This is why i LOVE REI IN CARY, NC i became a member and man i got a backpack fitting and never knew how much thought i have to put into a pack. They helped me a lot. Good shhtufff REI
Army vet here, getting back into hiking after a number of years. Seems like things are really different with modern civilian packs. Our ALICE packs were one size only and we ran the kidney belt back through itself to get it out of the way (didn't use it). I bet this is way more comfortable to lug around with a proper fit!
Great vid, especially the part about loosening the hip belt before unbuckling. One more note. The rear stabilizers (small straps from pack to the belt) should be loosened fully before fastening the hip belt, then pulled snug as the very last step. If they're too tight when you're putting on the hip belt, they can kink the hip belt causing a stress concentration. If they're not snugged up at the end, the pack wobbles back and forth more as you walk, especially if the wight is carried low in the pack.
You forgot to mention the strap at the back of your hipbelt, such an underappreciated strap. I toy around with that strap on the go to distribute the load differently as terrain changes, or take a bit of load off my shoulders for a wee bit should I want to. I love the fine-tuning it offers
For men with active builds (i.e. no hip curve) or even men with larger bellies (inverse hip curve), trying to carry 80% of your weight on your hips is going to require your waist belt to be so tight you will have significant skin abrasion at the end of any longer hiking day. Best technique for these people is to start the day with 50-75% of weight on the hips, then adjust the pack throughout the day, carrying more weight on the shoulders at various times, back to the hips, back to the shoulders, switching whenever you start to feel noticeable discomfort. You can also look into dropping base weight by making careful choices about what not to bring, and investing over time in DCF gear and other ultralight alternatives. If you can get your base weight down into the 15lb range, you probably won't have to worry very much about how you carry your weight as your pack won't weigh much over 25 lbs fully loaded.
base weight in 15lb! Featherlight over here. We had 35lb base weight and mostly 48lb for each last 18mi section hike + 2 day camping we did. I can't even fathom how we'd have made it through with only 15lb of gear. No sleeping bag or tent or stove, maybe.
@@Eldrake It would be interesting to see what you took. How much didn't you use. How much redundant gear did you have. This is 18lbs baseweight rather than 15, but to give you an idea: lighterpack.com/r/1mifo0 -- I used to carry 30+ lbs base weight, but happy to have reduced that a lot over the years. My mess kit from boy scouts era was 2lbs, now I have a toaks pot that's under 3 oz. I took white gas msr stove and canister that was over 2 lbs, now using a isobutane canister and pocket rocket like stove that comes out to about a pound including fuel, or 6 oz base weight. The river country tent was $50 bucks on amazon, and uses a trecking pole rather than any poles with the kit. 2.8lbs, where my old tent was 4 lbs. I find that if you write down everything (lighterpack is niec for that) you'll be able to identify some of the really heavy things.
We do have physical stores, if you'd like to stop by and try on your gear before buying. We're not everywhere yet, but you can use the following link to find your nearest REI store: www.rei.com/map/store
Aww, wasn’t expecting to see Miranda here! :) planning on going on my first backpacking trip with my partner this weekend (technically my second trip, but first with my own gear). Helpful video!
I know Im asking the wrong place but does someone know a trick to log back into an instagram account? I somehow forgot my password. I would love any assistance you can offer me!
@Gael Angelo i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and I'm in the hacking process now. I see it takes a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@@harryantonio3156 I can't help you with the Instagram problem :/ but while we're here, do you mind helping me with my homework? I need to calculate the diameter of a sphere but I only have its volume
RUclips also has some nice video footages of Wayne Gregory (founder of Gregory Backpacks) demonstrating and explaining how to fit and put on a backpack. And he is emphatic about NOT to tighten the hip belt first like you see most people doing at trailheads. Rather, he says (starting with a pack on back and all straps loose) to adjust shoulder straps first, next raise both shoulders up to lift the pack, THEN tighten the hip belt before lowering raised shoulders. He explains why and it's very instructive. I really like these useful REI videos, but on this particular point I find Wayne's way works well for me.
