Advice on roll top backpack organization

Little things go in a couple of brightly-coloured silnylon stuff sacks. The one with all the ‘goodies’ lives near the top of my pack.

My wife uses a different method: a very large pack loosely filled so she can rummage around in it.

Cheers

I suspect that most people over-organise. Just weigh all those stuff-sacks and dry-bags – you might be surprised by the total! Carry as much loose as you can live with, and save some weight.

For lightness, the basic approach is to use a single waterproof liner inside the pack – usually a builder’s trash bag. All your sleep gear goes loose at the bottom – you won’t need it till camp. Then your spare food, in a single lightweight bag. and everything else that’s dry and clean that you won’t need during the day. I put all the small stuff like charging leads, wall adaptor, repair kits etc into a small plastic bag to keep them organised.

Roll the top of the waterproof bag to seal it. Now you pack anything that’s potentially dirty and/or wet that you won’t need till camp – for example your shelter, ground sheet, cook system, pegs etc. This also keeps them accessible for when you have to pitch camp in bad weather.

Valuables (keys, documents, wallet etc) can be kept in their own plastic bag. If you’ll need them at the end of the day when you reach your car or hit a trail town, work out a place you can stow them inside the bag where they’ll be easy to find. Some bags have a hanging pocket at the top, or you can rig something up using the attachments for the hydration system.

The stuff that you’ll need during the day is packed outside the main compartment: trail food, water, extra clothing layers, gloves, rain gear, hat, camera, phone, knife, whistle, map and compass, emergency beacon, first aid kit, sunglasses, gaiters etc.

People use different approaches for this. Commonly they’ll distribute everything between the kangaroo pocket on the front of the bag, the side pockets, pockets in their clothing, waist belt pouches and pouches on their shoulder straps. Some people use bum bags or some kind of chest bag. You’ll have to experiment to find something that works for you. Then make it a routine, so everything has a place where you can access it.

This all takes a bit of experimentation, but once you’ve invested the time you’ll have a system you can use long-term.

Yes, I understand your consternation. 50 years ago I made the switch from a full framed pack (an older 7pound Korean War military surplus pack.) I switched to an internal framed Tough Traveler (3500ci, 34oz.) But I lost my pockets, pouches, and, my organization. I used it for over two years before I became comfortable organizing it. I agree with Roger, with a single compartment, organizing things so they stay handy can be a trying task.

Today, I use mostly a Murmur(2012 version) at 2200ci or a much newer HMG SouthWest 2400 (approximate ci,) 2018 version with small hipbelt pockets. Anyway, I organize my gear first by water resistance, second by use. I also do about half my trips with a canoe and sometimes in rain storms, so, water resistance is rather crucial if I happen to flip the boat (rare, but sometimes getting in and out can be difficult.)

This is done by simply separating your gear into two piles.
For example.
1) My dry gear is usually food, sleeping bag, long johns, down jacket, socks.
The first sack loaded (and last needed) is my sleeping bag and long johns, socks, down jacket. This contains everything needed to stay warm and dry. (Sometimes I am wearing my jacket, but I have a wool sweater/fleece I wear while hiking. I rarely need anything while hiking, though. Usually, just a synthetic hiking shirt (long sleeved) keeps me warm enough down to around 40F/5C. Lower, and I just bring the appropriate clothing.) With my rain jacket over a loose sweater, I’m good to about 25-30F when moving. Anyway, this gets put into an eVent compression/dry bag, squeezed down to fit into my pack length wise. This is then loaded into the bottom of my pack.

The second dry item is my food. I put my food into a standard dry bag (doubles as a bear bag) after taking out my snacks/lunch and slipping this into a plastic bag. This is then loaded into my pack. Sometimes I carry two, 13L drybags for food for 2-3 weeks. T

his covers my crucial dry gear and takes me down to around 10F at night for early spring and late fall trips.

