FieldPac

What this area is for: This top section acts as your main "heads-up display" (HUD) for weight management. Its primary purpose is to provide real-time, at-a-glance weight calculations as you build, modify, or review your pack. It breaks down your inventory's weight into distinct, easy-to-read categories so you can monitor your loadout without having to dig into individual item menus.

Component Breakdown:

• Total (Center Highlight): This is the master calculation. It represents the combined weight of absolutely everything currently loaded into your active profile (BackPack + Bedroll).
• BackPack (Top Right): Displays the sub-total weight of all items specifically stored inside or on the main backpack, excluding the bedroll system.
• Bedroll (Bottom Right): Displays the sub-total weight of your sleep system or items specifically assigned to the bedroll profile. This helps you balance the main pack against external attachments.
• Track 1 & Track 2 / T1, T2 (Left Side): These are dynamic, customizable weight trackers. They allow you to isolate and sum up the weight of specific types of gear, regardless of where they are packed.

How to use it: The dashboard is entirely automated and updates instantly as you interact with the rest of the app. You don't interact directly with these display boxes to input data. Instead:

1. Assigning Items: When you add or edit an item (using the Item Specs or Gear Specs menus), you will see checkbox options for [ ] T1, [ ] T2, [ ] T3, and [ ] T4.
2. Tracking Specifics: By checking these boxes for an item, its weight is automatically routed to that specific tracker on the main dashboard.
   • Common Use Case: A user might use T1 strictly for "Consumables" (food and water) and T2 for "Base Weight" (gear only, no consumables).

Options in Settings: The System Settings menu provides granular control over what weight data is prioritized on your main dashboard:

• Custom Tracker Renaming: You have a total of four dynamic trackers at your disposal (T1, T2, T3, and T4). The settings menu allows you to rename any of these to perfectly match your specific gear categories (e.g., renaming T1 to "Consumables," T2 to "Worn Weight," T3 to "Electronics," etc.).
• Dashboard Display Swap: By default, the top right of the dashboard displays your "BackPack" and "Bedroll" weight sub-totals. If you prefer to monitor custom categories instead of physical pack locations, the settings allow you to swap the BackPack and Bedroll displays out for Track 3 (T3) and Track 4 (T4). This lets you view all four custom trackers simultaneously on your main screen.
• Unit Preferences: Customize how your weight is calculated and displayed across the dashboard (Pounds, Ounces, or Grams) to streamline your visual space and match your preferred metrics.

Located immediately below the weight dashboard, this small text row serves as a status indicator so you always know exactly what profile you are working on and where you are in the application.

• Name: This displays the custom title of the specific pack or bedroll profile you currently have loaded and active.
• View: This indicates your current location or active screen within the application.

Understanding "Main Context"

When the View indicator displays Main Context, it means you are on the application's primary home screen.

In user interface terminology, "context" refers to the specific environment or mode you are currently operating in. Because FieldPac contains multiple specialized sub-menus (such as Item Specs, Map Controls, or Settings), the "Main Context" confirms that you have backed out of those specific tasks and are looking at the top-level overview. It is your central, default starting point where you view the main pack visual and access the primary navigation menus.

The Heart of FieldPac: The main canvas is the large visual workspace located directly in the center of your screen. This is where your loadout comes to life.

How FieldPac is Different: Most traditional inventory and weight-tracking applications force you to manage your gear through endless text-based spreadsheets and lists. FieldPac abandons that outdated model in favor of spatial inventory management. Instead of just reading a list of what you packed, the canvas allows you to see exactly where your gear is physically located on your specific backpack or bedroll. It maps your physical reality into a digital space.

How the Canvas Works: The canvas is a fully interactive visual environment. When you are in the Main Context, the canvas displays the primary image of your backpack (or bedroll).

• Rotation: You aren't limited to a single flat image. By swiping the main image left or right (or using the directional controls), you can rotate your pack to view the front, back, or sides, allowing you to access different pockets and attachment points just like you would in real life.
• Interaction: Tapping on different areas of your pack on the canvas allows you to dive into specific pockets or compartments to manage the inventory inside them.

Marker Flags - Mapping Your Gear: To make the canvas truly yours, FieldPac utilizes a custom Flag system. Instead of relying on pre-determined zones, you can drop digital marker flags directly onto your pack's image. Got a specific side pouch for your water filter? Drop a flag right on that pouch. These flags act as interactive gateways; tapping a flag opens the inventory specifically assigned to that physical location.