Any time I’ve gone I’ve been given a pack way too big for me with way too many stuffs so I continuously change between the pain on my waist and my shoulders depending on how long I can manage it 😭
Big fan of your REI videos. But, kinda surprised that you didn't show bending the internal supports ...or adjusting the shoulder strap heights. How many customers order online? Not all REI customers live within driving distance of an REI ...for that custom fit service. The two areas left out are perhaps the most important aspects of "How to Fit a Backpacking Pack". Wouldn't you (REI) agree? I guarantee you that Katie and Miranda were like, "Wait, ...aren't we going to show....?"
So doesn’t the “load lifters” lift the load through the frame to the hip belt so it takes the load of your shoulders hence why they have to be above you shoulders? And they are not for keeping the pack close to your back, that’s more of a secondary thing. Is this a correct assumption?
Don't know if you're still looking, but Gregory -- which has always made the best packs for short-waisted women, IMO -- now has packs specifically designed for plus-size women.
I love how no where they tell you to take in my case my 19" torso measurement to your pack is it the "top" of the shoulder strap adjustment point or the bottom of the adjustment point? IE how to place your measurement onto the pack. And the bottom measurement would that be the top/middle /bottom of the hip belt?
No need to transfer your torso length onto the pack. With the hip belt centered on your iliac crest, the shoulder straps should wrap over and down 1 - 2 inches below the top of your shoulders as shown in the video
I don't cinch down on the hip straps tightly. The most comfortable way for me is lightly cinch all the straps evenly, where nothing feels too tight, but still secure. I also don't strap around the iliac crest, I strap above it.
Would be helpful if you would find some fat people and help us on the fluffier end of the size spectrum learn how to find and adjust our packs. Just a thought.
Can you take a frame off a backpack to reduce weight? I’m looking to go ultralight so not too worried about the support I may or may not loose but don’t want to destroy the bag.
what is very confusing is that every video or website talks about measuring your torso length to the C7 vertebrae. it is the first one you can feel, but coming down from your head. and you feel it best when you tilt your head back and not forward. it is way up your neck and i have always wondered why i should measure my torso length up to my neck when the backpack ends at my shoulders. in this video it seems like you are measuring to the vertebrae you feel when you tilt your head forward and closer to the height of the shoulders and honestly it is hard for me to find the one you talk about as i think its different for everyone which vertebrae you can actually feel at this part of the back. but it is definitely not C7. (i am a doctor, believe me i know which vertebra is where.)
My pack has a adjustable torso length... so do I adjust that to the measurements of my back ? I never had on fitted and didn't realise you had to but went out with my pack with around 15/16kg in, the weight was easy it just killed.
Looks like she's wearing a Gregory backpacks Amber 60? I recently purchased that same pack for myself, though it looks like there are some minor differences between the one I purchased and the one shown in this video. Definitely seems like a great pack, I can't wait to try mine out later this year.
Definitely one of the larger sizes, but it looks great on her. The fact Miranda kept the pack on during this whole presentation says a lot about comfort.
It's not my reading or my words. It's my experience and knowledge. That's why weight doesn't bother me. I don't carry weight with my spine. Hips only. Which means my legs are doing all the work. You put weight on your spine, sure your back and spine are carrying a lot of the weight. However much you put on your shoulders-spine. It doesn't take any of the weight off your legs. So why burden your spine !!!!
This is why i LOVE REI IN CARY, NC i became a member and man i got a backpack fitting and never knew how much thought i have to put into a pack. They helped me a lot. Good shhtufff REI
Army vet here, getting back into hiking after a number of years. Seems like things are really different with modern civilian packs. Our ALICE packs were one size only and we ran the kidney belt back through itself to get it out of the way (didn't use it). I bet this is way more comfortable to lug around with a proper fit!