2) The other 1/2 to 2/3 of my gear gets put into my ditty bag (doubles as a rock sack for tossing the bear line up) and stuffed into my front/side pouches. Head lamp, bear line, spare line, a spare set of batteries, phone, TP, superglue, hair brush/duct tape, fishing gear (hooks & sinkers, flies, float bubble, small 40″ collapsible rod, stakes, wallet, stove, etc. This is a stout nylon 1L bag, not a dry bag. None of this stuff really cares if it gets damp. Batteries are not a worry, and the phone is ruggedized/waterproof to about a meter of submergence (as are my lights.)

My tarp rolls up small enough to fit into a 1qt grease pot. This protects the tarp and protects the pot against bending…it is also silent while hiking. The ditty bag and grease pot goes into my pack with my NeoAir pad. This completes the main body.

Front pouch carries my 2L Platty (empty,) my steripen, rain gear, fishing reel, maps, lunch, plastic garbage bag(usually a 1qt ziplock,) polycro ground sheet, and sometimes a sweater. I can access these easily from the outside.

One side pouch is for two 1/2L water bottles. The other has my fuel can(s), windscreen and trail saw (often needed for clearing trails.)

My hip-belt pockets have drink mixes (usually just flavoring to kill tannic water taste) and bug dope.

I have my pocket knife, bug dope and afterbite/benydril in my pockets. Sometimes I will carry the steripen there, too. My compass is around my neck along with a car key.

I can usually hike (or paddle) the whole day without needing to open my pack for anything. I am good to about 20F without worrying about getting anything wet that is really important. The HMG is fairly water proof and the Murmur is OK in a rainstorm. In a pinch, I can put my spare socks (usually drying on my pack front pouch) on as mittens. I only need three bags: dry bag for food, eVent bag for cloths, and the ditty bag.

Anyway, this is how I organize stuff in my pack. You might need another bag for your cook kit if you use a wood stove, or maybe a liquid fuel stove…

I use a combination of Geoff’s and James’ methods with a Schnozzel as the pack liner.  My Arc Haul is decently water resistant and I use a Packa (substitute poncho or Caffin mountain poncho if you like) and so the pack stays very dry.

As a result, my small stuff sacks don’t need to be waterproof…silnylon or cuben not required.  I have become very fond of the Sea to Summit mesh stuff sacks.  They are sturdy and you can easily see everything inside making it easy to dig out what you need. I only need 2, one is my “medical kit” and the other holds all incidentals, headlamp, rope, ziplocks, etc. and both are packed near the top of the pack.  Water filter, TP/Baby wipes, snacks and anything I need while on the move are in the front, side or hipbelt pockets.

In the end however, you will have to devise your own strategy and that simply takes time to develop.  How you pack your pack is like what underwear or shoes you prefer…very personal.

I use several 1 gallon ziploc freezer bags.  Yeah, each is 0.4 ounces which adds up.

3 bags – food, tent, misc.

sleeping bag is in a sil nylon bag

all my loose stuff is in the misc. bag

I hate the idea of a pack liner.  A pack should be waterproof.  Pack liner must weigh several ounces

That being said, my current pack leaks a little if it rains a lot.  I need to figure out where it’s leaking and seal it.

Simple:  Stuff you are not going to use during the day gets packed deep into the pack:  sleeping bag, sleeping pad, tent, ground cover, clothes (except fleece or rainshell) and the cook kit (since I don’t cook lunch.)  I also pack the bear canister down there, and just leave out a few snacks or lunch to eat along the trail.  The bag and pad go on the bottom, the bear can and tent go above that, and next to each other, with the other things stuffed into open spaces.

Then the stuff you need on the trail goes on top or in an outside pocket:  water bottles, bug dope, head net, sunscreen, maps, water filtration kit–and my ditty bag of odds and ends.  On top of the main compartment of the pack go my rainshell, fleece, and camp/water shoes.  And, of course, any food you are going to eat on the trail. In my hip belt pockets I carry my compass, knife, nail clippers, lib balm, headlight, car key…

I end up pulling everything out of the main compartment just to find say my battery pack.

