Women’s Packs vs Men’s/Unisex Packs

The differences are mainly in the shoulder straps (narrower and contoured differently) and hip belt.

Dan McHale has some info about that here:
http://mchalepacks.com/packs/detail/measure.htm

I thought there was a section on his site about the differences between packs for men and packs for women, but either I'm mistaken or I just overlooked it. (Not a great web site, but the packs are amazing. If you want a pack that WILL fit you, talk to Dan. Just be ready for a bit of sticker shock.)

First thing, it depends on whether or not the torso size fits you. Secondly, it depends on whether or not you have the appropriate harness on the appropriate torso length for you. Both the Ariel & Deva are fully customizable packs; if you need a short torso and a large harness, any decent shop can make that happen for you.

Back in the day, we just sold packs. As an example, say a Dana Terraplane. If a woman bought the pack, we'd put on a woman's belt and harness. If a man bought it, we'd put on a men's belt and harness. Some gender-specific packs on the market are really still the same as the old days, but just ship w/the different components already on, and perhaps a different-colored packbag.

Many companies do now make women's-specific packs in different torso lengths than the men's version. Some women's packs are built on narrower frames, but not all.

I note that your avatar photo is in a pool. If you're a competitive swimmer, it would make sense that you have broader shoulders than many other women. That doesn't necessarily mean you should look for a men's pack… the most important thing is getting the right torso length!! Just know that you might need to swap out harnesses, etc. Also worth noting here is that the Gregory Jade 60, which is just shy of 1/2 the weight of the Deva 60 (same-volume packs), the Jade does not have interchangeable components. That's fine for most, but if you do have a swimmer's build, you'll probably be better off in a custom fit.

One other thing I forgot to mention as part of trouble-shooting: If the pack straps feel too narrow around your neck, there's a very good possibility that you're fitting the packs with a torso that is too long for you. Too-long torso length in a pack will result in the curvature of the pack straps being placed wrong… basically, they're too far forward on you, and the neck curve, as it were, is too far forward. Not sure that's your problem, but another very good possibility at least…