Great vid, especially the part about loosening the hip belt before unbuckling. One more note. The rear stabilizers (small straps from pack to the belt) should be loosened fully before fastening the hip belt, then pulled snug as the very last step. If they're too tight when you're putting on the hip belt, they can kink the hip belt causing a stress concentration. If they're not snugged up at the end, the pack wobbles back and forth more as you walk, especially if the wight is carried low in the pack.
You forgot to mention the strap at the back of your hipbelt, such an underappreciated strap. I toy around with that strap on the go to distribute the load differently as terrain changes, or take a bit of load off my shoulders for a wee bit should I want to. I love the fine-tuning it offers
For men with active builds (i.e. no hip curve) or even men with larger bellies (inverse hip curve), trying to carry 80% of your weight on your hips is going to require your waist belt to be so tight you will have significant skin abrasion at the end of any longer hiking day. Best technique for these people is to start the day with 50-75% of weight on the hips, then adjust the pack throughout the day, carrying more weight on the shoulders at various times, back to the hips, back to the shoulders, switching whenever you start to feel noticeable discomfort. You can also look into dropping base weight by making careful choices about what not to bring, and investing over time in DCF gear and other ultralight alternatives. If you can get your base weight down into the 15lb range, you probably won't have to worry very much about how you carry your weight as your pack won't weigh much over 25 lbs fully loaded.
base weight in 15lb!
Featherlight over here. We had 35lb base weight and mostly 48lb for each last 18mi section hike + 2 day camping we did. I can't even fathom how we'd have made it through with only 15lb of gear. No sleeping bag or tent or stove, maybe.
15 LB. Baseweight ??? HOLY CRAP !! A picture of my girlfriend weighs more than that !! .....lol..
@@Eldrake It would be interesting to see what you took. How much didn't you use. How much redundant gear did you have. This is 18lbs baseweight rather than 15, but to give you an idea: lighterpack.com/r/1mifo0 -- I used to carry 30+ lbs base weight, but happy to have reduced that a lot over the years.
My mess kit from boy scouts era was 2lbs, now I have a toaks pot that's under 3 oz. I took white gas msr stove and canister that was over 2 lbs, now using a isobutane canister and pocket rocket like stove that comes out to about a pound including fuel, or 6 oz base weight. The river country tent was $50 bucks on amazon, and uses a trecking pole rather than any poles with the kit. 2.8lbs, where my old tent was 4 lbs. I find that if you write down everything (lighterpack is niec for that) you'll be able to identify some of the really heavy things.
15lb lol, 15lb is just water for me!
@@rockytopwrangler2069 savage
Thank you! Sometimes i forget what is first to pull or tug. So it’s great to brush up!
We do have physical stores, if you'd like to stop by and try on your gear before buying. We're not everywhere yet, but you can use the following link to find your nearest REI store: www.rei.com/map/store
Made it look so simple, very easy to understand, picked up a couple of pointers, A big thanks for sharing 😃👍
Great info I never would have known if I didnt watch this vid!
Aww, wasn’t expecting to see Miranda here! :) planning on going on my first backpacking trip with my partner this weekend (technically my second trip, but first with my own gear). Helpful video!
I've learned so much from you girls! You're both awesome thank you!
I know Im asking the wrong place but does someone know a trick to log back into an instagram account?
I somehow forgot my password. I would love any assistance you can offer me!
@Harry Antonio Instablaster ;)
@Gael Angelo i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and I'm in the hacking process now.
I see it takes a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@@harryantonio3156 I can't help you with the Instagram problem :/ but while we're here, do you mind helping me with my homework? I need to calculate the diameter of a sphere but I only have its volume
Thank you for doing my homework for me
I have aids
This is a super informative and helpful video. Well done!
Thank you, ladies. Very informative video. Looking forward to seeing more :)
GoodStuff™... I'm not a fan of REI products but this is definitely my "GO TO" video when someone asks about fitting a pack.
Why don't you like thier stuff?
Just out of interest.
