Shoulder straps at a glance
- Load on your hips instead
- 80 percent or more
- Per REI, on a pack with a hipbelt
- Anchor points
- 1 to 2 inches below the shoulder tops
- Adjust
- Second, after the hipbelt
Why shouldn't shoulder straps carry the weight?
Because your shoulders, neck and upper back are poorly built for it and your hips are not. REI's fit guide says the straps should wrap closely around your shoulders without carrying significant weight, and that if they are, you put undue stress on those muscles. On a framed pack with a hipbelt, 80 percent or more of the load belongs on your hips.
What the straps do instead is hold the pack against your back so it moves with you. The Washington Trails Association puts it simply: tightening them pulls the pack closer to your body and keeps it from pressing down on your shoulders.
How do you know the shoulder straps fit?
Look at where they attach at the top. REI says the anchor points should sit 1 to 2 inches below the top of your shoulders, roughly level with the top of your shoulder blades. If they are well off that, either the hipbelt is at the wrong height or the pack's torso length is wrong for you, and no amount of strap tension fixes either.
Then check the order. Fasten and tighten the hipbelt first, pull the shoulder straps down and back until they wrap your shoulders without a gap, then set the load lifters and the sternum strap.
Do women's packs have different shoulder straps?
Usually, yes. REI notes that the hipbelts and shoulder straps on women-specific packs tend to be contoured to accommodate wider hips and breasts, and its daypack guide adds that the straps are designed for a narrower frame.
Those are responses to average body shape rather than rules, so try both versions. REI also points out that women's packs often suit younger hikers, shorter people and anyone with narrow shoulders.
How is a vest harness different?
A running vest or fastpack has no frame to move weight down to your hips, so its straps have to hold the load after all. That is why they look nothing like backpack straps: wide, soft panels that wrap the front of the ribs, with two or more adjustment points down the chest and flask pockets sitting on top.
It works because the load is small. The wide harness that lets a light fastpack run smoothly is the wrong design for a heavy multi-day load, which is what a frame and hipbelt are for.
What this means when you're choosing
- Anchor points that land 1 to 2 inches below the top of your shoulders once the hipbelt sits on your hip bones
- Straps shaped to clear your chest, which is what a curved or women-specific harness does
- Pockets or loops on the straps if you want a bottle, phone or bite valve within reach
- A vest-style harness only for light loads you intend to move fast with
The common mistake
Tightening the shoulder straps to take the weight
It feels secure, and it moves the load off your hips onto your neck and upper back, which is where the aches start later in the day. Tighten the hipbelt first, then bring the shoulder straps in only until they wrap your shoulders. If your shoulders ache early, look at the belt and the torso length before the straps.
Common questions
How tight should backpack shoulder straps be?
Close enough to wrap your shoulders with no gap, and loose enough that the hipbelt is still carrying the load. If loosening them makes the pack sag off your hips, the belt is too loose or sitting in the wrong place.
Is it normal to tighten the shoulder straps partway through a hike?
Yes. REI describes it as a common way to manage fatigue: tighten the shoulder straps and loosen the hipbelt for a while, then reverse it later. The aim is to move pressure around, not to keep the load on your shoulders.
Where this is defined
- Backpacks: Fit & Torso Size Guide, REI Co-op
- How to Choose a Backpack: Sizing & Fit Guide, REI Co-op
- Daypacks: How to Choose, REI Co-op
- How to Choose a Backpack, Washington Trails Association
See it labeled