Expert pack fitting advice requested

[Michael1101]

Simple question does this pack fit me? It feels great. I think I have had a pack that was to long for my torso my entire life.
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[Venchka]

Hip belt not on hips. Load lifters horizontal. Nope.
I returned a pack recently that was larger than that, but still too small.
Try getting fitted at a shop where they know what they are doing.
You'll know when you find a pack that fits.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

[MuddyWaters]

Typically the belt should be with top of your hip bones in the middle of the belt. When it is snugged, it wont slide down over them.
Top of straps for a UL pack even with top of shoulders, load lifters angling upwards at good angle where they can do their job.
A conventional pack straps may full wrap the shoulders, but load lifters should still angle up at good angle.

But...people wear packs differently, depending on what they like. A lot of people wear belts really low, especially fat people to get under the gut.

There is nothing wrong with any fit, if you are comfortable and content. That is the purpose of the pack, and the only purpose.

[Mtsman]

I agree with Muddy.

Make sure YOU know where YOUR iliac crest is. The waist pad should wrap right over the top of your crest (half the top of the pad over the crest and half the bottom of the pad on the crest). Bonus points if it is dead center horizontally as well (but that maybe my OCD talking). Go get measured from a reliable, knowledgeable, local outfitter. As long as you get that iliac crest right and the pack load distributes to the hip belt you wont have too much trouble past that but follow Muddys advice for the top of the pack for an absolutely perfect fit.

[Michael1101]

The load straps need more angle so I need to lower the shoulder straps? This pack is adjustable.

This is a Deuter 45 + 10 which is awesome the only problem is I accidently bought the SL version which is the ladies version. I got this on eBay used so sending it back is not a option. I thought I would just immediately re list it but it fits so much better then my old ems pack that I'm considering keeping it.
My old pack is a EMS summit TL Long and the belt sits on my hips but leaves a gap on my shoulder straps and constantly slides down.

[egilbe]

Pull the waist belt tighter.

[Venchka]

The load straps need more angle so I need to lower the shoulder straps? This pack is adjustable.

This is a Deuter 45 + 10 which is awesome the only problem is I accidently bought the SL version which is the ladies version. I got this on eBay used so sending it back is not a option. I thought I would just immediately re list it but it fits so much better then my old ems pack that I'm considering keeping it.
My old pack is a EMS summit TL Long and the belt sits on my hips but leaves a gap on my shoulder straps and constantly slides down.

Adjust the pack to it's maximum length. In other words, maximize the distance between the hip belt and shoulder strap attachment location. I reckon it'll still be too short for you.
The pack that I said I bought new & returned immediately was labeled by the company as a medium. The torso length stated exactly matched my torso and the torso length of the two packs that I already owned and fit me correctly. It should have fit, right? Wrong! Their torso numbers were off by a full size. They were selling a Small masquerading as a Medium. The hip belt was too short also.
There are a gazillion illustrated web pages & videos online describing how to fit a pack. Every Osprey dealer has a gizmo that you strap on and adjust to get a perfect fit and know what size Osprey pack to buy.
Backpacks are like shoes. You have to try on several to find the one perfect fit for you. eBay won't do.
I've learned my lesson the hard way. Never try to cheap out on backpacks or sleeping bags. You spend 90% of your time backpacking with one or the other. If either your pack or your sleeping bag aren't right for YOU, you will be miserable.

Wayne

[Gambit McCrae]

Others might not agree but if you say it feels great then keep on keepin on. I know with my skully back problems, when a pack expert at rei fits my pack with weight, I feel like im in a torture device. But at the same time, what is comfortable in your kitchen, might not be after 10-20 miles, or 3-7 days :) If your looking for a new pack, and not to just adjust the one you have, check out ULA, Chris was first class 100% helpful in getting me fitting via photos and email and phone convos.

IMO the belt looks small

[Casey & Gina]

The load straps need more angle so I need to lower the shoulder straps? This pack is adjustable.

This is a Deuter 45 + 10 which is awesome the only problem is I accidently bought the SL version which is the ladies version. I got this on eBay used so sending it back is not a option. I thought I would just immediately re list it but it fits so much better then my old ems pack that I'm considering keeping it.
My old pack is a EMS summit TL Long and the belt sits on my hips but leaves a gap on my shoulder straps and constantly slides down.

