Just realized I was packing my backpack wrong for 3 years

Kept getting crazy lower back pain on hikes. Drove me nuts. Saw a video of a guide repacking someone's bag at Glacier National Park. He moved the heavy stuff way up high, right between my shoulder blades. I always shoved my tent and stove down at the bottom. Anyone else have that aha moment with their pack setup?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade51724d ago

Actually that Glacier National Park guide sounds like he knew what he was talking about. Tbh, the heavy stuff up high thing is solid advice for most packs. But I gotta gently push back on one part of what you said. It's not really about putting the weight right between your shoulder blades. The key spot is actually higher, up near the top of your shoulder blades or even slightly above them. If you put it exactly between your shoulder blades, the weight can shift backward and pull on your shoulders in a weird way. Ngl, I spent a whole summer in the Sierras with mine too low and it wrecked my neck until a buddy showed me to pack my tent vertically so the bag sits up near my C7 vertebra.

matthewdixon25d ago

Did you check your hip belt fit after you moved the weight up? I ask because that was my real turning point. I shifted all my heavy gear up high, but my real lower back problems didn't stop until I realized my hip belt was riding way too low. Took a few tries adjusting the torso length and getting the belt right over my hip bones, not my waist. For me, the weight placement helped a lot, but without the belt doing its job my hips just took all that load wrong. Just something to consider if youre still tweaking things.

violar3524d ago

And it's funny you mention the hip belt because I had the Exact opposite problem. I spent years with my belt so tight I was basically giving myself bruises, thinking tighter meant better support. Then a ranger at Yosemite told me the belt should be snug but not cranked down, and my back pain got way better almost overnight. Sometimes its the little adjustments that make the biggest difference.