The Breadcrumb Trail (Visual Search): Because FieldPac can handle incredibly complex, multi-layered loadouts, finding a specific item could be daunting. That is where the visual breadcrumb trail comes in. When you use the application's search engine to find a specific piece of gear, the canvas doesn't just give you a text result. It visually guides you. It will display a breadcrumb trail on the canvas, highlighting exactly which flag, pocket, and sub-compartment you need to open to physically retrieve that item.

Image Optimization - Alpha Channels & File Types: Because the canvas relies entirely on user-uploaded imagery, the quality of your images directly impacts your experience. (We will touch on exact sizing constraints later in the manual, but keeping file sizes optimized is critical for fast load times).

• The Alpha Channel Advantage: For the cleanest, most professional-looking canvas, we highly recommend editing your pack and gear photos to include an alpha channel (transparency) before uploading them.
• Why it matters: If you upload a standard JPEG, your backpack will have a solid square background (usually white) behind it. By using a format that supports transparency (like a PNG with an alpha channel), the background is removed. This allows your backpack to float cleanly on the canvas, integrating perfectly with FieldPac's custom color themes and keeping your interface looking sharp and uncluttered.

The Search Engine: When your pack is fully loaded with dozens of items across multiple pockets, manually hunting for a specific piece of gear can be frustrating. FieldPac solves this with a highly targeted, multi-level guided search engine.

Instead of a basic search bar that blindly scans every single word and gives you a cluttered mess of results, FieldPac uses 5 distinct search options. These options allow you to target specific data fields to find exactly what you need.

The 5 Search Options:

1. Lite: Searches only the primary titles (the first 6 words) of your gear, giving you quick text-based results.
2. Lite Guided: Searches the item titles (first 6 words), but instead of just text, it generates a visual breadcrumb trail on the main canvas. It highlights the specific marker flag and pocket you need to open to physically retrieve that item.
3. Deep: Searches everything inside an item's profile, including your long-form, detailed notes and specifications. (Note: This excludes the final "category" word of the title).
4. Deep Guided: Searches everything (notes, specs) and provides the visual breadcrumb trail on the canvas to guide you directly to the item's location.
5. Category: A specialized, strict search that only checks the very last word of an item's title.

Understanding Targeted Searching: For users new to this kind of logic, it helps to understand why different searches are necessary.

• The Deep Search Logic: The Deep search options are designed to scan your heavy, long-form Item Notes. If we allowed a basic search to scan absolutely everything, typing the word "Water" might bring up your water bottle, your water filter, your tent (which is "waterproof"), and your jacket. By separating Lite (which checks the short titles) from Deep (which checks the heavy notes), the app ensures you get exactly what you are looking for without the junk.
• The Category Logic: This is a powerful organizational tool. Often, backpackers name their gear with descriptive prefixes, such as "Winter Sleeping Bag" and "Summer Sleeping Bag". By selecting the Category search and typing "Bag", the engine ignores all the descriptive words at the front and strictly looks at the final word. This instantly groups all your bags together, acting as a rapid filter.

Advanced Search - Special Symbol Operators: For power users who want to bypass standard keyword searching, FieldPac's search engine recognizes three special symbol operators. You can type these directly into the search bar (in any search mode) to instantly filter your gear based on hidden data attributes.

1. The Hashtag (#) - Tracker Filtering: If you want to instantly see a list of every item assigned to a specific custom weight tracker, use the # symbol followed by the tracker number (1 through 4).
   • Example: Typing #t1 will bypass all text descriptions and instantly pull up every single item in your pack that has the [x] T1 checkbox selected in its profile. You can use #t1, #t2, #t3, or #t4.
2. The 'At' Symbol (@) - Location Targeting: If you want to search for items strictly within a specific physical pocket or marker flag, use the @ symbol followed by the pocket's name. This acts as a spatial filter.
   • Example: Typing @hipbelt will only return items that are stored inside a pocket or flag containing the word "hipbelt" in its path.
3. The Math Symbols (> and <) - Weight Thresholds: This is a powerful tool for weight-shaving. You can command the search engine to find gear based purely on how heavy it is, using the greater-than (>) or less-than (<) symbols followed by a number and a unit of measurement (lbs, oz, or g).
   • Example: Typing > 1 lbs will instantly find every single item in your entire loadout that weighs more than one pound.
   • Example: Typing < 2 oz will filter your pack to show only the ultra-light gear weighing less than two ounces.

