Adjusting Backpack Harness?

[Eric James]

The Super Trekker, and I imagine the Pro Trekker, have two integral and parallel aluminum stays. These come from the factory bent to conform to the population; that is, there is a lumbar-region curve and a sacral-region curve which combine to give the spine's usual S-shape when viewed in right profile. Custom bending these stays is the place to start. Unfortunately, the stays on my Super Trekker cannot be removed; they can still be gently bent to better conform to your spine.

[Alan Davenport]

I have a Super Trekker. After some trial and error, I've gotten it adjusted so I can carry it, but I don't think I've ever come across a worse suspension system in a backpack. If I had it to buy again, I'd put the money into an external frame Kelty pack and extra padding for the gear.

[Rakesh Malik]

That's pretty much what I'm doing, except that I'm going with a McHale. It helps that I live 15 minutes from his shop, of course

I gave up on the photography packs a long time ago, when I realized I would never be able to carry enough non-photographic gear in them to go with the photography stuff. Plus, they're pretty heavy empty, so you end up carrying a lot of extra weight in addition to your gear, and pouches like the Gnass ones have padding but not much weight.

It's been nice for 6-8 mile snowshoe trips, and I have a feeling that it will prove worth the investment when I start doing overnights, and the 4-6 day Enchantments trip I'm hoping to do soon.

[Josh Z.]

When a pack is fitted right, the stabilizer straps the (the ones that come off the top of the shoulder straps and connect to the pack frame) should angle up at around 45 degrees. That allows the harness and frame (internal or external, hard or soft) to do its job and get the weight onto your hips.

I'm not quite sure that the Trekker series allows for that... At least not on my Pro Trekker. I've tried everything I can think of and the top stabilizer straps always are angling down to the pack or are pretty much horizontal.

[Rakesh Malik]

I'm not quite sure that the Trekker series allows for that... At least not on my Pro Trekker. I've tried everything I can think of and the top stabilizer straps always are angling down to the pack or are pretty much horizontal.

That probably means that either the stays are too short, the harness is much too small for you, or that the harness is just badly designed.

If you plan to carry a lot of weight, I'd highly recommend heading over to a good outdoor gear shop and getting yourself fitted for a pack. It makes the carrying part a lot nicer.