I match the pack to the trek. The longer the travel, the larger the pack. I buy the lightest gear (stove, tent, etc.) I can find. Food takes the most space for me.

I still use a huge 70l backpack with a solid frame and giant hip belts. I don't care if its half empty, that pack is so f-ing comfortable to carry. I think it's worth being aware of the differences in anatomy for this too, particularly between women and men. Womens packs tend to have huge hip straps that are super padded and firm and hold on really well. Mens packs tend to have much less support there because their hip bone shape doesn't give as much surface are for the straps to hold on to. Obviously that's going to be different between individuals but I have massive hips and those thick af claws on my pack are well worth it since they completely offload my shoulders and make me feel like I'm barely even carrying anything. Smaller pack isn't always the way to go.

I have grown fond of my ULA PCT, and have done two 275 mile section hikes of the Appalachian Trail in the past two years, and am 800 miles into a thruhike of the same trail this year. I use a makeshift frame of a 25" wide Walmart 1/2" thick closed cell foam pad which is cut to length so that it forms a tube the same diameter as the pack body. I use a pack liner, installed first, followed by the tubular foam "frame", and then stuff the contents into the foam tube, which makes the pack more stable, pads the back, protects the contents against damage from pokey things, and functions as a torso length emergency shelter sleep pad for this habitual hammock hanger.

I don't like ultralight packs they're just so uncomfortable for thruhiking. I love my Osprey Atmos Ag 50, all my gear is Ultralight but it's so comfortable to wear that back for longer hikes.

No. Actually I’m not. I carry everything I possibly can until I get tired of walking then I make camp. Pretty simple

With a BV500 I do wish I'd gone slightly larger than my 40l. For winter camping (stove, tent instead of tarp, insulation), I'll really need to get myself a 50-55l too.

I just purchased a Mountainsmith Scream 55 that’s a great pack in the 2lb range at about $100, it’s the old style with the double barrel pockets but It’s extremely comfortable and price friendly.

I use a British Bergen. 110 liters I don't hike too far. A couple of miles at the most. Helps me to lose weight too! ;)

You can always craft a little bedroll for extra food or water that you undo later

50l seems like a sweet spot for me

я согласен. большой рюкзак можно просто меньше набить. а хорошая спина будет работать и при неполной загрузке

I'm new to backpacking and still acquiring everything I need but so far it seems like it's easy to stay light on a small budget as long as you have the extra space!

Zpacks Nero 38liter here. I went from an almost 4 pound Osprey pack to just around 11 ounces for the Zpacks. Never going back to big packs again.

I like that pack

Large packs are really noisy, especially as you eat your food so they become less full. I think 50l is perfectly manageable when you start out for most hikes and now that more of my stuff is lightweight and smaller I'm thinking of going down to 40

Bro i bought a 70L backpack for a hike and still could not fit my stuff in there

Ive never thought how great it is that my pack cant fit stuff and i have to "critically" how to fit it in there. Its not a positive.

I need a larger pack for winter as I use a huge synthetic sleeping bag but not in summer so I found one that changes capacity and love it. Flex capacitor (the name sold it 😂)

After loading, 55 can be strapped down to the size of a 35.

Hi, what do you think about tropicfeel shelter