Deuter Futura 28 and 26 SL – fitting (with pics)

[Alex Loobeensky]

Hey guys!

After 15 years of constant use my good, old Deuter ACT Lite 28 finally died. Back then I’ve asked the seller in the trekking shop if I shouldn’t get the SL edition but after asking me for my height he said: „Nah, you don’t need that”. I’ve recently ordered Futura 26 SL and 28 for fitting at home and around this time I discovered I have no idea how the backpack should fit and there’s a big probability I’ve been using packs that were way too big for my whole life.

Therefore: pretty please, with cherry on top… help. I’ve been reading through this forum and even though in theory I know things, in practice I’m not sure how these things look and work in real life.

These are small daypacks, so I’ll never carry gear for 4 days in the woods in them. They don’t need to sit absolutely perfectly, but I’d like to be able to comfortably go on a hike from time to time.

I’m 171 cm (5’6″), 60 kg (132lb). I’ve tried to measure my torso with my bf but every time we’ve been getting different measurements: 18,5″, 18″… Futura 26 SL is supposed to fit torsos up to 18″ although when I tried in on for the first time and did some adjusting, it looked a bit small to me, with weight lifters being almost horizontal and shoulder straps landing too deep on my back (I think):

(4 packages of soy milk and two cans of beans, that’s why the pack hangs so low)

Another adjusting and it started to look a bit better:

That’s where my hip bones are. Curiously enought, my thumb lands at my last ribs, so if I carry more, the hip belt digs into my ribs. Not 100% comfortable.

Then I checked the 28l version:

Overall the hip belt felt more comfortable but to keep the pack close to the upper part of my back I had to shorten the shoulder straps to the max, as you can see. This in turn makes the sternum strap impossible to use, as the highest I can put it is in the middle of my breasts. Nu-uh:

 

[Alex Loobeensky]

(Oh, sorry. Didn’t know that forum doesn’t have an Edit button)

So, that’s how it goes. I’d be extremely grateful for any help. I plan to use this pack for another 15 years. It doesn’t need to be perfect but it seems that the good enough result is, well, equally hard to achieve.

Ah, two side notes, because I noticed on another thread that it may be important:
– I stoop a lot (computer work), so it probably affects my shoulder, back and how the pack fits.
– Snuggy fit around my shoulders is really hard to get. I have to shorten the shoulder belts of both packs a lot and I feel it immediately. If I don’t do this,  the weight bounces away. Same happens with weight lifters: when I tighten them enough to feel the weight comfortably moving towards my back, they are usually so tight they lift the shoulders straps up.

Best regards from the Netherlands!
Alex

[Jenny A]

It is very unlikely that you have an 18″ torso with respect to how packs fit.  Most women, irrespective of height, have torsos in the 14-16″ range even if they are tall; the very rare woman has a 17″ torso.  It’s just how we are put together.  To clarify, you bought two packs, a Futura 26 SL and a Futura 28 (NOT SL?)?  This is important because the non-SL packs are for longer torsos (generally men) and tend not to fit most women quite as well.

I might suggest jumping on REI’s website for a primer on how to fit a backpack, here:  https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/backpacks-adjusting-fit.html

The first set of images, the Futura 26SL, looks like it could be a fit with some proper adjusting.  You want your iliac crest (top of the pelvic structure, NOT THE SAME as your hip bones) centered vertically in the hip belt.  The adjustment buckle on the shoulder strap should end somewhere under your armpit +/-, and the sternum strap should hit a couple of finger-widths below your sternal notch.

The 2nd pack, the Futura 28, is way too long for you.  It is designed for longer torsos, and that is why you have to pull the shoulder straps so tight and the sternum strap hits in the wrong place.  It’s hitting you in the back of the head because it is too long.  If you stand the two packs side by side, the 28 will be a couple of inches longer.  It is too big.

To summarize, if you are going to keep one of the packs, keep the 26 SL.  The 28 probably won’t be as comfortable.  Do you have access to an outdoor shop that can actually measure your torso and provide some better guidance?  I’d do it for you if you came to Colorado! (For the record, I work at REI, and pack fitting is one of my jobs.)  Hope that is helpful.  Your pictures were helpful, too.