Miranda ver. 1.0. Evening news like style presentation. Grinning ear to ear as I watch. We now have Miranda in the wild style.
Now I might beable to get a Pack that is right. Thank you both Take Care
This was a really helpful video. Thank you!
That's what we like to hear! Thanks for tuning in.
thank you girls this was so helpful!
RUclips also has some nice video footages of Wayne Gregory (founder of Gregory Backpacks) demonstrating and explaining how to fit and put on a backpack. And he is emphatic about NOT to tighten the hip belt first like you see most people doing at trailheads. Rather, he says (starting with a pack on back and all straps loose) to adjust shoulder straps first, next raise both shoulders up to lift the pack, THEN tighten the hip belt before lowering raised shoulders. He explains why and it's very instructive. I really like these useful REI videos, but on this particular point I find Wayne's way works well for me.
The girls were cute and geeky, and i didn't totally cringe...so thanks, it was helpful.
Very informative and educational. Thank you very much
mt man here I like the ubon back packs👍👍
thanks! this was very helpful
Do you measure a straight line or follow the curvature of the back? Can be an inch or two longer with the curvature included
Nice glad you showed this an great information
nice Garmin vivoactive 3! got a matching white one myself
Great video!
Soo useful, thank you gals!
A very rare video of Miranda inside!
Nothing is fixed here. I've backpacked over a thousand miles and your always adjusting straps throughout a hike.
Any time I’ve gone I’ve been given a pack way too big for me with way too many stuffs so I continuously change between the pain on my waist and my shoulders depending on how long I can manage it 😭
They literally mention that in the video mansplainer
@@jescereal did you just assume their gender?? :O
@@jescereal do you really think he said that just because they're women? Dont you think he would have said the same thing if it were two dudes too?
@@CapnHilts nope
Thanks Katie and Miranda, I appreciate this information. (side note: you two are so pretty!)
Ugh, my old dueter 38 is 4.5 lbs empty, so I picked up the gossamer gear g4-20 UL 42 liter pack . Less than 1.5 lbs 🤠
Great video, thanks!
We're so glad it helped!
👍👍ubon backpacks I like 4 the hip pockets
Thank you thank you 😊!!!
good video love from van diemens land
Big fan of your REI videos. But, kinda surprised that you didn't show bending the internal supports ...or adjusting the shoulder strap heights. How many customers order online? Not all REI customers live within driving distance of an REI ...for that custom fit service. The two areas left out are perhaps the most important aspects of "How to Fit a Backpacking Pack". Wouldn't you (REI) agree? I guarantee you that Katie and Miranda were like, "Wait, ...aren't we going to show....?"
Bending stays is pretty much old school. No pack company has wanted back pack fitters or customers to do so for at least 15 years.
I guarantee you that you're an idiot -- nobody bends the internal supports
Many packs are adjustable so how do you adjust the pack based on the measured torso length?
yessssssssssss
So doesn’t the “load lifters” lift the load through the frame to the hip belt so it takes the load of your shoulders hence why they have to be above you shoulders?
And they are not for keeping the pack close to your back, that’s more of a secondary thing.
Is this a correct assumption?
Finding a pack for plus size women might be a good video to do.
Don't know if you're still looking, but Gregory -- which has always made the best packs for short-waisted women, IMO -- now has packs specifically designed for plus-size women.
Just loose weight
Hmm, I watched another video that stated the hip belt should be on top of the hips, not around the middle.
lol learned that the hard way
I love how no where they tell you to take in my case my 19" torso measurement to your pack is it the "top" of the shoulder strap adjustment point or the bottom of the adjustment point? IE how to place your measurement onto the pack. And the bottom measurement would that be the top/middle /bottom of the hip belt?
@tyvek05 Boy you are slow and apparently can't read or comprehend the english language.
