Backpack for a Small Woman

Obviously, you have a few areas of concern. The width-apart of the shoulder straps must adjust to the daughter. If they don't, then it is possible to sew an adjustable strap that pulls the two straps closer. Second, you have the torso length. Third, you have the waist belt.

–B.G.–

The importance of test fitting a backpack in person prior to purchase is probably second only to boots. Take your daughter to a dealer with a good selection and knowledgable staff and try them on. A good retailer can setup the pack with the appropriate load and help make adjustments to suit her body.

You might want to target brands, such as Granite Gear, that make women-specific models.

My gf is around the same height and weight. She likes gregory packs that have narrow but thicker straps (skinny straps with more padding if that makes sense) since they don't dig into her traps as much. She also likes gregory packs because they have a nice S-curve to the straps that get out of the way of her bust. Granite Gear straps may also work but we couldn't find one in her size.

I would definitely look at the Gregory's (Sage 55 in a short torso is what we'll get if we can't find a lighter pack as comfortable). They aren't light packs but comfort sometimes trumps weight.

+1 on trying it on with a load and walking around the store with it for a while. It's like buying shoes. I think men are easier to fit in general– you might have noticed that women have a wide variation in curves and such :)

My wife and daughter are both Osprey fans.

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A good friend of mine is about your daughter's size. She bought the golite jam 50 (because if was cheap) and raves about it and how it fits her. And she's someone who buys children's versions of camping clothes so they'll fit her better.

Thank all…very helpful. And I'll definitely spend the time with her to get the proper fit. In the past, the length or our trips have been impacted because she wakes up after day 1 quite sore from the pack…mostly in the shoulders, but sometimes in the armpit area.

The Elemental Horizons Kalais might work for her. The small size has narrower shoulder straps and a narrower hip belt.

Jeffrey,

My daughter is exactly the same height/weight as your daughter. As Bob mentioned, you'll need to measure the torso, waist, etc to ensure a proper fit but there's no reason that you can't buy a great cottage industry backpack for your daughter.

I purchased a ULA Ohm 2.0 with the S-curve straps torso size small for her and she absolutely loves it. It's adjustable so the torso is set to as short as possible and she has room to grow.

My largest regret is that after seeing her Ohm in Purple Blaze is that I didn't buy the same color for myself.

FWIW I think her total pack weight here is between 15-20lbs. After 25 miles I asked her what she thought about her backpack; her exact words were "I barely even notice it."

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Obviously there are other options out there but this is what worked for us.

Edit: In the last picture, she twisted her ankle on a rock the day before so I'm carrying her sleeping bag and some other stuff in mine for the last six miles. She was pissed that I took some of her gear off of her back but I pulled rank.

Ian…thank you very much. I actually have thought about a ULA pack for my daughter as I'm a big fan of them, having owned most of them and still own a custom Circuit. Those pictures look very familiar with respect to the size of her (those little girls are troopers, aren't they?).

I assume you got her the OHM 2.0 with the same suspension hoop that the Circuit has (and the more substantial hip belt)? I want to make sure I keep the weight onto her hips and not shoulders, which I believe the 2.0 does a better job at than its predecessor. My only other concern would be the very thin backpad on the OHM, compared to the more "cushy" one that the Circuit has. Has your daughter made any comments about that?

Yes both of our Ohms are 2.0. Weight transfer is perfect for both. The belt allows for some torso adjustment using velcro. This works just fine and we haven't had any problems with the velcro shifting on us.

When I made the purchase, I thought about cutting up a Ridgerest and replacing the backpads but so far they haven't been a problem for either of us. I may still do this in the future to help augment my sleep system but it won't be for comfort reasons. As long as she keeps cook pots etc away from her back it shouldn't be a problem.

Edit, if her torso ends up being too short for the Ohm 2.0, try looking at the circuit. You can go as short as 12".