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r0cker
Jun 14, 2008, 10:49 PM
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What would you say is the best way to pack gear in your pack? Heavy gear on top? on bottom? Rope on top? Rope on bottom? etc.
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GeneralBenson
Jun 14, 2008, 11:02 PM
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Yes.
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time2clmb
Jun 14, 2008, 11:03 PM
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...depends. Alot of preference too.
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r0cker
Jun 14, 2008, 11:05 PM
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I guess I was asking for your preferences...
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clc
Jun 14, 2008, 11:15 PM
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whoa man. Heavy gear should be close to your back and mid to low down. If on top your, your centre of balance is off. I put the rope on bottom if its only needed once I get to basecamp.
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stymingersfink
Jun 15, 2008, 1:01 AM
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r0cker wrote: What would you say is the best way to pack gear in your pack? Heavy gear on top? on bottom? Rope on top? Rope on bottom? etc.
usually rack on the bottom, though having hiked a few REALLY FUCKIN' HEAVY haul bags to the base of a wall on more than a couple of occasions, IMO, it's best to have th bulk of the mass centered between your shoulder blades. This allows you to keep your now-altered center of gravity more closely aligned with the center of your pelvic girdle when viewed from above.
Too far behind, you'll always feel like you're going to fall over backwards, too high an you'll have difficulty controlling the mass. It all depends really on just how heavy that pack is going to end up being.
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rtwilli4
Jun 15, 2008, 6:17 AM
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you should always have the bulk of the weight close to your back. i like it right in the middle of my back, or a little higher. ... some people differ on that.
I usually put my shoes on the bottom. I dunno why... i guess it's cuz I used to carry gear for 2 or 3 people in one pack, shoes seem to be the most durable and can get squished w/o messing them up... also if you drop the bag your shoes will take the hit and not your rack.
Shoes, then rack, then harnesses, then chalk (or chalk in outer pocket).... I lay my rope over the top of the bag and buckle the flap over it (like in the picture). I usually take a mat instead of a rope bag so i guess that changes the way I pack.
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drljefe
Jun 15, 2008, 6:11 PM
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Well, usually one partner would take the rack, the other the rope. I always preferred the rope on the very bottom because it would fill up any gaps and was cushioning too. Rack on the bottom led to too many tweaked cables. Definitely majority of the weight down and close in, though. PB+J's don't go on the bottom and neither would my precious shoes!
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petsfed
Jun 15, 2008, 9:10 PM
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Experiment with packing, figure out what works for you.
For instance, if I throw the rack into the bottom of the pack, I always get jabbed in the back with a cam lobe, so I put my coat at the very bottom, then the rack, and that has worked all right.
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smallclimber
Jun 15, 2008, 10:11 PM
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The best place for all the gear is in your partners pack. Then you can enjoy the walk in and arrive at the climb refreshed and ready to go.
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time2clmb
Jun 15, 2008, 10:58 PM
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r0cker wrote: I guess I was asking for your preferences...
If your just cragging then who gives a shit...doesn't really matter too much so long as your not doing a bunch of balancy stuff on the way there. Otherwise just put what you will take out first on the top.
For overnighters I like the water on my back in the hydration sleeve, sleeping bag on bottom, pad vertical to one side, spare clothes ect stuffed in the cracks, pot / stove next to the pad or just off to the opposite side, food bag on top, tent stuffed straight inbetween those, rack (if I am carrying it) on top of the stuffed tent, any clothes I might put on such as a shell on the very top. Snacks for the day go in the lid as does my f.a. kit. If carrying the rope it goes under the lid and on top of the pack.
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sky7high
Jun 15, 2008, 11:07 PM
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I hate putting my rope inside my pack because it leaves too much small empty spaces, so if I'm carrying a lot of gear for a camping trip or whatever it goes outside under the top flap.
From bottom to top, it usually goes like this: rope, sport rack, trad rack, harness, helmet (with fragile stuff in it) and raincoat
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dr_feelgood
Jun 16, 2008, 12:42 AM
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Open pack. Shove shit in. Close pack.
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happiegrrrl
Jun 16, 2008, 12:52 AM
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As much as possible should go in the partner's pack, as was mentioned before. It really pays to be flexible enough to climb on someone else's rack for this purpose....
But, if I have to carry a full load, this is what I do, form bottom(first in) to top(last in):
- All but one water bottle
- Any inclimate weather crap I may put on later in the day but don't need before racking up
- layer my draws atop and shake the pack down
- Rack
- Harness
- Food that is squishable
- One water bottle
- Rope draped over top, under the cap
- Shoes clipped outside
- guidebooks in top zip of cap
- headlamp in top zip of cap
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stymingersfink
Jun 16, 2008, 12:54 AM
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dr_feelgood wrote: Open pack. Shove shit in. Close pack.
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heximp
Jun 16, 2008, 5:11 AM
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light stuff bottom, heavy stuff should be in the middle near your back, light stuff top...
As for the rope... Make the partner carry it to share the weight.
If not... I have the top lid strapping down the rope to hold it on top.
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overlord
Jun 16, 2008, 10:41 AM
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i usually pack the rope at the bottom, shoes on top and everything else inbetween.
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LostinMaine
Jun 16, 2008, 3:12 PM
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From bottom to top:
Rope
Harness
Draws
Protection
Shoes
Helmet and chalk bag clipped to the back
Guidebook, snacks, headlamp in top compartment
I am a panzy that only climbs on nice days, so no rain gear/extra layers needed. Ever.
