women’s center of gravity

[backpackerchick]

That's interesting. I recently figured out with heavier loads, I feel better with weight of the pack right on top of the bone — at almost the highest point of the iliac crest, I think. Next time I'm on the trail, I'll confirm that! Carried lower, I feel a pinch in a nerve in the groin — don't remember which one and too lazy to look it up. I tend to shift the loaders around a bit to change the angle. Also, sometimes change the pack length over a long day. Old thread or not, it is an interesting topic. And it's nice to hear from other hiker girls. Obviously we are made for carrying a load but we are generally lighter and less heavily muscled than guys — yes exceptions exist! I wasn't feeling well today so I spent some time surfing this place. Just felt like posting. Really like this place. Can be a bit intimidating, though.

[backpackerchick]

NICE! didn't realize how old this was. :)

women's center of gravity Posted 10/05/2009 19:24:23 MDT by Spruce Goose (SpruceGoose)
>>This played out years ago in the ski industry.<<

Apparently played out here years ago, too. ;-)

[Kris K.]

ok… here's MY stats. Opposite than Backpacker Chick…

5'10" 210 strong and curvy.
14/16 tops and 16/18 bottoms.

My story: started out 315lbs. Pretty active. go figure. Teach Bellydancing (at my highest weight too!) Students couldn't keep up with me. I went to a weight loss clinic that does menu planning and B6/B12 injections. Lost 50 lbs, then opened the same clinic in Northern AZ. Lost the rest of the weight.

I have pretty good core muscles. Had a quad accident at about 280lbs (jumped it 15', bad judgment, didn't land it).
Bad lower back muscles since.

I just started Backpacking with my husband this year. He's pretty knowledgeable about UL gear etc. Got set up with the womens Osprey Ariel 65 2008 pack. I pack my MB SS Hugger #2 sleeping bag in the bottom compartment. Then in the body against the back, I load my Big agnes insul. 3/4 mummy, my awesome Monarch butterfly chair (18oz.),and my XL MH jacket. Then I work my way up loading clothes, rain jacket, Food, down booties, misc. I do use a MSR 2L bladder which adds weight right against my back. Without too much details, my pack ends up totaling 27# (including pack weight). My husband carries our TT rainshadow 2 and bear canister or Ursack.

The weight is low in the pack and close to my back. I'm fond of this set up.

The issue I have is…the way the hip belt sits on my body shape. This might be too informative. Since my weight loss, the top of my right cheek/hip/backside, is smaller than the Left side. There is a gap there between me and the belt. This I didn't realize until after my first long trip and my left shoulder was cinching up. This due to my body trying to compensate. I put on an empty REI flash 45 and my husband was astonished as to the MAJOR lean of the pack to my right side.

After visiting our local outdoor store, and favorite hiking goo-roos, we realized there is nothing I can do about this, except to hope that as I lose more weight, the other side will decided to shrink some too.

We tried moving the hip belt in all directions, along with the adjustable shoulder straps to compensate.

So I'm stuck with trying to put a folded microfiber towel in the gap to help out.

The funny thing is, I didn't even notice it was a problem until my shoulder muscle began to ache about 8 miles in.
The pack moved great with each step. Oh and yes…I fell..but the two times I fell, I fell forward and was going up hill. Better than backwards. The pack was great and loaded for my body. If I could just conquer this lop-sided cheek/hip problem.

So my suggestion to women is find a pack that YOU feel comfortable with, and dont' follow the hype. I tried on my husbands packs (from his Maraposa plus to his Osprey atmos). Also before buying a pack, try it pack with the weight sacks at the store, but keep in mind it WILL feel different with your gear. Walk around with it for a while and ask yourself if you are comfortable enough to carry it ALL DAY. Loading your pack suggestions… load it and take it on a day hike, and play around. I believe every woman's body is different. That is what makes us special.

Newbies should definitely go ultralight, and do lots of research on products and competitors. Ask questions. BPL guys are pretty informative. We are getting into hammocking, and the help is amazing. Don't be shy.

Ok…I hope that my experience is somewhat helpful to someone. I wish I had some females to chat with. Finding clothes in my size are also difficult. I do have some men's garments for now, but suit me just fine.

to all POSTERS: Thank you to all your posts in every area. My husband made a backpacking monster out of me. I just read and read these forums sucking up all the information and opinions out there.

