Fitting a
Backpack

Fitting a Backpack Correctly
Understanding how to fit a backpacking backpacking correctly

Finding your Torso Length

Just because you are a certain height, say a 5'9" female or 6' male, does not mean you automatically need a "large" or "tall" pack. Your torso length, not your height, determines your pack size. Here's how to measure yours:

• Have a friend locate the bony bump at the base of your neck, where the slope of your shoulder meets your neck. This is your 7th cervical (or C7) vertebra. Tilt your head forward to locate it more easily.
• Using a flexible tape measure, your friend should start at that spot and measure downward along your spine.
• Place your hands on your hips so you can feel your iliac crest, which serves as the "shelf" of your pelvic girdle. (It's the first hard thing you feel when you run your fingers down from the sides of your ribcage.) Position your hands so your thumbs are reaching behind you.
• Have your friend finish measuring at the point where the tape crosses an imaginary line drawn between your thumbs. This distance is your torso length.

Use your torso length measurement to find your best pack size. Generally, manufacturers size their pack frames something like this:

Extra Small: Fits torsos up to 15-1/2"
Small: Fits torsos 16" to 17-1/2"
Medium/Regular: Fits torsos 18" to 19-1/2"
Large/Tall: Fits torsos 20" and up

If your measurement is right on the border (say, 17-3/4"), it's best to visit a store to try on both sizes of that pack. If your measurement lies outside that range, you might require a custom-built pack.

Determine Your Hip Size

While not as crucial as your torso length, your hip measurement is useful to know. It's especially helpful if you are considering a pack that offers interchangeable hipbelts.

Take your tape measure and wrap it around the top of your hips, the "latitude line" where you can feel your iliac crest - those two pointy bones just above the front pockets on your pants. A properly positioned hipbelt will straddle your iliac crest, about an inch above and below that line.

Six Steps to Great Fit

Once you've selected a pack with the right torso length and hipbelt size, you need to get properly fitted. The six steps are:

• With all straps loosened, place hipbelt directly over your hip bones and tighten it.
• Snug shoulder straps just enough so that they are not bearing weight.
• Snug load-lifter straps so that weight is off of your shoulders.
• Adjust sternum strap to a comfortable height across your chest.
• Adjust load stabilizer straps along sides of hipbelt to bring load closer to your back.
• Go back and loosen shoulder straps to take some tension off of them.

Your goal is to have 80% to 90% of the load weight resting on your hips. To achieve this, start by putting about 10 to 15 lbs. of weight into the pack to simulate a loaded pack. Follow the steps below in front of a mirror. Get a friend to help if possible, or visit an REI store for more assistance.

Step 1: Hipbelt

• First make sure all the pack's straps and hipbelt are loosened.
• Put the pack on your back so that the hipbelt is resting over your hip bones.
• Close the hipbelt buckle and tighten it.
• Check the padded sections of the hipbelt to make sure they wrap around your hips comfortably. Keep at least 1" of clearance on either side of the center buckle.
• Note: If the hipbelt is too loose or tight, try repositioning the buckle pieces on the hipbelt straps. If this doesn't solve the problem, you may need a different pack (or hipbelt).

Step 2: Shoulder Straps

• Pull down and back on the ends of the shoulder straps to tighten them.
• Shoulder straps should fit closely and wrap over and around your shoulder, holding the pack body against your back. They should NOT be carrying the weight.
• Have your helper check to see that the shoulder strap anchor points are 1" to 2" inches below the top of your shoulders.

Step 3: Load Lifters

• Load-lifter straps are located just below the tops of your shoulders (near your collarbones) and should angle back toward the pack body at a 45-degree angle.
• Gently snug the load-lifter straps to pull weight off your shoulders. (Overtightening the load lifters will cause a gap to form between your shoulders and the shoulder straps.)

Step 4: Sternum Strap

• Adjust the sternum strap to a comfortable height across your chest.
• Buckle the sternum strap and tighten until the shoulder straps are pulled in comfortably from your shoulders, allowing your arms to move freely.

Step 5: Stabilizer Straps

• Pull the stabilizer straps located on either side of the hipbelt to snug the pack body toward the hipbelt and stabilize the load.

Step 6: Final Tweak

• Go back to the shoulder straps and carefully take a bit of tension off of them. Now you're ready to go!

Information from REI