Pack Capacity Inquiry

ClashCityRkr

ClashCityRkr

New member
The point has come at the start of my journey to really start acquiring some fucking gear, and soon. This way I can conduct a few trial runs before hitting the big wide open for good. I've settled on an internal frame pack of some sort, probably on the Osprey line, to look more like a through hiker. I plan on hitching and riding the rails eventually, which is where my concerns lie. While there is significant overlap, different gear is expected for each form.

STP, how big is your damn pack? Is a 70 liter pack too big for a train? Is a 55 too small for stealth camping? What have you learned out there?
 
ive hopped trains, hitched, and stealth camped more times then i count all with a 55 liter internal frame. but it really depends on how much gear you plan to haul. since i started traveling ive had a few packs but all were 55 liter and all at different times with different gear was more then enough with me. but ive also invested in decent lightweight so if you plan to travel heavier ide say go for a 70 liter.

my problem with packs that are bigger then 55 is that when my packs not full i feel its weight shifting more on my back and even though all of my packs have been internal i could still feel it causing me back pain if i didnt fill my pack up right.
 
I'm in the same boat, I don't want to bring too much, or not have enough. I guess dry runs are the way to go but I don't think I have that option
 
55 isn't too small for stealth camping as long as you don't carry a shitton of unnecessary stuff. I'd go for the 55 just to keep myself from pickung up more and more stuff I don't really need. Depends on your gear though, cheap but warm sleeping bags are often pretty bulky for example. Actually I would probably even take a smaller pack than the 55, at least for 4 season travelling. Have a look at the exos 48, this should be sufficiently large, you might look like a thru hiker, and it carries heavy loads, if you should stack up with food for a few days or something.
 
I've traveled with everything from just a sleeping bag sack to a full MOLLE II ruck to a pickle plus duffel.

The last four months, I've been rolling with a 25L; and that feels about right (for me).
 
I'm probably gonna post more about the pack I use later, but I always find myself wishing I packed lighter. I have a 40L back pack that works just fine for what I need so far, but everyone's different. I traveled for two months with an rei flash 65 and the whole time I was just like, fuck this is gigantic. I'm a pretty small person though, so that may factor into my distaste for larger/higher capacity shiz.
 
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T Paradise said:
55 isn't too small for stealth camping as long as you don't carry a shitton of unnecessary stuff. I'd go for the 55 just to keep myself from pickung up more and more stuff I don't really need. Depends on your gear though, cheap but warm sleeping bags are often pretty bulky for example. Actually I would probably even take a smaller pack than the 55, at least for 4 season travelling. Have a look at the exos 48, this should be sufficiently large, you might look like a thru hiker, and it carries heavy loads, if you should stack up with food for a few days or something.
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I have the Osprey Exos 48, and can recommend it. This is the most comfortable pack i have ever carried, at around 150 bucks, expensive, but life-time warranty. I don't carry it currently because it is so light and thin-skinned, I am afraid of failure in the field. Plus it is butt ugly. Great pack though.
 
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