Overnight/Weekend Pack Size?

I posted this on an old thread in a different forum, but it seems like it belongs more over here…

I’ve been using a 50L pack (Jam2) for the past decade, which has been a versatile size in terms of accommodating summer/winter and leading group trips.  However, I’ve been thinking about getting something that can double as a day pack and summer overnight/weekend pack.  Any thoughts on the best size for this? I haven’t checked recently, but my summer BPW should be a bit under 10 lbs. Bulky items other than food include a cuben Solomid, 40 degree quilt, and Neoair Xtherm (I’ve been thinking about getting a dedicated summer pad, but the minimal weight savings and cost haven’t made that a priority). I’ve been looking at a 32L pack (including side pockets and front sleeve), but am concerned that it might be tight volume wise…

I use a 2400 cu in (40L) pretty happily for 3 day/2 night trips if I pack efficiently (like the gear you indicate). I’m not enough of a gram/gear shaver to go much smaller than that.

This video will give you an idea of the pack size relative to the trip type: Hiking Across Kodiak Island: Old Harbor to Larsen Bay

That looks like it was a great trip! 40L definitely looks doable for summertime (and even some winter stuff for that matter), but it’s hard to say how much I would miss that 8L by going with a 32…

A lot of the stuff I do nowadays consists of quick overnighters with little food requirements, so the 32 just might fit that niche.

Take your gear to REI and see how it fits, or doesn’t, in a few different packs, you’ll get a sense pretty quickly what size range is best.

My 2 night kit is the UL fastback 20 which is more like a 25L pack.  I have a 30 degree sleeping bag, xlite large, Sil Dechutes tarp and Bivy.

i need to put the tarp and my rain coat outside in the back pocket and I fill the side pockets with food and my cook kit as water goes in the best upfront.

So I think my kit is similar sized to yours so if the 32L has a stretch back pocket I think it will work very well for you on 2 night trips and not be too large for day hiking.

What I like about the 25 L pack is it doesn’t feel like you are backpacking.  My weeklong hauler is a Circuit.  This change in feeling is worth squishing your gear down for and I’m not sure you get that with a 40

I have a 28 litre and all your stuff would go in that easy. I just bought a 30 for three to four days-Duplex/-7C quilt/xlite-it does it easy. Put the quilt in a compression/dry sack -it squashes it down a treat and gives a nice form to your pack as well.

Your Cuben solo is still chunky but it will fit surely being smaller than my Dup’.

Check this blokes review (it is the first one) of his 16L Batman backpack review on his THRU HIKE found at this link.

Get a spiderman one and….. YOU CAN BE SPIDERMAN!