Thread: Pack organising

so i was sitting in snow today digging around my pack trying to find a choc bar that i knew was in there and was thinking how i could better organize my shit.

ive recently got some of those bags from sloutdoors, what does everyone else do/use and what do you lump in together?

pillow cases work... cooking and cutlery together. clothing in another. snacks go in pocket...wind/rain coat up on top easy to reach. binos ammo etc in zip off daybag.food in another bag.
weight goes as close to my back as possible and low down in pack.

For me over the years has been.....what did I have that I did not use......then slowly leave them at home, and bugger me I don't miss them....obviously keep the knife in there lol

In the summer I can do a day trip with a back pack, meat bag, knife, plb and water

Hamish

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I have a bunch of lightweight dry bags ranging between 7L and 20L that my gear goes into before going into main pack.

I.e. sleeping bag & camp kit in one, spare clothes in another, food in another, hunting gear in another, etc.

Works mint and it's way easier to find and stack gear in my pack.

Even do this with small dry bags on my day hunting bag.

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As above, me too.

Has the extra advantage of not having to worry about things getting wet in the rain or a sudden trip in a creek etc.

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Originally Posted by HNTMAD

For me over the years has been.....what did I have that I did not use......then slowly leave them at home, and bugger me I don't miss them....obviously keep the knife in there lol

In the summer I can do a day trip with a back pack, meat bag, knife, plb and water

Hamish

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And a coat. Any fool can take a coat on a wet day.

Originally Posted by Tahr

And a coat. Any fool can take a coat on a wet day.

Sound just like @craigc .....oh wait....

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Pack items in the same place each time, so you know where they are, torch, rain coat, knife, T.P. and First Aid etc in top pocket. Snacks in other outside pockets.
I use a large dry bag as a pack liner and one other dry bag for food. If weather forecast is wet then clothes go into a second dry bag, otherwise I stuff clothes in the gaps around other items. I used to use several small dry bags but found I always had lots of gaps around all the bags and lost a lot of space to this when packing. This also let the pack move around as it wasn't tightly filled. Heavy items in middle of gear and as close to your back as possible. Sleeping bag in the bottom. Tent on the outside if needed.

Yup dry bags is the answer, different colours help too if you have a few the same size. big dry bag for dry clothes and sleepwear, smaller ones for smaller needs. As has been said put the same shit in the same place everytime. Painfull having to rummage for torches in the dark. Just good common sense things really.

I have a friend who does the dry bag thing and each has the contents as well as weight written on the outside in vivid, one day I'll get that organised.

Originally Posted by ROKTOY

Pack items in the same place each time, so you know where they are, torch, rain coat, knife, T.P. and First Aid etc in top pocket. Snacks in other outside pockets.
I use a large dry bag as a pack liner and one other dry bag for food. If weather forecast is wet then clothes go into a second dry bag, otherwise I stuff clothes in the gaps around other items. I used to use several small dry bags but found I always had lots of gaps around all the bags and lost a lot of space to this when packing. This also let the pack move around as it wasn't tightly filled. Heavy items in middle of gear and as close to your back as possible. Sleeping bag in the bottom. Tent on the outside if needed.

I do exactly the same, everything in same place so even in the dark I can still find it. Color coded dry bags for different gear. Snacks, shooting related gear and navigation equipment all in there own out side pockets for ease of access.

I like clear bags of one kind or another so that you can see what you're after, often I just use disposable food bags.

I tend to categorise my food into what it is such as snacks/brews, main meals, extras etc and then when packing my pack it gets layered in a manner that the things I most expect to readily need that day are most readily available like snacks, camera, rain coat, warm gears etc. Generally my pack layout follows the same routine each time so I know where to find things. I would say you’re doing all that already though mate so i’m no help sorry haha.

i iike the different coloured bags idea, i normally have all my food in a big bad then camera shit in a smaller one (cos im one of those idiots). ive got a wet sleeping bag before so got a drybag for that and any spare layers

Depends on what type of pack you have,a panel loader (zip goes all the way around and opens like a sardine can) or traditional top loader.

I would recommend the latter anyway, the former sounds good for organisation but never works all that well and usually carries worse in comparison.

If you need to carry 40 liters of gear, get a 50 liter pack, always add 10 or even 20 liters but be super strict as voids tend to fill themselves.

What packs in easy at home will only just fit after a few days in the field, so if it only just fits at home you are f**ked after a long wet day out.

Top loaders with compression straps, floating lid and side pockets (not too big) and bottom zip opening are a must. Sleeping bag divider not necessary.

The way I always did it when working in the jungles of Malaysia (1-2 week trips in the jungle) was to have two large drybags, one for sleeping kit (hammock, night clothes and insulation) and one for fresh clothes (usually socks and underwear) and food in strong zip loc bags (with spare bags).

Tarp is kept in bottom of bag (being wet does not matter, but good to have bottom zip for quick access to it) along with any rubbish or soiled clothes. Side pockets for cooking gear (small stove and two US canteen cups) and water (easy access), low profile water bladders are OK but can be a real bitch to fill up (look at Source bladders, they can be filled with a 'UTA' attachment that means you don't have to pull it out of the pack.) Remember to suck all the air out of the bag after filling (invert and suck through tube). Always take one 'hard' 2L water container just in case.

Used to be able to get USMC Seal Line drybags before they started going for stupid money on fleabay. Any bag with a valve in the bottom is handy to keep volume down (put the bags in the pack, then use compression straps with valve open, then shut valve (again, bottom zip is handy here) but beware of cheap chinese crap.

If you are doing a full blown river crossing and using your pack as a flotation aid then you will need an oversized contractor bag to use as a pack liner. Dry bags are designed for immersion not submersion, there will always be some water getting in no matter how many times you roll the top flap. Use the contractor bag as an 'air trap' so you have a pack that floats now (don't put the pack into the bag, as then you have no straps to hold onto, and might lose it down the river.... don't ask!)

Hope that helps.