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Good UL pack for Small Woman
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Sep 1, 2015 at 9:27 pm #1332244
We have had a bit of trouble fitting my wife for a ~45-50L backpack. She is a 5"2' very athletic build (Ultra Runner, Swimmer — not weight lifter) with very small hips strong shoulders. Did 20 in the USMC. Every pack we have tried is ether too tall and she can't look up or the waist belt is just to darn big. We do have an old Dayna Designs Arclight that fits pretty well– but its totally designed for humping a major load and it weighs 6 lbs! We need something with a frame or good rigid support system. We travel light but occasionally have to haul water. We have not gone to the cottage manufactures yet because I really don't like to send stuff back to those folks — its hard enough for those guys to make a buck. So we have hit every pack in REI , Dicks etc. No go. I think Im going to have to simply order a few with plans to return most. (Just rubs me the wrong way) I am looking for suggestions. PS If anybody from GG reads this. My office is across the park lot from you in Austin: But any time I email you I'm told "No don't come" — Seems cheaper on you than to do returns.
Sep 1, 2015 at 9:35 pm #2224508ULA. Has small and xs sizes. Stock available. You pay the shipping. You won't put them out of business trying a few things. Others will suggest others I'm sure.
Sep 1, 2015 at 9:46 pm #2224509My wife is 5'2", 100 lb. She has an MLD Exodus with the Lightweight Suspension upgrade in Women's Small at it fits her really well. At 57 litres it's bigger than you're looking for, but I believe Ron also makes the 48 litre Prophet in women's sizing.
Sep 2, 2015 at 5:06 am #2224536ULA makes a kids frame, I believe. My wife is also short an okay try it.
Sep 2, 2015 at 9:51 am #2224568Check manufacturer websites. What will often happen (in my neck of the woods anyway) is that box stores won't stock sizes that don't sell enough, aka very large or very small packs. Gregory has packs in a wider range of sizes than you'll find at REI, for example. I had to order online – which resulted in a good discount as well from one of the main retailers – to get a small size in a particular pack for SAR. A lot of online retailers have a fairly decent return policy – competing with REI. It should take just a walk around the house with weight in the pack, if you understand what fits – it sounds like you do. I had to take my very tall boyfriend to Down Works in Santa Cruz to find a pack that didn't make his shoulders hurt (too short in the frame) – the guy there has been fitting packs for decades and got him exactly what bf needed. Not every store has a good fitter. I have been chronically mis-measured over the years and finally figured out how to measure myself, and discovered that I had been given medium packs instead of small due to being consistently measured 1.5 – 2 inches larger than I am – that made a huge difference, as it put me astraddle the break between small and medium in many mass manufactured packs. Getting on the McHale website and getting out the tape measure saved my back. So I highly recommend to people who are smaller or larger than average to do their own measuring. I've met a few petite ladies on the trail — a lot of them resort to kid's packs, like the Deuter Fox.
Sep 2, 2015 at 9:59 am #2224569If she continues with backpacking, it may be well worth the investment to have a custom pack made for her, such as McHale's.
Sep 2, 2015 at 10:03 am #2224570Might want to take a look at the Granite Gear Blaze A.C. 60 Ki. Rigid frame, adjustable back length and they offer different size shoulder straps and hip belts. http://www.granitegear.com/blazeac60ki.html HTH KJ
Sep 2, 2015 at 10:54 am #2224578Hello, I'm a 5'1" female, 118 lb, with a 15 or 16" torso length (I keep getting different measurements), and my two ULA packs in size small fit really nicely. FWIW, Cheers, Kim
Sep 2, 2015 at 11:07 am #2224582Someone mentioned trying the custom route. It is worth serious consideration. Zimmerbuilt is a great custom option. Chris Zimmer's customer service is excellent, his workmanship is amazing, and he is surprisingly affordable. He will work with your wife to get the right fit. I have 2 of his packs and my daughter has one. We love them. They also can be re-sold quickly on the Gear Swap Forum. Zimmerbuilt is well known on BPL and very highly respected.
Sep 2, 2015 at 11:43 am #2224592I'm a 5'2" woman and really don't have trouble finding adult packs to fit in terms of torso length but my skinny son had a lot of trouble finding hipbelts short enough. I don't have that problem. :) I wouldn't go the kids' pack route if she wants 50L volume but doesn't want a tall pack. Kids packs are narrower, so will end up taller at those volumes. I hate tall packs, and also prefer the weight to be close to my back (i.e. thinner.) If her shoulders are wide enough to be comfortable in a men's or unisex pack, they typically have a larger volume for the same model, so her gear will fit wider, with less height. When my son was 5' tall and weighed about 85lb, the Osprey Talon 44 fit him fine. Maybe a little small in volume for your wife, and it's not a big frame either. Not sure I'd put more than 25lb in it. I have a Circuit and love it. Interchangeable hipbelt, so worth considering.
Sep 2, 2015 at 12:06 pm #2224597Look at Osprey's EXOS 48 series. I comes in Small, Medium, and Large sizes. The comfort of the EXOS series is unmatched in light packs.
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