Trouble staying organized with UL pack…

I had this problem when I started making the transition to UL about 8-10 years ago. Eventually you figure out how to pack things so you remember where they are. Color coded stuff sacks help. Also you usually have 2 side pockets and the back pocket.

There are UL packs with things such as mesh pockets that can help in organization, however I don't feel like there is generally too much stuff to organize… Sleeping bag and clothing go in a pack liner or a big stuff sack, cooking kit can often times be placed in the cook pot, shelter, pad (if inside), then small items go in a ditty bag. For me at least there aren't usually a lot of things that are loose and if there were I generally end up pretty much emptying my pack when I get to camp to allow my bag to loft up and set up shelter, prepare food. On the trail I just keep things where they can be easily accessed that I may need such as on top or in pockets (The vapor trail has those things that can almost be considered pockets on the sides)… Hope that helped some… Check out some UL packs with pockets if you can't deal without, maybe consider a panel loading pack if a top loader can't work for you.

I have a VT, but I haven't broke it in on the trail just yet. I was using a Latitude Vapor, which doesn't offer any extra storage places (other than an internal lid, which is a stuff sack with clips to hold it in place), but it does offer easier access. Now that I've cut so much gear from my pack, however, stuff is easier to find than back in the day when I did have compartments. Colored Stuff sacks and placement there of are key.

Orange 8L S2S Silnylon Dry Sac = Sleeping bag
Green 4L S2S Silnylon Dry Sac = Clothes
Blue S2S Silnylon Stuff Sac = Food
Grey Silnylon Stuff Sack = Lunar Duo
Bright Orange Padded Sac = All Cooking Gear (pot, bushbuddy, tinder, lighter, etc)
Small Mesh Bag in external pocket = Home made gravity filter & chlorine drops
Other External pocket = Rain gear
Granite Gear Hip Belt Pocket = Camera, granola bar, other small items…
Grey XSmall Silnylon Stuff Sac (ditty bag) = All other odds/ends (personal, headlamp, etc)

The ditty bag goes on top. Clothes are under that. The rest I rarely access on the trail, other than the food for lunch. That's my plan anyway. With the latitude I could put crap anywhere, it was easy to get to with the big zippered panel. The VT requires a little more thought.

I was a traveler for years before I took up hiking. I came from the world of panel-loading travel packs with multiple lockable compartments. In fact, I don't travel with my "one big hole" hiking backpack — and never will!

But when hiking, I was quickly won over by the speed and ease in packing most everything into "one big hole" and then cinching up nice and secure.

When traveling, I rarely unpack everything in my hotel, so a top loading hiking pack is a pain to use when I need to find things… but when it comes to UL hiking, I pretty much empty out everything at camp — if I didn't need it, I didn't bring it — so different compartments were unnecessary.

During the course of the day when hiking, what I find works best is a top loader with pockets: front pocket, side pockets and hip belt pockets to store the stuff I need during the day (rain jacket, hat, food, water, first aid kit, camera, snacks).

The GG VT is a really comfy pack. But I would never use it. I find its design ill-fitting for my needs. I give it a 10 for comfort and a 1 or 2 for usability. The side pockets with a compression strap right across is completely idiotic!

I think MLD, SMD, ULA, Zpacks, etc. that come with front, side and hip belt pockets can really be the best of both worlds — lightning quick packing of the one big hole where contents can remain closed and protected from rain, etc. — and yet easy access during the course of the day thanks to the pockets. Best of all — no weight penalty really — as their weights are quite comparable to corresponding GG type packs!

Anyway, food for thought re. backpack design / features.

Ben… The GG VT is a really comfy pack. But I would never use it. I find its design ill-fitting for my needs. I give it a 10 for comfort and a 1 or 2 for usability. The side pockets with a compression strap right across is completely idiotic!

That's why I was stoked to see they fixed it this year. The '09 packs now have the option of running behind or on top of the side pockets – the way it always should have been.

Like Ben, I travel a lot. Plus I used a Kelty Serac for 20 years with 7 exterior pockets.

UL means very few items. You pack them in the order you need them. One small stuff bag to carry all you misc items. It gets easier with time. The key to UL organization is to leave all the extraneous stuff you really don't need at home.

Good summation of the travel vs hiking backpack choice Ben!

Sadly, when you want to combine hiking AND travel on the same trip the choice is not so clear. I've decided a two-bag setup probably works best in this case (one backpack for hiking, plus a smaller tote bag for extra travel gear and clothes). You are then lugging around two medium bags instead of one large pack, but other than that you get the best of both worlds.

Sorry, drifting slightly off topic there =-p

When packing, remember your order of operations from prior trips. Pack the least used/anticipated parts of your gear in the least accessible part areas.

For instance:
Your sleep system is the least used and is likely to be the last one out.
Your meals are just above that as they aren't needed much throughout the day (if at all) if you pack your snacks separately in pockets.
Your med/blister kit and items that you might have to stop for during the day go on the top in a ditty bag with other small things.
With UL packing, there isn't much else you'll need in your pack.

For efficiency, anything that you don't need to stop hiking to use should be accessible by simply reaching into external pockets on your pack or on your clothing.

In my case, I've learned I like my water bottle on my right shoulder strap and my GPS on my left shoulder strap. A center pocket on my hip belt holds a small camera, snacks, micro-notepad & mini-pen, compass, water purification, spare GPS batteries, TP & sanitizer. My pants pockets have the lip balm, re-packaged body glide, lighter and knife. If I have cargo pockets on the side, the map goes there. Emergency kit goes in my back pocket that zips shut.

Once I reach camp, the top most stuff, is what I'll be putting to use first such as putting on a extra layer, starting food and lastly setting up camp.

The advantage here is that I find I usually don't have to take off my pack until I'm done hiking for the day and I know where everything is without searching around. Work out a system that works for you and it just makes life easier.

If you hang with your Vapor Trail, you may find, as I did, that you become more mentally organized to compensate for the simplicity of the pack. A couple of tiny ditty sacks sit at the top. If it's cold, an insulated top will be there ready for breaks. Since it's difficult to slip a water bottle out of the side pocket and back while hiking, I keep one bungeed to a shoulder strap AR style. (See avatar). A hydration system will work as well. Into the supposedly "useless" side pockets I've kept at various times: trail snacks, gloves, hat,neck gaiter, stakes, cord, Steripen, tripod, tent pole, poncho/tarp, rain jacket, Silshelter, platypus, wind shirt, etc. If you anticipate what you'll need during the day, there won't be any need to dig to the bottom of your pack.