[at-l] Osprey Aether 60

[MedusaJ at aol.com (MedusaJ@aol.com)]

Frank, do you like the Osprey Aether 60?  That's what I finished my thru-hike 
with, from Bland, Virginia, on, and I had a lot of back pain.  I've been 
meaning to ask the collected assembly about it, actually.  I started with an 
eight-year-old LLBean pack, the only pack I'd ever hiked with, and it tore my back 
to pieces.  (I was carrying about 30 pounds.)  I traded at Kincora for one of 
the packs Bob had there, a Lowe Alpine.  It was actually pretty good, and I 
was getting rid of some of my winter gear, so I was lightening up.  Then someone 
offered to sell me their Aether for $100, a Tall, and a lot of people 
(including about three outfitters) had theorized that the problem with my back was 
that my pack was too short for me.

I'm 5'10" and have a long torso.  So I decided it was a good deal and went 
for it.  Unfortunately, it was a 2003, and the left lumbar support bar broke 
through its leather harness, completely unbalancing my load and digging into my 
side.  They've since reinforced the spot in the new design.

Anyway, I traded it out in Harpers Ferry, but still had back problems.  At it
s lightest, with full food, my pack only weighed 19.2, and was under thirty 
even when I got all my winter gear back, so I know it's not weight.  Which 
leaves me with three theories:
1.  I screwed up my back with the first pack, and now there's something 
irreconcilably wrong with it.
2.  The Osprey was just as bad for my back, either because it didn't fit, or 
because it wasn't a female pack.
3.  My back muscles (traps and lats) are too weak.

Did anyone else have a problem with serious back pain on the trail?  I'm 
planning a PCT thru-hike for this summer, and I'm planning to take the Osprey, 
mainly because I have no money to experiment with.  And I have no health 
insurance to see a doctor.  Any advice?  Could it be a lack of back strength?  Or do I 
need a new pack?  And if I do, how do I find one that fits?

Marzipan
AT04


In a message dated 1/17/2005 12:46:19 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
at-l-request@backcountry.net writes:

> Actually, I hiked yesterday and today both at the N.O.C., both days with my
> sweet new Osprey Aether 60 (see the sale at the outfitter mentioned by bill
> below). That--the hiking--is how I'm getting ready for my spring hike. I've
> missed one day in two weeks! The last few days I've felt like I was
> literally flying, even though today I stayed back with a slow, very-good
> friend.