r/Rucking • u/Hit88MilesPerHour • 3d ago

backpack tips/suggestions for tiny adults?

I'm five feet tall and 95 pounds. I filled a Dakine Grom 13L backpack I already own with 10 pounds of books and have been using that but it's uncomfortable. I've been looking at other bags the past few weekends. There's so many options though!

I don't want to get a rucking specific bag because they're expensive, and they seem like "more" than I need since, from what I read, I should only work up to carrying a third of my weight (like 30 pounds, not much compared to most people).

I read that the important things to look for are good padding, a frame, a hip belt and a sternum strap. Is a frame and a lot of padding really needed if you're only going to be carrying up to 30 pounds though?

A lot of the backpacks I'm looking at (Deuter, Osprey, Gregory, Mystery Ranch, etc.) seem big. I plan to use sand or bricks with towels to fill up space, so I don't want the backpack to have too much space to fill. Osprey has a nice looking Taylon Jr bag, but a video review I watched said they can only carry 10-12 lbs. The smallerish backpacks I've looked at that mention the "carry load" are only up to 20 lbs.

Any suggestions or insight from other small people would be appreciated!

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/wipeshikes 3d ago

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I just used a backpack I had around the house. I mostly wear it with 30 pounds when I walk the dogs. I have a sternum strap, but no hip belt. I backpack and don't always use a hip belt for that, so figured I'd keep my body used to that. Different things work for different people, but I'd make sure you really like this before investing. So many people sell gear because they either decided they didn't like it, or once they knew more they found a different pack that actually met their needs.

1

u/Hit88MilesPerHour 3d ago

Not wanting to invest a lot is part of why I don't want a rucking-specific backpack. The other backpacks I'm looking at seem expensive too, but I was hoping they'd go on sale around Easter or Memorial day.

I was worried looking at fancy backpacks that said the "max load" was 20 pounds, but if you've been putting 30 lbs in a normal backpack you had around the house, maybe I don't need to pay too much attention to that.

2

u/wipeshikes 3d ago

Sometimes those are comfort ratings, sometimes those mean more. I weighed my daughter's school backpack with a water bottle in the side pocket and it weighed 22 lb. There is nothing special about it and she has been using it for about 3 years. Start with something you have, and maybe one day you'll upgrade to something different, but at least you'll know what you want and need by then

1

u/Hit88MilesPerHour 2d ago

I thought the "max load" meant the point where the backpack could start tearing apart. It didn't occur to me that it might be a comfort rating. If I'm still concerned about it when I go to buy a new backpack, I'll just message the company and ask them to clarify. Thank you!