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The switch from framed to frameless packs changed my whole Colorado Trail hike and I'm never going back
Two summers ago I hiked the Colorado Trail with a framed pack and beat the hell out of my hips and shoulders for 486 miles. Last June I did the same trail with a frameless pack that weighs 1.2 pounds and the difference was night and day. The first time around I was stopping every 90 minutes to readjust straps and my base weight was sitting at 22 pounds. This time my base weight was 11 pounds and the pack just moved with me instead of fighting me. I think the real change was ditching all the stuff I thought I needed and letting the pack sit close to my back. The framed pack made me lazy because I kept adding gear since it could carry it. Anyone else make this switch and notice their mileage go up without really trying? And do you run a sit pad as your frame or go with a folded foam pad?
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the_daniel2d ago
How do you know the pack was the real reason and not just the 11 pound base weight? Drop 11 pounds off your back and of course your hips feel better, that would happen with a framed pack too. I did the CT in 2021 with a frameless pack and hated it, the thing turned into a sweaty lump against my spine and my shoulders ached by day three. Carried a ULA Circuit the next year at 20 pounds base and it was way more comfy than that frameless setup ever was. Frameless works if you're ultralight and young, but for most folks a good framed pack carries weight way better.
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