[Anthony]

My wife and I are novice day hikers. Until recently we had a couple of tiny backpacks, barely large enough to hold a drink and a sandwich. Better suited for a walk at the park than a day on the trails. We've been trying to do more hiking, so I bought us a pair of Teton Oasis 1200 backpacks for Christmas. We probably won't have the opportunity to try them out for a few months, but I've been wondering if it would be possible to do overnight hikes with these packs? We generally aim for 3-6 mile day hikes, so staying overnight would allow us to explore trails and destinations we may otherwise rule out because of the distance. I'm not talking about multi-day treks, just a simple hike in, stay the night, and hike out. Would a sleeping bag and tent even fit in the 20 liter Teton 1200 pack? I haven't seen any reviews mentioning they have done this, so I'm guessing it's probably not possible with a pack this size?

[InFlight]

20 Liters is really more of a day pack. A really experienced ultralight hiker with the right gear could make it work, but it's really too small for a novice backpacker. A light summer weight down sleeping bag is around 6 to 8 liters.

[Anthony]

[AlpineRose]

As a practical matter, consider 60 L (3600 cu. in.) a starting point for a backpack. A 40 L (2400 cu. in.) pack can be either a very large day pack or a very small weekend backpack. 70 L (4200 cu. in.) can be either a spacious weekend backpack or a small week long pack. It depends on how much your gear weighs, how much space it takes up, and how long your trip is. A 20 L pack is not just "more of a day pack". It is absolutely a day pack. A small one at that, quite suitable for very short day hikes anytime and longer day hikes in the summer. IMO, 20 L is too small for a full-on long winter day outing. The number one rule of any pack is to make sure it fits your torso length. Info is available online or from a knowledgeable salesperson. The fanatical ounce counters will naturally have their own recommended sizes. With the evolution of super light gear, there has never been a better time to be an ounce counter. But you have to acquire all that $$$$$$ gear $$$$$ first.

[Malachai Constant]

The most popular pack for thru hiking the PCT is a ULA Conduit which is a 50 li. pack. Lots of people use it on the JMT which requires a bear cache.

[over the hill]

2016 PTC survey of backpacks used. I think the Catalyst will take the larger Bearvault horizontally and vertically, whereas the Circuit only vertically. I'd love to try either one. You could probably pick up a used Atmos 65 for pretty cheap as there's been a lot sold. In fact, I have one. I don't recommend overloading it though. 1. ULA Circuit 2. Osprey Exos 58 3. ZPacks Arc Blast 50 4. Osprey Atmos 65 AG 5. ULA Catalyst