Full Guide on How to Pack a Backpack for Travel
Importance of Packing Correctly
While gear selection is an important part of exploring, knowing how to pack a backpack for travel is vital. Improper packing, weight distribution or carry techniques can result in injury. The following page specifically discusses backpack packing techniques.
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A Guide to Proper Packing
Learning to pack things well takes a bit of practice. But if everything is well balanced, a well-packed bag makes travel a lot easier. Firstly, having a backpack which rests easily against your spine helps protect your back, both in terms of bone structure and muscle usage. Properly aligning the straps sets weight above the hips allows most motion to be effortless. All of this results in better health, posture and mobility while traveling.
Selecting a Backpack Size
The first step when packing is selecting a proper container. Backpack size depends on a person’s travel style. A hulking behemoth of a backpack is almost never the answer. Remember, the smaller the bag, the less the weight and the easier, cheaper and swifter travel becomes.
As everything else on this website, the packing decisions are designed for a traveler to live with a single, carry-on piece of universal luggage. Always, always, always pack as light as possible. The following guide on how to pack a backpack is specifically dedicated to traveling with a single bag.
Ultralight
For ultralight travelers, a backpack of 30 liters or less is adequate. This is enough for all direct necessities anywhere in the world. This type of travel is best for rapid transit from one location to another with a lot of walking. Ultralight travelers must use specialized lighter, multi-use gear when learning how to pack a backpack. While space management is vitally important for an ultralight traveler, struggling with excessive weight isn’t usually a problem.
Vagabond
For a standard vagabond, a backpack of around 40 liters is ideal. This has a bit more space for gear, comfort and work supplies. 40 liters or so is the most common size for backpacks dedicated to long-term traveling. This is best for explorers traveling from city to city using various forms of transportation. 40 liters is the size generally allowed as a carry-on for most flights. However, this model is a bit too heavy for pure ultralight trekking and a bit too small for deep wilderness camping.
Wilderness
For a person performing extended treks, deep wilderness survival or extremely long walking journeys, a large 50 liter backpack is a good option. This is too large to be allowed on flights, and it’s generally overkill for most forms of travel. However, if camping across the world is the name of the game, a fifty liter bag is a good choice. A person might opt for an even larger bag, but surviving in the wilderness for long periods of time is possible with a durable, fifty liter backpack
Specialized Survival
For people traveling in specialized terrain (desert trekkers, mountain climbers, tundra travelers, jungle hikes) with almost no contact with civilization, highly specialized gear is needed. In these scenarios, a sixty liter backpack (or more) is needed.
For the vast majority of travelers, a 40 to 45 liter backpack is perfect for flights, long-term travel, city exploration and small wilderness forays.
Packing Methodologies
Regardless of the type of backpack chosen, the rules for packing are the same across the board. Pay close attention these features when learning how to pack a backpack:
- Weight distribution
- Durability of equipment
- Accessibility
- Security
Weight Distribution
First, always try to pack your heaviest items closer to your back. This protects the spine and places the majority of the weight closer to a person’s center of gravity. Lighter items tend to be placed further from your back, where they don’t overbalance a person wearing a bag.
Additionally, avoid placing heavy gear at the top of the bag. This puts the center of gravity higher, making it more difficult to maintain balance. Putting an excessive amount of heavy gear at the bottom of the bag can also be a problem, as this causes a person to tilt forward to compensate, leading to muscle strain.
In short, place your heaviest gear closest to your spine, roughly in the center of the bag. Medium-weighted gear, such as toiletries and cooking utensils should be packed around this on the upper and lower portions. Heavy gear includes things like larger electronic devices, dense food or hydration bladders. When the backpack is worn, these goods should be settled at the top of our hip (at the iliac crest) but no higher than a person’s shoulder blades. Center the weight as much as possible.
Light gear, especially clothing, should be packed further on the outside. This allows for a layer of cushioning while also keeping weight largely centered against the person.
