How To Pack A Hiking Backpack For Comfort & Ease

Whether you’re heading out on a short hike or embarking on a multi-day adventure, it’s really important to ensure that you have all the essentials with you. However it’s not just what you pack that’s important, but how you pack it. Knowing how to pack a hiking backpack correctly is really important for protecting your back when you’re on the move, whilst ensuring you remain comfortable and are able to access your belongings quickly and easily. These are our top 6 tips for how to pack a hiking backpack for comfort and ease:

Lay Everything Out On A Flat Surface

The first step in how to pack a hiking backpack properly is to lay out all the items that you need to take with you and group similar items together. For example, sleeping gear, cooking equipment, first aid items. This will allow you to check if you have everything you need and see if anything is missing. It will also make it easy to pack everything in a logical order. 

Choose The Right Rucksack

It might seem like an obvious point, but a key part of how to pack a hiking backpack is choosing a reliable rucksack that is suitable for your requirements. Versatility, durability and comfort are essential considerations. Featuring adjustable chest straps and easy-to-use roll top closure, the Red Original Waterproof Backpack has won the IndyBest Buy award for best daypack of 2022. 30L in capacity, featuring hidden internal zipped pocket and reflective detailing for low light visibility, our waterproof backpack is an innovative and lightweight option for hiking trips. 

Put Least Used Items At The Bottom

When discussing how to pack a hiking backpack for comfort and ease, the key is to start with the items that you’re likely to use the least, or that you won’t need to retrieve until last. This is likely to include sleeping clothing and gear that you won’t need to access until you set up camp in the evening. If you’re not planning an overnight trip, the least used items for your daypack might include spare clothing, such as extra gloves and socks.

Pack Heaviest Items In The Middle

When thinking about how to pack a hiking backpack, it’s essential to ensure that you create a good balance of weight in order to protect your back and posture when you’re walking. In order to do this you want to pack your heaviest items in the centre, closest to your back. This will include water, food, cooking equipment and any other heavier items. Pack your lighter items, such as clothing further away from your back. Putting the heaviest weight at the centre prevents the bag from pulling you in different directions.

Pack Most Used Items At The Top

As you can imagine, you want to pack all the items that you use most at the top of the bag. This is a key step in how to pack a hiking backpack as it ensures you can access all the essentials quickly and easily when you’re on the go. Make sure you don’t place anything too heavy at the top as this can throw you off balance, potentially causing you to fall over when walking. Light essentials at the top of your bag are likely to include torch, map, microfibre towel and snacks. You can carry valuables such as phone and money in our Waterproof Dry Pouch that attaches around your waist for easy access and to free up space in your hiking backpack.

Minimise Exterior Items

Try keeping exterior items such as sleeping mats and water bottles to a minimum as too much weight on the exterior can throw you off balance. The Red Original Waterproof Backpack has two bottle pockets on either side, promoting an equal balance, whilst enabling you to save on internal space.

For more tips on how to pack a hiking backpack for comfort and ease please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.