6/7 days worth of food in a 50 Lt backpack.

3 pairs of undies! I usually make do, with one pair that I've already been wearing for a week. Wasnt there a thread recently on this topic? What type of food do you usually take? I would consider going the "bland but utilitarian" route - ie: lentils, barley, rice etc with a bit of stock for flavour, or DIY dehy meals. Even then I would suspect a 50L pack could be on the small side for a trip this long> it would be for me anyway.

Currently packing for 6 days in Nelson lakes. If taking tent plus sleeping mat will take 65L osprey pack. If staying in huts will easily make do with 50L.

I agree with Forest328. In huts 50L is fine, if camping, 65L.

Yes would be only huts. In a way I want to update to a 65 lt but still if I can save 300 $ its a plus. I'll do some trial and see how I go. @si-dog the topic was very similar but I wanted to be more specific and I opened a new one sorry.

You'll know when you pack. What you describe is your 'base kit'. Maybe you have a choice for some items and will want to go for "less volume" items rather than "less weight" ?. For example, down jackets that compress to smaller volume, Sea to Summit collapsible silicon cookware, a Summer coat rather than a Winter coat ?. Do you use a sleeping bag ?. Might want a 2nd pair of socks ?. Hut shoes ?.

Yep totally right @Pro-acrive I forgot to put the number 3 in front of "pair of socks" the mid shell jacket and the camp one are very lightweight and highly compressible. But I forgot for instance after your suggestion that I should bring a pair of sandals with me too. I will definitely have a sleeping bag and that's what take a lot of space. Thinking to get a dry sack waterproof for sleeping bag and hanging outside the pack...but if rain get real then would be a disaster... Mmmmm...

yes, one pair of undies and wash during the day when near water and your undies will stay fresher. 2 pairs of socks should be enough. A smaller pot of 1L. I guess you've got gloves, overmitts and a hat. There are some 300g silnylon tarps around but you may want to take insect repellant! You'll need sunscreen and I take lip screen as well. Except for Stewart Island as the sun never gets strong enough down there. A lot of people including me take crocs as our hut shoes. They can be used in an emergency as spare shoes. The possum merino socks are light and very warm for their weight if you want to wear them in the evenings. It's not advisable to hang stuff out of the pack. You can have a waterproof pack liner and extend that beyond the pack maybe to get more gear in. This is what I did with a Go-lite 60L pack. Sea to Summit do a very lightweight packliner. I had a 9kg pack in summer, including a 900g tarp for a 5 day trip. The commercial dehydrated food enables you to carry less and increasing the fat content of your food means you'll get more mileage out of the weight of it. I decant toiletry items into smaller bottles and just carry a sliver of soap. Make sure your first aid kit is not too heavy and carry stuff to repair your gear. I managed to cook my down jacket sleeve this weekend when I had it too close to the pocket rocket and the duct tape came in handy to stop down escaping! If carrying a light pack, the emphasis needs to be on safety over comfort i.e. warmth and dryness versus delicious food or electronic toys. I always carry sufficient shelter to survive the night until medical evacuation including a mattress but a foam mat would be enough.

Cool so far !. So ... if you've got the pack ... and the gear you want ... load the pack & see if it fits ??? https://www.bootsnall.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2012/02/Inca-Trail-Porters.jpg Definitely a dry bag IMHO. I keep my spare clothes in the bag (merinos, spare shirt, sox, grots) and then use that as a pillow. Those are my hut clothes or dry spares that need to stay dry. I have a minimalist Mcapac sil material day pack for larger stuff to keep dry (Sleeping bag, down jacket etc). Food goes in a synthetic bag or supermarket plastic bag. Currently using a light synthetic bag made from recycled plastic milk bottles. Come in half a dozen different colours. So, food is in one colour bag. Toiletries in another. I know which bag to go to for certain things and know where to put things back too. You might not be that sort of person ?. But, all my synthetic bags get a waterproofing wash with my more serious stuff once a year. Currently use a survival bag as pack liner (a large thick plastic bag). $8 from DoC. Dry back-up stuff needs to be kept dry. Don't like to carry stuff on the outside of my pack, but you may have to if you're using a smaller capacity one ?. Prefer inside to avoid rips & losses. Some rotate their pairs of sox. Wash the dirty, turn them inside out and loop through pack straps to dry the next day. What's with the sleeping bag ?. My down bag packs less than 1/2 a loaf of bread. Feb is Summer. In a hut ?. Wouldn't need to be much of a bag ?. Wear your merino to bed and strip down to comfort if necessary . More likely tou'll be sleeping with the zip open to lose heat ?. Just trying to suggest ways to reduce volume. Similar philosophy to Honora, tho she's more hardcore.

I would suggest you NEVER hang your sleeping bag outside your pack. The reasons for not doing this are endless.