How to pick, fit & pack your backpack Part 1/3 - Valuable advice sourced by The Broke Traveller - 1st Steemit tutorial.
Dear Steemit friends, make your life easier when carrying a backpack by following these bits of advice I've decided to put together in order to help you out when deciding what kind or size of backpack to get and how to fit it and pack it properly. I will be making a three part tutorial on this subject with the intention of improving your backpacking experience.
In this first part I am going to cover my qualifications just a bit in order to give you some idea that I am knowledgeable on this subject and then I will go through how to pick the right backpack for the job.
The second part is going to cover fitting a pack and the third part is going to explain in detail how to pack your backpack.
In the top image, you can see a friend of mine on a climbing trip at Harrison's Rocks in the South East of England with a Podsacs Alpine 40 backpack/rucksack.
About me & why I know about this stuff
Me trying out Tim Emmet's wingsuit at work during a Mountain Hardwear, Scarpa & Black Diamond training session.
I've been an outdoor enthusiast for quite some time now and have been through my fair share of suffering up in the mountains. A lot of it resulting from bad gear or lack of appropriate gear but also from inexperience. Through practice and research I became quite knowledgeable on the subject and at some point I ended up working in the industry for about 3 years, for one of the UK's biggest outdoor retailers back when I was living in London. During all this time in the outdoor industry and in the mountains, I got to know most things there are to know about outdoor gear and since I like Steemit I want to share some of my knowledge with you guys in the hope that it might benefit some of you that engage into outdoor pursuits.
During my time working there I was lucky enough to go on training events with the biggest names in the industry, both athletes and companies. In the image above, I was getting some Petzl, Beal and Evolv training whilst out climbing in Wales with another British climbing legend, Steve Mcclure.
I got a guided tour of the DMM factory in Wales with Ben Bransby.
Also, there was that time I got to have a beer with Conrad Anker before attending a North Face sponsored Speaker Series event with Conrad and Simone Moro.
And the list can go on... I had training with Deuter, Osprey, Lowe Alpine, Macpac, Marmot, Mammut and many others. All fun stuff.
But enough talk about my qualifications and let's discuss the subject at hand:
How to pick the right backpack for the job.
There are many out there, each suited for a different kind of activity in mind. That doesn't mean you can't use it for whatever you like to use it for, or that you actually need 20 different ones. I have about 10 but that's just because I am such a gear junkie...
Please note that I am not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned, or receiving any financial incentives from then. Just personal preference and that's it, take it or leave it...
Daypacks
10 to 30 Liters in size, small backpacks ideal for carrying essentials out on a day hike or trip, stuff like lunch and extra layers, headlamp and others.
These can have various uses such as: climbing, biking, trail running, hiking, city use and school packs.
Here are a few examples from my favorites daypacks out there:
School & city pack - Fjällräven Kånken - Screenshot from: here.
Hiking pack - Osprey Stratos 26 -Screenshot from: here.
Climbing pack - Mountain Hardwear Scrambler 30 OutDry pack - Screenshot from: here.
Trail Running pack - Patagonia Patagonia Fore Runner Vest 10L - Screenshot from: here.
Laptop/commuter/small pack - Arc'teryx Blade 28 - Screenshot from: here.
Weekend packs
30-50 Liters in size, ideal for 2-3 days out and about. These are the ones you pick up for a 1-2 nights long trip, be it backpacking, skiing, climbing or just travelling.
One of the bags which I own in this size range is a Osprey Mutant 38 climbing pack. I use it for a lot more than that though and it kinda is my go to bag as I can take it as a large carry on bag on flights and it can probably go to almost 45-50 liters if extended. Also it is quite comfortable carrying heavy weights and I regularly stick 15 kg in it.
Here are my personal favorites in this size range depending on their main purpose:
Climbing pack - Osprey Mutant 38 L - Screenshot from: here.
Ultralight Hiking pack - Hyperlite Mountain Gear 2400 Southwest 40 L - Screenshot from: here.
Hiking pack - Deuter Futura Pro 42 - Screenshot from: here.
Ski & Alpine pack - Gregory Targhee 45 - Screenshot from: here.
Multi-day packs
50-100 Liters in size, these are the ones you reach for when you heading away for more than 3 nights, especially if you need to carry camping gear too. You can get away with a smaller than 50 liter sized pack for the most part if you have really light and really small packing camping gear but if you are away for a longer time, you might want to size up. These packs are generally better suited for carrying larger heavier loads and depending on what activity they were designed for, they have different features.
The backpack I use most in this range is an Osprey Aether 70. It is light enough for the size, comfortable to carry and has different sized moldable hipbelts, built in raincover and tons of other great features. I could probably write a lengthy review of it but I haven't got the time at the moment. It is a very good pack, as are most Osprey packs. I like companies that only make one thing and do it well.
Here are my personal favorites in this size range depending on their main purpose:
Travel - Osprey Farpoint 55 - Screenshot from: here.
Hiking and trekking pack - Osprey Aether 70 (Ariel 65 for the ladies) - Screenshot from: here.
Hiking and trekking pack - If money doesn't matter to you - Arc'teryx Bora 63 - Screenshot from: here.
Hiking and trekking pack - Globetrotting Beast - Helsport Svalbard 95 - Screenshot from: here.
Hiking and trekking pack - Globetrotting Beast - Deuter Aircontact Pro 70 + 15 - Screenshot from: here.
Hiking and travel pack - Globetrotting Beast - Macpac Genesis AzTec 85 - Screenshot from: here.
Accessories
Drybags - Used to keep your stuff dry inside your pack. More durable than bin-liners and you can get them different colors and sizes to easily organize your stuff. Cost more than bin-liners though. :)
Screenshot from: here - Sea to Summit dry bags, various sizes.
Rain covers - They come in different colors and sizes. Make sure you pack your bag full of stuff and test that it fits before buying if you can. These also help with keeping your stuff dry. I use a rain cover and a dry bag always, just to be sure.
Screenshot from: here - Gregory Pro Raincover 50-60 L.
Wow!!! You do know your stuff!! I loved it, even though not an outdoor type like you as you know! Can't wait to get more stuff - in pink and purple only please :D
Thanks babe! They make a lot of it in pink and purple... :)
You put a lot of work into this post. Great job! Thank you for sharing.
Many thanks and sorry for the late reply! I've been away for a while... I'm glad to know you liked it. I'll be making a new one on how to pack and fit a backpack as soon as I get the time to do that. It did take quite a bit to put it all together...
I'd love to work for an outdoor equipper(?) industry. Sounds super cool. How did you like that and why did you choose to move on (and to what?), if I am allowed to ask.
Sorry for the late reply! Been away for a while... I liked the time I've spent in the industry. It was fun for the most part and I got to accumulate tons of outdoor gear at great staff discounts (sometimes 30% off trade price, so 80% retail price) directly from outdoor suppliers. Sometimes I would get gear for free during training courses and such and I could buy demo kit (stuff that has been used by magazines and testers for photo shoots and testing) at rock bottom prices. Something like 20 euros for a 500 euro tent that has been used for a few nights. I left the industry to move to Copenhagen so that I can do my masters here since it is free and I can get a significant bursary on top if I work part time. Since I don't have to pay the huge tuition fees that they have in the UK (something like £9200 a year), seems like a good deal to me...