What pack size for females

[wildernesswanderer]

Just wondering from the female community here what pack size you have and what pack. I'm looking for one for my wife and looking around 65-70lt. Sort of thought One Planet maybe because of the harness but I also think she would like the Osprey packs because of the easy access to the inside of the pack.

Open to all suggestions.

[Mark F]

Without knowing a bit more about where you walk, which seasons, trip length, height and weight of your wife, how you expect to divvy up the tent, cooking and food etc, it is very hard to give any specific advice. Give the people here a bit more to go on and you will get some good advice. I can assure you that keeping things a light as possible will make your wife a happy walker.

My partner is 155cm and 55kg and has a problematic back so she uses an Osprey Stratos 32 to carry clothes, sleeping gear, water etc (6 or 7Kg - never more than 10 total) while I carry my gear as well as the tent, cooking gear and majority of the food. We do 3 seasons trips up to 7 days, usually less. No off track for her. This setup is most probably on the very light end of the spectrum but works for us, but we are very weight conscious (and in our 60's).

[wayno]

my girlfriend uses a black diamond inova 60L very comfortable, i've got the mens version
if you want easy access black diamond also do one, the onxy in different sizes 55 - 75 i've got the mens version of the 75.
they are heavier though, pockets for africa for organising gear.
i've used an osprey aether, i prefer the black diamonds a lot more for comfort, pack waist belt and shoulder straps move with you a lot better. never have sore points..

http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en ... rtdir/asc/

http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/gear-news/ ... /9699.html

[wildernesswanderer]

Walking is Victoria, Tasmania and NZ, alpine areas mainly. Wouldn't tip her coming winter hiking yet. I need her to carry her own sleeping bag, mat and the poles and pegs of the tent. Her own clothes and a bit of food. I'll be carrying the rest. Walks will be anywhere from overnight to 7 days. If that helps

The Black Diamonds look nice, Just have to find them in Melbourne to have a look

[sim1oz]

I should also preface my comments by saying that we consciously try to go light and low volume.

The general rule of thumb (according to Mike Clelland's "Ultralight Backpacking' Tips") is 36L for a weekend and 50L for up to 10 days. Personally, I prefer a slightly bigger pack for longer walks and have a 65L. Mainly so that I can choose to do crazy thinks like take unopened packets of corn chips so they don't get all squashed. As Mark said, the volume also depends on how you split the load. My hubby takes the tent (1.2kg) because of the space needed and he has a bigger pack. I take the cooking and eating gear (0.5kg). We split the dinners and carry our own snacks and water. Our base weight before food and water for a mild weather trip is 5-8kg. Having said that, our mild weather gear managed to keep us comfortable in two days of snow on the Overland Track, so we do have a bit of a safety margin.

With regards to pack brands, just get into a store and try them on. Everyone has a different body shape so what feels comfortable for one may not be good for another. I like a really good hip belt so that I can take most, if not all, of the weight off my shoulders. That seems to be a common female preference based on other posts I have read. Also, make sure that the top of the straps don't cut into the side of her neck nor are set so far apart that they fall off her shoulders. Comfort is king (or queen)!

Good luck

[sim1oz]

For alpine walks, I'd err on the side of a larger pack rather than smaller. On some stretches it can be hard to find water, particularly in summer, so you would need space to carry more than one day's supply. Since you are in Melbourne, try the cluster of stores in Little Bourke between Queen and Elizabeth Streets in the city. My favourites are Bogong Equipment and Backpacking Light. The guys at Snowgum were also really nice last time I dropped in.

Looks like Black Diamond is available in NZ. Maybe a good excuse for a shopping trip? Bet wayno would be pleased if you supported the NZ economy!

[matagi]

I second checking out Backpacking Light. Seriously knowledgable people there and very nice and friendly.

[tasadam]

My wife is just over 5 feet tall and weighs between 56 and 60kg.
I feel that information is important, as everyone is different.

This is what she uses and it suits her very well -
http://www.macpac.com.au/shop/en_au/gea ... 11664.html

The longest walk we've done is 15 days (Southwest Cape), she began the walk with over 23KG's.
A 9 day Overland track, an 8 day central Tas mountains, 7 day Frenchmans and out the other side, just to name a few. There have been many.

A couple of photos of the pack in action -
http://www.tasadam.com/forumstuff/bushw ... 17/197.JPG
http://www.tasadam.com/forumstuff/bushw ... 15/128.JPG


Cheers.

[wayno]

my girlfriend should be able to reduce her pack size to 40 litres. but she just wants to stick with her 60 litre,, i wanted to get her the black diamond astral 40 litre which is 1.2kg... but she ants to stick with her 60 litre innova, there is also a 50 litre innova

[wildernesswanderer]

Well went into Melbourne city today and it looks like either a Aarn Featherlite or a Macpac Esprit. Backpacking Light and the Macpac CBD store salespeople were both so helpful with great product knowledge on their packs, both spent the time adjusting the packs for my wife and putting 15 kg into them.
Now it's just up to her to work out what she likes better.

[blacksheep]

Great to read you were pleased with our service. If you have any further questions I'm happy to help. Cam.

[wildernesswanderer]

I actually like Macpac stuff, always have, missed the sale though so might try to worm them into letting us have it cheaper if she goes that way, either way should be buying one next weekend.

[blacksheep]

No need to worm, just let me know where and when, and I will set it up..

[wildernesswanderer]

Well went and bought a Macpac Esprit today and a Latitude 700W bag. She's happy, filled the pack to about 12kg when we got home and she loves it. comfort plus, that's great, means I can load it up heavier then lol. Thank you for you help too Cam much appreciated