Would anyone else pack their pack this way?

Ref this article: http://scoutingmagazine.org/2013/04/wate...se-expert-tips/

Would anyone else pack their backpack this way? I've tended to want my food bag up top for easy access and to put the weight high - my food weighs more than my sleeping bag.

Thoughts???

You could always try it, and let us know how that works for you....

I can't really criticize it for objective grounds, but the "How to Pack" diagrams on the Osprey and Deuter websites show dense, heavy stuff in the middle of the pack, toward the wearer's back (framesheet), with lighter stuff packed over, under, and in "front" (toward the outside of the pack) of the heavier stuff. That's how I've always packed, and it seems to make the pack carry well, with a well-placed center of gravity.

"Food low" seems wrong, interpolating from my experience with sandbags trying on packs in a store. When you let them load the bags into the bottom of the pack, it always seems to make the pack pull backward and down - which indicates that the center of gravity isn't where it needs to be. Put some pillows or air-filled bags in the bottom, then add the sandbags, and you get a much better ride.

Sleeping bag on bottom, then inflatable pad and clothes, then tent (toward front) in same layer as food and stove (toward frame), then rain gear on the very top. Tent poles down the side. Rain gear on very top. Lunch and snacks in outer pockets or lid, along with water, filter, TP, and first aid/repair/little stuff. When I hit camp, rain gear (in a stuff sack) goes on the ground. Tent gets put up. Food and stove go on ground, soon to move to cooking area; pad gets inflated and put in tent; sleeping bag and clothing get tossed in tent, along with pack. Done.

This "tip" was written by Cliff Jacobsen; I've read some of his stuff over the years, and finally stopped doing that. He seems to fall into the "I'm the only one who knows how to do this, and I'm never wrong" crowd - the same folks that give bum advice all the time, and refuse to consider that there might be other ways to do things. ("We've never done it that way" are the six most dangerous words in the English language.) "It'll build character" is often the main support for their reasoning. I read the Backpacking Merit Badge Handbook once, back in the nineties. That's 20 minutes of my life I'll never get back.

All the directions I've read state that the center of gravity of the pack should be slightly above your body's center of gravity and as close as possible to your back.

This means that the pack needs to be loaded according to your build. For most people, that depends on your gender. My own center of gravity, as a somewhat hippy female, is pretty low, at or just below my waist. For most men, the center of gravity is several inches above the waist.

I have an additional problem when packing because the only one of my items that is heavier than any other single item and therefore should be at the pack's center of gravity is my food. By the last few days of the trip, though, this is no longer true. As a result, I have rather an issue balancing my pack the last day or two. I probably should put a rock in the food bag!

During the day, the two items I want accessible from the pack interior are my insulating clothing (my rain gear and windshirt are already in an outside pocket) and my first aid kit (I never have needed the latter during the day, but if I should need it, there would be no time to go rummaging through the pack). Those two things are on top. Like everyone else, I pack my sleeping bag in the bottom of the pack. My food is on top of that, generally horizontal, putting it just above my waist (most men would want it higher). The first thing I want when I stop for the night is my shelter, which I normally carry in one of the outside side pockets so I don't have to open the pack if it's raining. The alternative would be on the very top of the pack. After the shelter is up, I unload my entire pack inside the shelter, so it doesn't really matter in what order I pack it.

I most definitely agree with Glenn's last paragraph!

I think the only thing I'll add here is that "It depends". As a general rule I agree with the advice for loading Osprey packs, but the one I have has a zippered bottom. Because of this I will often put a tarp and my tent at the bottom of the pack so I can access them quickly. I keep my food and kitchen near the center of the pack and snacks/lunch in the outer pockets. I keep my clothes near the top and my rain jacket on the top. My FAK goes in the hood with maps, compass, and assorted other little items.

It is tricky keeping it nicely loaded though. OM is right about the food issue. That always changes everything and to be honest I haven't really taken the time to figure out a method to deal with that. As a result, by the end of a trip my pack is loaded pretty willy nilly and often not very well and I tend to carry it around all day like that anyway, which is really a bad habit I've acquired.

They say an external frame pack is the opposite of an internal frame pack, and the weight should be low. My son likes the weight low and never complains of sore shoulders. I also like the weight low.

I think it's worth experimenting to find what works best. It's probably different for everyone based on their body and how much weight they are carrying.

The Navy did some studies and found it was more efficient to carry the weight high which would seem to recommend against using a belt. Personally, I don't like much weight carried on my hips as it causes my joints to lock a bit.

Maybe one day, I'll graduate to an internal frame pack for backpacking. I do use an internal frame pack for day hikes.

Glenn

Rodger all!!!

I've packed the same way you, OM, and Bill have described, following the standard wisdom that put heaviest stuff near my shoulder blades.

The reason I got back when I asked (Scouting magazine did route my question to Mr. Jacobsen, who provided a courteous answer) was that load plan was designed to facilitate ease in getting at what you'd need first when you arrived at the campsite.

I still remember watching a lady struggle with two 1.5L waterbottles in the waterbottle pockets of an internal frame pack <<<shudder>>> but I wanted to see if there was a reason for packing this low (as a rule, not to fix being top heavy in the brush) that I was missing.

I was with some beginners about a month ago, and a fellow was carrying about 25 pounds - not bad, all things considered. However, when I was behind him, I noticed that he had two one-liter water bottles in the shove-it pocket on the front of the pack (the side farthest from him.) His water bottle pockets were empty.

I asked if he minded if I moved his bottles to try something; he said OK. I put them into the water bottle pockets, which moved four pounds (16% of his load) toward his natural center of gravity. His reaction was "Wow - that really makes a difference! The pack isn't pulling away from me any more!"

Ha! Nice story Glen.

When I pack I have two things in mind:

1. What am I likely to use on the trail...so that goes near the top.

2. What is concentrated weight...because that goes in the middle of the pack up against my back.

So the sleeping bag and pad go at the bottom of the pack--because the only time I am going to pull them out is when we are done hiking for the day.

Next comes the bear can. And since the tent fits neatly right next to it, that's where it goes.

On top are my clothes and fishing gear---you never know when you might need to use that!

And yes, lunch usually is carried outside the bear can, in among the clothes and fishing gear.

For whatever it's worth, I'm plus one for what looks like something of a consensus: Sleeping bag at bottom, then clothes, cooking gear and food on top of the clothes (yes, that puts the concentrated weight just a bit above my center of gravity, and I try to pack it close to my back) then jacket and vest, FAK and snacks. best, jcp

I've learned to try to keep food smells out of my pack so I like to load the food almost on top, with maybe a poncho, hat and water filter on the very top. I also have a top pocket in the packs cover that holds everything from steripen and first aid to batteries and toilet paper. My pack has only the top outside pocket, so my spare water goes down inside the pack sort of where it comes to rest... and my canteen hooks onto my waste belt.

If you are walking logs its a good idea to move the weight lower in your pack - so yes - maybe.
Jim