Which Size Backpack Do I Need?

Well there's multiple sizes when it comes to hiking packs! The size you need will depend on your outing. Are you day hiking? Backcountry camping? There's the liter amount the pack will hold, this is usually included in the name somehow and is generally always numbers.

But then there's the size of the pack in relation to your size, often referred to as a frame size. These range from Extra Small to Extra Large, and is based on your torso length. But we will get into that all later....

How Much You Can Carry

I carry a High Sierra 30 Liter Pack, my pack size for my torso length is size large. So not too much later, but here we go... to acquire this size, you must measure from your C7 vertebrae to the top of your hips (or its also called the iliac crest) with a tape measure. This should be measured in inches, but can be converted from centimeters. This is called your torso length!

Yep, you guessed it. I'm really tall! My torso length is 21 inches.

Anywho, then you take your torso length and use that to get the appropriate size backpack frame for your body! Here's some useful info from Osprey on backpack sizing!

Again these sizes are generally letter sizes, not numbers. The numbers are how much weight your pack will hold! This is generally measured in liters, not pounds.

As a hiking rule, your pack should be 20% of your body weight according to REI. In the beginning, I pushed my pack Liter size to the max. I carried a 50L pack the first trip or two! Instantly understood I had to downsize, to make the hiking part easier for me.

So how do you find out how many liters you need your pack to hold? My pack weighs about 24 pounds without water, which will add about 5 more pounds. This all fits in 30 Liters! Sometimes packs can also be measured in cubic inches. This is easily converted too.

Anywho, the number size tells you how much your pack will hold. Seriously though, just because it's bigger doesn't mean it's better.

You still have to be the one to heft that pack on your back, and trudge along on down(or up) a trail. Know your personal limits! In the beginning, I would do day hikes with my full hiking pack. Just to get my body used to carrying the extra weight.

What to Carry

I have 4 days of food & clothing, bear spray & a machete, my hammock sleep system, 0° sleeping bag, rain fly, water filtration, fire starters, camp stove & cooking pot, and a couple tarps in case of emergency.

I use camp tarps for this because they're way more compact than the regular tarps. I also carry a battery bank, for my devices that need charging. This is what makes up my 24 lbs!

I do carry one splurge item, my Kindle Paperwhite.... in my defense it is waterproof, and only weighs 10ozs.

This is a process of trial and error, it took many day and overnight trips to find out what I used most and what I never used. If you hike long term, alot of your weight in your pack will come from the absolute basics.

These basics are things like food, shelter, and water. Matter of fact, it was on my first ever overnight I found this old steam train engine in a creek bed not to far from my campsite.

You must remember though, it seems far fetched but some of these numbers will be so very different for everyone. A smaller human will carry a smaller pack, while an adult could carry from 30-75 liters! Mine is 30 liters and could weigh less but mines over weight because I carry extra food for me and the boy.

The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness. ~John Muir

Plan & Prepare

It will be more weight if you can't come across water during your hikes. This happens sometimes, so remember to plan for that! It could also be because you're carrying extra clothing due to weather conditions. So many factors play into this, this is where the plan and prepare phrase comes in.

All this planning and preparing will save you, whether in less pack weight. Or extra pack weight! Plan your hikes so you don't have to carry gallons of water, because one gallon of water weighs 8 pounds. Think of what will happen if the unthinkable happens, and you become injured or lost!

The plan and prepare aspect is the one thing I bring up to people, a lot; because without it you just might be a sitting duck. And in the wilderness, this could mean life or death!