(Note: You can even combine these operators! For example, searching #t1 < 5 oz would find all items assigned to Track 1 that also weigh less than 5 ounces.)

Search Engine - Smart Features: Behind the scenes, FieldPac's search engine is doing a lot of heavy lifting to make finding your gear as frictionless as possible.

• Live Quick-Select Menu: You don't always have to hit the "Search" button. As soon as you type at least two letters into the search bar, a live dropdown menu will instantly appear below it, showing you the top 10 immediate matches. If you see the item you are looking for pop up in that list, simply tap it to bypass the standard search process and instantly jump directly to that item's location.
• Typo Forgiveness (Fuzzy Matching): When you are out on the trail, typing perfectly on a phone screen isn't always easy. FieldPac's search engine includes a built-in "Fuzzy Match" algorithm. This means if you slightly misspell an item (for example, typing "blnket" instead of "blanket"), the engine is smart enough to figure out what you meant and will still find your gear.

The Interface Lock (Field Mode): Next to the search area, you will find the Lock option. This is designed specifically for when you are actually out in the field.

When you are initially building and setting up your pack, you will be scrolling up and down, navigating through various menus, adding items, and adjusting settings. However, once your pack is completely built, you no longer need all those background menus.

The only two things you need normal access to are the Main Canvas and the Search Engine. From those two places, absolutely everything in your pack is accessible. To optimize your screen for field use, simply scroll down just enough to tuck the Search bar directly under the Main Canvas, and engage the Lock.

This freezes the layout in place, preventing accidental scrolling while you hike. It turns FieldPac into a perfectly framed, highly efficient dashboard where your entire loadout is just a tap or a quick search away.

Building Your Foundation: Once you are ready to digitize your gear, the Add Pack (or New Pack Profile) modal is your starting point. This is where you construct the digital twin of your physical backpack, feed it essential data, and begin configuring its external layout.

Uploading Your Pack Files (6-Axis Views): This section is where the canvas gets its visuals. You will see upload and URL options for all six viewing angles: Top, Bottom, Left, Right, Back, and Front. You do not need to upload all six immediately, but adding at least the Front and Back provides a solid foundation.

• Tip: As mentioned in the canvas section, uploading images with an alpha channel (transparent background) will result in a much cleaner, professional-looking interface.

Adding Pack Information (Specifications): Below the image uploads, you will enter the hard data for your backpack. This includes the Pack Name (which is required to save the profile), Brand Name, pocket counts, material construction, and any specific notes. Crucially, this is also where you input the Empty Pack Base Weight. The application uses this base weight to ensure your Total Weight calculations on the main dashboard are perfectly accurate before a single piece of gear is even loaded.

MOLLE & Outer Attachments: Not all backpacks are self-contained. The MOLLE Attachments area allows you to map out external additions to your pack's shell. If you have strapped an extra water bottle carrier to the side, added a tactical pouch to the hip belt, or mounted a solar panel to the top lid, this is where you declare those outer attachments so they become interactive zones on your canvas.

Your First Encounter - The Global Inventory Menu: While inside the Add Pack modal, you will likely have your first encounter with the application's primary Menu (featuring options like New Pack, Save Pack, Add Item, Copy, Paste, Move, and Delete).

It is vital to become comfortable with this menu immediately, as it acts as the central command hub for your entire loadout. You will see this exact same menu layout whether you are editing the main pack, configuring a bedroll, or diving deep into a specific pocket.

Understanding Menu Operations & Item Mobility: The true power of this menu is how fluid it makes inventory management. In the real world, moving gear between different bags or pockets can be a chore. In FieldPac, it takes seconds.

• Add Item: This generates a new blank entry to add a fresh piece of gear to your current location.
• Copy & Paste: Want to put identical carabiners on your backpack, your bedroll, and inside a pocket? You don't have to create the item three times. Use Copy on the original item, navigate to your new location, open the menu, and hit Paste.
• Move: If you decide your heavy jacket shouldn't be in the main backpack and would balance better strapped to your bedroll, you don't have to delete it and start over. Simply select the jacket, hit Move, navigate to the Bedroll Profile, open the menu, and paste it down. The item—along with its weight, photos, and deep descriptions—transfers instantly.
• Delete: Instantly removes an item or configuration you no longer need.

By standardizing these actions into one universal menu, the application ensures that once you learn how to add or move an item here in the setup phase, you already know how to manage your inventory anywhere else in the app.

