Is this pack too small for me? (See pics)

[Justin McCabe]

I have read a few of the threads on pack fit, personal preference, and sizing nightmares but, I know sometimes it comes down to an individual body type matched with a pack. So, in a nutshell, is this new Golite Jam 70 Medium that I got on a killer deal to small for me? I don't want sore shoulders and, while I am willing to size up, I've heard the hip belt on the large jam is not great for someone with size 32' waist. Thanks! (I loaded the pack with about 18 lbs for reference, as I normally only do weekenders.

[Justin McCabe]

[Justin McCabe]

Sorry all, my mac's smarter than me, can't figure out how to rotate the pics.

[Alex Eriksson]

Open your pics in preview, resize it by like 1 or 2 pixels, hit save. Preview will "bake in" the rotation. The problem is that your mac is capable of reading a meta-tag based rotation parameter and lots of PCs and a few browsers don't support it.

Happy trails.

Also, pack looks okay to me?

[James Marco]

Justin,
Yeah, It looks slightly small to me. Generally, size is not all that important. If the pack fits you, your body shape & proporton, and it does not restrict you in any way, it's good. Don't worry too much about manufacturors specs.

An 18 pound load is not really a good way to test a pack. Ususally most hikers can carry 20-pounds or less with no real problems…maybe an anoyance or two.17-18 pounds is a GOOD weight for general weekends, btw. But you really want to load it as fully as possible, to just "before" there is any pack collapse. Then weigh the pack. This will give you the maximum tollerable load. Remember that hiking walking will shake stuff down. So, take that into account, too. This may take you the better part of a morning…load, cinch, hike for about a mile and evaluate. Stand in front of a couple mirrors and or take some pics to help. For the jam, I expect somewhere around 12-17 pounds. Note that the foam backpad may not collaps when new.

Anyway, getting back to sizeing, I see the hip belt is slightly high on your hips. Rule of thumb tells me the belt should be just below my belly button, but this can change on people. I like to carry most of my weight on the belt. So, I generally loosen the shoulder harness enough that walking will let the pack settle where I will carry it. Usually, the top of the belt is *just* over the iliac crest (about 1/2-3/4") with the rest of the belt around my hips, padding them against the weight. In your pic, it looks a bit high, maybe a half inch or so…

Since pack size is a ballance amungst weight, distribution of weight, shoulder strap mounts, load "lifters", and hip belt, it is difficult to say exactly where your shoulder harness should be. But, I believe the adjustment buckles should *not* be laying under your arm. With heavy loads, this is a good place to get blood blisters. So, a longer strap would help. Again, this is very individualistic, and you have a bit of slack in the load lifters. Lifting the pack higher will lay the shoulder straps over you chest a little more, (avoiding the "pinch" point under your arm as it wraps away from your torso, down to the pack,) but will also shorten the strap. The load *lifters* should not be level with the tops of your shoulder, rather, slightly upward. Yours seem to be slightly down. The hydration tube keeper should NOT be right at the top of the shoulder either (where it can collaps a tube,) down further would be better. I think the shoulder harness it slightly beyond optimal.

The overall pack appears to be sitting a little low. This will probably exacerbate the problem with the shoulder harness once you drop the hip belt, and make the whole pack sit lower. I would try the next size up, at this point, lots of little things that are not quite right. But, if you like the way it sits, I will not say it is wrong.

The final point I will make is: what happens if you need a coat or jacket on under it?

So, the shoulder straps are to tight, the pack is too low, the hip belt is too high, the load lifters are too low. What do you think? I think you could carry it that way, but, with more weight…say 25 pounds, you will have more problems. 2" larger may be too large, though…

[M B]

Yes

[MFR]

It looks small for the way that I like to carry the pack, but if it sits well on your hips where it is, the load lifters can be tightened to effectively lengthen the torso on the pack. In fact, on a frameless pack like the Jam, that's about all they can do unless you have a very stiff system packed in there. To get more of an idea of what I'm talking about, read this thread.

That said, if you watch videos of Ryan Jordan with his HMG Expedition, he has a similar level of wrap around his shoulders even with a heavy packrafting load. Much of this comes down to preference. Check out the latest video from packrafting the Grande Ronde to see what I mean.

