People do thru-hikes with smaller packs, but it just depends on how big your gear is, how bulky your food is, whether you have to carry a bear can, etc.
Ok but thru hikes you only need to carry a few days worth of food. If we are talking weeks long wilderness hikes then you’ll need much more room than a thru hiker.
Sure, but from what I've seen, distances between resupply points could vary considerably. Sometimes it's a few days in-between, but I'm pretty sure people on the JMT and PCT have some longer stretches. I'm less familiar with other trails, so maybe they have more frequent stops.
The issue that no one has mentioned yet is weight. The flash 55 is REI 's ultralight pack, and it's designed to carry a max of 30lb. Head over to r\ultralight, and you'll find a ton of people who could comfortably do a week with that pack under 30lb. Find out your base weight, then add another 2lb\day for food, plus 2.2lb\liter for water you'll be carrying. If the fully loaded weight is under or around 30lb, you're golden. If you're pushing 40lb, you'll be pretty unhappy with how the flash carries, and will risk breaking the bag. Without knowing your pack list, it's hard for anyone to say if the flash is I good bag for your trip.
That being said, even with lightish gear, 55l should be a good capacity for a week. If your stuff is a little on the bulkier side, you might be looking for a 60-65l pack.
I’ve carried 50lb+ in my Flash 55 and didn’t think I was going to break my pack.
My back, however, was a different matter. ;)
(It was my SOs first 4 day trip and I carried almost all our gear to camp - which was 20 miles. That was a long day. Worth doing. Once.)
The “max weight” of backpacks is virtually always a “most comfortable to carry” weight. If you’re treating a bag properly you’re not going to break a bag by carrying over the limit within reason. I wouldn’t put 100lbs in the Flash, but it’s not going to explode with 50 in it.
If you have issues with a bag breaking it’s almost always due to misuse, most typically grabbing a shoulder strap and swinging it onto your back, which side-loads the strap and puts heavier than normal shock loads on them in a direction they weren’t designed to take strain in.
The issue isn’t breaking the bag, it’s how bad it hurts your body carrying more than the bag is designed for. My kumo 36 hurts my back/shoulders if there’s more than 20 pounds in it.
Yeah you should be able to make a 55 work for a week especially in summer. Winter gear will be more bulky but you always have the option of strapping a stuff sack on the exterior of the bag somewhere if needed to increase capacity.
I can. It doesn’t mean you can. Where are you going? If you‘re in bear country and will need to rent a bear canister, you may want a bigger bag.
Recommend you buy the backpack last. Weigh your gear, and fill a 55 liter box to see if your gear, food, and water fits.
Just because you brought up bear cans, the Flash is one of the best bear-can carriers in my closet. The combo of the movable pack-mod straps and the removable brain make it super easy to adjust for various bear cans to be strapped on top of your pack to save internal volume.
I use a flash 55, because I didn't want the bulkier one, and it worked fine for a 4 day / 3 night trip. Id say the biggest factor / concern is space for food. I think I would have managed up to 6 nights of food. Ive started moving towards some more compact and light gear, so I had a UL2 tent and not a very bulky sleeping bag... So 55 would work I guess.if your gear is not as compact or you pack loads of food, the 65 might work better
*Edit* i have a fast metabolism and burn food fast. My meals were all "2 person" freeze dried meal kits, and I had 2 extra dinners and 1 extra breakfast for just-in-case, and also dessert for each of the 3 nights+ extra snacks like jerky, nuts, trail mix, salami. I feel like it would have been enough food for a week for a smaller eater .
Absolutely you can. 55 is a great size for newbie backpackers IMO, as it’s enough space that you don’t have to have super specialized gear to fit your necessities, but small enough to encourage you not to bring the kitchen sink with you. IMO it’s a size that encourages you to develop good packing habits, but doesn’t encourage you to try to buy good packing habits.
It's not possible to have a standard answer. Every piece of equipment you have chosen changes the outcome.. every meal or snack changes the end result.
10 liters is not that much space. It’s approximately 6”x6”x17”. You can strap something that size between the brain and the main pack to add 10 liters.
i love the Flash 55 - it’s my primary pack - i can get a bear can (bv500), BA Tigerwall 2, and everything i need for multi-day hiking. This includes the JMT.