Switch Pack - Loading Saved Profiles: If you have multiple backpacks for different seasons or trip lengths, FieldPac allows you to save and switch between up to 5 different pack profiles.

How to Switch: When you tap the Switch Pack button, a system prompt will appear listing your currently occupied save slots and the names of the packs stored in them.

• Crucial Tip: Do not type the name of the backpack into the prompt! This is a common mistake that will result in an error. To load a pack, simply type the number of the slot it is saved in (for example, just type 1 or 2) and hit enter. The application will instantly swap out your entire digital loadout for the selected profile.

Delete Pack - Clearing a Save Slot: If you need to free up one of your 5 save slots, or if you are completely retiring an old backpack, use the Delete Pack button.

How to Delete: Similar to the Switch function, tapping this button will prompt you to select which pack you want to remove. Again, simply type the number of the save slot you wish to clear.

• Warning: Deletion is permanent. Once you delete a pack profile, all of its associated inventory, weight data, and flags are wiped from that slot to make room for a new build.

Configuring Your Sleep System: While it is called the "Bedroll" profile, this dedicated section is designed to manage your entire sleep system or any major external gear cluster strapped to the outside of your pack.

By separating the bedroll from the main backpack inventory, you gain two massive advantages: it keeps your internal pocket lists from becoming cluttered, and it allows the main dashboard to calculate your Bedroll weight independently from your BackPack weight (crucial for balancing your load).

Configuring the Bedroll Image & Scale: When you open the Add/Edit Bedroll menu, the first step is giving it a visual presence.

• Upload Photo: Just like the main pack, you can upload an image of your bedroll (again, images with an alpha channel/transparent background are highly recommended for a clean look).
• The Scale Slider: Because bedrolls come in all shapes and sizes, FieldPac includes a dynamic Scale (%) slider. Once your image is uploaded, you can use this slider to shrink or enlarge the bedroll image so it looks perfectly proportional to your main backpack on the visual canvas.

Base Weight: Just like the main pack, you must assign a Base Weight. For a bedroll, this is typically the weight of the empty compression sack, the stuff sack, or the external lashing straps used to mount it to the pack.

Bedroll Inventory: The bottom half of this modal is your Bedroll Inventory. This operates exactly like the main pack inventory.

• Simply open the global Menu (located at the top right of the modal) to begin building your sleep system.
• Use Add Item to create entries for your sleeping bag, sleeping pad, camp pillow, or bivy.
• Remember, because this uses the global Menu system, you can easily use the Move or Paste commands to transfer gear from your main backpack directly into your bedroll inventory if you decide to change how you pack!

Delete Bedroll - Clearing Your Sleep System: Located directly beneath the Add/Edit Bedroll option, the Delete Bedroll button serves a single, specific purpose: it completely wipes the bedroll configuration from your currently active pack profile.

• What it does: Tapping this button permanently deletes your bedroll image, its assigned base weight, and every single item stored inside the bedroll's inventory.
• Why use it: If you are transitioning from a multi-day camping trip (which required a heavy sleep system) to a quick day hike, you can use this button to instantly strip the bedroll weight, inventory, and visuals from your dashboard without having to alter or delete your primary backpack setup.
• Warning: Just like deleting a full pack profile, this action is permanent. Once the bedroll is deleted, that specific inventory is gone.

Mapping Your Gear in 2D Space: The Map Controls section is the bridge between a simple list and a true spatial inventory. This is where you place interactive Marker Flags onto your backpack's canvas, telling the application exactly where every piece of gear is physically located.

What is a Marker Flag? At its most basic level, a flag represents a storage location. When you tap a flag on the canvas, it opens a dedicated inventory menu for that specific location. However, flags in FieldPac are highly flexible and customizable:

• Customization: Every flag can be custom-named (e.g., "Top Brain," "Left Hipbelt") and color-coded so you can instantly recognize different zones on your pack at a glance.
• Container Items (Kits): Flags do not have to be physical pockets sewn onto your backpack. They can represent container items. For example, you can drop a flag on your canvas and name it "Fire Kit" or "First Aid Kit." When you open that flag, you can list all the individual matches, tinder, and bandages stored specifically inside that kit.
• Nested Mapping (Inception Mode): For highly complex packs, you can actually nest maps. If you open a flag representing a large pocket, you can upload a photograph of the inside of that empty pocket. You can then drop new flags onto that internal photo to map out the sub-compartments!

