Fitting a Backpack: Torso Length and Hip Belt
A well-fitted pack carries most of its weight on your hips, not your shoulders. Fit depends on torso length rather than height, and a few adjustments make the difference between a comfortable day and sore shoulders.
Measuring torso length
Torso length runs from the prominent bone at the base of your neck down to the line between the tops of your hip bones. Ask someone to measure it with a flexible tape, then compare with the manufacturer's size chart.
Many packs have adjustable back panels; set them before fine-tuning straps.
Adjusting in the right order
Load the pack with about the weight you will carry. Loosen all straps, then put it on and fasten the hip belt so the padding wraps over your hip bones. Next, tighten the shoulder straps until they rest on your shoulders without carrying most of the weight.
Then snug the load lifter straps and fasten the sternum strap at a comfortable height across your chest.
If the hip belt cannot sit on your hip bones without the shoulder straps lifting off your shoulders, the torso size is probably wrong, and no amount of strap adjustment will fully fix it.
Signs of a poor fit
Gaps between the shoulder straps and your back, a hip belt sitting on your waist or pressure points on your shoulders suggest the size or adjustment is wrong.
Walk around, climb some stairs and readjust during the first hour on the trail as the load settles.