alexsuen

I have written before about “men's fit” and “women's fit” backpacks. At MEC, I frequently have members (our nomenclature for customers, even though we are no longer a retail co-op) come in and ask what the differences are. The good news is that the men's fit and women's fit backpacks are the same price across different models. Their rated capacities are the same or almost the same. The bad news? Except for certain models available in all-black, a somewhat rare colourway in the outdoor gear world, they tend to have two different and non-overlapping sets of colourways.

Another piece of good news is that it's not just a marketing gimmick. There are anatomical differences that make these backpacks tailored for their specific sex. For trans people, or everyone really, note that “women's fit” means the best fit for most people assigned female at birth (AFAB), and “men's fit” means the best fit for most people assigned male at birth (AMAB). If you are a cisgendered man, or an AMAB trans woman, you may find that a women's fit backpack may suit you better, or vice versa. It's rare, but my guess is that about one-in-fifty to one-in-twenty people will want a backpack that is designed for the opposite of their biological sex.

Getting back to the averages: please see the following differences below.

• Men's fit backpacks are designed to fit larger torsos in volume, height, and length. Therefore, they have a taller range of torso height adjustments on models that have that option. The shoulder straps are straighter and longer.
• Women's fit backpacks are designed to smaller torsos in volume, height, and length. Therefore, they have a shorter range of torso height adjustments. The shoulder straps are curvier and shorter.
• Men's fit backpacks are designed to fit broader shoulders. The shoulder straps are therefore usually wider across the padded area, and start at the back further apart from each other.
• Women's fit backpacks are designed to fit narrower shoulders. The shoulder straps are usually narrower across the padded area, and start at the back closer together.
• Men's fit backpacks are designed to fit straighter, narrower hips. The hipbelt is usually perpendicular to the ground or only slightly curved.
• Women's fit backpacks are designed to fit curvier, wider hips. The hipbelt is usually canted at an angle to support the flaring of the hips.

Basically, if you're biologically male, you should usually start with trying on men's fit backpacks, and if you're biologically female, you should usually start with trying on women's fit backpacks. On the outside edge of things, you may wish to try on the opposite sex fit.

“Unisex” backpacks are often not labelled seriously. Product pages on store websites are often not labelled accurately, and backpacks for large adult men are frequently classified as “unisex.” This is less true for Osprey and for everyday city backpacks, but as a general rule outdoor backpacks that are over $150 will have gendered backpack fit options and no true unisex option.

Gregory and Osprey also make models for plus size customers, which you may wish to consider if average backpacks fit you poorly or not at all. They are the same price and have the same features as the average backpack models.

Deuter, Lowe Alpine, and many other traditional backpack companies offer a wide range of models that includes men's fit and women's fit options. However, companies that don't specifically specialize in backpacks (e.g. Fjallraven, Arc'teryx, Patagonia) or most small US-based cottage ultralight manufacturers (e.g. Gossamer Gear, Zpacks, Hyperlite Mountain Gear) won't have all of these options.

The best thing to do to ensure that your backpack fits well, is to try it on in the store, and get assistance from an experienced backpack fitter. It's like trying on hiking boots. If this option is not available to you, I recommend buying from stores with generous and flexible return policies.