How to Place and Access a Flag (The Workflow): Placing flags requires a very specific, three-step workflow to ensure you don't accidentally drop markers when you are just trying to navigate the app:

1. Turn Map Mode ON: Tap the Map Mode button to toggle it "ON." The application is now armed and waiting for your placement command.
2. Place the Flag: Tap anywhere on your main pack canvas where you want the marker to appear. The flag will instantly drop onto that coordinate.
3. Turn Map Mode OFF (Crucial): You cannot open or interact with a flag while Map Mode is armed. You must tap the Map Mode button again to toggle it "OFF." This locks the flag in place and turns it into an interactive gateway. You can now tap the flag to open it and begin adding gear to its inventory.

Delete Flag - Proceed with Caution: Directly below the Map Mode toggle is the Delete Flag toggle.

• How to use it: To remove a marker, toggle Delete Flag to "ON," then tap the specific flag on the canvas you wish to remove. Once deleted, toggle it back to "OFF."
• WARNING - Absolute Deletion: Be incredibly careful when using this feature. Deleting a flag does not just remove the visual marker from the canvas; it instantly and permanently deletes everything stored inside that flag's inventory. If you have a fully loaded "Cook Kit" flag and you delete it, all the items inside are gone.
• Tip: If you just want to move a flag's location, do not delete it! Instead, use the global menu to Move the important items to a temporary location first, or simply rename and recolor the existing flag to repurpose it.

Advanced Mapping - Moving Flags (Desktop Only): While discussing flag placement, it is important to note a specialized feature available depending on how you access the application. If you are using the application on a desktop computer, you have the ability to physically move existing flags and adjust the bedroll's position directly within your current view.

• The Mobile Limitation: Please be aware that this ability to freely move flags and the bedroll around the canvas is not a mobile option. Due to the nature of touch interfaces, this feature is restricted to desktop use. If you are on a mobile device, you will need to rely on the standard placement and deletion methods discussed above.

Saving and Loading Your Pack: The Data Backup section is where you secure all your hard work. Because FieldPac operates entirely within your browser for maximum privacy and speed, your pack data is saved directly to your device rather than a remote server.

Save Pack & Load Pack:

• Save Pack: Tapping this button compiles your entire loadout—every item, weight, note, photo, and marker flag—into a single, secure save file that downloads to your device. You should do this frequently while building your pack to prevent accidental data loss.
• Load Pack: This button allows you to import a previously saved pack file back into the application, instantly restoring your fully mapped canvas and inventory.

Image Sizes - Efficiency Over Art: While the application grants you the freedom to upload images of any file size, it is crucial to remember that FieldPac is a highly technical inventory tool, not a digital art gallery.

Bigger is not always better. Uploading massive, ultra-high-resolution photos for every single item will drastically increase your save file size and slow down your load times.

• The Golden Rule: The goal is knowledge of location, not seeing every stitch in the fabric. Use higher-detail photos where strictly necessary for identification, but be conservative throughout the rest of your pack. Optimized, reasonably sized images will keep the application running at lightning speed out in the field.

Cross-App Synergy - FieldPac & PacTrack: This brings us to one of the most powerful aspects of this ecosystem. FieldPac and its sister application, PacTrack, are built on the exact same structural foundation and are designed to work together seamlessly.

While you can completely build your pack on either application, they serve different primary environments:

• PacTrack (The Workbench): PacTrack is optimized for desktop and laptop environments. It offers a much larger, more comfortable workspace. It is highly recommended that you use PacTrack to do the heavy lifting of initially building your pack, typing out detailed notes, and mapping your flags.
• FieldPac (The Field Tool): Once your pack is fully built and saved in PacTrack, you simply send that save file to your phone and use the Load Pack button in FieldPac.

Unyielding Flag Stability: You might worry that building a pack on a large computer screen and loading it onto a small smartphone screen will break your map. It won't. Thanks to the underlying mapping and scaling system shared by both apps, the coordinates are locked. A marker flag placed on the hipbelt pocket in PacTrack will stay perfectly anchored to that exact same spot on the canvas when loaded into FieldPac.

Visuals & System Engine - Personalizing Your Interface: Also located within the System Settings are your visual controls. FieldPac is designed to be used in a variety of environments—from a bright, sunny trail to a pitch-black tent at midnight. These settings allow you to tailor the interface for maximum readability and comfort.

(Remember: Just like the tracker settings, you must tap Save Settings at the top of the menu for any of these visual changes to take effect!)

