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Osprey Blog » Guide » How to Select the Right Volume for You

Guide

How to Select the Right Volume for You

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Choosing your pack is an important process. It’s going to be your closest companion for many of your outdoor activities and often needs to be versatile to suit your specific needs. A big part of this choice is the volume your pack can hold.

Activities

The first consideration for volume selection is an obvious one; “How much stuff am I going to be carrying?” Your ‘stuff’ is often the vital equipment you carry for your chosen activity, be that sun cream or a 2 man tent. Let’s take a look at three example activities.

Travel

The key question you need to ask yourself when looking at our travel packs is quite simple, how much gear do you want to take with you on your trip?

30 – 65L

If you’re looking at a potential short break you may wish to just take hand luggage with you. These packs will be between 30 – 45 litres. You can head over to our EU carry on guide where we’ve listed our best carry on packs and a helpful airline sizing guide.

If you plan on doing a lot of exploring and wish to take with you more than just hand luggage then one of our travel packs with a removable day pack would be useful. The Farpoint 55, for example, is a 55-litre pack but it has a 13-litre daypack that can be used as hand luggage and for excursions away from your accommodation. The main pack itself is 42 litres bringing the total up to 55.

65L +

When it comes to the difference between larger and medium sized travel packs personal preference plays a key role; whether you just want to take the basics with you or if you want to be able to take a few luxuries with you. Some people would be comfortable using the Farpoint 55 for a 6-month travelling trip while others might prefer a Farpoint 70 for a 2 week holiday.

VIEW TRAVEL PACKS

30 – 65L

65L +

Hiking

The volume you will need for your hiking trips is determined by the type of trip you’re planning on taking.

Hiking: 6 – 25L

This is your classic single day hiking category for those who need a compact pack that will carry all of your essentials. The upper end of this volume could also be used for an overnight stay (or two) in a hostel but, for a comfortable amount of space, the next category may be a better fit.

Short-duration, lightweight backpacking and winter hiking: 25 – 50L

For the multi-day hikers and the short-duration backpackers, this is probably your volume range. On these trips, you will likely to be carrying additional clothing, water, food and all the important equipment that’s going to assist you in your extended journey. Lay your kit out, make some difficult decisions about whether that second power bank is really required, and then pick a volume that feels right for your journey.

VIEW HIKING PACKS

HIKING

SHORT-DURATION

Backpacking

As with hiking, the volume size you will want to take with you depends on the kind of adventure and where it will be.

Backpacking: 50 – 75L

Planning an extended backpacking trip? Then this is likely to be your volume category. These packs will be roomy enough to carry your additional equipment while also having the load carrying ability, and comfort, to support you.

Expeditions: 75L+

In the upper end of our backpacking volumes are our expedition packs. The high capacity packs have significant load carry ability and are perfect for long distance, long duration expeditions that require significant amounts of gear.

VIEW BACKPACKING PACKS

BACKPACKING

EXPEDITION

Weather

Another important consideration is climate. Colder, more adverse weather will require a different set of clothing and equipment. On the other hand, in hotter climes you will need less layers and less equipment and therefore will have more room available for your essentials. Research your location and your activity to decide what is seasonally appropriate to your trip.

Longevity

Today may be a day hike but what are your plans for your next adventure? Osprey packs are extremely durable and long lasting, these packs are likely to stick with you for years. It’s for this reason that you should consider which pack will be right for you in the years to come. Will you be trying out longer overnight backpacking trips in the future? A compromise on the short term usage may be useful for your long term plans.

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