No need to transfer your torso length onto the pack. With the hip belt centered on your iliac crest, the shoulder straps should wrap over and down 1 - 2 inches below the top of your shoulders as shown in the video
REI played a sad trombone sound for me when they measured my 25” torso and said “oooo umm yeaaah. We don’t sell daybags that tall.”
I don't cinch down on the hip straps tightly. The most comfortable way for me is lightly cinch all the straps evenly, where nothing feels too tight, but still secure. I also don't strap around the iliac crest, I strap above it.
Does the pack sit 1” above your iliac crest?
Can you take a non REI pack in to be fitted ?
I'm sure they sell multiple brands and you can just *say* you bought it there 😊
Those people are so helpful, they probably would. Might be nice to drop $20 on a lifetime membership if you do that, though.
Absolutely! We want you to have a good experience with what ever pack you use.
My backpack doesnt have a load lifter what can i do?
Would be helpful if you would find some fat people and help us on the fluffier end of the size spectrum learn how to find and adjust our packs. Just a thought.
So, 80% of the weight should sit on my torso
that is about 80% more than with my current backpack
80% of my pack weight seems to sit on whatever body part plans to hurt that day.
The 80% should sit on your illiac crest.
What is the name of Miranda's backpack.
It may be a Gregory Amber 60L
C7 isn't always what pops out. It can sometimes be T1 on some people, especially if they're taller.
Can you take a frame off a backpack to reduce weight? I’m looking to go ultralight so not too worried about the support I may or may not loose but don’t want to destroy the bag.
It's the pack frame that transfers the weight of the pack to the hips where you want to carry 80% of the weight.
Unless someone walks using arms, the weight is anyway carried by the legs. 😍
Thx for explaining the measuring details.
what is very confusing is that every video or website talks about measuring your torso length to the C7 vertebrae. it is the first one you can feel, but coming down from your head. and you feel it best when you tilt your head back and not forward. it is way up your neck and i have always wondered why i should measure my torso length up to my neck when the backpack ends at my shoulders.
in this video it seems like you are measuring to the vertebrae you feel when you tilt your head forward and closer to the height of the shoulders and honestly it is hard for me to find the one you talk about as i think its different for everyone which vertebrae you can actually feel at this part of the back. but it is definitely not C7. (i am a doctor, believe me i know which vertebra is where.)
Your profile picture makes me think you're not a doctor
My pack has a adjustable torso length... so do I adjust that to the measurements of my back ?
I never had on fitted and didn't realise you had to but went out with my pack with around 15/16kg in, the weight was easy it just killed.
Ok, my back is 16 inches. What measurement should I get my backpack?
Next, how to fit a UL pack XD
Anyone else watching this for D of E?
Yes!
im a plus size woman and my right hip is higher do i fit at the high hip first of the left which is lower?
A tight hip belt will give you Meralgia Prosthetica. I’ve been suffering from it for many months now because of it.
What brand backpack are you wearing? And liter size?
Looks like she's wearing a Gregory backpacks Amber 60? I recently purchased that same pack for myself, though it looks like there are some minor differences between the one I purchased and the one shown in this video. Definitely seems like a great pack, I can't wait to try mine out later this year.
Definitely one of the larger sizes, but it looks great on her. The fact Miranda kept the pack on during this whole presentation says a lot about comfort.
👏👍👌🇳🇴 😷
So REI is actually a store?
Yup. Recreational Equipment Inc. is the United States largest consumer cooperative.
My torso is so short the frames of the pack always hit the back of my head… 🙁
oH
It's freaking triggering me, that the left strap is not sitting correctly... >.
It's not my reading or my words. It's my experience and knowledge. That's why weight doesn't bother me. I don't carry weight with my spine. Hips only. Which means my legs are doing all the work. You put weight on your spine, sure your back and spine are carrying a lot of the weight. However much you put on your shoulders-spine. It doesn't take any of the weight off your legs. So why burden your spine !!!!
How long are you going out? 2-3 month's You can manage fine for a while with a smaller pack.
Ther actually no wrong way to carry a backpack just put on ur back