48 litres - what are you carrying, the kitchen sink?
So context matters: I have done 3 different Drakensberg Grand Traverses with my Osprey Talon 33 litre pack (5 days once and 6 days twice), and am tempted to do my next traverse with my Mountain Hardwear Scrambler 30 litre pack - although I’ll probably stick with the 33 litre. Meanwhile the fastest guys (Ryno Griesel, Ryan Sandes and Andrew Porter) are using sub-20 litre packs for the same route, although admittedly in sub 50h times and with no sleeping.
Understand that to get to such small packs, we are leaving a lot behind - gas stoves, gloves, change of clothes, tents etc. I have done an overnight hike with my 33l pack and climbing gear, and I have done an overnight trip with it that included a tent - so it can be done, but you won’t get a few days food plus a tent into such a small pack. You also mustn’t use a pack so small that items will be attached to the outside as that messes with your balance and centre of gravity, essentially defeating the point of going light.
Hi-Tec has quite a nice pack, the Cedar 45 litre (disclosure: Hi-Tec sent me a free one to test, so feel free to take my review with a pinch of salt - although I don’t think I’m biased on this one). It is very reasonably priced and is actually lighter than my Osprey, despite being bigger. Just throw the splash cover away and buy a better one - the one that comes standard is useless (unless they’ve fixed this since I sent them the review). To get it light, it has been made from thinner materials, so it won’t last as long as an equivalent sturdier bag, but it is also less than half the price, so your cost per km will probably be similar, if it doesn’t work out cheaper.
My Cedar 45l has been used extensively by a friend who has used it for two Drakenbserg Grand Traverses, as well as multiple hiking and climbing trips. It is fairly battered, but still works fine after over 1000km of use.
Thanks Chaps appreciate the comprehensive input and advice. I’ll check out the Hi-Tec store for options. That was my easy question, now to find the discussion group on this forum where I can ask about my 17 year old hard-to-part with Merrell boots!
For the Fish it’ll really depend on what you decide to take along and what kind of hike you want to have. If you want to sleep in a tent, have some luxuries and plenty of food you could easily fill a 70l pack (especially if your gear is on the bulkier side). Saying that, I used a 55l pack and managed fine (although I was sharing a tent and cookset with someone) and I probably eat less than a 92kg male
Picked up a Hyperlite Mountain Gear 2400 during a blackfriday sale a couple of years ago and it has managed to completely sell me on this American style rolltop minimalist section hiker pack-style. Having only the main compartment and an outer pocket took some adjusting to (Stuff sacks, stuff sacks are the answer). But I have come to really enjoy not having to deal with all of the sections and infinite number of zips I used to have to dig through everytime I wanted to find anything. The pack itself has made me a lot less sloppy and organised with my gear, as not being would be a disaster. It being more than a kg lighter than my previous pack hasn’t hurt my feelings towards it either
I think the main thing with them has been brought up above, everything else has to change to match the pack as well. How I pack my bag and all of my gear has had to shed weight and volume. But that has also encouraged me to carry less and be smarter about it, and I can’t say I have hurt for it.
