SectionHiker.com Backpacking Gear Reviews and FAQs 
Women have a better selection of female-specific lightweight multi-day backpacks weighing less than 3 pounds than ever before. With more and more women on the trails and in the hills, major backpack companies have responded by building new products for this rapidly growing segment of the backpacking population. Gone are the days of “shrink it and pink it,” in this latest generation of lightweight women’s backpacks.
Women’s Lightweight Backpacks
Women have narrower shoulders, breasts, wider hips, shorter torsos, and different proportions than men and need backpacks that more anatomically appropriate for their sex. Backpack manufacturers including Osprey, Gregory, REI, Granite Gear, Mountainsmith, Exped, and Kelty now make women’s specific backpacks with shoulder straps, hip belts, and torso-lengths designed specifically for women.
| Women's Make / Model | Frame: Torso Range | Weight | Colors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osprey Eja 58 | Fixed: 14-21" | 42 oz | Grey, Blue |
| Osprey Eja 48 | Fixed: 14-21" | 41 oz | Grey, Blue |
| Osprey Tempest 40 | Adjustable: 13-20" | 38.1 oz | Magenta, Black |
| Osprey Lumina 60 | Fixed: 15-21" | 31.2 oz | Grey |
| Osprey Lumina 45 | Fixed: 15-21" | 28 oz | Grey |
| REI Flash 55 | Fixed: 16-18" | 43 oz | Grey, Olive Oil |
| REI Flash 45 | Fixed: 16-18" | 41.5 oz | Grey, Pumpkin |
| Granite Gear Crown2 | Fixed: 15-21" | 34 oz | Grey, Black |
| Gregory Facet 55 | Fixed: 14-20" | 40.8 oz | Grey |
| Gregory Facet 45 | Fixed: 14-20" | 40 oz | Grey |
| Gregory Amber 44 | Adjustable: 14-20" | 44 oz | Red, Teal |
| Kelty Redwing 50 | Fixed: 14.5-18.5" | 42 oz | Black, Teal |
| Mountainsmith Scream 55 | Fixed: 14-17" | 42 oz | Grey |
What do Women Backpackers Want?
While some women can make-do with a smaller sized unisex backpack that was originally designed for man, there’s a crying need for backpacks designed specifically for curvy female bodies, with S-shaped shoulder straps, female-specific hip belts, and shorter torso sizes.
S-Shaped Shoulder Straps
For example, backpack shoulder straps with an S-curve are often more comfortable and a better fit for women, especially for women with larger breasts. Male-oriented J-curve shoulder straps often land in the middle of the breast, squashing it. The pressure can be quite painful, and if you loosen the straps, the pack moves from side to side, defeating the intent to hold the backpack’s weight close to the body. Some men actually prefer S-curve straps, particularly those with athletic builds, as it results in more freedom of movement around the armpit, and a shorter sternum strap.
Women’s Hip Belts
Hip belts designed for women need to be more rounded and contoured to accommodate wider hips, flaring upwards at the end so they sit higher up on the hip bones than men’s hip belts. They also need to be available in shorter lengths than men’s hip belts, with properly positioned hip belt pockets, since many women have smaller hip circumferences. These modifications help keep the majority of a pack’s weight on women’s hips where it belongs and make a big difference in all-day comfort.
Torso Sizes
Women tend to have shorter torso lengths than men, necessitating a different range of available sizes, including ones that are much shorter in length. While most women’s specific packs have fixed length torsos, adjustable-length frames are often the best option, since you can dial in a personalized fit that may fall between traditional sizes.
Lightweight Unisex Backpacks with Women’s Options
Some backpack manufacturers including ULA, Zpacks, and Six Moon Designs make unisex backpacks that have S-shaped shoulder straps by default, or the option to swap out certain features for more female-friendly components or sizing. That’s not quite the same as a female-specific backpack since it doesn’t change the other dimensions such as back panel width, back panel length, hip belt length, hip belt pocket placement, or the torso lengths offered for their unisex backpacks, but it can make their products more comfortable for some women. For example, most of Zpacks backpacks have female-friendly S-shaped shoulder straps but are still only available in larger (male-targeted) torso lengths and hip belt sizes.
| Make / Model | Women's Specific Features | Frame: Torso Range | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zpacks Arc Blast 55L | S-shaped Shoulder Straps | Adjustable: 17-26" | 19.9 oz |
| Zpacks Arc Haul 62L | S-shaped Shoulder Straps | Adjustable: 17-26" | 22.0 oz |
| Zpacks Arc Zip 57L | S-shaped Shoulder Straps | Adjustable: 17-26" | 22.5 oz |
| Zpacks Arc Haul Zip 64L | S-shaped Shoulder Straps | Adjustable: 17-26" | 25.3 oz |
| Zpacks Arc Scout 50L | S-shaped Shoulder Straps | Adjustable: 14-17" | 19.1 oz |
| Zpacks Nero 38L | S-shaped Shoulder Straps, Short Torso | Fixed 18-22" | 10.9 oz |
| ULA Catalyst | Shoulder Strap Option | Fixed: 15-24+" | 46.7 oz |
| ULA Circuit | Shoulder Strap Option | Fixed: 15-24+" | 36.6 oz |
| ULA Ohm 2.0 | Shoulder Strap Option | Fixed: 15-24+" | 33.1 oz |
| ULA CDT | Shoulder Strap Option | Fixed: 15-24+" | 26 oz |
| Six Moon Designs Swift X | Shoulder Strap Option | Fixed: 16-22" | 26-37 oz |
| Six Moon Designs Flight 30 | Shoulder Strap Option | Fixed: 16-22" | 26.2-32 oz |
| Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 | XShort Torso | Fixed: 11.5-23.5" | 30.7-34.8 oz |
| Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50 | XShort Torso | Fixed: 11.5-23.5" | 31.7-35.7 oz |
| Gossamer Gear G4-20 UL 42 | XShort Torso | Fixed: 11.5-23.5" | 23.2-26.1 oz |
Conclusion
The number of women’s specific backpacks available today has grown significantly in the past 3 years since I last did a round-up of the options available. We’ve also brought on several expert female backpackers at SectionHiker.com to help review women’s backpacks and I’d encourage you to read their gear reviews. If there are specific women’s packs you’d like us to review, leave a comment below and we’ll get right on it. As RBG said once, the lack of female-specific backpacking gear “is scandalous in this day and age.” We agree and with your help, we can bring more visibility to address this issue, while helping steer women to backpacking gear that is designed for their comfort.
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First off, thanks for a great site! I am wondering if you have done any reviews or have heard any complaints about durability of backpacks. In particular, how the materials stretch over continued use. I found that the hip belt of my Osprey Ariel 75 stretched to the point where it no longer supported any weight on my hips and made for a really uncomfortable final week on the JMT. What is interesting about this is that when i originally got the pack, I had to upsize the hip belt from a S (which the pack came with) to a M since the S did not sit in the proper place on my hips causing much discomfort. After a few trips, this belt stretched to the point where i went back to the S but had to stretch it for a couple of weeks around some table legs so that it would sit in the proper place on my hips. It fit great for a couple of weeks before it stretched too much. My husband’s Kelty pack did not have this problem (both of us lost a similar amount of weight). So, in looking for a new pack, i want to take this issue into account.
I’ve never ever heard of or experienced a hip belt shrinking or getting longer. Sorry.