Hip Belt/Pants Issue

Hey Folks,

I'm a total beginner at the whole backpacking thing and I'm "training" for my first backrountry hike next month. I have an Osprey something or other, maybe 55L sized?

I'm not sure what the weight is of the loaded pack is because I don't have a scale, but I wore it loaded for the first time the other day for a one hour walk. I felt fine when I got home and put it down except for my hips where the edge of my jeans and the leather belt I was wearing had cut in to my hip bones (that jut out a lot...) leaving bruises. The next day I wore a skirt that had no need for a belt or anything but when I took the pack off I had ridges of the seams of the fabric pressed into my hips. It didn't bruise like the day before but the imprints are still here the next day!

I'm not sure what to do about this problem. When I was fitting the pack the person said that my hip-bones should be in the middle of the hip belt.

Where exactly am I supposed to wear this pack on my hips? I can also wear the hip-belt on top of my hips (I'm a girl with an hour glass figure) comfortably and support the pack weight that way as well.

Also, what do you recommend wearing under for pants/skirt while hiking? Not jeans, I've found out

Thanks!

ETA: I just wanted to add that this is my first post and that I've been reading these forums a LOT in prep for the trip! Thanks for all your help!

Also, the pack is very comfortable and it moves with me fully loaded. I "walked" some sketchy wet logs yesterday with no problem at all with the fully loaded pack on. I weigh about 130, and am about 5'8" so tall and skinny and bony. This may just be a lack of body fat problem, which happens every so often. Everything feels great except for my hip bones!

Right, Not Jeans. :^)

My wife wears lightweight nylon shorts or pants and microfiber briefs. I wear light nylon hiking shorts with a mesh liner.

How tight are you pulling the hip belt? It needs to be snug, so it carries the weight, but not so tight it's cutting off circulation or the nerve that runs through your hip (ask me how I know that <g>)

In general your clothing should be synthetic -- nylon, polyester, fleece. Wool is also okay, and some people like silk underwear. But cotton of any sort is generally a bad idea, except in specific circumstances like deserts. You can spend a lot of money on clothing at a backpacking store, or you can go to Target and look at their workout clothes. Good selection and great prices, though it's often not as light weight as hiking-specific stuff.

If you want more information on clothing in the backcountry, start a different thread and get lots of responses.

EDIT: let me add that sore hips and shoulders are a very common beginning backpacker problem. They go away with more backpacking.

You sound a bit like my wife; she doesn't have much padding either. Her issue wasn't the hipbelt, though; women's packs gave her backache. It was amazing to her how differently the various brands of backpacks would fit, especially on the hips, and she ended up going with a men's pack instead. She has broad shoulders and narrow hips. If your pack is comfortable when loaded up, then the pack probably isn't the issue.

I recommend nylon pants to people buying clothes for hiking; they provide decent protection from sun, wind, and bugs without being too bulky, and they dry quickly. If they fit well you can sometimes get by without a belt, but they're light enough that a really thin nylon belt will work too. Some people just thread a string through the loops and tie it off.

I use Backpacking Light's "Thorofare" pants, which come with a drawstring instead of a belt. I think they're unisex. Here's the link: link

Some people who are really experienced at keeping their pack weight down will not even wear a hipbelt. 15 lbs or less might be the comfort level for that, but I wouldn't know.

Definitely no jeans! Once they get wet (and that always happens!), they are a sure ticket to hypothermia because they take forever to dry. Consider--what is the last item to be dry in your clothes dryer? Try lightweight nylon instead.

Being female, I have the waist of my pants at my waist (narrowest point) and my pack's hip belt is below on my iliac crest (top of the hip bones). That isn't true for a lot of men. Try to find pants (lightweight nylon or other synthetic) whose waistband falls above where your pack hip belt hits. Consider an elastic waist rather than a belt if you can find it.

If you don't have much natural padding on your hip bones (I have the opposite problem!), then you probably need a pack with a more lavishly padded hip belt.

Going to guess that this is one of Osprey's "ultralight" (they are not ultralight in reality) packs with the ventilated thin belt? If it is not, go to a retailer and see if you can swap the belt for a different size or different thickness. I had an Osprey but the ultralights do not allow you to swap the belts. I need a medium belt with a short/small pack and had very similar issues with the Osprey.

You hopefully got fitted before you got the pack? If not, have someone measure you.

I picked up a Granite Gear pack and sold the Osprey, in the end. GG will allow you to swap belts and shoulder straps and while they do not have the ventilated back panel, the comfort is night and day from the Osprey I had.

I just went the other way: from a Granite Gear Vapor Trail to an Osprey Exos 58. The VT hipbelt (which worked for me for years) was suddenly causing hip pain radiating down through my thighs when I tightened it. The thin ventilated belt on the Exos 58 is perfect, and eliminated the problem.

Just goes to prove the point that pack fit is highly individualistic, and that what works for one person might not work for someone else.

Glad you like the Granite Gear pack - I really liked mine, right up until the end. I tried going up to the Nimbus Ozone and down to the Virga, but couldn't get the right fit in either one.

You've had some good advice, including wearing pants with a much thinner fabric and flatter seams at the waist/hip, and replacing the hip belt with something better padded.

The most obvious missing piece of advice is to lighten your load. Try that, too, if you can. Look at anything you are taking "just in case" and see if you could do without it.

Another thing you could try would be makeshifting some extra padding by putting socks or a folded bandana between your hips and the belt.

You coulds also try moving the belt a bit higher, so the lower edge of the belt is immediately on or slightly above your hip bone. I have prominent hipbones and this feels better to me than the middle-of-the-hip approach.

Is your hip belt padded? If so, maybe it was a little too tight? When properly fitted the belt buckle should be over your belly button.

Shifting your skirt, shorts, or pants and pack belt around during the hike will help prevent a permanent tatoo.

You could try loose-fitting spandex shorts or pants, such as the type made for mountain bikers. They have fewer and softer seams.

It looks like maybe your hip belt is designed to be heat-molded. Maybe this needs to be re-done? (http://www.ospreypacks.com/PackTech/CustomMolding/)

I actually sliced the fatty part of my hip bulge open on one hike. It was from the pressure of my hipbelt on my waistband. Not fun.

For the warmer parts of the year, I really like men's swim trunks. The longish type made of quick drying synthetic. Cut the mesh out and you're good to go. They breath well, dry quick, are long enough for modesty, and are really comfy. Oh, and they're cheap at WallyWorld and Target.

I have the same problem. Most "outdoor" pants do not work - even those specified for backpacking. For some reason, if the pant fits, the side pocket zips hit me exactly on my hip bones. I am going to get a pattern and sew my own pants.

Back hip pockets and side zip pockets are problems. Take your backpack with you when you go shopping. This is why I do not buy backpack pants over the internet.

Try the Mountain Hardware Canyon pants. The pair I have (in the older style) have pockets that slash diagonally from the front down to the side seam and stay well clear of my hip bones and my pack hip belt.

so am i going to run into issues wearing wrangler cargo pants?