Posted: 3/23/2010 5:25:24 PM EDT
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Anyone hike? I'm looking for a good backpack and I'm curious about the differences between men and women's backpacks..besides the "women's" selection being more limited and more expensive. From what I've read, there are differences in strap angles, but maybe not so much in where weight is distributed. Other things I've read say it really just depends on body structure.
I'm pretty small boned and short and I guess well proportioned. Any suggestions on either a woman-specific pack, or a pack made for a smaller person? |
| The best thing you can do is go to REI or Sportsmans warehouse (or your local equivalent) and ask questions/to be sized. In Colorado Springs both sportsmans and REI have some knowledgable folks who do hiking/backpacking as a hobby working in those sections. Sizing is actually a pretty big deal. Also, be careful if the salesman pushes an adjustable length pack without sizing. I am short (5'6" male) some packs will not adjust enough to be comfortable. My girlfriend is 5'9" and is actually looking at some male packs (female with adjustment was still to short). |
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Kelty packs are great for the ladies. If you don't mind spending the cash, they are some of the best 72 hour packs I've ever used. My wife loves hers. It's got a light internal frame, and it keeps things extremely well balanced. I'll see if I can find a link.
Kelty Redtail |
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The best thing you can do is go to REI or Sportsmans warehouse (or your local equivalent) and ask questions/to be sized. In Colorado Springs both sportsmans and REI have some knowledgable folks who do hiking/backpacking as a hobby working in those sections. Sizing is actually a pretty big deal. Also, be careful if the salesman pushes an adjustable length pack without sizing. I am short (5'6" male) some packs will not adjust enough to be comfortable. My girlfriend is 5'9" and is actually looking at some male packs (female with adjustment was still to short). +1. Go to an REI and ask questions. Most of the top companies make women specific packs. My wife and I both use Gregory (they have several women's packs available). Go to the store locator to find your nearest store. http://www.rei.com/map/store |
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Backpacker magazine came out with their gear issue either last month or this month, lots of reviews of woman specific packs. I would look for a pack with a suspension system that puts the weight on your hips v. Shoulder. Also women's packs are often "shorter" (have shorter stays, back sheets). Mystery ranch packs are usually adjustable for height. Are you looking for a day pack, weekendsn etc? |
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I'll be at MEC in Canada next week and going to try there. I was planning on getting measured and see what they had. From what I can tell online, the women's packs have straps that taper in. We'll see. The women's seem to be more expensive than equivalent men's packs. If there's enough of a difference in weight distribution or whatever, that's fine, but I don't want to pay more than I have to if there's no benefit.
Looking for what would probably be a 3 day pack. |
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I'll be at MEC in Canada next week and going to try there. I was planning on getting measured and see what they had. From what I can tell online, the women's packs have straps that taper in. We'll see. The women's seem to be more expensive than equivalent men's packs. If there's enough of a difference in weight distribution or whatever, that's fine, but I don't want to pay more than I have to if there's no benefit. Looking for what would probably be a 3 day pack. I forgot to mention that my Wife's Kelty Redtail is a ladies model. She says it fits her better than a unisex pack. |
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I took my sister to REI and had her try a few women's packs on to see what fit her. Ideally, you want something that will hold about 20% of your weight if you want to be comfortable. Load size mainly depends on the trip that you are taking. You need to pick the one that fits the length and season of the trip that you are going to be going on. Long trips and winter trips are going to require a bigger pack than weekend summer trips. |
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I took my sister to REI and had her try a few women's packs on to see what fit her. Ideally, you want something that will hold about 20% of your weight if you want to be comfortable. Load size mainly depends on the trip that you are taking. You need to pick the one that fits the length and season of the trip that you are going to be going on. Long trips and winter trips are going to require a bigger pack than weekend summer trips. Yup. Which is why I have 4 main packs I cycle through for back packing. My largest is 5600 in ^3 IIRC, and my smallest framed pack is 1150. Generally when I go backpacking, I'll layout everything I need, and start with the smallest pack I think I can use. As a scout leader that extra sleeping bag, a big first aid kit, and extra food for the kid that forgot/dropped/burned his usually means I'm using my biggest one even for an overnighter  .
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I took my sister to REI and had her try a few women's packs on to see what fit her. Ideally, you want something that will hold about 20% of your weight if you want to be comfortable. Load size mainly depends on the trip that you are taking. You need to pick the one that fits the length and season of the trip that you are going to be going on. Long trips and winter trips are going to require a bigger pack than weekend summer trips. Yup. Which is why I have 4 main packs I cycle through for back packing. My largest is 5600 in ^3 IIRC, and my smallest framed pack is 1150. Generally when I go backpacking, I'll layout everything I need, and start with the smallest pack I think I can use. As a scout leader that extra sleeping bag, a big first aid kit, and extra food for the kid that forgot/dropped/burned his usually means I'm using my biggest one even for an overnighter .Same here, which is why I have everything from 30lb. 3 day packs to a Kifaru EMR that weighs about 110lb fully loaded. For day hikes up to 3 days, my 20% is accurate, particularly for someone who isn't used to humping it. |
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I took my sister to REI and had her try a few women's packs on to see what fit her. Ideally, you want something that will hold about 20% of your weight if you want to be comfortable. Load size mainly depends on the trip that you are taking. You need to pick the one that fits the length and season of the trip that you are going to be going on. Long trips and winter trips are going to require a bigger pack than weekend summer trips. Yup. Which is why I have 4 main packs I cycle through for back packing. My largest is 5600 in ^3 IIRC, and my smallest framed pack is 1150. Generally when I go backpacking, I'll layout everything I need, and start with the smallest pack I think I can use. As a scout leader that extra sleeping bag, a big first aid kit, and extra food for the kid that forgot/dropped/burned his usually means I'm using my biggest one even for an overnighter .I have several, but have found that my 4200 Gregory will work for just about everything that I do. I have a Kelty 5700 that I needed when I first started, but as my gear has gotten lighter/smaller and I have become better at what to pack, I just don't need that much room. I have used the Gregory for everything from 9 day trips on Isle Royale to overnights in Montana with good results. For me, it is the perfect size. |
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Got measured for one up there, but the women's packs were crazy expensive compared to the men's. I'll probably order one, but not right away.
I need to eventually be able to carry ~30% of my bodyweight. Dave, still want to try to exploring. Have a couple friends who would probably like to, too. Probably better to explore now that the weather is nice, but more zombies, huh? |