How big is your bag?

[humdrum_hostage]

I am slowly getting my kit together and am unsure of what size bag to go for or even which one?
At the moment it will probably just be overnight stays as I haven't slept outside of a tent yet

There is a 45L on DD hammocks website that's seems a reasonable price and didn't know if anyone has any feedback on that one? On the flip side I don't want anything too big.

Also I have seen bags on Ebane for as little as £12.99, I know sometimes you get what you pay for but you can also get a hidden treasure. Are ex-army ones better quality or are you just paying for the history/style?

Thanks in advance

Chris

 

[Disco1]

How long do you intend you go out, overnight, week-end or longer?.

 

[decorum]

I am slowly getting my kit together and am unsure of what size bag to go for ...

One large enough to carry your kit and, if you're intending to walk with it, comfortable to carry for good distances.

Ex military packs tend to be of a more rugged construction than high street ones, but they also tend to be heavier too .


Use what you're comfortable with

 

[swotty]

I use a 5.11 push for a bimble, Wisport sparrow 20 or Duluth envelope pack as a day sack, an ex army Karrimor Predator with plce pouches or my Frost River jnr Bushcraft for overnighters to a few days .
These are my current favourites but I have too many bags and packs to mention!

 

[Squidders]

I use a Lowe Alpine Cerro Torre 65:85 during the winter or on longer trips. It isn't the lightest pack around but it's amazingly comfortable to carry even heavy loads, very well built, has great internal volume, built in rain cover and some very useful smaller spaces.

I also use a GoLite Jam 50 during warmer months or on shorter trips. It is really light weight and its simple design makes packing it and using it a doddle. While it won't take abuse that some packs will, it will take regular use well.

Over time, I have gone from a webtex bergen, genuine issue bergen, karrimor sabre 45 and 75, packs from duluth pack and frost river, genuine us army packs and a few others. They're all ok but they all have compromises, some are heavy, ugly and well made but cheap, others are expensive, attractive, heavy and expensive.

I gave up on the bushcraft uniform a while ago and my packs are a very personal preference. The Lowe Alpine is easily as well made as the military ones, still quite heavy by todays standards and not so cheap but so much more comfortable to carry.

The GoLite was a bargain - I think I paid £45 on eBay. It's a perfect weekend pack if you can pack light. If your kit is heavy it will be a disaster though. It would also be a disaster if you're mean to your kit. I have seen some people really throw kit about to prove how well made it is which ends up being a bit circular. Bushcraft and treating kit well aren't mutually exclusive.

 

[humdrum_hostage]

How long do you intend you go out, overnight, week-end or longer?.

Probably only over nighters to begin with.

Thanks for all the feedback guys, Plenty of info for me to get my teeth into but also may be a can of worms

The trouble I have, if I don't research something I always make the wrong decision and regret it afterwards.

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

If you don't want to carry loads of kit the Berghaus Centurio 30 is a nice pack. It will do for days and light overnight. It can then be expanded with two side pockets in which you can get a weekends worth of gear.
Another option is the 45lrt version which can be expanded again.

If if you intend to use minimalist kit you could look at the NI pack or the Karrimor Sabre 35.
All are well made but in the end it's down to you and the amount of gear you will take.

I can get my winter kit into a 50ltr LA sting with side pockets or spring summer a Resperator case and bedroll.

 

[StuMsg]

this big:

http://www.tetongravity.com/video/adventure/humiliate-your-surroundings-with-arch-woods-new-flextrek-37-trillion-pack

 

[humdrum_hostage]

If you don't want to carry loads of kit the Berghaus Centurio 30 is a nice pack. It will do for days and light overnight. It can then be expanded with two side pockets in which you can get a weekends worth of gear.
Another option is the 45lrt version which can be expanded again.

If if you intend to use minimalist kit you could look at the NI pack or the Karrimor Sabre 35.
All are well made but in the end it's down to you and the amount of gear you will take.

I can get my winter kit into a 50ltr LA sting with side pockets or spring summer a Resperator case and bedroll.

My 25L that I use to and from work is way to small for what I am going to need.

this big:

http://www.tetongravity.com/video/adventure/humiliate-your-surroundings-with-arch-woods-new-flextrek-37-trillion-pack

That's perfect! hope you don't need anything out of the bottom of it any time soon!

 

[cranmere]

If you buy a big bag you will fill it. I've done 2 weeks backpacking including carrying a tent and sleeping bag using a 45l pack, that was a tight fit but held everything I actually needed. If you have spare room you tend to throw things in just in case and end up carrying far too much.

