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You should be sore, but not so much in the back and neck. It sounds like you are carrying weight on your shoulders using the shoulder straps. The weight of your pack should be on the hip belt, making your sides and inner/outer thighs sore from stabilizing the pack. The shoulder straps are to stabilize the pack, not carry the load. One of my recent walking partners had a canvas pack from the 1960's that had no hip belt. He survived just fine, but just watching him made my neck hurt! Once again, there is more than one way to do something! :wink:my back and neck were sore
Some people say that weight doesn’t matter – that comfort is the most important thing and that if you have a pack with a good, strong padded waist belt that takes all the weight on your hips you’ll be fine. That is okay for big, strong people who can carry heavy weights on their hips. It makes a huge difference if you are a small person, 5' 3" or 160 cm tall, and weigh around 55 kg or 121 lbs. That person will find it difficult to carry heavy weights on hips or back. Some people have back problems or other reasons why they can’t carry heavy packs and this makes the weight of the pack itself an important factor.
Comfort is important, but weight is a top priority for me and most hikers would be happy with my 600g OMM 32 litre ultra-light pack that holds all their clothing, toiletries, papers, sandals and has space for extra food when necessary. Fully packed the OMM should not weigh more than 6 kg.
Obviously, if you walk in winter you will need more clothes – probably heavier too – so you might need a larger capacity backpack, but you can still choose a lightweight model rather than a heavier pack.
Find a pack that fits really well
• Some packs have models for men and for women. Women’s packs are generally lighter, smaller and come in great colours!
• A good fit is essential. Packs come in different torso lengths and if you’re buying online, measure the length of your torso from the base of your neck to the end of the spine (level with your hip bones).
• Check all the specs carefully before hitting the ‘Buy Now’ button. Many websites will give you the sizes – S, M, L, XL – as well as the torso length of their packs.
• Most specs for ultra-light packs will also give recommended maximum weight to carry. If you intend carrying 12 kg – don’t buy a pack that recommends a max of 9 kg.
• Read the reviews, check out other websites that test backpacks to ascertain the comfort ratings.
• As some packs don’t include the weight in the specs, take a digital scale with you when you go shopping so that you can weigh the pack before you buy. Call or email the online manufacturer to ascertain the gross weight of the pack before buying. They might advertise the pack as ‘Ultra Lite’ when, in fact, it weighs almost 2 kg empty.
• Packs with inner frames and those that offer back ventilation will weigh more than most ultra-light packs.
When you find the right pack it will become a part of your body and after a few days of carrying it, you won’t even know that it is there – like a snail’s shell! It will be your best friend on the journey and you will need to feel really comfortable with it.
What sillydoll might have said is:sillydoll said:An extract from a Camino planning guide:
here is an extract from my own blog that I am presenting to you in the third person so it has an air of independence, and so that it isn't obvious that I am actually quoting my own advice, which I could give you directly.
Religious wars have been fought over lesser topics than this!christy p said:which would be better a backpack with /without a frame I know that weight is important What size backpack?
koilife said:Many frameless packs still use a stiffening method (sheets of rigid plastic, sleeping pad, etc.) to enable at least partial transfer of the load to the hips. Absent load transfer, all of the weight is going to be on your shoulders, not your hips.
A number of current packs have a similar framing system, wherein a highly-tensioned, breathable, mesh panel rests against your back. There is open airflow space (like an arch) between the mesh and the back of the pack, typically in the .75" to 1.5" range.Tia Valeria said:The frame on our Berghaus packs hold the pack off our backs so allowing a flow of air. That way the pack does not make us sweaty. . . . We keep them for the Camino as they are such a good fit and the particular styles are discontinued.
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