Does This Pack Fit?

[MFR]

I had the Crown, and I carried it last spring and into summer until I decided to return it to REI after serious suspension failure in frameless mode. Despite being advertised as frameless up to 25 lbs., I only found the framesheet usable to about 30 lbs., and frameless not at all. (I realize that you haven't mentioned using it without the framesheet, but I do find it relevant given how GG advertises the pack.)

Based on the photos, I would agree with the consensus that it fits, but is on the short end. My worry is that, based upon my experience with the pack, the frame would collapse too much at heavier loads and really shorten the effective torso length very quickly. You don't have a lot of room for adjusting it.

FWIW, the reason GG advertises the torso length as so long is that they are measuring from where the shoulder straps attach to the bottom of the hipbelt. That measurement would be 19.5" on the pack, thus the reason you have a couple of inches of wrap with a approx. 19" torso. Of course, when you measure your torso, you do it from the iliac crest to the C7 vertebra, which usually equates to the middle of the hipbelt depending on individual preference.

Even given this discrepancy, I still don't get how they could advertize this size all the way up to 21". Personally, the variety of misleading marketing claims surrounding this pack has soured me on the company a bit.

[Marko Botsaris]

"When she says “the center of the side,” do you suppose she refers to the side of the body, forward of the iliac crest? "

The center of the side of the belt I think. That is about right, but different people have different shapes and likes so this is not always true. But basically, while I don't know the precise question you asked, that response doesn't seem to have too much actual content.

[Delmar O’Donnell]

@ Mauritzen: Yes, Clayton, I have studied your several posts on the failure of the pack when frameless, and its limits when framed. They come up quickly on any internet search on the Crown pack. I thought your criticisms were very well articulated and I read them over several times. They're also somewhat rare, as praise for the Crown is overall high (when it fits). Interesting explanation of GG's unique measurement system, thanks.

@ Millonas: I think so: "Center of side of belt" makes sense, but again unique to GG as they don't reference off the top of the iliac crest as seems standard elsewhere. Regards what I asked them: I asked whether they thought the pack fit, and basically repeated my original post at the top of this thread to GG, along with some additional measurements, expected max weights, and also sent them the photo. I also referred GG to this thread, if they were interested in the discussion. I felt their response defined the words "laconic" and "oblique," but they were also prompt and polite.

[Delmar O’Donnell]

Report as requested (finally!):

I slipped away for a 5-mile walk with 25 lbs in the Crown pack. (That would be my pack weight for a 4-night trip). It was filled with my regular gear, and about six cans of fruit added for ballast. I didn’t get any undue weight on either hips or shoulders; no hot spots; the weight seemed spread evenly. I fiddled and adjusted as I went, and the pack seemed plenty comfortable. I could transfer the weight to the hips or to the shoulders with ease, by taking in here and letting out there. I realize this is a short hike but that’s all I found time for. I met my wife at the end of the hike and asked her to take a photo so you could diagnose possible “after-hike-droopiness” as mentioned above. What do you think?

[David Ure]

nm

[Ken Thompson]

Looks like a textbook fit.

[M B]

It really depends on if its comfortable for you.

Plenty of people like to wear their hipbelt lower than normal, and need longer torso due to it.

Some like it a bit high, with no discernable weight on their shoulders at all.

Because packs fit a several inch range, everyones fit is a bit different.

If you can possibly wear it higher, if you desire, to get weight off your shoulders, you have nothing to worry about.

Theres always tradeoffs. Heavier weights will slide down more and make the torso seem shorter, but the larger size packs are heavier too. What you carry most of the time, is usually used to determine whats best overall

[David Ure]

nm

[Mark Ries]

I agree nice fit I think you found a pack that works for you with the weights you want to carry

[MFR]

Looks great. If you like it, go for it!

[Sean Passanisi]

Hi all. Great thread. I'd love feedback my Ohm 2.0 fit. I measured my torso at 18.5" (per the ULA website) and purchased a Medium Ohm (rated for 18" to 21"). I moved the adjustable hip belt towards the top, moving the length of the torso towards the shorter end of the range.

I'm planning to use this pack for the JMT. In the photo, I have it loaded with most of my planned weight of 28 lbs, including a WM Summerlite, an Exped Downmat UL7 (used as back padding), a BV500 with 7 days of food, and a Tarptent Notch. I'm missing some weight in my cooking equipment, clothing, water, and a few miscellaneous items. My Ohm comes in at 738 g / 26 oz, stripped of all features including the foam back panel.

FYI, I know ULA recommends against using the Ohm with a bear canister. I also have a Circuit and can't discern any positive difference between carrying the can compared to the Ohm when using the thick Dowmat for padding.

Thanks.

Edit: How do I orient the picture correctly? The photo was straight when I uploaded it…

[MFR]

Sean, it doesn't look too bad–certainly doable if that's where it's most comfortable for you. Personally, though, I would move it up an inch and a half or so.

Clearly, with the adjustable torso length, the pack fits. You might take it out for a few hikes and just play with where the hipbelt is positioned and see what is most comfortable for you.

[Sean Passanisi]

Thanks, Clayton. I'll try moving the hip belt to the top of the adjustment, making the torso as short as possible.

I was a bit unsure when I bought since my 18.5" torso is close to the M (18" – 21") and the small (15" – 18").

[Marko Botsaris]

Sean. IMHO you might want to at least try the next size up. You could go up to 1.5-2 inches longer. It is "OK" where it is at, but it is flirting (fractions of an inch) from being obviously too short.

But at the risk of repetition, the main thing is how it feels on you – with full weight and carried for a whole day. What do I know, you may have tough shoulders. Also, since you effectively have next to no frame, going longer may not help since it will probably eventually just sag lower.