• Default Pack View: While you can freely rotate your pack on the main canvas by swiping, the Default Pack View setting dictates which angle the application displays first when you boot it up or return to the Main Context.
  • You can choose from Back (Default), Front, Left, Right, Top, or Bottom.
  • Tip: Most users prefer the "Back" (the side with the shoulder straps) or the "Front" as their default, as those angles usually contain the most marker flags.
• Color Theme: To reduce eye strain and match your personal style, FieldPac offers a wide array of custom color themes.
  • Dark Modes vs. Light Modes: The application features both Dark and Light variations of themes like Desert Sand, Urban Slate, and Midnight Tactical.
  • Field Tip: We highly recommend using a "Dark" theme (like the default Forest Canopy (Dark)) if you are checking your gear in your tent at night, as it will preserve your natural night vision. Swap to a "Light" theme if you are using the app in direct, harsh sunlight to reduce screen glare.
• Interface Font: Readability is key when you are scanning through long gear lists. If the default Georgia font isn't to your liking, you can change the entire application's text to options like Arial, Verdana, Courier New, or Trebuchet MS. Pick the one that is easiest on your eyes.

The Demo Pack - Your Digital Training Ground: If you are completely new to FieldPac and PacTrack, staring at a blank canvas can be a little intimidating. You might be wondering how flags are supposed to look, how the search engine highlights items, or how the bedroll interacts with the main dashboard.

That is exactly what the Demo Pack button is for. Located in the main menu area, tapping the Demo Pack button will instantly load a pre-built, fully populated backpack profile into your application.

• What it does: It gives you a fully functional loadout complete with uploaded photos, mapped marker flags, filled pocket inventories, and calculated weights.
• Why use it: It is the perfect training ground. You can freely play with the multi-level search engine to see the breadcrumb trails in action, tap on flags to see how nested inventories work, and practice moving items around without any fear of messing up your own personal gear data.
• Note: When you are done exploring the demo and are ready to build your own loadout, simply use the Delete Pack or Switch Pack functions to clear the canvas and start fresh!

System Settings - Customizing Your Experience: The System Settings menu is your control center for tailoring how FieldPac displays your data. It is important to note how this menu operates: this is a "staging area." You can toggle switches, change units, and type in new names all you want, but no changes will take effect until you tap the "Save Settings" button at the bottom of the window. If you hit "Close" without saving, all your adjustments will be discarded.

Deep Dive - Customizing Your Weight Trackers: Earlier, we discussed how the top dashboard displays Tracks 1 through 4 (T1, T2, T3, T4). The settings menu is where you define what those trackers actually mean to you.

• How to Rename: Inside the settings, you will find text input fields for each of the four trackers. You can delete the default "Track 1" name and replace it with anything you want—such as "Consumables," "Worn Weight," "Base Weight," or "Electronics."
• The Result: Once you hit "Save Settings," the main dashboard at the top of your screen will instantly update to display your new custom titles. When you add a new item to your pack and check the [x] T1 box, you now know exactly what category that weight is being routed to.

Understanding Your Data - Autosave vs. Hard Save: When using FieldPac, your data is protected by two distinct saving mechanisms. It is crucial to understand the difference between them so you never lose your hard work.

1. The Autosave (Browser Memory): As you add items, move gear, and drop flags, FieldPac is constantly performing an "Autosave" in the background. It stores your current progress directly in your web browser's local memory.
   • The Purpose: This is your safety net. If you accidentally refresh the page, accidentally close the browser tab, or switch to another app on your phone, the Autosave ensures that when you reopen FieldPac, your pack is exactly how you left it.
   • The Danger: Browser memory is temporary. If you clear your browser's cache, run a "cleanup" app on your phone, or open FieldPac in an "Incognito/Private" tab, your Autosave data will be wiped out.
2. The Hard Save (The 'Save Pack' Button): Located in the Data Backup section of the main menu, the Save Pack button executes a "Hard Save."
   • The Purpose: This generates an actual, physical data file that downloads directly to your device's hard drive or downloads folder. This is a permanent, secure backup.
   • Why it is essential: The Hard Save is the only way to permanently protect your data against browser cache clears. It is also the file you need if you want to transfer your pack between PacTrack on your computer and FieldPac on your phone.
   • The Golden Rule: Rely on Autosave while you are actively working, but always perform a Hard Save when you are finished building or modifying your pack for the day!