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The army teaches that you should be able to live out of your pack for a week and fight and survive out of your webbing for a day if you have to ditch your pack in a hurry. So translated into hunting terms I keep binoculars in a bino pouch on the front then knife, snacks, small amount of water, pillow bag, plb etc in a belt bag. Then if you want to drop your pack in a hurry to glass an area or move in to hunt an animal you've got everything you need then can come back to your pack when you're ready.
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A friend of mine has a canvas pack with four good sized pockets on the back. Each one has the contents clearly written on the outside.
Copying another friend, I have started using rubber-bands cut from various sized tire tubes to hold packages tight - things like my tent fly folded up tight with a tire-tube rubberband around it.
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For multi day trips I bought two of these gear pods, https://www.hyperlitemountaingear.co.../products/pods
Spare clothes goes in one, food in the other, keeps everything tidy and dry. Also a small dry bag has my day hunting shit in it, another has my puffy jacket. As others have said get in the habit of putting in the same place.
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Labels are useful if someone else is rummaging in your pack getting something for you
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As others have said, once you’ve figured out a configuration you like, stick with it. Much easier to find things when you at least know where they are to begin with.
I also use different coloured/sized dry bags for different things- a small 1L one for electronics- power pack, charging cords for phone & gps, headtorch & spare batteries. A couple of 2L ones- one for most of my food & one for rubbish. Bigger dry bags for clothes etc. Side pockets of the pack for cooking supplies & extra water (also use a 2L water bladder). Top pocket on lid is for stuff I want easy access to- knife, first aid kit, gloves, paracord etc. Hip pockets on waist strap of pack I use for another knife & muesli bars. Keep PLB on my belt & gps clipped to pack strap on my chest. There’s another pocket on the inside of the pack lid which I use for smaller items which I don’t need as often.
I’m also about to trial out an idea I pinched from a recent thread on here about vacuum packing. Gonna try vac packing down my emergency dry underwear/merino thermals. Ensures they’ll stay dry & hopefully will compress them down smaller than I can usually get them.
