Simplicity and repeatability are essential goals when loading a backpack, and a quick, efficient method is important, especially in challenging conditions. Packing up in your small tent as a storm rages outside is a good test of your packing protocol. Dropping your pack in the dirt to quickly grab some food, your puffy jacket, or rain gear as a thunderstorm pours over a ridge can reveal how organized you really are. Having a dialed packing process minimizes frustration and helps you maintain efficiency in the field.
The Basics
Now, there’s no perfect way to load a backpack, but there are a few basic things to keep in mind. First, pack in the reverse order of how you think you’ll use the gear. This generally means placing the sleeping bag and inflatable ground pad, along with extra clothes and socks, at the bottom of the pack. You likely won’t need these items during the day, and they form a good foundation to place heavier items on top.
Pack heavy, dense items, such as your water bladder, food bag, and shelter, in the middle of the pack and next to its frame to help maintain your center of balance when wearing it. This is especially important when you’re heading into steep and unstable terrain where a poorly loaded pack can shift your weight at the wrong time and send you tumbling down a hillside or scree field.
Pack your lighter items, like a puffy jacket or rain gear you’ll want during the day, at the top of the pack for easy access, while hats, gloves, headlamps, and trail food can be stored in the top lid.
Reserve any outside pockets for items such as trekking poles, tripods, and foam ground pads.
Two Methods
There are essentially two basic ways of packing a backpack, and one style may suit you better than the other based on your personality, experience, and the gear you carry. Like everything, both methods have their pros and cons, so experiment to find a method that’s suitable for you.
Traditional Method
The more traditional packing method uses many stuff sacks to keep things sorted and well-organized. The sleeping bag is stored in a waterproof compression sack and placed at the bottom of the pack. Extra clothing is also put in stuff sacks and surrounds the sleeping bag. The tent is then rolled or folded and placed inside its stuff sack, positioned near the top of the pack, alongside several other stuff sacks filled with assorted items, such as gloves, socks, headlamp & charging cords, etc, filling any remaining voids.
Chaos Method
The second way to load a pack is what I call the chaos method. This process is repeatable and efficient in the field once you’ve refined your packing system. Start by lining the backpack with a lightweight, waterproof pack liner or garbage bag that weighs as little as 2 ounces to protect your critical gear from getting wet. Then, packing in the reverse order of need, stuff the sleeping bag into the bottom of the pack, making sure to expand all its volume and build a solid foundation. Next, push your food bag, socks, any extra clothes, and possibly your stove, into the loft of the sleeping bag, then purge the air from the pack liner and seal it.
Place the water bladder in its sleeve next to the pack’s frame, then just stuff the shelter into the pack, filling any remaining voids in the middle part of the pack. Finally, store the puffy jacket and rain gear at the top for quick access and crush the load down with the side compression straps and the pack’s lid.
Conclusion
The traditional method wastes precious cubic inches inside the pack with many odd-shaped items that don’t nest well together and adds additional weigh in stuff sacks. The chaos method is simple and repeatable, but it does take time to refine both your gear and packing routine.
Whatever method you decide on, just make sure that it’s efficient and repeatable under all conditions. It can be frustrating to be packed and ready to go only to wait for 30 more minutes while your hunting buddy struggles to load his pack and start the day.