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What is the ideal hiking pack size?

10 to 19 liters: For light loads and 13-inch laptops. 20 to 29 liters: Best for students and 15- to 16-inch laptops. 30 to 39 liters: For super-size workloads and weekend trips. 50 to 80 liters: For hikers and campers.



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A 30L – 50L backpack will be just the ticket. It will be able to hold all your sleeping, cooking, and camping gear you need for trips up to 5 or 6 days.

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Packs tend to range from 30L capacity to 70L and beyond. But what size backpack do you need for the Appalachian Trail? When making your considerations, know that packs with a 50L to 65L carrying capacity are the most frequently used by thru-hikers.

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A 60-liter backpack is the sweet spot for backpacking trips 5 days in length or less, including packs in the 55-liter to 65-liter range.

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The answer is: not more than 20% of your body weight, and ideally, it'll be about 10% of your body weight. If you weigh 200 lbs, you'd be fine with carrying 40 lbs for a day hike. If you're 160 lbs, you'd be okay with a ~30 lbs pack.

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Should I size up or size down? We recommend sizing down if you are between sizes. It is very important that the waist belt is able to securely tighten around your hips. If your waist belt is too big you will have a hard time getting the weight in your pack to transfer from your shoulders to your hips.

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The sweet spot lies somewhere in the middle: a backpack between 40-70L is fine for a long-term trip – the trick is not to stuff it full.

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The perfect size for a carry-on For the most part, that 40L backpack that may seem way too small to fit your life into is just small enough to sneak on a plane without checking it into the hold luggage.

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Bottom – Midweight items. Middle back – Heaviest items. Front – Lightest items. Top – Lighter items that you may need access to quickly.

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Don't Waste Space Packing is best done modularly. Try to pack in kits based on need. By keeping items of similar purpose together, you'll save time and energy while trying to find things later. Colored stuff sacks and compression bags are great ways to organize and save space.

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if your gear doesn't fit in the 50-60, take less gear. YES! 85 liters 20 liters too big and 2-3 pounds too heavy. If you fill up that pack it will be way too heavy and if you don't fill it up it won't carry well.

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Carrying Capacity Packs tend to range from 30L capacity to 70L and beyond. But what size backpack do you need for the Appalachian Trail? When making your considerations, know that packs with a 50L to 65L carrying capacity are the most frequently used by thru-hikers.

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Large Backpacks: 40+ Liters Large backpacks have a capacity of 40 liters or more, which is plenty of space for all your travel gear, even on longer journeys. If you're planning a backpacking trip for seven to ten days (or longer if you're travel-savvy and can pack light), this is the size you'll want.

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