How many cubic inches/liters is your pack?

I'm curious about pack sizes other folks use and interested in the following:
--how many cubic inches or liters was the back you travelled with
--how long was your trip that you used it for
--where did you go with it (i.e. what climate? did you need to take warm clothes, sleeping bag, sleep pad, etc.)

The pack I used on a 5 month trip was, I believe, around 4500ci (75 liters?). I'm trying to decide if I can make myself bring a smaller bag on my next big (5 month) journey.

65 liters for various trips (a few 2 month long trips, a few week long trips, 3 week long trip)

My last trip was for 7 weeks in South America, climate ranging anywhere from the rain forest, beach, mountains, and high plains...coldest weather I've ever experienced! Warm clothes and a sleeping bag were necessary in this case!

I could have packed lighter and taken a smaller pack, but that's the one that I had and I was too cheap to buy a new one!

Mine is 2300 ci"

40 liter backpack, one month car camping trip washington state, perfecto!

i did laundry once, and i fit my sleeping bag inside. i packed for both hot & cool temperatures, and managed room to bring along 2 "nice" outfits.

not that pack lists haven't been killed to death, but for what it's worth i found one helpful as a reference.

pack light

Hey,

I have a question kinda relevant so I'm adding to this post. How big would you guys reccommend for a Round the World one year trip? And does the favct that packs are made for ladies result in space being lost?

Nat

I don't think you lose space by choosing a woman's pack. But you do gain a better fit.

My piece of advice, and I think most folks on this board would agree, is to stay away from toploaders and go with one that has a panel style opening. (the type made by Eagle Creek for example).

I'm apparently not a very light packer (what can I say? I like variety) as you may notice from looking at the thread above. My leaning is toward 75 liters(rough equivalent is 4600 cubic inches -- I don't know the exact math).

Bottom line: You bring, you gotta carry it.

Everyone has their own threshold as to how much they are willing to lug around the world.

Mine is 65L, I've only used it for a couple of week-long trips.

It's also a top loader, and I've had no problems with it. But i was a Scout back in the day and always used toploaders then, so I guess I'm used to it by now. If you're not used to toploaders I'd recommend the ones that zip all the way around as well.

I just purchased a 75L Northface bag and have packed it full of stuff I am going to be bringing and I can't imagine that this will be too large. It compresses nicely and is a top loader but also has a side panel to access things in the center/bottom. The panal doesn't go around the entire pack but allows you to enter through a pretty decent sized space in the middle.

I have no experience with this pack but so far it seems like just what I needed.

My pack is a 60L Tatonka. Or is it 65??

I think it's 55L main with a 5L day pack.

I'm going with a panel type bag this time, but the one thing I do love about a toploader is that you can really cram a lot in without wondering about how the heck you are going to get it to zip!

I just gotta get this in-

I don't have strong opinions about the size of pack you should get; you are getting a lot good advice BUT I do have strong advice about how to wear your pack.

I see a lot of people talking about packing heavy stuff on top and light stuff on the bottom to avoid the dreaded back killing forward lean. Packing correctly certainly helps with the lean but it is not the real culprit most of the time.

I backpack frequently and always see people with their hip belts either very loose or not secured at all and they are bitching about how their back hurts like hell. Almost all of the weight of the pack is on their shoulders!

I know some people are going to call BS on this but just try it before you say anything. They key to carrying a backpack is to put it on an inch or two high, with the shoulder straps snug and tighten the hell out of the hip belt until the whole pack is resting on your hips. Then slowly loosen the shoulder straps until the pack settles onto your hips fully. The shoulders should caryy almost little no weight and their primary function is to simply keep the pack from "tipping" off your back.

You will be standing completely upright and will have no back pain at the end of the day. The only draw back is that the hip belt may create some friction if you don't have a good padded one or your clothes are not real flat in the hip belt area. Of course you can vary the weight on the shoulders for variety. Please do your part to teach fellow backpackers this idea so that I hear less complaining in camp at night and keep in mind that the hip belt needs to be TIGHT!

Haha-that was a good rant!

AUGH!!! I just got my pack today--2650 cubic inches--and now I read all of these posts, and I'm like, damn, that's gonna be small! This is my first long trip (3-4 months) and my idea of packing for a long weekend involves my big suitcase. I'm so screwed.

I got it at EMS so I'm going to go back and see if they have anything slightly larger. If Joe Ehrlich uses a bigger pack, well, I know I'm screwed!

Hey before you take it back see what you can fit in it. This pack is roughly 45liters. That’s about my goal for my next 4 - 5 month trip to South Africa. Get your stuff together and see if it fits? If it it’s just a little to small maybe go get some of those plastic bags with the one way purge valve for your clothing they cut down like 60%. There are a lot of good tips and threads in bna for packing lite. You may be surprised how much you enjoy a smaller pack. I don’t have a lot of international experience but I like to hike and camp I take a 60 liter pack with all my gear in it and I love it when I can jog bye someone on the trail with an 80 liter.

I want to go to Africa with a 40 liter

I just came back from India. I used a 28 liter (1708 cubic inches) backpack. I had a sleeping bag with me, which I hardly used. I bought a light bedsheet there, and that was sufficient. I also never wore my fleece sweater. I hardly used the second pair of shoes I had. Looking back on it, with the climate of around Mumbai in march and april, I think I could even travel with less than what I brought.

wow. 28 liters is impresive. I dont know exactly what the climate will be like when I go to africa and I am thinking about maybe doing an overland trip near the end. I wander if I could get by on a pack close to that size.
what did you bring for basic clothing.
how many pants how many shirts?