Or check out this image of Skurka carrying an older model Jam.

Looking one more time, I still think it's too small.

/*/Edited to add Skurka./*/

[John Donewar]

Justin,

Log in and check out his article by Luke Schmidt. It is geared towards MYOG packs but has a lot of pertinent information regarding pack fit and comfort.

https://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/process

FWIW I'd say yes that the pack is too small.

Party On,

Newton

[David Chenault]

That pack is too small. Ideally you'd want another ~2 inches of torso length.

The load cincher effect Clayton is talking about sorta works, but it is a lot better just get a pack that actually fits.

[Dena Kelley]

You should be able to tell by feel. If your hipbelt is too high, and the weight is being borne by your shoulders instead of your hips, you'll be miserable. I was using too small of a pack last summer (a GoLite Speedpack in medium torso) and I have a 21" (Long) torso and by the end of each day my shoulders were tired and chafed. In my opinion most of the weight should be on the hips, with the shoulder straps merely balancing the load and keeping it aligned with your body.

[Justin McCabe]

Hi everyone,

Thank you for the replies and for the links, I'll dig into the research and take it into account when pack shopping. So the general consensus is that the pack is too small. I had the same sinking feeling but since it was a great price was hoping it would work. Now to look for a pack with a long torso but small hipbelt.

Golite's size large has a waist belt size that fits a "33-35" waist (per golite rep)…Am thinking about the ULA Circuit now.

[Raquel Rascal]

Hey Justin,

I just saw this Vapor Trail Long Torso for sale for $75 that you may want to check out.

http://nextadventure.net/granite-gear-vapor-trail-backpack-en.html

[Justin McCabe]

Hi Raquel,

Checked out the VT, my only concern on that one is that it doesn't look like even my gorilla arms could reach my water bottles in that one due to the compression straps being over the side pockets! But thanks for looking out!

[John Donewar]

Justin,

Take a look at the gear deals at Zimmerbuilt.

http://www.zimmerbuilt.com/gear-deals.html

$110.00

Chris will also do custom builds.

http://www.zimmerbuilt.com/

Just in time for Christmas.

Party On,

Newton

[Justin McCabe]

Thanks John! That's definitely an aggressive ultralighter right there.

[John Donewar]

Justin,

If you actually need the 4270 cubic inch capacity of the Jam 70, Zimmerbuilt has larger capacity offerings capable of handling a bear can.

and…

Depending on the size of your carried load your bear can may just fit under the lid on these two packs.

He mixes materials as needed or desired; Cuben, Xpac, Dyneema & silnylon

Tell Chris what your wants and needs are and see what he has to offer.

Party On,

Newton

[David Ure]

Yes – agree with what has been said – the pack is a bit too short in torso. However, it does look like you are wearing it a bit low for an UL Frameless pack such that I would expect the belt to be riding a bit higher as more of an upper hip belt or even a waist belt as Skurka wears his. I would argue that if you are carrying well under 20lbs of weight, then the size may turn out to be just fine with additional weight on your shoulders.

[Miles Spathelf]

I think the pack is a bit small…but I'm a little confused as to why the belt should be below the belly button (regarding James Marco's comment). My navel is pretty smack dab inline with my iliac crest…I mean go what works for you but I'm just curious if hear more why the belt shouldn't rest on the crest.

edited for clarification

[James Marco]

Belly buttons move around from person to person. Mine is a little higher than the iliac crest. Actually, that is about where I cinch it, then I shrug it down. This will lock it it on my hips. 'Corse the hips are somewhat flexible, but about half way over the crest is about where it locks in best.

I tried locking in at the very top of the crest, but this causes a lot of pressure on my hips. I developed a blister in this area carrying heavy loads when I was younger. Anyway, dropping it slightly keeps the weight from pinching flesh in that area.

[Miles Spathelf]

Makes sense…just curious as I've seen some pack fitting videos that used the navel as a reference point. Cheers

[Justin McCabe]

A ULA OH, 2.0. Not the lightest but, its reputation is amazing and it has an adjustable hip belt to aid me in finding the right fit. Oh, and it has absolutely fantastical side pockets, I can grab a 1.5 L bottle from there while walking with no problems at all.

Thank you all for your help!

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