The Pack I consider the backpack to be the 2nd most important piece of equipment to take on the Camino. The Camino is an exercise in minimalism, thus, experts recommend the filled pack weigh no more than 10% of ones bodyweight, or up to 20 pounds, whichever is less. I have also heard many Camino pilgrims say that every ounce feels like a pound by the end of the day, so pack carefully. Well, I promised to share the good, the bad, and the embarrassing, so I will tell the tale of Choosing My Pack. After doing a great deal of research and reading reviews of other users, I had narrowed my pack choices down to 2 or 3 brands. With this info in hand, I went to an REI store (the nearest being in Ann Arbor) and began my search. It is a good thing I listened to the advice of pilgrims before me, because they all said “Go and get fitted for a pack.” Boy, were they right. I had picked out a sleek looking green Osprey pack and thought, that’s the one for me! I found the nearest REI associate, a poor, unsuspecting innocent man, maybe in his early to mid thirties. He measures my torso, which happens to be insanely short, and decides I will need an extra small pack frame. I have never needed an “extra small” anything in my life, so I was very skeptical. So we picked out that lovely green Osprey, and I put it on, so far so good…then I tried to connect the hip strap. NOT happening. Ok, there was seriously like 10 inches of space between the two clasps. The poor REI man is getting flustered and checking to see if maybe the straps got twisted or snagged, and nope. That was it. So he’s looking around like a deer caught in headlights, saying “maybe we should try a different one” (ya think?), and I’m thinking, wow, I knew I had ample hips but this is ridiculous. I would like to see the woman who fits this pack. I begin looking around frantically, my Camino dream slipping away, and suddenly our savior appears from behind another rack. A short stocky woman, also an REI associate, overhears us discussing the hip strap and says, “Can I help?” The man looks at her like she just saved his life and hightails it out of there. She tossed the Osprey away and says, “you need a Deuter, they are built for women.” I remembered looking at this brand, and also reading that they were formulated for a woman’s figure, and she went and picked out an adorable blue pack with a yellow flower attached to the back. I tried it on, and suddenly, the storm clouds parted. The sun came out, and little angels began singing. I hooked the generous hip-strap and, I might add, still had about 5 inches of strap EXTRA on both sides. Yes, this was the pack for me. When you’re carrying weight for long time or distance, you need to have a pack that distributes the weight evenly and makes your hips do most of the work. This is why the hip strap is very important. Most packs also have a chest strap, which takes even more pressure off your back and distributes the load. I snapped the chest strap and looked down…Now I get to worry about boobalicious boobies bulging out between the chest and the hips. Ahh, the joys of having a curvy figure…
Posted on: Mon, 07 Jul 2014 15:30:13 +0000
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