[backpackerchick]

OMG Kris, you sound amazing! Size is just a number!!! You sound incredibly FIT! And experienced! People say you are either an Osprey person or you are NOT. I am! I love the aura. We could still have the same relative center of mass! Thank you for all the info. It will take me some time to digest! I was sick today so spent several hours investigating this forum. I LOVE it. And there are girls here too! Thank you so much for posting this! It means so much to me! This place is great.

[Kris K.]

I appreciate you kind words. But I have to admit, I'm not incredibly fit.. I hike about 2 miles an hour. and the experience… I'm working on it. My husband is EXTREMELY supportive, and he read over my post, per my request, to insure I was stating it all the BPL way. lol. But I will take the compliment and run! lol.

I look forward to the other BPL women to speak up and let ourselves be known. I know we are not alone.

[Tad Englund]

Kris, you might want to contact Dan McHale (posted earlier on this thread) at Mcahalepacks.com
He makes a great pack, and has help many people with back problems build a well fitting pack that works.

[Roger Caffin]

There is one genuine male/female difference which does matter in pack design.
In a male the gluteal muscles (ie bum muscles) go through the pelvic cradle (that great big hip bone).
In a female the gluteal muscles go outside the pelvic cradle. That's because the womb is located inside the pelvic cradle: there is no room for a powerful muscle as well.

This leads to a genuine difference between men and women: women (at 'ideal' weight) have a delightfully rounded posterior, while men tend to have a fairly flat one. The pelvic cradle or hip bone may also be shaped slightly differently: it is often a bit wider in women (for the same reason).

This does require a difference in the dorsal pad at the back of the hip belt, and is a genuine reason for a slightly different pack design – or at least for different hip belts.

As to the rest … anyone who can labour in the fields carrying a 7 – 8 month old fetus and placenta is hardly feeble! By the 8th child a woman's back may be getting a bit tired, but with modern reproductive ratios this should not be significant. Mind you, all bets are off when the person is overweight and unfit. In reproductive terms, that is not a good recipe for genetic survival.
.

Portering in to the hut for a ski trip – about 24 kg (53 lb) recently
.
Cheers

[Tad Englund]

Roger, I can't tell if Sue is smiling or giving you a different look.
Also, good description of the backside differences, I see how the hipbelt is effected, but are there any other issues that would make for a different pack design (other then the obvious shoulder strap design).
Did you make Sue pack and is it different then your?

[backpackerchick]

"This leads to a genuine difference between men and women: women (at 'ideal' weight) have a delightfully rounded posterior, while men tend to have a fairly flat one."

Wow. Lots of us do NOT meet this "ideal". The coveted hour-glass shape?

When we stand back and look at the organism as a whole, the difference in the shape of the pelvis between the sexes is not that marked. Furthermore, there is a wide variation in pelvic shape among women.

[Jack H.]

"women (at 'ideal' weight) have a delightfully rounded posterior"

From extensive field observation, I'm not sure that I agree with that.

[Lynn Tramper]

"women (at 'ideal' weight) have a delightfully rounded posterior"

Ummm, I don't think that's due only to differences in muscle!

I think, aside from too much weight on shoulders, the other thing that kills a pack for me is too much pressure on the lower back due to that delightfully rounded posterior. This may require a different hipbelt, but shouldn't affect how the pack is loaded with regard to center of gravity.

[backpackerchick]

I don't carry my pack on my "posterior"! My iliac crests are above my "posterior". Though I don't claim to have the perfectly round tush. Nothing is worse than having it slide down that far!

In regard to "posterior" shapes, we aren't all Barbie dolls!

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Tad

I think Sue was smiling. Heavy loads reduce the grin …

I made my own pack – an external H-frame unit with almost no hip-belt. That's because I have very narrow hips and I have found that hip belts just slide straight down over my hips. The idea of carrying a load on my hips simply does not work for me. But I am used to carrying the load on my back and shoulders.

Sue's pack is a (NZ) Macpac Torre. A rather large and heavy thing meant for men, but it has an excellent harness structure which rides very well on her hips etc. She does not normally fill it up with weight, but the big volume is very useful in Europe when she is carrying several loaves of fresh bread. We got through the bread (and cheese) at an appalling rate!

Apart from the hip-belt, I don't think women are hugely different. The hollow of the back may be a bit more pronounced on women compared to men, but as several have suggested the within-sex differences are just as large as the between-sex differences. I have to agree with that.

> This may require a different hipbelt, but shouldn't affect how the pack is
> loaded with regard to center of gravity.
I agree with Lynn.

Cheers
PS: my pack was bigger.

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