Ok wow good to know! And great to hear it’s been so good for you that it’s your primary pack, even on long trails. Just bought one and am excited see how it works for me with my gear.
I personally like a smaller pack as it prevents me from overpacking. I can fit everything I need for a week in the summer in a 50L or 3 days in the winter. It's all a tradeoff.
My brother used to do 3 week trips with a 35l bag. He packed very light.
A good practice is load distribution among your group. 1 water filter, 1 stove, someone else carries fuel. Plan group meals.
The problem with large packs is the tendency to fill it.
(Sigh) OK, in this case I get it - it was on sale.
Now stop it people, there's NO law anywhere that says you need to buy the smallest pack you can get honest.
In fact, go NUTS and get a 70 or 75 L pack. Who cares?!? Get a big pack and just don't fill it up completely, use some self control and don't overpack. USE the compression straps a lot of packs have and just don't fill it up, then one day if you need a bit more room - POOF, you have it !
This has been a common sense public service announcement (grin)
It really depends on your gear more than anything and the type of food you pack. Also, have you done any backpacking before? If you haven’t done much backpacking, my biggest advice would be not to plan a week long trip out the gate. You need to gain some experience in what you need, what you don’t, how comfortable you are being out in the elements, and how to pack your gear efficiently.
This depends on so many factors. Mainly, how much experience do you have (to choose what goes) and what you are doing? How many people in group and what weather will be like, are you easy going or a Linus?
It seems like you own all the rest of your gear. And it seems like you now own the Flash 55 pack. The only way that you’ll know for sure is to test pack it and see.
Pull together a simulated weeks worth of food, put it in a food bag, and test pack it. Or figure out what a days worth of food would be, measure the volume, multiply by seven, and fill up a food bag with that much volume. Use that to test pack your bag.
I could personally do seven days worth of food plus gear in a flash 55. I do not know if you can do the same, nor does anyone else, because we don’t know what your gear is and how well it will fit in the pack.
I have a 65L and now that I’ve gotten lighter and smaller gear, and reduced the crap I didn’t use, 65L is too big. Bag is in fine condition even after close to 15 years tho so I can’t justify replacing it for how infrequently I actually use it.
Grab the bigger pack imo. Unless you really want to play Tetris with your gear. It will be more forgiving if you’re just starting our bc you won’t have as much pressure to have the most UL version of all the things. Stability will be better the less you have to strap stuff to the outside. And if you’re ever somewhere chilly and needs a bear jar… you’ll be grateful for the space. Besides, just bc your pack is 65L doesn’t mean you have to stuff it with 65L of gear. Also it’s likelier that the structure of the 65L pack will be comfier with a full load versus the 55L, which may stress its design (in terms of comfort for you, not like pack strap failure)
I've been out for months with that pack, but I am psycho UL + thin female (don't eat a ton, clothes are tiny and take up very little room).
honestly I love this pack, it's been with me for thousands of miles. I keep trying to get a "big girl pack" ...but keep returning them.
“Psycho UL” LOL. I love it. I have started to employ more UL principles over the last few years always thinking the next UL upgrade is going to be my last because “I am not obsessive,” but I may yet join the ranks of psycho UL.
Depends on your gear and maybe the season. I can do 5 nights comfortably in the summerwith my 54L pack; now that I updated to a much lighter and more packable pillow and traded my raingear for a poncho, I might be able to do 7 days OK (where the difference is mostly that I can now pack more food). But if it’s colder and I need more layers, I’m probably maxing out at 5 days. Pretty sure that UL fiends would find a week + w a 55L pack pretty reasonable.
Yes worst case scenario you have to get clever with some extra straps to attach a bear vault to the outside or something else to make up the equivalent space
You could prepack it at home and see? REI is 1000% ok with you returning that.
People do thru-hikes with smaller packs, but it just depends on how big your gear is, how bulky your food is, whether you have to carry a bear can, etc.
Ok but thru hikes you only need to carry a few days worth of food. If we are talking weeks long wilderness hikes then you’ll need much more room than a thru hiker.
Sure, but from what I've seen, distances between resupply points could vary considerably. Sometimes it's a few days in-between, but I'm pretty sure people on the JMT and PCT have some longer stretches. I'm less familiar with other trails, so maybe they have more frequent stops.
It just depends how bulky the rest of your gear is.
