Hello! My name is Micah B. Schulze and I am a new member to this site. It is a bloody brilliant site and it is VERY informative! I haven't gone hiking in a long time and some of my friends and I are going to be doing a 27 mile hike in Arkansas. We are planning on taking about 3 days. I am taking a sleeping bag and a tent, but I don't know how to pack it. I don't have a pack yet, so I wanted to ask here to find out what kind of pack I need and how to pack a tent and sleeping bag inside of it. Thanks!

For a 3 day trek a pack around the 45 to 50 Litre mark would do .

Check this link out for packing info http://www.abc-of-hiking.com/forum/gear-equipment/pack-packing-techniq.asp

BP

Thanks! I was going to purchase a pack at a Bass Pro Shop or Gander Mountain because thats the only places where at live that would have this kind of stuff, but my friend told me to check ebay out and they have a lot of low price stuff. There are some 75+ liter packs that are like 50 bucks plus shipping, but those seem like they wouldn't be good quality and I want something that will last at least a few years. There is a North Face Crestone 75 pack which is 4900 cubic inches I could get for about $120. Would this be to much for a 3 day hike?

A 75 is good for a week long trek or longer and if you are planing on taking alot of gear for whatever reason then a 75 on a 3 is ok . If you are planing on doing any long treks in the future then a 75 will be good to have around.

I personally don't like it when a pack is too big for the job. I find if a large pack doesn't have much in it, what is inside will sit on the bottom because it's not enouge to fill it ,especially with anything 70 or over . I find the weight sits right on your bum. I like the wight to sit mid back or upper, nearer to top of my body .

A 40 could work but you would have to watch what you take, sometimes this makes people leave things behinde that maybe they should have taken like rain gear or just take the top, headlamp, one pair of socks or two ? ( especially people starting out or don't do it regulary ) .

A good size that would cover what you need for starting back into it is a 60L . You will find that size pack can cover a 3 day-er and week long trip and it's not bad for an over nighter .

A 60 is good for any from an over nighter to week long treks and real good for a 3 day-er .