Do yourself a favor, however. Since you are planning on walking 200+ miles carrying a decent amount of weight, at least try out one pack, loaded, and with a frame that can handle that weight well – just for comparison. For 0.5-1 lb more you may discover the weight really just disappears on you back.

Personally I wouldn't do a long trip with that kind of weight with that pack. It would be great for a weekend, especially without the bear can, but on the last part of the JMT you may be schlepping a lot of food. Respect the frame!

[Sean Passanisi]

Mark, thanks for your comments. I may have misunderstood Clayton, but my next adjustment was to actually shorten, not lengthen the torso.

I understand your concern about the weaker suspension compared to the Circuit, but I've found the Ohm to be just as comfortable with my equipment (I was surprised the bear canister fits as well as it does).

[MFR]

Sorry–I wasn't clear enough. By "up" I meant in torso length, not up in the belt adjustment. In other words, I think you might do well with an extra 1.5" or so of torso length on the pack. I definitely wouldn't go any shorter than you have here.

[Sean Passanisi]

Gotcha. Like the OP, I may have incorrectly assumed that I would be at the lower end of the torso range given my measurements.

[Marko Botsaris]

"Gotcha. Like the OP, I may have incorrectly assumed that I would be at the lower end of the torso range given my measurements."

The pack is *clearly* at the lowest end of the torso length of the PACK that will be good for you, ergo YOU have a torso at the at the upper end what will work with that pack. It you had a framed pack I would be a bit more positive about it, but if you are going to be forced to carry a lot of the weight on your shoulders, and you are ok with that, then it is perfect.

Possibly go up one size, which is typically about 2 inches longer and see how it feels. Don't go shorter! Any shorter at all is a mistake. However, there may not be all that much you can do with no frame. If you could use a stiffer pad and pack it burrito style (like a ridgerest) then you might be able to reap the benefits of getting a good fit. Otherwise everything may sag a bit on your shoulders with close to 30 lbs on your back. If you are good with that then no problem. Trying this with an inflatable is a bit tricky, but I think I remember several threads on here over the years about doing just that. The volume required for support with an inflatable may seriously eat into your pack volume. An there may be some other issues.

Just try it out with a pack with more of a frame just to see for yourself. You could do this in a store at not cost. You could even bring all your gear in a box.

[MFR]

Mark, the Ohm does have a frame, and it's rather robust, even for being so light. It's a pretty ingenious system that has worked for a lot of people. Given that, Sean I think you'll be fine from the point you're at in the picture and higher. Though, you are wearing the pack a bit high on your waist (not a bad thing–I prefer to do that too), so if you hope to adjust it by wearing it a bit lower later in the day, you would need more torso length to make that possible.

One of the great things about having built-in adjustments is how well you can tailor the fit. That just takes time. I'm about to do the fourth or so iteration for the shape of the stays on my HMG Porter, and with each minor adjustment, I learn a lot more about packs. For me, that's part of the fun.

[Marko Botsaris]

"My Ohm comes in at 738 g / 26 oz, stripped of all features including the foam back panel."

Did it have more than that foam? It sounds like my older GoLite Jam which has exactly that. But is also sounds like even that is gone. Don;t get me wrong, I have and love packs like that, its just that I think there may be slight long-day comfort issue with over 20 lbs, at least for some people.

[Sean Passanisi]

Thanks, Mark and Clayton. I was a bit perplexed and measured my torso again and found that I'm at 20" using the ULA measurement. This makes sense now. At 5'8", I'm not sure if it makes sense for me to move up into the 21" – 24" size. That seems big.

Mark, the Ohm has a suspension system beyond the foam pad that I removed (assuming that the foam pad of the Ohm provides little or no suspension benefit).

[Jason Elsworth]

Don't worry about how tall you are. I am 6 foot and have 19.5 inch torso. I may not be following this correctly, but currently you have the hip belt at the top of its range resulting in the shortest torso length possible?

[Marko Botsaris]

Sean,

As we have been discussing in other recent threads, there can be a great variation and confusion over what you "proper" torso sizes is. You can't really measure it with a tape measure, thought using the standard method will give you a ballpark figure. This is because companies only give a recommended range, not actual measurements from the pack, because they define that range somewhat arbitrarily, and because people like to wear their packs slightly differently on their body. So just ignore what you think is the right length. You might want to look for a pack that when worn comfortably and loaded the strap attachment at the top are directly horizontal from the tops of your shoulders, and then measure the distance from the bottom or middle (remember which) of the belt to the place where the straps attach to the pack at the top. That is your actual "torso" length, and you can then use that to help find a pack in the future – by measuring yourself. Sorry for the repetition of this point, but it helped me tremendously in untangling the pack fitting knot. Recently I manage to order two packs online that fit me perfectly first time by figuring this out and asking for specific measurements.

Like Jason, I also have weird measurements. I'm short, but have the torso of someone over 6 feet. Basically a penguin. I also have found good-fitting packs with officially designated small, medium and large sizes.

[Ian]

Hi Sean,

Beating a dead horse but I'd agree with other responses in that you may find increasing the torso length (by lowering the hip belt) may be more comfortable for you once you creep over the 20lb mark. YMMV. Nice thing is that it only takes a minute to change it back if you find that the adjustment doesn’t work for you.

We have two ULA Ohm 2.0s in my household and I really love this ruck. I have the green version and my daughter has the purple blaze. After seeing her pack, I wish I would have ordered the purple blaze too.

It's nice to hear the bear canister is working for you with this ruck. I'm pondering a JMT hike in the next couple of years and would prefer to use the Ohm instead of purchasing a Circuit.

Happy trails.

[Sean Passanisi]

Thanks everyone for the helpful feedback. I'll adjust the belt to the max torso length and repost a photo.

[Author]

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