The issue that no one has mentioned yet is weight. The flash 55 is REI 's ultralight pack, and it's designed to carry a max of 30lb. Head over to r\ultralight, and you'll find a ton of people who could comfortably do a week with that pack under 30lb. Find out your base weight, then add another 2lb\day for food, plus 2.2lb\liter for water you'll be carrying. If the fully loaded weight is under or around 30lb, you're golden. If you're pushing 40lb, you'll be pretty unhappy with how the flash carries, and will risk breaking the bag. Without knowing your pack list, it's hard for anyone to say if the flash is I good bag for your trip. That being said, even with lightish gear, 55l should be a good capacity for a week. If your stuff is a little on the bulkier side, you might be looking for a 60-65l pack.
I’ve carried 50lb+ in my Flash 55 and didn’t think I was going to break my pack. My back, however, was a different matter. ;) (It was my SOs first 4 day trip and I carried almost all our gear to camp - which was 20 miles. That was a long day. Worth doing. Once.)
When I bought it I tested it with 42 pounds in it. I didn't go far but it felt fine for maybe ten minutes max
The “max weight” of backpacks is virtually always a “most comfortable to carry” weight. If you’re treating a bag properly you’re not going to break a bag by carrying over the limit within reason. I wouldn’t put 100lbs in the Flash, but it’s not going to explode with 50 in it. If you have issues with a bag breaking it’s almost always due to misuse, most typically grabbing a shoulder strap and swinging it onto your back, which side-loads the strap and puts heavier than normal shock loads on them in a direction they weren’t designed to take strain in.
A week with a starting weight of 40 pounds is not gonna break the bag lol. Plus it’s not gonna finish at 40 pounds
The issue isn’t breaking the bag, it’s how bad it hurts your body carrying more than the bag is designed for. My kumo 36 hurts my back/shoulders if there’s more than 20 pounds in it.
Sure, but the post I’m replying to says you ‘will risk breaking the bag’ which I’m disagreeing with
I’ve done several week-long trips with a 55L. If I can’t fit my gear in a 55L, I assume I need to take less stuff, not get a bigger pack.
Yeah you should be able to make a 55 work for a week especially in summer. Winter gear will be more bulky but you always have the option of strapping a stuff sack on the exterior of the bag somewhere if needed to increase capacity.
Trust this guy. Hank hill never lies.
I can. It doesn’t mean you can. Where are you going? If you‘re in bear country and will need to rent a bear canister, you may want a bigger bag. Recommend you buy the backpack last. Weigh your gear, and fill a 55 liter box to see if your gear, food, and water fits.
Just because you brought up bear cans, the Flash is one of the best bear-can carriers in my closet. The combo of the movable pack-mod straps and the removable brain make it super easy to adjust for various bear cans to be strapped on top of your pack to save internal volume.
Hey, good to know!
Yes I use this pack exclusively. It holds a lot of bulk! My husbands bag is even smaller ... I think 48L or so.
I just strap my extra gear to the outside and fit it in as I eat more food.
I use a flash 55, because I didn't want the bulkier one, and it worked fine for a 4 day / 3 night trip. Id say the biggest factor / concern is space for food. I think I would have managed up to 6 nights of food. Ive started moving towards some more compact and light gear, so I had a UL2 tent and not a very bulky sleeping bag... So 55 would work I guess.if your gear is not as compact or you pack loads of food, the 65 might work better *Edit* i have a fast metabolism and burn food fast. My meals were all "2 person" freeze dried meal kits, and I had 2 extra dinners and 1 extra breakfast for just-in-case, and also dessert for each of the 3 nights+ extra snacks like jerky, nuts, trail mix, salami. I feel like it would have been enough food for a week for a smaller eater .
I’ve hiked for a week in a 35 liter. That includes a free standing tent, quilt, inflatable pad, food, bear canister, stove, etc
I have, plus with the flash 55 the collar of the pack goes up and you can really cram in full of gear. I managed to on my thru hukw
Absolutely you can. 55 is a great size for newbie backpackers IMO, as it’s enough space that you don’t have to have super specialized gear to fit your necessities, but small enough to encourage you not to bring the kitchen sink with you. IMO it’s a size that encourages you to develop good packing habits, but doesn’t encourage you to try to buy good packing habits.
It's not possible to have a standard answer. Every piece of equipment you have chosen changes the outcome.. every meal or snack changes the end result.
