Switched to a frameless pack after 10 years of carrying 50 pounds

I got really tired of my old pack digging into my hips on long days. A guy at the PCT trailhead near Kennedy Meadows told me to try cutting the frame out of a lighter pack. So I bought a 35 liter pack from a gear shop in Bishop for $80 and removed the aluminum stays. It forces me to carry under 25 pounds total. Has anyone else moved to a frameless setup and noticed a big difference on 5 day trips?

3 comments

3 Comments

patricia3219d ago

Yeah I made the switch two seasons ago and it's night and day on the longer carries. The key for me was getting a pack with padded shoulder straps that actually fit my torso length, not just a one-size-fits-all. I had to learn to pack my food and water weight closer to my back so the whole load didn't sag away from me. It took about three trips to figure out the right packing order and lashing points for a tent pad or tarp on the outside, but once I had it dialed in my hips stopped hurting completely.

young.thomas19d ago

Did you try adjusting the load lifters on your old pack before ditching the frame? A lot of times those straps are what stop the hip digging, not just the frame itself.

dylan46319d ago

My buddy loaned me his old external frame pack for a three day trip last fall and I spent the whole time thinking it was just my pack's frame that was the problem. I had the hip belt cranked down tight and it was still digging into my bones like crazy. It wasn't until I got home and started messing with those load lifter straps that I realized they were almost completely slack. I tightened them up and tried the pack on again and suddenly the whole load shifted up off my hips. I had to seriously adjust my packing too, like you said, moving my heavier stuff closer to my back so it didn't pull the whole pack away from me. Honestly, I was ready to trash the whole frame idea but now I'm thinking I just didn't know how to use it right.