The Biggest Pack Isn't the Best Pack

There are two packing mistakes that cause more sore shoulders and abandoned gear than anything else, and they feed each other: overpacking, and buying a pack that's bigger than the trip actually needs.

The pack you buy sets the ceiling on what you carry. A bigger pack doesn't just hold more — it invites more. Empty space feels like an invitation to fill it "just in case," and that's how a weekend trip ends up with the weight of a week-long one. The fix isn't willpower, it's sizing the pack to the trip in the first place. A pack that's already full at the right gear list leaves no room for the extra stuff that never gets used anyway.

Rough volume guide: a day hike rarely needs more than 20–35 liters. An overnight or short backpacking trip fits comfortably in 35–50 liters. Multi-day trips with more food and layers push into 50–70 liters, and anything beyond that is usually for winter trips or hauling gear for someone else. If you're consistently between sizes, size down — a slightly tight pack forces good decisions; a slightly loose one doesn't.

Overpacking has a cost you feel in real time, not just in hindsight. Every extra pound is a pound your shoulders and knees carry for every mile, not just the miles where you needed it. A common rule of thumb is keeping total pack weight under about 20% of body weight for backpacking, and noticeably less for day trips — that's not a hard law, but it's a useful gut check when a pack feels heavier than the trip should require.

Before you pack, lay everything out first. Not in the pack — on the floor, on the bed, wherever you can see all of it at once. It's the fastest way to spot the duplicates, the "might need it" items, and the gear that's really there for comfort rather than function. If you can't explain why something's coming, it usually shouldn't.

Smart packing isn't about carrying less for its own sake. It's about carrying exactly what the trip needs — no more, and definitely no less.