My pack felt wrong for years until a kid on the trail pointed it out

I've been hiking the same 30 mile loop in the White Mountains for maybe five seasons, always with this weird hip pinch I blamed on the pack itself. Last month, a teenager I passed going the other way just said 'your hip belt is way too high, man' as he went by. I stopped, looked down, and realized I'd been clipping it above my actual hip bones the whole time, basically carrying all the weight on my lower back. Dropped it two inches right there and the next three miles felt like floating. How did I miss something that basic for so long? Anyone else have a simple gear setup thing they got totally wrong for ages?

3 comments

3 Comments

uma_taylor472d ago

Honestly, that seems pretty obvious to me. I always check my fit before a long hike.

eva_thompson2d ago

Wait, but checking before you even start is the whole point! If your shoes fit right from the beginning, they should still be fine later. Loosening laces mid-hike sounds like a band-aid for a bad fit.

felix_black2d ago

Yeah checking your fit is key, but @uma_taylor47, what about checking how your shoes fit after a few miles when your feet swell up? I always pack a second pair of socks and loosen the laces partway through because my feet get bigger. That's the real test a lot of people forget.