My base weight was 14 lbs, but I've lost 18 lbs since May, so is it now negative 4? Woot Woot - time to go gear shopping!!!!
My base weight was 14 lbs, but I've lost 18 lbs since May, so is it now negative 4? Woot Woot - time to go gear shopping!!!!
After reading the thread and the fighting...
back to the topic.
First, check your fit. Osprey won’t work for my wife.
For me, I’ve a 58 and all the weight is carried on my hips (I hike with the shoulder straps not supporting any weight).
Second, try out various packs in a store until you get one sized and that also rides on your hips.
An REI will have fitting tools and will let you load 20-40 lbs and walk around the store.
You don’t need a Baltero for that (5+ lbs), but you need a pack that fits and rides right for you.
Nothing beats finding that than getting fitted and then and then walking around with sandbags in your pack.
Wish you the best.
(And yes. I’ve paid more than makes sense for some gear, but you don’t have to go crazy).
no worry about packs now for the OP - too busy after the hurricane with having a place to live
I’m still new to lightweight packs, but I’ve had my fair share of experience with heavy loads and the packs needed to carry them.
Load transfer is all about the gram connecting from the top of the pack down to the hipbelt. That being said, for lightweight pack setups I’m a big fan of twin spar setups like what is found on the Hyperlight packs. I haven’t tried one personally, but I have two other packs that use this design, one a huge military winter pack that I’ve had loaded up to 70+ lbs, and another being a 38L that I’ve had in the 30# range, both perform exceptionally well. Especially the larger one, it’s very easy to loose the eh shoulder straps to the point that 90% of the load is on my hips and the straps are simply there to keep the pack from falling off my back. This is most useful in hot weather when you need to vent your back a little.
Good luck in your search.
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Looking at the Mountain Hardware Outdry packs I realized that my pack with a pack cover and a compactor bag inside (if I chose to use both) would be lighter than the MH pack.
Last edited by dwcoyote; 03-10-2019 at 16:18.
Sorry I'm confused here.I'm one of those idiots who buckles the hip belt around the waist.If that is too high by 6-8 inches and I lowered it then I wouldn't be able to walk.If I raised it 6-8 inches it would then be around my rib cage and I wouldn't be able to breathe.
Since I don't know enough about anatomy to really identify my iliac-crest,where should the hip belt buckle be relative to my belly button?I gots enough sense to find my belly button.
I usually have around 25-30 in my size medium ULA Circuit fwiw and always have a tendency to have the load lifters pulled all the way up and can't get that perfect 45 degree angle they show on the website.Numerous emails with the company were fruitless too.Help?
The 45 degree thing is like a guideline.
The iliac crest is super easy to find; it’s right above your waist - just out your hands down there and feel for the biggest protruding bone...that’s it. Try to keep that big ol’ bone roughly centered in the hip belt pad (I find that I like to keep it in the lower third, but that’s something I just kinda did after countless days on the AT and it worked for me). Your belly button and the buckle shouldn’t matter, but for me with my large belly I find the buckle clasps right below the belly button.
Load lifters, especially in lighter frames packs, aren’t that huge a deal. If the weight is mostly on your hips and comfortable on your back, I wouldn’t care at all what angle the lighter straps are at. Honestly throughout the day I’m making small adjustments to the shoulder straps, load lifters AND sternum strap
My hip belt rides above my hip bones with the top third or so on my iliac crest. My belt buckle below my protruding belly. Belly button may be 3 inches or so above the buckle. If I had less of a belly, I'd wear it a bit higher, but that place now is where my belt naturally rests and the weight is on my hips, not my shoulders. I have a SO Unaweep in Cuben Fiber for most of my trips, but even my SMD Fusion 50 and 60 rests about the same place
Note: The Section Hiker has excellent illustrations on his web pages for locating the Hip Belt!
The distance that I stated previously is probably off.
Suffice to say, the HIP belt should be supported by the hard structure of the pelvis. Not wrapped around the soft area of the abdomen.
My one nit-pick with my ULA Catalyst, which I didn’t notice while being fitted, were the load lifter location. I was measured for a Medium frame and Medium hip belt. Just like my other packs. However, weeks later I noticed that the straps were horizontal. Not a deal breaker. Not perfect either.
If I replace the Catalyst, I will get a Large frame, Medium belt and S straps.
Wayne
My experience with my ULA Circuit is that although I wear a 34 pant which is right in the middle of their medium range for the hip belt I could not easily work the zippers on the hip belt pockets.I wound up ordering a large which moved the hip belt pockets further forward but it truthfully is almost too large as I have to pull the straps as much as possible to get a good fit.Apparently it's working for me ok as the shoulder straps don't dig in.Putting it on and connecting all straps from the top down helps it fit better too.Hip belt buckle is about even with my belly button.I find that if I do put it on as high as possible and tight as possible it will sort of settle onto the hip bones on its own.
I followed the instructions on ULA's website for fittment, measuring my torso and waist, called and talked to them on the *gasp* telephone, and received my new Circuit in a few days. It fits perfectly, the load lifters are near perfect 45* angles, and is totally comfortable and sits well supported on my hips. I wear it where the buckle for the pack is maybe an inch above my pants belt buckle - on my hips, not my waist... the top bone of my hips (on the sides) sits about in the middle of the padded waist belt of the pack... I tried to order the S straps based on several people's opinions here, and he said "I probably know more about which straps would be better for you than they do" (or something very similar). Turns out, yes, I got the S straps. He said they fit well for people with square-ish shoulders, not well for people with sloped shoulders.
We don't know if the OP bought it used, don't know if the OP guessed on torso size, don't know if the OP had it overloaded, don't know if the OP didn't watch all the "how to" videos on ULA's website...
This post wasn't so much to help the OP - since I don't think he's ever come back since his original post (?), but to let other people know that they need not be afraid to try the ULA Circuit based on how this thread started.
Ok, and what about this recommendations? What do you think? https://gearhunts.com/how-much-shoul...ackpack-weigh/