Realistic weights without hip belt

[mickbr]

Hi All, what do you consider the max weight or even max days in the feild running a pack without hip belt( so its all on the shoulders) like a Centurio 45 with or without side pockets?

Now that I have retired my berghaus vulcan I am wondering whats realistic for a 45-60L pack. Assuming non UL gear too, I aim more for lightweight.

I see some fellas running the MMPS attached with all sorts of gear bulging and Im thinking wow thats a lot on the shoulders or am I making too much of this?

 

[Chris]

If you care about your back/joints, I'd say between 10-15kg max really if you're carrying it long times/distances.

But everyone is different in terms of size/strength/skeleton, so really I'd suggest trial and error. If in doubt, go a bit lighter as you don't want to get stuck atop a mountain with too much weight to safely get home.

Probably also depends on the type of activity you're conducting, as well.

 

[mickbr]

And when I say without hipbelt I mean without a decent one and also being 6'3" tall it doesnt take much load anyway

 

[hughtrimble]

And when I say without hipbelt I mean without a decent one and also being 6'3" tall it doesnt take much load anyway

At that size you'd benefit from a properly fitted backpack and hip belt. The off the peg stuff, unless adjustable, is unlikely to work for you.
Some brands do specify back lengths and hip circumferences, it's just the usual retailers may not have them in physical shops.

 

[Chris]

And when I say without hipbelt I mean without a decent one and also being 6'3" tall it doesnt take much load anyway

I am the same height, I find a hip support is especially important, as the leverage the weight puts on your back and shoulders is greater the taller you are.

 

[TeeDee]

Hi All, what do you consider the max weight or even max days in the feild running a pack without hip belt( so its all on the shoulders) like a Centurio 45 with or without side pockets?

Now that I have retired my berghaus vulcan I am wondering whats realistic for a 45-60L pack. Assuming non UL gear too, I aim more for lightweight.

I see some fellas running the MMPS attached with all sorts of gear bulging and Im thinking wow thats a lot on the shoulders or am I making too much of this?

Alot depends on you tbh

Age , Health , conditioning , build etc

 

[mickbr]

Im 49 but still muscular and fairly fit, like a rugby player I guess which I was. I dont think this pack is going to work for me actually. Also noticed I seem to have ordered the older spec pack from Kitmonster, the new one has a proper hip belt and is front opening. Buggar, almost 200 aus dollars shipped. Well thats the way it rolls sometimes.

I will have to look around for a longer backed pack then or some other option. Would like to stay around 45L though and needs to be 1000 or at least 500N nylon and earth colors. Light materials get shredded here and as I also hike in asia/pacific prefer to blend into bush.

Any suggestions?

 

[hughtrimble]

Im 49 but still muscular and fairly fit, like a rugby player I guess which I was. I dont think this pack is going to work for me actually. Also noticed I seem to have ordered the older spec pack from Kitmonster, the new one has a proper hip belt and is front opening. Buggar, almost 200 aus dollars shipped. Well thats the way it rolls sometimes.

I will have to look around for a longer backed pack then or some other option. Would like to stay around 45L though and needs to be 1000 or at least 500N nylon and earth colors. Light materials get shredded here and as I also hike in asia/pacific prefer to blend into bush.

Any suggestions?

It might not just need to be longer, but it probably is that. The packs I've found that work for me define back length using the iliac crest height to C7 vertebra measurement (I think that's the most common measurement used anyway). So you can be really tall, but might have a relatively shorter back length, so not all tall people will benefit from a pack with a longer back length though it does sound like you will.

I'm not sure what the materials are in mine, but I've found Sierra Designs do pack sizes (but not adjustable) that fit me and also have different sizes of hip belts that you can change out. I don't think they're 1000D though. The Exped Thunder 70 pack has an adjustable back length that I really like, but I don't think that's 1000D either.

 

[Limaed]

Why would you not want to use the hip belt? I do 100s of miles over the hills each year and it really is crucial in a comfortable carry. I know some military guys cut them off but their rucks usually sit on webbing.

 

[Moondog55]

Without a hipbelt I try to not exceed 7 to 8 kilos.
That's in my Camelback MULE and it is better with 3 to 5 kilos. My normal daypack is 44 litres and is a climbing and skiing pack so it has a hipbelt which I need at 8 kilos

 

[oldtimer]

When I was younger, for years I used a Berghaus Redpoint flame 35 litre unframed climbing pack for my core kit with tent on one side and sleeping mat on the other held in place by the compression straps. The pack had a simple, unpadded waist strap whose purpose was not support weight but to hold the pack in place. Normal weight carried about 11 kilos.

The drawback was that the pack was too small for the volume of my kit so I upgraded to a Craghoppers 45 litre pack which has a frame and proper padded waist belt. This is a very comfortable pack and its clever design compensates for the fact that it weighs about 2 kilos empty.
Not so long ago, I decided to go back to using the old, unframed, beltless pack on the grounds that it fitted better into the campervan. The first trip was a disaster. After a short day hike, I had the most awful backache. What had changed? My age and level of fitness.

I reverted to the heavier, framed and belted pack and had no more problems.

 

[Springchicken]

Another factor in the discussion are the shoulder straps.

I found that, when using a HPG Umlindi pack, I could carry noticeably more without a hip belt because the yoke set-up was superbly comfortable.

A lot of pack manufacturers seem to pay rather less attention to this than they might! I think it's a bit of an individual thing, though: what works brilliantly for one may not for another. Personally, I have found that the strap/yoke arrangement on Savotta packs works well, so it might be worth looking there, too.