying items on the outside of a pack, opinion seems polarised...

I like a 'clean' pack, with everything inside. When I see too much stuff strapped outside packs, I can't help thinking of Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee, struggling along the trail to Mordor, with all those pots and pans clattering on the outside of their packs.

I agree Paddy, with me it's only the tent outside the pack, which doesn't alter the shape really as i pack the tent first, the rest of the stuff is then packed to the shape of the sack.

Include a little history in your walks. Pecsaetan - Ancient Derbyshire, Staffordshire and South Yorkshire - http://pecsaetan.weebly.com/