 

[bilmo-p5]

Buy a modestly priced 45L sack to begin with and use it for a few trips, leaving out unused gear on sbsequent trips and adding gear as requisite. If you feel the need to upgrade in quality or capacity after a few outings, you won't have an arm and a leg invested in an unsuitable pack.

 

[caorach]

I'm in a very similar position to yourself in the sense that I'm out a lot, usually 100+ days per year, but have never camped as I always come back in the evening. So I'm well used to filling my rucksack for the day but adding a tent, bag, mat and more flexible cook system has come as something of a shock as I'm planning on a few overnights this year.

In the end I went with the mil surplus Lowe Alpine Sting rucksack because it was relatively inexpensive, bombproof and very flexible. The downside of all this is that it is relatively heavy but it is hard to do light and bombproof. The bag is supposed to be 55l + two 10l PLCE side pockets and it also has a lot of MOLLE attachments so this gives me a lot of options.

If I was doing it again then I'd probably still go the same way but I am sure that over time my taste and requirements will evolve and there will be things I want that means I might move away from the Sting however this is the big advantage of having paid only £45 for it.

In the end everything is a compromise in terms of the volume and weight of gear you carry and your comfort and enjoyment of the days out. Also I'm going to areas with no trees which are, basically, flat uninterrupted bogland so a tarp or very lightweight setup might not work for me and that means extra weight in some respects. The other side to this is that there is a burn or loch every few hundred yards and so I have no need to carry any water. Swings and roundabouts.

 

[Bishop]

I'm with Cranmere & Bilmo-p5 on this, something in the 45-50L range is just about right to carry a sensible loadout for a short'ish trip.
Doing a weekender (two nights) with 35L is not impossible but you invariably end up with some kit bungeed to the outside or stuffed horribly under the lid such as a roll-mat.

 

[Alreetmiowdmuka]

What's the combined pack size of your sleeping system.add too this food, water n spare clothes..put these items in a heep on the floor and you'll know what size pack you'll need. If you've not got top of the range sleeping bags and inflating mattress(I ain't) etc theirs no way you can squeeze them into the smaller rucksacks.i suggest you get something around the 75 litre mark.hope this helps


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Silkhi]

I often use the DD 45L pack and it's pretty good. Find the add-on bits are often annoyingly 5% too small to fit what I want to put in them though! Guess it's the same with many packs. It's fine for short trips - over nighters shouldn't be any problem at all - for those I skip the side bags. I must admit I have a tiny expensive down bag, the ultralight DD hammock and other kit that packs really small though...

 

[dennydrewcook]

At the moment I'm using a 45 ltr Airjet Amazing for the price fits in a lot of kit. nothing to do with the company just very happy customer


Denny 😊

 

[humdrum_hostage]

Buy a modestly priced 45L sack to begin with and use it for a few trips, leaving out unused gear on sbsequent trips and adding gear as requisite. If you feel the need to upgrade in quality or capacity after a few outings, you won't have an arm and a leg invested in an unsuitable pack.

Wise words and probably the best way, I hate being sensible sometimes though.

I'm with Cranmere & Bilmo-p5 on this, something in the 45-50L range is just about right to carry a sensible loadout for a short'ish trip.
Doing a weekender (two nights) with 35L is not impossible but you invariably end up with some kit bungeed to the outside or stuffed horribly under the lid such as a roll-mat.

I was thinking around 50 litres after doing a bit of research today.

Thank you all for your Input, its definitely good to receive other peoples input.

Chris

 

[rg598]

I use a Black Diamond Speed 40 pack. It is 40L in size and is large enough for my three season and winter trips down to 0F (-18C). That being said, get all of your gear together first and then look for a pack that will fit it; then throw out half of the gear and find a pack that will fit the remainder. That's the right size pack.

 

[Quixoticgeek]

About this big:

[<----------------------->]

Not to scale...

The more helpful answer. For 1-2 nights in summer, I use a 30L pack. In winter so I can fit my winter sleeping bag, I expand it with a 20L dry bag.

If you are summer camping only, I would say 30-40L is ample. If you are doing 5+ days, then you may want to consider upping to 60L, anything above that will be unwieldy...

J

 

[Buster80]

I have a condor three day 50l bag that seems to be swallowing kit pretty good so far.

Very tempted to pick up a lk35 and pimp it up,it seems to swallow gear as well,it's one pack I should have kept.

Buster