Light items that are needed frequently or in a hurry (such as ponchos, rain covers or water bottles) should be on the outermost portion of the bag where they’re easily accessible.
Finally, backpacks should be balanced up the center. Packing heavier objects on one side will result in greater stain on one-half of the body, eventually leading to soreness or injury.
Durability Packing
Once the weight of your gear is somewhat organized, consider the durability of items. As a general rule, the more durable something is, the closer to the bottom of a bag it should go. Since a backpack is usually stood upright and carried upright, this is the internal gear which will be under the most stress.
For example, if there are two pieces of medium-weight gear of differing durability, the stronger gear should go on the bottom. A person traveling with a laptop, cooking set and toiletries kit should pack accordingly. The laptop is the densest, heaviest item, so it should be placed close to the spine at the center of the bag. The toiletries kit and cooking kit are both mid-weight, but the cooking kit with a metal pot is far more durable. So the toiletries kit should be placed further up, above the laptop while the cooking kit is stored below, at the bottom of the bag.
Any truly delicate objects should be placed in protective hard cases. If this isn’t possible, consider wrapping them in clothes for better protection. These objects should be placed on the outer portion of a bag, where they’re not pressured against a spine. For example, a pair of sunglasses or a souvenir mug are best placed in a case or box on an outer pocket with a shirt cushioning them.
Expensive, frequently needed objects like cameras should be packed in a secure, cushioned location. It may be wise to invest in a small, protective day bag for such equipment.
Accessibility Organization Packing
With weight and durability considered, accessibility and organization is the next consideration. Items which are needed frequently or immediately should be left on the outer pockets (water bottles, snacks, umbrellas etc.)
However, the vast majority of gear a person travels with isn’t needed rapidly or all the time. For this gear, organization packs are a great option.
Organization gear includes containers to better sort existing gear. Compression packing cubes are especially useful for organizing clothing compactly. A compact toiletry kit is handy for toothbrushes and other grooming products. Another pouch can handle medical supplies and another organizes electronics. Food and cooking utensils can be easily stored inside existing cooking pots.
Using organized packing kits is a vital part of packing well. It keeps supplies in groups, to be used together as needed. When passing through security, this allows bags to be opened, gear removed and replaced without any hassle. It also allows items to be fitted together, making packing a more organized process with a smaller chance of weight shifting around.
Security Packing
Once weight, durability, organization and accessibility have all been considered, security is the final aspect of the packing process. Vital supplies or valuables should be kept hidden within the bag. The best travel bags are designed to be clipped shut, making it difficult for other people to open them without notice.
Important items, such as cell phones, passports or jewelry should be kept either deep within a backpack or inside security pockets under a person’s shirt or jacket.
Preparing to Pack
Once how to pack a backpack priorities are understood and a backpack is selected, it’s time to begin packing. Lay everything out on a flat space, such as the floor or atop a bedspread. Keep in mind you’ll have one set of clothes being used throughout your entire journey, so one outfit can be left outside the bag.
Carefully note which things are necessities and which are luxuries. Remember, packing as light as possible saves money, increases mobility and remains easier to manage. When beginning the packing process, remember that a person can remove additional luxuries if everything doesn’t fit.
Begin packing one thing at a time, in accordance with the guidelines above. Generally, it is easiest to pack backpacks which use a clamshell design, rather than a stack-bag. This allows a person to layer, distribute and organize gear more carefully.
While packing, try to compress similar goods into containers. Don’t let loose objects float around a backpack; they’re doomed to get lost eventually.
Packing usually takes a couple of tries to get right. If everything doesn’t fit well at first, remove everything and start again. Use clothes to cushion the objects as much as possible. If you’ve packed everything but there’s no surplus space in your backpack, remove a couple of luxury items. Having spare space is a vital part of travel, especially if a person plans on carrying their own food.
Once the interior of your pack is handled, clip on the outer gear you’re carrying. This might include clip-on water bottles, yoga mats, travel pillows, sleeping bags or a camping quilt. Outer gear should be firmly strapped to the backpack once it’s zipped shut.
