So i’m planning on thru hiking the pct with pretty much just the essentials, only luxury I plan on having with me is a sleeping pad. I’m trying to figure out about how many cubic centimeters of space i’m looking for in a back pack. I don’t know if it matters but I’m 5’11 195lbs.
josh camacho
Unfortunately, there isn’t any straightforward answer as it depends on what other gear you have. However, as a broad guide line, shoot for something between 30 liters and 65 liters. Or, roughly 2000 ci to 4500 ci. The more ultralight you go, the smaller the pack. You don’t want to be carrying very much, so going beyond 65 L would not be a good idea. When I thruhiked, I took a 3000 ci pack. It worked just fine except when I hauled 10 days of supplies out of Kennedy Meadows.
Also, you might reconsider the luxury thing. A sleeping pad is insulation against the ground, so is in the same category as a sleeping pad. The trail is really, really long. Much longer than it seems before you start it. Bring something that gives you some joy. Otherwise, if you depend solely on the trail for nourishment, you’ll be home by Agua Dulce. It doesn’t have to be expensive, large, or bulky. But a simple book, or a journal, or a camera, or a radio, can make a world of difference.
Suge
… or a banjo. I agree 100% with Suge. Take something to take your mind off hiking and the trail for a second. Just something simple. My mp3 player was a good pick-me-up sometimes. There are times when the sleeping pad is more than a luxury. There’s a good chance you’ll end up sleeping on snow at some point if you make it to Canada. Both of my hikes I slept on snow a few nights and the first hike I didn’t take a pad. It was like trying to sleep on a block of ice.:boy
banjo boy (hiker miker)
In 06, LOTS of folks used the Vapor Trail (as did I). It’s 3600 CI (about 59 liters). It was rarely full to the brim, except as Suge mentions, when leaving KM with 11 days of supplies.
Check one out at a store close to you - it should a fair benchmark to judge various packs against.
More generally, your pack size, in a sense, is determined by the rest of your equipment. If your kit is bulky (or heavy), you’ll need a bigger (more suitable for heavy loads) container (the pack) to haul your stuff around. Of course, the opposite is also true. You don’t say if you use synthetic insulation (bag / parka) or down - down compresses very well, synthetic, less so. This can influence the pack size you’ll ultimately find works best for you.
As far as the luxuries go - I totally agree with the above comments. Some piece, or pieces, of ‘luxury’ go a long way to keeping your morale up. On these lines I had a MP3 player, my journal and an SLR-like camera plus filters for quality pics. These items were at least 2 to 3 pounds, but well worth their weight, not only on the trail (MP3), but now, a year and 4 months after finishing (camera and journal).
BTW - a sleeping pad is a necessity, not a luxury. The ground can be real cold.
Token Civilian
Most gear experts recommend waiting to purchase the pack until you have all your other gear. In addition to the gear, mock up something that approximates food and water plus, of course, the bear canister. That way you will know your gear will fit inside your pack!
grannyhiker
Most outfitters will let you bring in all your gear and stuff it into the packs they are selling. If you have all your gear in the pack you will get to feel the ergonomics of the packs (like pocket ease of use, loading options, and overall ride of the packs). I used a granite gear nimbus ozone(3800c.i.)it weighs 3 lbs. even. I stuffed mine to the brim only on a few occasions and I often had room to hike out a six-pack (great calorie boost). If you plan on using a bear canister definately see if it will fit inside. I used a bear vault 400 that fit perfectly in my GG pack. I’m guessing it would fit inside the Vapor trail as well since they are pretty much the same pack except for the typex framesheet in the Nimbus ozone. If you don’t use a bear cannister (not recommended or legal) that would change everything. A significantly smaller pack could be used in that case. I never ate small freeze dried meals or other small packing food so my food bag was always huge and filled with huge sacks of cereal, jars of peanut butter, bread, big bottles of olive oil, cookies, and other bulky food items. Pack size will also depend on how fast you hike. Most (efficient) resupplies lie about 100-150 miles apart so you’ll be carrying anywhere from 3-6 days of food at a time. A faster hiker would rarely carry more than 4.5 days of food. At least one resupply lies in excess of 200 miles like when leaving Kennedy Meadows like Suge and Token Civilian stated. But you can jump off the PCT halfway thru that stretch and take a 19 or so mile detour (roundtrip) down to Kearsarge Pass and into Bishop or Independence to resupply. I didn’t take this route and I am glad I did. It was an amazing submersion experience hiking such a long stretch of PCT without seeing any roads or towns. Another tip, don’t let outfitter salespersons sell you a pack with extra bells and whistles you wont need on the PCT, that’s their job to make the highest sale possible and most of the salespersons are not previous or aspiring thru hikers. 3 lbs. is the maximum weight you should be aiming for a person of you size. Have a great hike!
Spigot