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epoch
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Jun 16, 2008, 3:33 PM
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It should go something like this (Verticaly aligned for better understanding?):
Light crap
Somewhat light crap
Moderate weight crap
Heavier crap
Heaviest crap
I have near 3,000 miles of backpacking under my feet and on my back. Regardless of what the item is know how it weighs in relation to the rest of the stuff you are going to bring. (I'm not saying that you should break out the scale and count grams, but a feel of how something weighs compared to other things you plan on carrying will suffice.) A really good way to do this for the first time is to lay everything out and pick up two items, the heaver is placed on the right the lesser on the left. Continue until you have everything sorted (the rack should be counted as a whole, not by individual pieces). Then pack things into your bag from Right to Left. After a while you'll dial this down and will be able to reach in and place a heavier item right where it goes into a somewhat full pack.
If you are just out for a hike, water goes where it is most accessable. If you are packing a pig, then water goes on the bottom. Everything else should be taken into consideration porportionally to what it is.
The heaviest stuff should go on the bottom-most part of the pack closest to the side facing your back. The moderate weight stuff goes on the outside part of the pack on the bottom and layer stuff upwards accordingly. Ideally you want the weight to rest on your hips - that's why proper packs have superbly padded waist belts. Heavier items on the bottom keeps your center of gravity near what it is when pack-less. A properly packed and adjusted pack will disperse most of the weight to your hips and you should feel minimal weight on your shoulders. This will increase hiking effiecency and reduce fatigue.
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epoch
Moderator
Jun 16, 2008, 3:37 PM
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epoch wrote: It should go something like this (Verticaly aligned for better understanding?): Light crap Somewhat light crap Moderate weight crap Heavier crap Heaviest crap I have near 3,000 miles of backpacking under my feet and on my back. Regardless of what the item is know how it weighs in relation to the rest of the stuff you are going to bring. (I'm not saying that you should break out the scale and count grams, but a feel of how something weighs compared to other things you plan on carrying will suffice.) A really good way to do this for the first time is to lay everything out and pick up two items, the heaver is placed on the right the lesser on the left. Continue until you have everything sorted (the rack should be counted as a whole, not by individual pieces). Then pack things into your bag from Right to Left. After a while you'll dial this down and will be able to reach in and place a heavier item right where it goes into a somewhat full pack. If you are just out for a hike, water goes where it is most accessable. If you are packing a pig, then water goes on the bottom. Everything else should be taken into consideration porportionally to what it is. The heaviest stuff should go on the bottom-most part of the pack closest to the side facing your back. The moderate weight stuff goes on the outside part of the pack on the bottom and layer stuff upwards accordingly. Ideally you want the weight to rest on your hips - that's why proper packs have superbly padded waist belts. Heavier items on the bottom keeps your center of gravity near what it is when pack-less. A properly packed and adjusted pack will disperse most of the weight to your hips and you should feel minimal weight on your shoulders. This will increase hiking effiecency and reduce fatigue.
On a side note, if you are hunched over when carrying a pack you packed it wrong. I have seen the hunched over hiker/climber too many times. Not only will this tire you quicker, but because you are hunched over you'll more than likely not enjoy the 3 mile slog to the base of that climb.
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stymingersfink
Jun 16, 2008, 4:30 PM
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epoch wrote: It should go something like this (Verticaly aligned for better understanding?): Light crap Somewhat light crap Moderate weight crap Heavier crap Heaviest crap A really good way to do this for the first time is to lay everything out and pick up two items, the heaver is placed on the right the lesser on the left. Continue until you have everything sorted (the rack should be counted as a whole, not by individual pieces).
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scotty1974
Jun 17, 2008, 2:19 AM
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For cragging, I usually put the rope / bag at the bottom, then the rack, then harness shoes. this keeps my expensive rack in decent shape. I string my alpine draws across the back of the pack using whatever loops are available to keep the draws from getting tangle. Helmet goes over the draws, clipped in the buckle for the lid. If I was doing a longer climb and needed room for gear etc, I'd drape the rope (sans rope bag) through the lid and pack clothing where the rope was.
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kobaz
Jun 17, 2008, 3:04 AM
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My cragging gear consists of the following from bottom to top:
Quickdraws. trad draws, slings, cord, etc, all clipped nicely to a single sling goes on the bottom. Another sling where several biners of nuts, hexes, and other passive gear are on another sling. One set of cams individually clipped to a sling goes next, followed by the other set in the same manner. This puts the bulk of the weight in the center. Then goes the harness in a round formation (as if it was being worn, not folded). In the empty space in the middle goes shoes, chalk bag, and helmet. I use a rope bag tarp thinger, so that usually gets slung and tied down on top. Water bottles and etc go in pockets on the back or sides.
I've never had any tweaked cables with this method and it's super easy and fast to unpack. I like all the gear on slings, so you can whip out an entire sling and know exactly what your getting, and not fish around. The rope goes to the partner who flakes it out, I bring out the harness and shoes and put them on. I grab the slings of cams and start racking up, followed by the sling of nuts and then onto the quickdraws. By the time the rope is flaked out, I'm good to go.
(This post was edited by kobaz on Jun 17, 2008, 3:06 AM)
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