What kind of pack does your (female) partner use?

She got a Balstaff to go with her little 400. The bike has gone but she still happily totes the bag in the sticks.
 
luckykitty said:
I remember trying on a lot of rucks before deciding on one for multi-day hikes. While they are all adjustable to some extend, the one I got, really fit me best. And the dealer was kind enough to fill the rucks with some heavy stuff for me, so I could try them in a realistic configuration. Took time, but was well worth it.
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This is the best advice you can get!

Case in point: When my wife was trying on packs at the store with weight in them. There happened to be another lady doing the same thing. They were swapping packs back and forth and walking around the store. Turns out, the one my wife liked the least, the other lady ended up buying, and the one the other lady liked the least was the one my wife bought.

How a pack fits on one person can be completely different for the comfort of another person. So make sure she tries on every pack she can get her hands on with the approximate weight she is likely to carry in it.
 
Make sure you have someone that knows what they are doing help you fit the pack. It's not exactly intuitive and the sales person can make a big difference in helping you find one that is comfortable for you.

My wife uses a Gregory Diva. I use an Arc'Teryx Axios 50. Since I am an Arc'Teryx dealer and not a Gregory dealer, she will probably be using an Arc'Teryx pretty soon as well. :)
 
I've been trying on packs for MONTHS looking for a good fit. I thought I found it in the Gregory Jade 35 but a couple day hikes with lumbar pain and it was eliminated. I use my Osprey Manta 25 when it's warmer and I love the thing. For a larger pack I recently chose the Gregory Serrac 35. It's the men's version of the Inyo 35 but I needed the longer straps on the Serrac. I like the Osprey Kestrel series because the torso can be adjusted but alas the belt didn't work for me. You only get a padded belt from the 38L on up.

I learned a lot wearing many different loaded packs this summer. I am crooked, I mostly cannot wear women's packs because they are wider at the belt/narrow on top and I am not. I prefer a well-padded hip belt and finding them on smaller packs isn't easy. I like belt pockets and floating/removable lids too. Get a torso measurement at the store and learn the difference between men's and women's packs. One might fit better than the other.

I had to give up some features I like to get a pack that fit but I'm hoping I'll be happy with my choice. Try a lot of packs with weight in them... do some housework with them on.... go upstairs, downstairs, reach, bend, move your arms, etc. How weight is distributed in the pack will affect the fit also. Experiement and pay attention to what hurts, rubs, or needs contant adjustment to be comfortable.

One other brand that got a lot of consideration from me was Mammut.... the Trea 40, women's. The Serrac was a better choice for me in the end.
Good Luck.
 
Mountainsmith makes a super line of women's specific packs-I'd start there, their Maverick is my mainstay pack. I built up a North Face Skareb 40 as a sort of ultralight female companion pack, with a sleeping bag, my RC3 Rat Pack knife and other light gear to complement what all I can carry-2 person tent, cooking gear, tools, etc. Basically clothes, hygeine stuff, food and water is what the pack is set up for. PS, it takes a good bit to break in ANY pack. If you're having issues with all these designs, you need to expect to have to loosen up the straps at teh shoulders, the kidney pad, even the frame.
 
I usually will buy two or three packs a year. My wife usually starts eyeing them when they arrive. Usually with a comment like "That's a nice pack, where is mine?" I've lost more than one pack this way. Certainly better than the eyeroll to the ceiling, in conjunction with the sigh, that I seen other wives do.
 
Mountainsmith Approach for summer.
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In colder weather it varies but often a Kelty 3900 cu in frame pack
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Or this generic from Sportsmans guide
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