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I’m going to hike the Sheltowee Trace starting in November and I want to upgrade to a better pack. Because I reached my ideal weight before I reached my ideal height (my dumb way of saying I’m fat) I need one with a fairly large hip belt and that can hold a pretty fair amount of gear. Or at least one with replaceable hip belts so I can swap out one big enough to fit a 46” waist.
Any suggestions?
The pack I purchased to hike the John Muir Trail a few years ago was the Volt 75.
I liked it because
1. It's Osprey (was THE most common name brand pack I saw on the trail)
2. Huge capacity (there's also a Volt 60, but the tiny weight difference pushed me toward the larger pack)
3. Relatively Low Cost (many Osprey are in the $300 range, this one is $220 full retail).
4. Hip pockets are big enough to be useful.
5. Side pockets can be accessed from the front.
The specs says the hip/waist belt goes upto 51".
It has a divider in an attempt to create a sleeping bag compartment in the bottom. But it's at a really odd angle, so I carefully ripped it out and just used the whole pack as if it were a top-loader.
Most Granite Gear packs come with an adjustable belt (the ReFit belt). I don't know what the specs are, but I'm sure mine would handle 46".
I have a Gregory Baltoro 65 in L. I'm 6'2" and ~ 265#
It holds a lot of gear, but can easily cinch down to hold less. It's a big pack, but extremely comfortable.
Osprey AG 65 must handle 56+ easily considering how long the tails are. Good thing is they are adjustable.
Thanks. I think I’m going to give that one a try. The backcountry.com 20% new customer discount made it an easy decision.Quote:
Originally Posted by HooKooDooKu
I've used a Volt 75 for the past two years, and been satisfied with it.
Keep in mind that the webbing length does not determine the hipbelt fit, if you are a 46 waist you're going to need to look at pack companies that cater to that - and there won't be many. You really need that foam coming around the hip and when that buckle is tightened ideally you don't want more than 2 inches of webbing on either side.
ULA Circuit and Catalyst offer XL and XXL hipbelts, you can also get longer shoulder straps sewn on.
https://www.ula-equipment.com/product/circuit/
I also have a Granite Gear pack and their adjustable belt will not work on a 46 inch waist.
If all else fails, you can make your own hip belt extension with a length of strapping and male/female connectors that can be adjustable. Depending on how much hip belt you are exposed to versus where the hip padding ends, you can mitigate that with some additional padding (homemade or purchased) or use readily available seat belt covers made of fleece or other soft fabric.
My wife has wide hips and it took us quite some time and effort to find a pack that's hipbelts would hug her hips the correct way. Most packs have a long enough hipbelt, but the cushioning of the belt is too short, only the webbing is long.
We finally setteled with a Gregory Stout, and it fits her well.
Make a belt extender? I did that when I was short for my weight.
I got some wide webbing and the spade clips that matched my backpack clips. If you cant find clips that match, change the existing clips to match.
REI and other camping stores sell the parts n webbibng.
Easy cheap fix. when you finally get down to your proper height, you can eventually get rid of the extender.
You can probably contact most any mfr and they likely have a solution for you, though I do think ULA is still your best bet. Maybe other smaller cottage makes, too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Randy Watson
I recently bought a Osprey Atmos 65 and had to cut down the length of the waist band. It was incredibly long...easily longer than 46.
Osprey packs tend to have generous hip belt sizes.
I ended up buying an Osprey Volt 75 based on these replies. It seems like it's going to be a good fit, so thanks for the recommendation.