Hi, I have used a Deuter ACT Lite 65+10 and AirComfort Pro 75+15. Your pack is definitely not fitted correctly, but you are right that it should be adjustable to the point that it is.

The SL is almost the same as the regular, mainly the style of shoulder straps is different. I tried one out an ACT Lite SL just to see if I liked it better, but I didn't (the shoulder straps are thinner and less comfortable in my opinion). I forget what other differences there are but the SL should be workable.

As others have said, the load lifters should be up farther from the shoulder straps. On both Deuters that I had, there were two sets of plastic buckles for the load lifter straps to go through - a lower set and an upper set. Try using the uppermost set if you have them. As for the hip belt, again as others have said the center of the belt (there is some stitching through it there to make it obvious) should be centered over your iliac crest. Different hip belts work differently - on my old Kelty Super Tioga, the hip belt is best fitted completely over the iliac crest such that the bottom of the belt rests on the bones, but the Deuter is pretty strongly engineered to sit centered on them with the bones stuck into that center groove.

[Casey & Gina]

Others might not agree but if you say it feels great then keep on keepin on. I know with my skully back problems, when a pack expert at rei fits my pack with weight, I feel like im in a torture device.

I guess every store and representative is different, but at my local REI's (yes, two different ones) the backpack fitting skill is severely lacking. I bought my first pack there and one person had adjusted it for me, but then before I decided his shift ended and a new person re-adjusted it totally differently. Once I got onto the trail, I got frustrated and had a lot of chafing besides, so I ended up trial-and-erroring it without a clue what I was doing until it felt decent. Once home, I watched some videos about how to adjust the pack on YouTube and ended up with the best fitting. My wife's mom bought us a child carrier we wanted via the REI website as a gift, and the first thing we did was head to a different REI to have it adjusted for her. The representative there was worse than the first two, instead of re-adjusting everything wrongly he simply asked if it felt okay, and when my wife complained of lumbar pain, he said that well it looks okay, you should leave it as it is. We have since adjusted it ourselves and it no longer causes her any discomfort.

So I think REI is about the last place I would trust for a pack adjustment, unless I knew of a person working there with a good reputation. I think they have some good staff too but it seems that they put anybody on backpack fitting rotation without any consideration to their individual ability so it's hit or miss.

[Uncle Joe]

That hip belt looks way high. It should go around your hip bones not above them. I find it hard to believe your hip bones are just above that belt. There are many sizing tutorials online you might want to check out.

[Cotton Terry]

This video gives a good visual of what previous posters are describing - http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/backpacks-adjusting-fit.html

[Michael1101]

The hip belt sits about 3/4 on top of my hip bone. In this picture the line I have drawn is what I can feel as my hip bone. With my previous pack (which I might take a picture with) the belt sits on the lower end with the bone near the top of the belt. Because I am fat and have a spare tire right around this section the belt being at 50% or lower has always resulted in the belt sliding down must like my pants. Why do fat guys always have crack showing? Because in order to keep my pants from sliding down I need to keep them below my gut.
I'm sure others have had this problem?

The front of the belt is right across my belly button.

I will have to check if my pack has multiple load lifter locations today when I get home thanks for the tip!

[Michael1101]

forgot the pic
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[Uncle Joe]

Yep. Too high. The top of your hip bone should be at the top of that pad. In the REI link above keep in mind "over your hip bones" doesn't mean "above." Rather, covering your hip bones. I feel ya on the belly but you can hike that down.

[Casey & Gina]

forgot the pic
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Looks like from that picture that you can just loosen the shoulder belts and push the hip belt down a bit before tightening it. When you put the pack on, lean forward a little to balance the weight on your back, get the hip belts into the right position first thing, then cinch it down as tight as you can. Do this with the shoulder belts completely loose. Only after that is done, stand upright and cinch the shoulder straps just enough to bring the top of the pack up to your back. You want to carry 75% of the weight on your hips, generally, so these should not be too tight.* It looks like there are load lifter buckles higher up in your picture, so assuming that's what they are, put the straps up there. Tighten those last, and don't overdo it - just enough to bring it up. Just above your red line at the rear of the hip belt are additional straps that should be loosened when you put the pack on and cinch the hip belt, then only tightened at the end to bring the pack in a little closer.

