Stopped carrying a 50 liter pack on weekend trips after a rainy hike in the Smokies

For years I packed everything including the kitchen sink for overnight backpacking trips. I carried a 50 liter Osprey packed to the brim with extra clothes, a big cook kit, and way too much food. Then last spring I did a 2 night loop on the Appalachian Trail near Clingmans Dome and it poured rain the whole time. My pack was so heavy my shoulders ached and I slipped on wet roots twice because of the extra weight. Now I use a 35 liter pack with just a tarp, a small stove, and dehydrated meals. What size pack do you take for a standard weekend trip?

3 comments

3 Comments

morgan_king361mo agoTop Commenter

That 50 liter to 35 liter switch is basically the same thing I noticed happen with my camping gear and my groceries. You start off thinking you need the big bulk pack of paper towels, four different kinds of pasta, and a family size jar of pickles for a three day trip. Then you realize you're just tired from hauling all that extra crap around, and you'd rather just buy what you actually need and not have to carry it. It's like people who buy giant SUVs for commuting alone, they eventually figure out it just makes everything harder for no good reason. Getting lighter and smaller is usually the smarter play once you stop trying to impress anyone.

bennett.harper1mo ago

The 35 liter pack forced me to actually plan my meals instead of just throwing in everything from my pantry. @angelarivera nailed it about the showing off thing, once you stop caring what other people think you realize how much useless weight you were carrying. A smaller pack makes you smarter about what you actually need.

angelarivera1mo ago

So did you just get tired of showing off, @morgan_king36, or actually tired of carrying all that junk?