What size backpack do you use

Hi Guy's

Ok so i'm slowly accumulating gear and its looking like my cheap Eurohike 33+5 isn't gonna carry all my kit what size backpacks are you using say for an over night hang for this time of year does it change much come the warmer weather which pack do you find works well?.

I use a 50 litre GoLite Jam backpack all year. In summer time lots of space for multi week hikes and in winter time big enough to stuff in the thicker quilts and winter clothings for a weekend trip.

Either my Karrimor 75 if going in heavy or ULA Ohm 64 litre if going lighter and if going really heavy then the Karrimor and a Highlander 44 But that's short walk or 2 trips to the car

Mittagsfrost wrote:

I use a 50 litre GoLite Jam backpack all year. In summer time lots of space for multi week hikes and in winter time big enough to stuff in the thicker quilts and winter clothings for a weekend trip.

Hi Mittagsfrost thanks for your reply i popped into Gooutdoors yesterday just to have a look loads of 25's 35's 40's and 70's no 50ltrs or 60 ltrs so couldn't get an actual size idea

Bopdude wrote:

Either my Karrimor 75 if going in heavy or ULA Ohm 64 litre if going lighter and if going really heavy then the Karrimor and a Highlander 44 But that's short walk or 2 trips to the car

Thanks Bopdude i will need to get a few more bits then sort out a winter kit summer kit scenario i think

ULA Ohm II here.
Before that a Granite Gear Virga II.
Both around 60 - 65 litres.

If you're not fussed about weight, get a bigger one, you can always cinch up the compression straps. Prefer that to a small pack with stuff dangling off!

If you are weight conscious, then prepared to have your wallet lightened considerably!

Gadget wrote:

ULA Ohm II here.
Before that a Granite Gear Virga II.
Both around 60 - 65 litres.

If you're not fussed about weight, get a bigger one, you can always cinch up the compression straps. Prefer that to a small pack with stuff dangling off!

If you are weight conscious, then prepared to have your wallet lightened considerably!

not too worried on weight i dont plan on hiking out 20 plus miles if i can leave car in a safe place and hike out a few miles for an over night camp ill be happy if i were doing big hikes out it would be with a Hilleberg Soulo tent and then it would be the go light route but thats more in the future than now

If you're not pushing out the big miles (or trying to impress those that do) get something cheap, sturdy and big. Put a heavyweight bin liner inside (the ultimate cheap pack liner) to keep your downy goodness safely dry, and you're golden.

I use a Sabre 75. A little oversized but ideal if packing up quickly when there is bad weather. It's always good to have a little more room to play with.

Diamond Dave wrote:

I use a Sabre 75.  A little oversized but ideal if packing up quickly when there is bad weather. It's always good to have a little more room to play with.

Crikey you could get your kitchen sink in that  thing if opened up fully what sort of weight you carrying say this time of year

Gadget wrote:

If you're not pushing out the big miles (or trying to impress those that do) get something cheap, sturdy and big. Put a heavyweight bin liner inside (the ultimate cheap pack liner) to keep your downy goodness safely dry, and you're golden.

Any recommendations on big packs say under £200

caspian40 wrote:

Diamond Dave wrote:

I use a Sabre 75.  A little oversized but ideal if packing up quickly when there is bad weather. It's always good to have a little more room to play with.

Crikey you could get your kitchen sink in that  thing if opened up fully what sort of weight you carrying  say this time of year

I don't carry a big weight but I do like having the space when packing up in the rain. Getting my gear in to the pack quickly in such circumstances really suits me. Also, the 75 sits nice and comfortable on me.

caspian40 wrote:

Gadget wrote:

If you're not pushing out the big miles (or trying to impress those that do) get something cheap, sturdy and big. Put a heavyweight bin liner inside (the ultimate cheap pack liner) to keep your downy goodness safely dry, and you're golden.

Any recommendations on big  packs say under £200

There's a cracking bag on the UL facebook page I linked you to before, an ULA CDT 68 litre iirc ?

Taunton Leisure has a sale on Osprey packs ATM,
https://www.tauntonleisure.com/rucksacks/gender/mens/41---60-litre-capacity-60-+-litre-capacity.html

If you want lighter stuff, have a look at UltralightOutdoorGear,
https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/rucksacks-c19/backpacking-rucksacks-c361#t1094:t823:t824:sort4

Well new backpack arrived today went with a 70 ltr Osprey Aether 70 AG purchased from the LD Mountain centre for £149.99 cheapest i found it for in the Green, think this should do nicely now i just have to load it up and adjust and tune the fit.

Thanks for your input guys much appreciated

Thats a nice looking pack you went for in the end, I have never owned an Osprey pack before, but the ones I have looked at in Go outdoors looked solidly built.

jay wrote:

Thats a nice looking pack you went for in the end, I have never owned an Osprey pack before, but the ones I have looked at in Go outdoors looked solidly built.

Hi Jay its a great pack not the lightest by any means but built well loads of compression straps, a removable lid which doubles as a day pack, very adjustable i went foe a large as my measurement from c7 to top of hip is 22 inches its definitely a load lugger for sure and at the price i paid is a bargain very happy with it it is the green one which is cheaper anyway but not buy much i will get all my kit in with room to spare

I am Johnny Come Lately to all these posts but here is my input.

I used to use a 60 odd litre £30 bag, I bought it as I had an 88 litre one that was ten years old and weighed about 3 kilos and I had bought a light cheap frameless pack for a few days hiking down the coast. At the last minute I decided to impulse buy a bag with a frame for support, on the tag it said it weighed only 1.3kg which was pretty good for so cheap( i later weighed it at home and it was 1.6kgs). this bag was fine though and did the job but was still heavier and larger than I felt I needed.
So I went on AliExpress and bought an 3F UL rucksack(40 litres main compartment and very large side pockets, hip pockets and a decent size inside pocket) this weights about 910g but has no frame although you can use something like the Thermarest Z Lite as a frame. This bag is a cheap rip off off something like the ULA Circuit backpack but only cost me about £35 although its now up to about £45. I really like this bag, it has all the bells and whistles and is quite durable and waterproof. Plenty of compression straps etc and Aliexpress even sell a few add ons likie strap water bottle holder. I think this is a great choice for a cheap lightweight bag for weekend jaunts. This bag would be about $200 if I purchased it from America so I was happy for once not to be paying such a price and import fees to boot.

Recently I have bought myself a couple of Osprey bags after seeing a Osprey Exos 38 going for £80. I have to say that these bags are excellent, the material and build is first rate and should handle a decent amount of use. What really impresses me about Osprey(apart from not having to import them) is that it is so well designed. They have made it as light as possible yet with great features and a decent price. Plus they have loads of add ons which are also well designed to make life easier on a hike. The air speed frame is brilliant, not only cooling your back somewhat but also really really comfortable.

I find that the lighter my pack the happier I am trekking and the smaller my pack the less room I have for 'extras' that I don't really need. I spent so many of my teenage years lugging around overly heavy equipment, it is so nice to be able to shed the weight. I do think 38 Litres is a little small but they also do the 48 and 58 Litre with barely any extra weight penalty.