[Roger Caffin]

Agree on two points:
You have the waist strap too high anyhow: it is not meant to be around your actual waist;
The torso length on the pack may be too much for your torso.

A good pack fitter at a good gear shop is what you need.

Cheers

[Greg Mihalik]

BTW, if you are logged-in the Edit button is on the right, looking “grayed out” when, in fact, it is functional.

 

[Alex Loobeensky]

Thanks A LOT!

Jenny: I would actually prefer my torso to be shorter (purely because the 26 SL version looks nicer color-wise ;)) so I hope you’re right. There is a chance I measured myself somehow wrong but all other measurements were even longer… Ha!

Yes, the 28l version is the „male” version indeed. I ordered it taking into consideration that last time the seller saw me and claimed I don’t need to try the SL edition. The ACT Lite that I bought in 2004 was a non-SL version as well. I just put it on again after everything you guys told me and it seems that it indeed was/is a nearly-perfect fit. They must’ve changed the design since.

You want your iliac crest (top of the pelvic structure, NOT THE SAME as your hip bones) centered vertically in the hip belt.

Hm, I thought that the „hip bone” in the front of my body is a part of the iliac crest, so when the front part of the hip belt ends riiiight over it, the rest rests, in fact, on that higher part of the iliac crest that goes slightly up to the side and the back of the body. Now I’m puzzled. One thing is clear though, the hip belt is strapped too high. Now, there’s a whole another thing that worries me, because if I put the hip belt lower, the upper end of the weight-carrying structure of the pack that leans against the torso is going to slide lower as well… which may end up with the 28l being better fit after all… maybe? Mind it, all of the pics were taken with the hip belt buckled in the wrong position.

Thanks for the links! The REI guide is exactly the one I’ve been using to measure my torso, check the general fitting and learning that I have no idea about all of this. I missed that part which says that „strap anchor points on your pack [should be] 1 to 2 inches below the top of your shoulders, roughly at the top of your shoulder blades” though. Then the 26 SL would be better, yes… before I put the hip belt lower. Argh. Being ignorant was easier ;).

I’d love to pay you guys a visit but flying to Colorado from Europe to do pack fitting is a bit too much ;). I have one shop in my vicinity and I just asked them if it’s possible to order packs there and do the fitting. Hopefully they’ll say yes. Hopefully they’ll know what torso measuring is* because my last shop had no idea about that and that’s why I’m asking questions here :).

Roger: „The torso length on the pack may be too much for your torso”. I assume you mean the 28l version, the one with green-yellow zipper?

Greg: Thanks. I can edit the second post but the main one doesn’t have the Edit button.

*Just got the answer. They don’t, they just look if it fits. Oh, well. Better than nothing.

[Roger Caffin]

Certainly the 28L looks far to long for you. The way the ‘load lifter’ straps go upwards to the pack is just wrong.

The other pack – I think you need to get the waist belt lower there too, but it is not as bad. Again, the waist belt should be well below your lowest rib.

Worrying about the colour – well, this is not meant to be a fashion show! We tend to be more concerned with comfort and function.

Cheers
Roger

[Alex Loobeensky]

Thanks! I probably got the wrong idea about the weight lifters as I’ve been reading on one page that the minimum angle is 30 degrees and on the another, that in smaller backpacks they work more like compression straps and are not meant to carry much weight thus the confusion.

Oh, I know that the color is the last element on the long list (if at all) that needs to be ticked and if this would be a big trekking pack, I wouldn’t be bothered at all but this one will see more of the city/office than of the woods (which doesn’t mean it won’t be packed full)… And if it can be well-fitted and pleasant to the eye, then why not?

[Ross Bleakney]

It may be that the 26 is the right height, but the load lifters are just too low. I’ve had plenty of packs like that.

[Jenny A]

Alex, maybe don’t worry too much about getting caught up in the “perfect” fit.  The 28 is technically too long, I think the 26SL looks pretty good, but ultimately you are the one wearing the pack.  If the fit is reasonable and you like it, then be happy.  All the guidelines are just that – guidelines.  You are free to deviate from what is technically correct if it works for you.  Out of curiosity, do you have access to some different brands?  Osprey and Gregory are common here, but I don’t know what you can try on there.

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