Mountaineering Backpacks - Types

• Mountaineering Backpacks (40 to 65 litres)
  
  Most Mountaineering Backpacks are very simple, robust, and streamlined, with a single compartment and single lid pocket. Special features designed particularly for Mountaineering will include the ability to securely attach ice tools and Crampons to the outside of the pack with possibly other simple details like gear loops on the hipbelt and haul loops on front and back of pack.
  
  
• Daypack (15-35 litres)
  
  These are small packs designed for day use. It carries everything may need for a day's walking, trekking, sight-seeing, or climbing. A 20 to 25 litre daypack is large enough to carry food, drink, spare clothing, and other small items like a camera and first-aid kit. However, for climbers or Mountaineers, a larger daypack of around 35 litres may be necessary since a rope and other climbing equipment should go in the daypack as well. Another thing you should look for before you buy your daypack is how the daypack opens. Some daypacks have a zip entry and others have a lid pocket that is used to close the daypack. A zip entry daypack is quick and easy to access, but less weather-tight as the lid pocket daypacks. Lid pocket daypacks allow more flexibility with the volume than zip entry daypacks. After the volume of the daypack and how the daypack opens, the choice is very much personal and is based on design, color, number of pockets, etc.

• Trekking Pack (55-75 litres)
  
  To carry enough clothing, food, and camping equipment for multi-day walks or Trekking trips, you will need a Trekking pack. Because the load is heavier, the fit and the harness system of the Trekking pack should be carefully designed. Features you should be looking for in a Trekking pack are:
  • 2 Compartment design: To keep things separate from other things, a 2 compartment system comes in very handy. You can use this by packing your sleeping bag in the lower compartment.
  • Straps on the sides and the base of the pack: These straps are useful to compress the air out of your clothes or you could also use them to attach a sleeping mat or your dirty boots on the outside of the bag.
  • Large lid pocket: This pocket is used to keep things separate but easily accessible. Think of day time essentials like emergency kit, sunburn cream, etc.
  • Side pockets or front pockets: These are for further organization of your small items.
  
  
• Travelpack (65 - 95 litres)
  
  This Backpack is similar in volume as the Trekking pack, but the type of activity it is used for is very different. As the name implies, this Backpack is used for travelling between multiple points as well, but with another mode of transport: planes, trains, buses, and a bit on foot (whereby the Trekking pack is mostly used for on foot Trekking). In this aspect, the travelpack is therefore quite different from the Trekking pack. It is more user friendly for travellers. It has a large zip/panel opening that allows access to the whole contents of the pack (like a suitcase). Most of the packs also have a large front pocket that can be zipped off to become a handy daypack.

1. One-size fixed
   This type of harness system is cheap, light, and simple. One big disadvantage though is that there is no flexibility in the system, which means that it is entirely down to luck whether it fits or not.
2. One-size adjustable
   This harness system only allows the shoulder straps to be raised and lowered to accommodate the differing lengths of people's backs. This is not ideal either as the pack will either stick way up people's heads (for the ones with a short back), or that the pack hangs too low on their back (for the ones with a long back).
3. Multi-size fixed
   These types of Backpacks come in a choice of fixed back lengths, offering the advantages of a fixed back system (simplicity and low weight). Here you have a much better chance of finding a good fit, both in terms of back length and pack size.
4. Multi-size adjustable
   Offers the greatest chance of getting a good fit, by allowing the selection of a correctly sized and proportioned pack, then the ability to fine tune the back length by moving the shoulder straps up or down.