gear rework

What do you do if you have to compensate?

Many people ask "What is the best gear to buy?" I usually tell them what I use and let them make up their own mind.  Think about it. Most manufacturers want to make the best gear they can at the lowest price.  That means that they are going to make an average piece of gear to fit all people.  The problem is all of us are not average.  We are tall, short, skinny, large, and often handicapped in some way.  We must buy gear that is adjustable or that we can adapt to our bodies at a reasonable cost.  The more adjustable a piece of gear is, the more it will cost and the less people will want to buy it.  The three things to consider when purchasing any gear are cost, weight, and necessity.  Usually the lighter and more adjustable a piece of gear is, the more expensive it will be.  Most manufacturers use the same materials but design them in a different way.
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I generally do not give a lot of gear advice because usually the person will end up buying the cheapest anyway.  It takes a lot of time and effort to explain the reasoning behind selecting the best gear.

Last fall I had a total shoulder replacement. I did not know what effect it would have on backpacking.  The therapist assured me that I would have no trouble carrying up to thirty pounds in my backpack.   I did not have a problem with that because I usually carry no more than twenty pounds on my back.   After my operation and therapy I took a ten mile backpack trip with a twenty-two pound pack. I had no trouble hiking up mountains on the trip, but down the mountains my shoulder ached.  

I thought about many ways I could stop this from occurring again.  I decided to design my own pack.   I have a lot of day packs.  I bought a pack called The Bacon made by Eddie Bauer and scaled it down to half its size.   That made it easy on my shoulder, but still it was not large enough to carry all my gear.  To make up for the lost space I bought a lumbar pack made by MountainSmith to compliment my other pack.  The two packs  in combination carried all my gear.   In combination both packs worked very well, but I still was not satisfied. 

The two pack concept was a lot to manage during an extended hike of more than an overnighter.  

Scar from the total shoulder replacement.

A cut down version of the Bacon by Eddie Bauer.  

A lumbar pack made by MountainSmith.

 I tried several ways to cushion the shoulder strap of a full sized Golite ultralight backpack.  I bought a soccer sock and cut the toe out of it. I filled the sock with two inches of foam rubber, eighteen inches long and pulled the pack chest strap through it.  The sock filled foam rubber did the job.

The extra cushioning in the strap allowed me to make longer backpacking trips.

The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him ; though he may stumble, he will not fall...... Psalm 37:23-24