SALT LAKE CITY — Spring has arrived and backpacking season is beginning to kick into gear. This guide illustrates how best to pack for a backpacking trip and optimize your experience.

The anatomy of a backpack

The first thing to understand are the different zones of your bag. It’s big and empty— so where do you put your things to make the weight as balanced and centralized as possible on your back?

• Bottom zone: For bulky gear, and items that won’t be needed until night time.
• Core zone: Perfect for dense and heavy items. Make sure to keep gear close to your back to prevent it from swinging or throwing you off balance.
• Top zone: Bigger essentials that might be needed while hiking, like a jacket or water purifier.
• Accessory pockets: Great for anything you need frequently or that needs to be handy in an emergency.
• Tool loops: Use these to strap on any oversized or long items, like trekking poles or a sleeping pad.

• The backpack’s brain: The zippered pocket at the top of the bag, which is a great spot to store grab n’ go items like snacks, headlamps, and compasses.
• The front pouch: This big pocket at the front of your bag is considered the designated jacket pocket. Keep wet rain jackets or any jacket you may want to pull out quickly in this pocket. Remember to never store heavy things here, as it will throw off your center of gravity.
• Hip belt pocket: As its name describes, this pocket lines your hips. High-use, small items like granola bars, lip balm, and flashlights are great to store here, as you won’t need to take off your bag to grab them.
• Water bottle pockets: At the base of the pack on each side, these self-explanatory pouches are designed for easy access to water bottles.

How to pack

Now that you know what everything is, your next job is to actually pack the bag for your trip. Before doing anything else, figure out what kind of conditions will present themselves on your expedition and compile a list of what equipment you’ll need. Great packing lists for backpacking adventures can be found at these resources:

• REI's backpacking checklist.
• The Broke Backpacker checklist.

1) Lay out every item you intend to take on the hike, from books to sleeping bags.

2) Move the essential items to one pile and the luxury items to another.

3) Eliminate at least half of what’s in the luxury pile. You probably won’t need it anyway.

Once you’ve narrowed down your list and know exactly what you’re going to bring, it’s time to actually get it to fit in the bag. Arranging gear in a backpacking bag is an art, but remember the two most important things are comfort and ease-of-access. If gear is packed comfortably, you will avoid inconveniences like back problems, hip chafing, and shoulder pain while hiking. If it’s packed with ease-of-access in mind, your life will be a whole lot less frustrating.

• Comfort: Pack your heaviest items at the center of the bag and close to your back. Food, water and cooking gear should be between your shoulder blades where they can’t swing around or knock you off balance.
• Ease-of-access: Put the items you’ll need at night at the bottom of the bag (like your sleeping bag), while anything you might need while hiking should be at the top or in easy-access side pockets.

Seek to fill all the nooks and crannies until your load is stable and can’t move around. Ensure that it is equally balanced on each side to prevent back pain, and then strap it down to condense the load.

How to pick up a loaded backpack

Once everything is packed, beginner backpackers are often surprised by the sheer weight of their bag. Though experts recommend not to let your bag exceed 25-30% of your body weight, longer trips may necessitate it.

Don’t try and hoist a heavy bag up by one shoulder strap— not only could you hurt yourself, but you could also damage the shoulder harness or throw yourself off balance. Follow these steps when picking up your bag:

1. 1) Loosen your straps slightly to make it easier to put on. 2. 2) Set your backpack up so it’s upright. 3. 3) Standing next to the back, keep your legs apart with knees bent and ready to lift. 4. 4) Grasp the haul loop, located at the top of the back panel. 5. 5) Lift the pack up onto your thigh. 6. 6) Put the arm and shoulder not being used through one shoulder strap. 7. 7) Lean forward and swing it onto your back, then put the other hand through the other shoulder strap. 8. 8) Buckle in so the pack is comfortable.

Additional reading

• Backpacker Magazine’s guide to packing a backpack
• REI’s guide to packing a backpack
• Wild Backpacker’s packing guide
• REI’s packing checklist
• The Broke Backpacker’s packing checklist
• Picking the right backpack for your needs
• Backpacking 101

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