Choosing the right backpack is one of the questions that trouble the novice pilgrims.
Maybe a big backpack, where everything can be packed? Perhaps will be better a small one, with just the essential things? In today’s post we would like to analyze almost all the variable that affect the decision about the best backpack for every person.
How much weight can I carry?
We are not ant, who can carry almost 10 times its own weight. Theoretically a human being can carry between 60 and 70% of her/his own bodily weight. Anyway, logically no one can walk long distances with that weight.
What to have in mind in choosing the right backpack
The capacity of backpacks is always considered in liters. Mountain backpacks usually have a capacity of 30-50 liters.
Anyway, we should not only determine the capacity of the backpack, but also other important factors.
1/Size
As it happens with clothes, also backpacks have size. One 1,80 meters person does not need the same backpack than someone smaller. That is why it is really important that the backpack you bring fixes with your back.
Be careful, and take into account that this size is calculated according to the distance between the base of your neck and the end of the back bone.
2/Frame
The frame is the part that transfer the weight supported by the backpack, to the belt. It is important this frame to have enough rigidity. Nowadays, aluminum frames are not used anymore, and there is a vast offer of new materials and designs.
There are also some frames that can be extracted and adapted to our backs.
Also, and having into consideration that this part is more rigid, and correspondingly it emits more heat, the most modern models offer grid as ventilation. Be careful with the models that pretend that ventilation by separating the frame from the body, because that fact could modify the center of gravity, and could provoke falls.
3/Lumbar belt
The Camino de Santiago is a demanding walk, with stages up to 30 Kilometers. The Lumbar belt helps your backpack to transfer the weight to the hips, almost until 80%.
That way, your back and shoulders will transfer an important part of the weight to the legs, getting free from it.
In order them to be really effective, they should be wide and comfortable. There are also some models specially created for women, because of their wider hips and narrow waist.
To check the adaptation, try to fasten this belt, without insert your legs in the shoulder pad. If the backpack remains in its place, and it do not get separated from your back, it fixes you!
4/ Shoulder pads
They support almost 20% of the weight, although does not look like that. It is very important that they fix well in your back, otherwise it will suffer. They should tense properly, but not too much, in order to avoid pain or marks in your shoulders.
As the belt, they should be wide and comfortable, because they will fix your body constantly. Do not forget about the padded, it is one of the most important criteria in choosing the right backpack.