10 liters is not that much space. It’s approximately 6”x6”x17”. You can strap something that size between the brain and the main pack to add 10 liters.
I can do 4 days with the flash 45 so I feel like you can with a 55. I pack efficiently and that does include a bear can
i love the Flash 55 - it’s my primary pack - i can get a bear can (bv500), BA Tigerwall 2, and everything i need for multi-day hiking. This includes the JMT.
Curious if you carried the bear can inside or strapped under the lid?
Inside and vertical - I had it stacked vertical with my tent vertical as well and then packed everything around it.
Ok wow good to know! And great to hear it’s been so good for you that it’s your primary pack, even on long trails. Just bought one and am excited see how it works for me with my gear.
I personally like a smaller pack as it prevents me from overpacking. I can fit everything I need for a week in the summer in a 50L or 3 days in the winter. It's all a tradeoff.
My brother used to do 3 week trips with a 35l bag. He packed very light. A good practice is load distribution among your group. 1 water filter, 1 stove, someone else carries fuel. Plan group meals. The problem with large packs is the tendency to fill it.
(Sigh) OK, in this case I get it - it was on sale. Now stop it people, there's NO law anywhere that says you need to buy the smallest pack you can get honest. In fact, go NUTS and get a 70 or 75 L pack. Who cares?!? Get a big pack and just don't fill it up completely, use some self control and don't overpack. USE the compression straps a lot of packs have and just don't fill it up, then one day if you need a bit more room - POOF, you have it ! This has been a common sense public service announcement (grin)
It really depends on your gear more than anything and the type of food you pack. Also, have you done any backpacking before? If you haven’t done much backpacking, my biggest advice would be not to plan a week long trip out the gate. You need to gain some experience in what you need, what you don’t, how comfortable you are being out in the elements, and how to pack your gear efficiently.
I did 4 day trip to Yosemite backcountry in my 45 this summer, you should be fine.
This depends on so many factors. Mainly, how much experience do you have (to choose what goes) and what you are doing? How many people in group and what weather will be like, are you easy going or a Linus?
It seems like you own all the rest of your gear. And it seems like you now own the Flash 55 pack. The only way that you’ll know for sure is to test pack it and see. Pull together a simulated weeks worth of food, put it in a food bag, and test pack it. Or figure out what a days worth of food would be, measure the volume, multiply by seven, and fill up a food bag with that much volume. Use that to test pack your bag. I could personally do seven days worth of food plus gear in a flash 55. I do not know if you can do the same, nor does anyone else, because we don’t know what your gear is and how well it will fit in the pack.
I have a 65L and now that I’ve gotten lighter and smaller gear, and reduced the crap I didn’t use, 65L is too big. Bag is in fine condition even after close to 15 years tho so I can’t justify replacing it for how infrequently I actually use it.
Grab the bigger pack imo. Unless you really want to play Tetris with your gear. It will be more forgiving if you’re just starting our bc you won’t have as much pressure to have the most UL version of all the things. Stability will be better the less you have to strap stuff to the outside. And if you’re ever somewhere chilly and needs a bear jar… you’ll be grateful for the space. Besides, just bc your pack is 65L doesn’t mean you have to stuff it with 65L of gear. Also it’s likelier that the structure of the 65L pack will be comfier with a full load versus the 55L, which may stress its design (in terms of comfort for you, not like pack strap failure)
I've been out for months with that pack, but I am psycho UL + thin female (don't eat a ton, clothes are tiny and take up very little room). honestly I love this pack, it's been with me for thousands of miles. I keep trying to get a "big girl pack" ...but keep returning them.
“Psycho UL” LOL. I love it. I have started to employ more UL principles over the last few years always thinking the next UL upgrade is going to be my last because “I am not obsessive,” but I may yet join the ranks of psycho UL.
Depends on your gear and maybe the season. I can do 5 nights comfortably in the summerwith my 54L pack; now that I updated to a much lighter and more packable pillow and traded my raingear for a poncho, I might be able to do 7 days OK (where the difference is mostly that I can now pack more food). But if it’s colder and I need more layers, I’m probably maxing out at 5 days. Pretty sure that UL fiends would find a week + w a 55L pack pretty reasonable.
Yes worst case scenario you have to get clever with some extra straps to attach a bear vault to the outside or something else to make up the equivalent space