I recently bought one of those with a mesh that keeps the bag away
from your body. This was to reduce the degree of sweating I get around
the back - both the immediate discomfort and also the cumulative
effect of the rucksack padding absorbing the sweat and getting whiffy.
I planned a few days of Thames Path walking with overnight B&B stops,
so I also wanted to increase capacity a little above my 35 litre bag.
There wasn't a lot of choice, and I eventually bought a Berghaus
'35+8'.
It was pretty hot on my first short day (Newbridge-Oxford, 14.5
miles), and I did notice the reduced sweating. But I was decidedly
uncomfortable, and am now trying to pin down the contributing causes.
Obviously the weight was high, far more than I use for my usual
day-walking. But I'm sure I felt more discomfort this time than on my
first Thames Path walk last summer, using the tightly-packed 35 litre.
Are more experienced users aware of any inherent reason for this type
to be less comfortable? Perhaps due to the centre-of-gravity
difference? Or the construction itself?
There's also the associated question of whether I was wearing it
correctly. The store assistant in Blacks told me that "all the weight
needs to be on your hips." And, that I should have the lower strap
very tight: "If you can breathe, it's not tight enough." (BTW,
wouldn't that tend to raise the point of contact up from the hips and
into the waist?) He also said that he personally had the shoulder
straps "barely touching." With my previous bag, I'd been used to
cinching those up quite tightly.
So, any and all advice/recommendations on these and any related points
would be much appreciated please.
--
Terry, West Sussex, UK