Lose the battery pack.  Problem solved! :-)

Seriously, though, just get a small ditty bag or two to hold the little stuff.  I have a little zipper pouch than hangs from the clips where you’d hang a bladder if you weren’t bottle enlightened.  It holds all the little stuff that’s rarely needed or needed only in camp (car key, headlamp, spare camera battery, cell phone [for reading], etc.), and one other liter-sized ditty with the first-aid kit, file-starting stuff, etc.  Nothing ever falls to the bottom of the pack, because that’s completely filled with my sleeping bag and must-stay-dry clothes together in a dry bag, all of which forms the new “floor” about halfway down the pack.  Lots of ways to do it.

When I switched to a roll top I had the same issue.  My ULA pack had a stash pocket that clips to the top inside of the pack.  It’s small, but perfect for wallet, battery, a few essentials that you need to know where they are, of their not in your pants pockets or hip belt pockets.

I then put the rest of my small essentials in a Zpacks multipack.  It’s super light and useful.  I clipped it to the top of my pack at first, but now mostly it’s inside near the top. This goes in my tent or short side hikes.

The front mesh pocket is perfect for the stuff you need during the day.  Water filtration, bathroom kit, snacks, lunch and wet clothes.  Rain coat if rain is likely.  Most packs these days have large side pockets that can hold more than just a water bottle.

Eagle Creek Specter packing cubes or zippered bags weight very little and can slide in and out of a top loader like drawers. I do “onebag” travel and packing cubes are the only way to go.

All my UL hiking experience really pays off for international travel.

“I do “onebag” travel and packing cubes are the only way to go.”

I’ve always just used my day to day backpack for travel. Checking bags just seems like it would be a pain. I just roll up each article of clothing and rubber band it. A few toiletries & chargers in the front pocket

Backpacking I’m with OP it’s annoying trying to keep stuff organized. But I use pretty much everything in camp so if it’s not raining it all comes out anyway.
-Stuff the sleeping stuff in the bottom, then 4 sacks:
1 – Camp stove, fuel, & lighter are in the pot, get stuffed in next.
2 – Food is organized in bags and shoved into the master ziploc. Snacks are removed for somewhere in front of me, and maybe a few for the very top of the inside.
3 – all toiletries in one ziploc.
4 – electronics and doodads in their own sack.
Front pocket: water filter, water bucket, & microfiber cloth.
Hip pockets: sunscreen, insect repellent, knife, lighter in hip pocket
Side pockets: tent poles get one side. Often I like carrying my water in my hands. So side pockets get random stuff accumulated like rain jacket, car key, tent stakes, dirty socks – whatever ends up there.
-clothes are disorganized. socks & underwear tend to go in the front pocket. I don’t need access to them but it’s a convenient spot they can live

Last trip I brought some shoulder pouches and a multipack on my hips. Lots of food went in these. Also electronics went in the multipack to take some load off my backpack.

For up to 3-season UL, I’ll just stuff the things not needed til camp to the bottom of the pack (basically quilt and silk sleep clothes, any electronic charging, sewing and repair) … that’s after the shelter is put up. I found the HMG pods fit my packs for the quilt, so what’s not to love? Not like I’ll need a sleeping bag out for lunch in the middle of summer. Towards the top is my food bag and layers in case of rain. Also have a clip-on pouch at the top I use for a headlamp, etc.. not on my person (hooking more into pocket loops like a knife, Altoids tin w/minimal FAK, etc..). Anyways that’s in my roll tops up to my big Zimmerbuilts, which are my pushing the shoulder-season roll-tops. The big front pocket you see on UL-style packs I use for hygiene stuff needed perhaps immediately, both throughout the day and in camp. On the other hand, I brush my teeth after dinner, so dental cleaning, in its own zip lock, goes on top of the “sleeping pod”. If I need more tooth brushing in the future, it can be relocated to the food bag. It’s basically a game of when do I need said item?

Wintery with a good chance of precipitation? .. or just rainy all the time like the PNW is currently? I’ll probably need to get a light panel loader or top loader with sleeping bag compartment; in perpetual wet, I could see bringing sleeping bags out to dry in the sun fairly regularly without disturbing the rest of the pack contents.