Packing a Backpack

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Richard Fields. In this clip we're going to be talking about how to load a backpack. Now I've thought about putting the light stuff in the bottom of the pack. I've stuffed my down sleeping bag, down jacket, sleeping pad and some down booties in the bottom of the pack. Now up in the top, the principle is this. You want to have your heaviest stuff packed closest to your body so they get it closest to your center of gravity. So you start with things like your tent and your food, and if you have a water bladder, it's going to also be right up against your back which is where you want it. So having put the heavy things closest to my pack, then I can fill in around it with my clothing and other lighter fare. The smaller items like socks and neck cozies and wool caps can be easily stuffed in and around cylindrical objects and other bulky objects to fill in all the gaps and spaces. And then of course the stuffed items that are soft will also comply very well with molding into different spots in your pack, keeping in mind always to keep the heavy stuff towards the back of the pack. Now once you have it loaded in that fashion, you don't want this load moving around on you a lot, so you're going to want to make sure that you use the cinch straps on your pack. And it'll be different with each designed pack, but there'll be cinch straps to tighten down the load to keep it from bouncing around so that it will ride comfortably on you and be stable. In the top of the pack, the lid, is where you'll want to put a lot of your smaller items such as a first aid kit, lotion, toiletries, various things like that that you'll want to get access to without having to dig into the pack. For your side pockets, it's a good idea to use these lightweight ditty bags so that you can put a variety of small objects in there and not have them get lost in the pocket. Things such as an energy bar, lighter, knife, compass, chap stick, sunscreen, those sort of things. Things that you're going to want to be able to get access to throughout the day on the trail. And so that's how to pack a backpack."