The hip belt is really the only thing you want to cinch down really tight - the rest you can play with to find the ideal balance for you, but should be cinched relatively gently.

* = so they say, as a general guideline. In reality, you will want to adjust your pack a little as you hike. You aren't on hills now, but when you are, you will find that the above instructions are ideal for ascents, but on level ground, to give your hips a break you may want to cinch your shoulder straps tighter and loosen or completely unclip your hip belt for a while. I do this even with a 65 pound load as long as my pack won't bounce around too much with 100% of the weight on my shoulders...wouldn't want to do it all day but it is nice to give your waist a break sometimes when the weight doesn't need carried there. Descents are another story...don't be afraid to make adjustments on the fly, especially in the beginning when you will want to take frequent rests anyways, and you'll figure out what works best for you as you go. Other times you just want to hike and not worry about your pack and often the above guidelines are fine for all circumstances. But you may change your mind when you find after a long day that your hips are chafed raw and you can't hike the next day without moleskin or time off to heal.

[Casey & Gina]

The hip belt sits about 3/4 on top of my hip bone. In this picture the line I have drawn is what I can feel as my hip bone. With my previous pack (which I might take a picture with) the belt sits on the lower end with the bone near the top of the belt.

It sounds like your previous pack was not adjusted or sized for you properly. Any pack should have enough of the hip belt situated above the hip bone that weight is placed down upon the top of the bone. The Deuter hip belt pads are fairly tall and angle inward at the top, so the best for them is to have the bone at the halfway point in the height of the hip belt. The (at least older) Kelty hip belt pads are shorter and sit best above the bones, but still completely under your ribs. The old literature that came with the packs showed both "around hip bone" and "over belly button" fittings, and recommended the higher setting with the buckle be centered directly over the belly button for ideal fit. But I don't think this works with Deuter hip belts. That said, as long as it's not pushing into your ribs you are probably fine, and you definitely want the hip belt to stay put, so if it needs to be that high to not slide down, then don't worry too much about getting it any lower. In my case I'm slender, so the belt probably wouldn't stay that high on me - it seems I need either the bottom of the belt or that groove in the center to catch the hip bone so that it stays in place.

[/quote]Because I am fat and have a spare tire right around this section the belt being at 50% or lower has always resulted in the belt sliding down must like my pants. Why do fat guys always have crack showing? Because in order to keep my pants from sliding down I need to keep them below my gut.[/quote]

Well, the answer for pants is suspenders. ;) Once you get onto the actual trail, you will lose weight! Yet another reason to be open to adjusting as you go. Deuter makes very adjustable packs so you should be able to find a setting that works for you regardless of your current state.

I will try to get a picture wearing my Deuter AirContact Pro tonight for comparison.

[Michael1101]

Here is a picture of the first and only 'backpacking' backpack I have ever owned. I have worn it two different ways over the years I've owned it. At first I wore it down low more on my belt line but more recently in a effort to get more weight off my shoulders I have worn it higher which makes the shoulder straps leave a gap up top. Wearing it higher causes it to slide down over time and then I do a wiggle dance to get it back up. This is really what prompted me to consider getting a new pack. This one is not very comfortable but it gets the job done.
So from what I have seen online and what most of you are saying the Deuter I own is to small ( although it feels great in comparison )
and this EMS bag must be too big.
I plan to go to my local EMS this weekend and while i'm there I will see if there is anyone that will fit me to a pack. The ones in my area almost exclusively carry Osprey which I don't have a problem with but I do find some of the advice I get at these places is far from what I see people doing/saying online. I'm no expert but sometimes it seems like I know more about what I'm looking for from doing research online then the people who work at these places.
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[Casey & Gina]

Sorry this took me forever to get around to, but here are pictures of me wearing my Deuter AirComfort Pro 70+15, properly adjusted as far as I am able to tell. I am using the lower set of load lifter buckles in these pictures - there is a higher set as well but it's hidden under the cinched-down top pocket/lid. The pack doesn't have anything in it in these pictures so it's not really a true "with load" demonstration, but should give you some idea anyways.

FYI I am 5'11" with a 20" torso length, and the pack is adjusted just above the "medium" setting - it can be extended to accommodate significantly longer and shorter torsos.

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