Osprey Aether™ 55 hiking backpack

How to choose a backpack for hiking

The most comfortable backpack is the one that fits best. To find out what size backpack to choose, you need to measure the length of your back.

How to determine the length of the back?

This one will require a soft tape measure and the help of a friend.

From the 7th vertebra (this is the one that protrudes slightly outward) to the top of the hip bone.

This will give you an approximate back size, which you should use to choose a backpack.

Hiking backpack measurement

Before measuring, you should put 4.5 - 9 kg of weight in your backpack.

Tightening the backpack straps:

1. First, tighten the hip strap. The hip belt should sit on your hips so that the top edge of the hip belt is 2.5 cm above your hip bone. The hip strap should be fastened quite tightly so that the backpack does not slide down under the weight.

2. Tighten the shoulder straps. Tighten the shoulder straps so that they fit snugly against the top of your shoulder (so that there is no gap between your shoulders and the shoulder strap). The shoulder strap should start approximately 8 cm below the top of your shoulder. If the shoulder strap starts lower than 8 cm, consider a backpack with a larger back size.

3. Fasten the chest strap that connects the shoulder straps (quite loosely so that the shoulder straps do not slip away).

4. Tighten the straps at the top of the backpack so that the center of gravity is closer to your back, but not too tight and does not put strain on your shoulders. (These straps prevent the bag from pulling backwards, placing the center of gravity close to your back).

Proper weight distribution in a hiking backpack

1. The weight in the backpack should be distributed so that the heaviest items are closest to the back, in the middle of the backpack , not at the bottom.

2. Tighten all external straps that hold the backpack contents in place.

3. When carrying a backpack, most of the weight (60-70%) should be on the hips, not the shoulders.

During a hike, the backpack straps are readjusted to vary the load, transferring more weight to the hips, less to the shoulders, or vice versa.

Make carrying your backpack comfortable!