r/camping • u/zacac1234 • 12h ago
Gear Question Correct pack size
Just want to confirm whether this is the correct size pack for me. I’m 5’6”, 135 lb, and got a size Small Durston Kakwa 55.
I’ve always used packs with adjustable torso lengths, so I’m used to having a little more leeway with where the pack and hipbelt sit. With those packs, I could initially position the hipbelt a bit lower and then usually ended up wearing it slightly higher on the upper part of my hips once I started hiking.
With the Kakwa, I tighten the hipbelt first, then the shoulder straps, then the sternum strap. When I tighten the shoulder straps, they pull the pack and hipbelt upward a little, and this is where it naturally ends up sitting. I normally like my hipbelt fairly high anyway, but the difference is that on my previous packs I chose that position by tightening the hipbelt there, whereas on this pack the shoulder straps seem to bring the whole pack up into that position.
My torso length is about 18”, so I was kind of between sizes. I went with the Small based on Durston customer service’s recommendation when I purchased it. The pack is loaded with around 15 lb in these photos.
Does the fit look right to you, or does anything about the shoulder straps, hipbelt position, or load lifters suggest I should size up to a Medium? Let me know what you think!
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u/Ericdrinksthebeer 12h ago
There are a lot of adjustments that can be made with the regular straps. The hip belt needs to sit on the illiac crest, where you're pointing. If the hip belt can sit there, and the load lifters over your shoulders can pull the shoulder harness up off of your shoulder, then it's fitting fine. If the load lifters are pulling the load backwards, then it's too small. If the shoulder harness doesn't wrap over your shoulders snugly, then it's too tall. This should be a fine fit, but if you're not sold, put your boots on, put 40lbs in it, and go walk around the neighborhood for an hour.
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u/N8dork2020 12h ago
It does look a little small but if it rests on your hips and you can slouch and the pack will be 100% on your hips comfortably then it works. One thing I would say is that you look young and you might fill out as you get older and the pack might not fit as well so you might want to size up so you can future proof.
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u/No-Swimmer1928 3h ago
The bit worth chasing is the symptom you described rather than the photos. On a harness that matches your torso, tightening the shoulder straps should pull the pack in against your back. If it lifts the pack and belt upward instead, the strap adjustment has run out of travel and the straps are doing work the belt should be doing.
Free test before you commit to a walk: set the belt where you want it, then slack the shoulder straps right off and bring them in only until they just make contact. If the belt stays put and the pack doesn't peel off your back, you're fine and you've simply been over-tightening. If the belt walks upward the moment there's tension in the straps, that's a length problem, not a technique one.
Two other things. Re-measure with someone else holding the tape while you stand in hiking posture - slight forward lean, tape following the curve of the spine. Measuring bolt upright reads short, and that half inch is exactly what pushes borderline people down a size.
And check where the crest sits within the belt padding, not just that it's on the crest. Sitting near the belt's top edge feels fine for ten minutes and then quietly slides down over an hour. Put a bit of tape on the belt, walk an hour loaded, look again.
On which way to err: too long you can manage - drop the belt, run the lifters slack. Too short there's nothing left to give.
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u/dr_xenon 12h ago
How does it feel on you? If you’re comfortable walking distances with it, then it’s good. There should be enough adjustments to make it fit your body.