First, understand the characteristics of your gear and backpack. With a bit of thought, you’ll find that packing a functional and neat backpack isn’t difficult. The real fun lies in figuring out how to store all your equipment in the limited space in the most efficient way.
Generally, heavier items should be placed at the top to raise the backpack’s center of gravity, allowing the hiker to maintain an upright posture while walking. For moderately challenging hikes, the center of gravity should be lower to allow better movement through trees and underbrush. For regular walks, the center of gravity can be higher, closer to the back.
Weight
Heavier equipment, such as stoves, cookware, heavy food, rain gear, and water bottles, should be placed at the top and close to the back. A low or off-center center of gravity will force you to bend forward, making walking tiring. The tent can be tied to the top of the backpack, and fuel and water should be stored separately to avoid contaminating food and clothes. Moderately heavy items, such as extra clothing (sealed in plastic bags with color-coded straps for easy identification), personal tools, headlamps, maps, compasses, and cameras, should go in the middle and lower side pockets of the backpack. Lighter items, like sleeping bags (sealed in waterproof bags) and air pads, should go at the bottom. Tripods and water bottles can be placed in side pockets.
Packing also differs between men and women
There are slight differences in how men and women pack their backpacks. Men typically have longer upper bodies, while women have shorter torsos but longer legs. Men should place heavier items higher up because their center of gravity is closer to the chest, while women’s center of gravity is lower, near the abdomen. Heavier items should be kept close to the back and above the waist.
In practice, there are several small details worth noting: Before packing, loosen the external straps and compression straps to fully open up the backpack’s interior space. After packing, tighten the compression straps to secure the items. If the backpack fabric is thin or you’re carrying many external items, use a backpack cover to protect your gear. Compared to an expensive backpack, losing a cheap cover is a worthwhile trade-off.
When people first start hiking, they often weigh each item and arrange them based on size, gradually developing a sense for it. The key to packing lies in understanding your gear (size, shape, weight), organizing it logically, and minimizing the volume of individual items. You can choose gear with minimal volume when purchasing or fold it efficiently. For example, some compact cookware with a 12 cm diameter and 13 cm height can hold a gas canister, stove, scouring pad, and lighter—all thanks to thoughtful purchases. Below is a veteran hiker’s backpack—let’s go over how to pack from top to bottom.
We recommend folding the tent like a quilt into a rectangular shape, with dimensions similar to or slightly larger than the backpack, and securing it with a flat strap. Tent stakes can also be tucked inside the folded tent (their protective covers prevent damage). Place the folded tent at the top of the backpack—so it’s the first thing you see when you open it. This aligns with camping logic: we usually set up the tent first at camp, and take it down last when leaving. I often see (including my past self) people dumping everything on the ground before setting up (or packing up) the tent, which is messy and risks soaking gear in rain or snow. You might ask: does putting the tent on top hinder access to other items? Slightly, but since the tent is folded as one unit, it’s not hard to get to—and becomes second nature with practice.
Tent poles should be placed along the side of the backpack, near the back (loosen the compartment to let the poles reach the bottom). They can also be attached externally, but it’s best to keep them inside when hiking through forests to protect them.
Packing Loose Items
Loose items vary in size, weight, and texture, so packing methods differ. For soft items (like hats and gloves), use them to fill gaps around hard, bulky items (like cooksets and water bottles). For small, hard, irregular items (like headlamps and stoves), store them in containers like cooksets or lunchboxes for easier packing and protection—though whether your headlamp fits in a lunchbox or your stove in a cookset depends on your purchase choices. Frequently used small items should go on the second layer—under the tent, often alongside food.
Packing Water and Food
Food packing is similar to loose items and occupies the same layer, so we won’t elaborate. As for water, it’s often the heaviest item and directly affects the backpack’s center of gravity—and thus the entire trip. But everyone’s load capacity and comfort level differ, just as some cultures carry heavy loads on their heads while others use cloth straps. Personally, we prefer to place water (usually three liters) in the middle of the backpack—the third layer—keeping the center of gravity slightly above the middle for optimal comfort. For water containers, we recommend square cross-sections to reduce volume and gaps.
Packing Clothing and Sleeping Bags
Clothing, especially for winter trips, takes up nearly as much space as sleeping bags. Fleece and down jackets are highly compressible, but we don’t recommend using compression sacks, as they make accessing individual items difficult. Instead, place clothing at the bottom of the backpack, above the sleeping bag (fourth layer). This lets the weight of the items above compress the clothing while keeping it accessible from the bottom. The sleeping bag goes on the fifth layer—we suggest using a compression sack to save space, ease access, and even pack spare clothes inside.