Hi Folks,

I’m in the market for a backpack but need seriously help deciding which one to pick. I have serious back problems as I have two slipped discs in my lower back. So I was thinking that I should have an ultralight backpack that transfers as much load to the waist as possible so that my lower back won’t have to carry that much.

I think I narrowed it down to:

1. GG Gorilla 40 Ultralight Backpack (total 32 ounces) ($245)
a. Plus hip belt

2. ZPacks Arc Blast Backpack (total 23 ounces) ($385)
a. Plus Lumbar Pad
b. Plus two belt pouches

3. KS packs from ks-ultralightgear (total 22 ounces) ($350)
a. 40 Liters dyneema version
b. Plus two belt pockets
c. Plus Internal Pocket
d. Plus Dry bag top closure system
e. Plus Internal pad pocket
f. Plus Anatomic padded hip belt
g. Plus Frame set

They all have a frame and they all claim to transfer lots of load to the hip belt. The advantage of the ZPacks and KS packs is that they’re water proof so in rain they won’t get much heavier unlike the Gorilla which already is 10 ounces’ heavier than the other two. The advantage of the Gorilla is that many reviews claimed that it is ultra comfortable and that it has an excellent load transfer system.

The KS packs had been my first choice until I noticed that the shape of the backpack is completely straight while other framed backpacks (including Gorilla and Zpacks) have all a slight round shape while the Zpacks has even a stronger round shape to a degree that it lets air flow between back and pack. I'm not sure what to think of that.

Which should I buy considering my back issues?