When you go on a backpacking journey, there will be a long list of things that you will probably be aware that you need to keep in mind, but one of the things that people often neglect to consider is the manner in which they pack their internal frame backpack for the journey. There are two reasons why it is important for you to pack your backpack properly, and it will be important that you know what you are doing in each category.

Organization: It is no fun to get out into the middle of nowhere and realize that you do not have any of your materials packed in such a way that they are easy to get to; while the second category ranks higher than this one as far as importance, this one is still very important! You should make your best effort to pack “like items” together, and to make sure that anything you will need to gain immediate access to (such as your first aid kit or your snacks for the trail) are packed near the top of your bag.

Pack weight: This is, of course, the more important of the two categories, as the manner in which you distribute the weight throughout your pack will make a big difference in the way your body feels for days and even weeks after your backpacking journey is finished! You want to distribute the weight as evenly as possible from right to left, and you want to pack in such a way that most of the weight rests on your hips instead of on your back or shoulders. There is a common misconception that this means putting the heaviest items near the bottom of your pack, but actually, the way to distribute the weight so that it rests on your hips is to pack the lightest items at the bottom, the heaviest items in the middle – close to your back – and the medium-weight items on top!

Once you pack in this manner, you will be able to easily access all the things you need to access during your journey, and even after several days of backpacking, your back can still feel great!