Rucksacks designed for Women

[FeralSheryl]

I'm looking for a little advice. Particularly from the Ladies among us.
I'm in the market for a new Rucksack and am finding it difficult to settle on a good one that's both Bushcraft compatible and designed for women.
Even more difficult when you're 5 foot 2 inches tall, or short if you like .
You try finding a serious version in 'petite'!

I've seen/tried out a few but I keep going away with that "Hmmm, I dont know... " feeling.
All help/advice will be much appreciated.

No too worried about the colour (curiously, women's are often 'Redwood' or 'Brick Red' - tasteful enough) as I'll probably pick up on of these to cover it with once I reach the woods.

 

[jamesdevine]

My wife and I have been looking for one for awhile and tried quite few in the stores here in Dublin but found none that fitted the bill.

But armed with the knowlodge of that search we did some web browsing and the US manufactures had a much large range to choose from and a better colour choice.

My advice is to get measure locally and have the specs you want in a pack clear in your head and then search. Some of the manufactures like Gregory have UK importers that might be able to help. Many of the are adjustable and they are also very willing to help.

Berghaus have a new range in both mens and womens called Bioflex that might be worth a look as well.

James

 

[sandbender]

I'm in the market for a new Rucksack and am finding it difficult to settle on a good one that's both Bushcraft compatible and designed for women.

Lowe Alpine packs can be available with a harness system and of a size designed for the female frame, look for models where the liter-age is preceded by the letters 'ND' such as 'Alpine Attack ND55'. the down side is that most high street stores will only stock 'dayglo' colours, however most are available to order in black.

 

[FeralSheryl]

Thanks guys for the suggestions so far, I'll definitely check them out.

Dayglo just aint gonna happen, cover or not!
Black, Olive, or the Redwood would be ideal. When I find the right one I'll ask about other colours they may be able to order if they only have the sporty examples on show.

 

[Andy]

what sort of size pack are you looking for? If it's a smaller day pack some of the cycling ones always seem very narrow and short for me but ok for my sister. Most girls I know use soething from the lowe apline ND range. (when I was getting a pack the local shop had loads of them on offer)

 

[philaw]

My wife and I both just bought packs at Decathlon (the big chain of sports shops). They're good quality (their own Quechua brand, made in France), they have men's and women's versions in the same range that are almost identical, and they're cheap. Bear in mind, though, they're all modern designs, that I'm not an expert, and they won't be as cheap at the Decathlon in Britain as they are at the one we shop at in China

 

[FeralSheryl]

what sort of size pack are you looking for? If it's a smaller day pack some of the cycling ones always seem very narrow and short for me but ok for my sister. Most girls I know use soething from the lowe apline ND range. (when I was getting a pack the local shop had loads of them on offer)

A 50 or 65L that will take the whole kit and kaboodle really. After following up some of the suggestions here, something like the Lowe Alpine Merak from what I can tell.

Oooh, just found out what the ND stands for. ND = Nanda Devi, whose name means Blessed Goddess and is the highest mountain in India. It's one of the Holiest Mountains of the Himalayan chain. Nanda is the Hindu Goddess who gave birth to the Ganges.

Sorry, just love trivia.

 

[FeralSheryl]

My wife and I both just bought packs at Decathlon (the big chain of sports shops). They're good quality (their own Quechua brand, made in France), they have men's and women's versions in the same range that are almost identical, and they're cheap. Bear in mind, though, they're all modern designs, that I'm not an expert, and they won't be as cheap at the Decathlon in Britain as they are at the one we shop at in China

Dunno mate, can't knock these prices. Thanks for the tip.

 

[sandbender]

Oooh, just found out what the ND stands for. ND = Nanda Devi, whose name means Blessed Goddess and is the highest mountain in India. It's one of the Holiest Mountains of the Himalayan chain. Nanda is the Hindu Goddess who gave birth to the Ganges.

Knew that...

Plan to walk from Nanda Devi to Varanasi one day, tricky right now as I believe the park surrounding the mountain is off limits to foreigners...

 

[Toddy]

As a 5'2 1/2" little lady too, I have similar problems I am the proud possessor of a matching set of 3 Lady Berghaus rucsacs ....not bushcraft coloured but in blues/navys and I really don't care because they fit me and they are comfortable to wear all day long. The largest one, 55L plus, has an adjustable back plate which actually works, and is robust enough to take full kit without leaving me aching. The small day pack is 20L and the Bullfrog is a 30-40L ideal for a weekend.
I think the best advice I can offer is take a patient friend with you and hit someplace like the Lake District which is awash with outdoor shops and try on some from every range you can find. The measurements might be standard (sort of) on everyone, but the curves are different
Let us know how you get on, will you? My colleague and I are looking for a new rucsac for her 14 year old daughter and she's 5'3" & on a tightish budget.

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[FeralSheryl]

As a 5'2 1/2" little lady too, I have similar problems I am the proud possessor of a matching set of 3 Lady Berghaus rucsacs ....not bushcraft coloured but in blues/navys and I really don't care because they fit me and they are comfortable to wear all day long. The largest one, 55L plus, has an adjustable back plate which actually works, and is robust enough to take full kit without leaving me aching. The small day pack is 20L and the Bullfrog is a 30-40L ideal for a weekend.
I think the best advice I can offer is take a patient friend with you and hit someplace like the Lake District which is awash with outdoor shops and try on some from every range you can find. The measurements might be standard (sort of) on everyone, but the curves are different
Let us know how you get on, will you? My colleague and I are looking for a new rucsac for her 14 year old daughter and she's 5'3" & on a tightish budget.

Cheers,
Toddy

Cheers Toddy, a little tried and tested advice is just what I'm after, especially from someone also my size .
There have been some great sugestions from everyone so far. Much appreciated!

I really do need a grand trying on session, the trouble is I hate shopping and get frustrated with it all rather quickly.There's little choice locally as far as I can see, so as you say I may well have to head out further afield. Darn good excuse for a little trip though innit .

I'll keep you posted on the final result.

In the mean time if anyone has any more ideas I'd be very pleased to hear them too.

 

[philaw]

The Decathlon bags that me and my wife got were the 'forclaz 60' and the women's 'forclaz 40', and they're pretty much the same as those in the pics (last years design, perhaps). We only had to pay 20 and 12 pounds respectively, though, so you may find a better deal at 50 odd quid.

 

[alick]

My wife picked a 50 L lady berghaus pack many years ago when last we were backpacking together - family trips are more car camping now. Berghaus did them in different sizes as well as womens cut so she found one that was a good fit for her 5'4".
I'd go for a good name if you can afford and plan to use it. You're likely to get better materials and more attention to detail that makes a pack more comfortable.

I assume you know what to look for but the key differences I see in my wife's pack are the shape of the hip belt (deeper and cone shaped to fit the hips, very well padded, smaller so that the sides don't meet in the middle) shoulder straps (s curve, tapers faster from the top, extra padding, closer together at the top to fit slimmer shoulders and neck) and a shorter back shaped to follow different curvature at the base of the spine.

I also like lowe packs if there's anything suitable in their range.

Good luck

 

[FeralSheryl]

Since I promised Toddy I'd say which Rucksack I went for in the end, here's an update.

In the spirit of minimalism and travelling light, I've decided not to buy another full size one for the time being. However, my lovely boyfriend has just bought me a Berghaus Women's Freeflow 30 Daysack and I have to say I'm really impressed with it. It feels really light and comfortable. I'd definitely give it a high recommendation.

Thanks everyone for all your tips and advice. You've been a great help