Padded hipbelt or frameless pack for a 40 mile solo hike, I picked wrong

I had to choose between my old 65 liter padded hipbelt pack (which weighs like a small car) and a frameless 35 liter ultralight job for a 4 day trip in the Smokies last month, and I went with the light one because the scale said 2.8 pounds. Three miles in, my shoulders felt like they were carrying bricks and my lower back started screaming, so I spent the whole first night plotting how to strap my hiking poles to redistribute the load. Has anyone else made this mistake and gone back to the heavy, padded setup, or did you just tough it out and get used to it?

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masonm702mo ago

Back in 2019 I did the West Highland Way with a 45 liter pack that was just barely too small, and I remember staring at my food bag trying to make it fit like some kind of sick puzzle. The thing is, we always chase the number on the scale and forget the part where your body actually has to haul it. It's the same with buying a lighter tent that ends up taking twice as long to pitch in the rain, you save weight but lose your sanity. My take is that comfort isn't just about ounces, it's about how the whole system works together when you're three days in and tired. You didn't pick wrong, you just found out that the spec sheet doesn't tell you what your spine thinks.

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