Cutting Weight
If you still have too much stuff or your bag is too heavy, the following method helps cut weight. Cutting gear is an important part of learning how to pack a backpack.
Lay out your gear again. But this time, instead of laying out items according to function (toiletries together, cooking gear together), lay it out by vitality. Create a pile of items you can leave out and whittle down this pile as much as possible. Eliminate as many luxury items as necessary and repack again without them.
Remember, whittling down gear is an eventual result of traveling anyway. All travelers eventually realize they have gear they’re typically not using and it gets tossed, given away or left behind. Being deliberate about this process before a journey can help protect your gear and finances.
Putting on your Bag
Finally, once you’ve practiced how to pack a backpack, it’s time to manage the straps and adjust as needed.
Most beginners tend to put on a bag the same way they did in school: Grabbing a strap and slinging it over a shoulder.
However, for backpacks with a lot of weight, this is incorrect. This can damage or fray a shoulder harness while also twisting in a way that might damage a person’s spine.
Instead, follow the hoisting method. This method works for every backpack type and can help orient straps while also protecting a person’s back.
The Hoisting Method
- Loosen all straps slightly to make the bag easier to slip on. Then, put the loaded pack on the ground in the upright position. The part of the bag that goes against your back should be facing you.
- Grab the haul loop (the webbing or handle loop at the top of a backpack.
- Lift the pack up and slide it up your thigh, letting it rest for a moment. Keep your hand on the haul loop.
- With your free hand, slip your arm and shoulder through one shoulder strap until your shoulder is within the padding. You should be in a slightly stooped psoe at this time.
- Lean forward and swing the backpack onto your back. The full weight of the bag should be on you. You should be tilted forward to take the weight. One backpack shoulder strap should be over your shoulder.
- Release the grab loop and put your other hand through the shoulder strap. The backpack should be loosely resting on your back.
- While still bent forward, clip your waist strap together and adjust it evenly on both sides, Wiggle your hips slightly until the weight settles atop your hips. The base of your bag should be stable when you move back and forth.
- Adjust the shoulder straps so they’re somewhat tight. Remember, shoulder straps aren’t meant to take weight. They’re merely meant to pull a bag forward so its weight remains vertical.
- Stand up straight and tighten the shoulder straps all the way. Adjust as needed. Your bag’s weight should still rest over your hips.
Stride Testing
Once you’ve learned how to pack a backpack and you’ve adjusted the weight, take your bag for a walk. Head around the block, down the street or through your backyard for at least fifteen minutes. This trial run should specifically watch for the following issues:
- Is the backpack too heavy? Am I having trouble moving across level ground with it?
- Is my balance good? Do I feel as though I’m about to tip over?
- Is there undue friction? Can I move without chafing or discomfort?
- Is there soreness? Do I feel an ache in my shoulders or back?
- Am I leaning too far forward? Is my head pulling me forward?
- Is my gear stable? Is there anything shifting around when I move?
If the answer is yes to any of these tests, it’s time to unpack and repack the bag. However, if all lights are green, a person is properly packed and prepped for their adventure.
If you’re satisfied with you backpack and everything within it, you’re good to go. Once on your journey, you’ll unpack and repack your bag frequently, gradually learning how to use space more efficiently. Always remember that your backpack will likely need a bit of extra space to handle surplus goods on the road, such as food brought from place to place. Overall, knowing how to pack a backpack makes every journey safer, swifter and more enjoyable.
After walking around the world with a single Osprey backpack, there are plenty of stories to tell. Read about learning how to pack a backpack and wandering Earth within the Leftfade Trails blog posts
Osprey Backpacks
Ten years ago, I abandoned my military surplus store backpack for a Farpoint 40 Osprey Travel Pack. I’ve never replaced my bag since. Two years ago, I bought two more Ospreys for my younger siblings on their first tour outside the country. I have nothing but praise for Osprey Products.