Pack fit bad or need to get used to it?

I have this same pack and have used it twice in the Grand Canyon. Third trip coming up in a couple of weeks. I also find that it hurts my shoulders, although it generally isn't bad until I've put in more than 8 miles in a day. We had one 11-mile day on the Tonto Trail on our last trip and by the end I was hurting. I think the biggest problem I have with this pack is that I'm at the top end of the small so it's extended as far as it can go. I feel a lot of drag on my shoulders. My husband carries probably 20 lbs more than I do but his pack always feels more balanced to me. The Osprey just feels dense, even with just 25 lbs.

Takeaway - you might want to try another brand and see if you can get a more comfortable fit. GCNP is challenging enough with a pack that feels good from the start. I'm not quite ready to give up on my Osprey, but I am starting to consider it for future trips.

What's your itinerary?

Thanks BigLoad for your recommendations, I will try changing up the back straps (some anti-gravity suspension thing) a little more. I don't have outfitters close to me, REI is a 2 hour drive one way.

I guess I just expect to put on my pack and hike 12 miles like I would without one on and that's not realistic. I was borderline Small to Medium and the salesman recommended I go with the medium so I will try getting the straps up a little higher. I do like the pack and it comes with such high reviews, so I will keep working with it.

We are just spending one night at the bottom. The night before our hike (Saturday) we are staying at the Bright Angel lodge. We may do a short hike that afternoon. Then on Sunday, we are hiking South Kaibab trail down. We will leave by 6am so hopefully be down by noon. Just spending one night at the campground. Setup camp and explore the area. On Monday we hike back out using Bright Angel trail. We hope to leave by 5am and finish by mid afternoon. Not sure how long our breaks will be on the way out.

I can't speak for everyone, but I find most of the folk I hike with, including myself, adjust their straps on the fly within the first mile or two. Primarily it's the sternum, shoulder, and belt straps that need to be dialed in just a bit more as the pack settles and the straps absorb moisture.

A simple free-body diagram will show that a person's core muscles help carry the backpack. While we all know those shoulder straps aren't meant for bearing the weight of the load on to your shoulders, they are meant to provide leverage to keep the pack upright and against your back. Properly adjusted shoulder-strap lengths, load-lifters, and sternum straps are key for reducing the effort to provide this leverage. If these straps are off you'll end up craning your head, shoulders, and body forward much of the time to better balance the bag over your body. This leads to the shoulders pulling on the bag and taking a fair amount of weight off the hip belt. So while you don't need a sport climber's upper body to carry a heavy pack, rocking a six-pack of abs won't hurt.

If you're not used to wearing backpacks -- let alone heavy backpacks -- chances are you're going to notice it's there. While I also can't imagine not feeling the shoulder straps, I assume what those you talk to mean is that they don't feel the shoulder straps bearing down on their shoulders and as I mentioned above, they shouldn't. You should feel the straps pulling backwards against your chest (i.e. providing leverage), not down against the top of your shoulders. The sternum strap is a godsend for this, but remember to adjust both its length and height.


Your legs and feet are carrying much more than they are accustomed to and at a different center of gravity. So sore feet will be mostly unavoidable while you're pushing your distance limits. Just don't push so hard as to seriously hurt yourself, of which there are numerous ways.

Thanks again for everyone's input. I do have trekking poles. I also do not think I have the straps giving me enough room. I currently do not have the two finger width above my shoulders. They are sitting on my shoulders but not snug. When I get home from work I am going to work on changing the straps and see how that works. It's a cold rainy day here but even just walking around my house I should at least get a feel for it, do some stairs as well.


Oh and this is the pack I have, appears to be a womens according to Osprey's site.  I guess I didn't reference the "AG" after Aura. 
www.ospreypacks.com/en/group/backpacks/aura_ag_series   

My update after trying out the tips, I was able to raise up the straps up so I don't have them touching my shoulders, just floating above almost the 2 finger width as recommended. I was able to tighten the sternum strap then. I do feel a little bit of pressure on the front but not bad and totally manageable.

Also I realized another issue with my pack, my 3L bladder I had on the outside of my pack (kinda in the mesh ventilation section). I read online at various sites that was the preferred location, but then my pack didn't come off my back as intended. I moved the bladder inside to the actual bladder pocket and that works great too for the fit.

I've been training with rain gear in my pack and hopefully it won't be needed for my Grand Vanyon hike and I could eliminate almost 3 lbs.

Thanks again for everyone's tips. I've been trying to find a decent forum for quite sometime and never thought to check the magazine that I loves website until last night for one.

Ah. Looks like they've changed some labeling. How confusing!