A properly fitting backpack should comfortably transfer approximately 80 percent of its weight to your hips and lower body, 20 percent to the front of your shoulders, and exactly zero to the top of your shoulders.
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Pack your backpack with the heaviest items closest to your back: Don't drop all your stuff in the main compartment. Use the side pockets to spread the weight out. If your pack is really heavy and you can't get around the number of books you need, take some of the books out of your pack and carry them in your hands.
Small items go in the side or top pockets. On rough terrain, where a low center of gravity is important, it might be wise to put heavy things on the bottom. For external-frame packs, heavy things go high and as close to your back as possible.
A loaded backpacking pack should not weigh more than about 20 percent of your body weight. (If you weigh 150 pounds, your pack should not exceed 30 pounds for backpacking.) A loaded day hiking pack should not weigh more than about 10 percent of your body weight.
Savings can be achieved both by reducing the size of your pack and also by choosing a pack with lightweight construction (lighter materials, fewer pockets and zippers, etc.). If you're carrying less than 15-20 pounds, consider a frameless backpack, and you'll be able to drop your backpack weight to under two pounds.
Most beginners will carry around 30 to 35 pounds for their first few trips (including the pack itself). As you gain more experience and upgrade gear, your weight will likely decrease to around 30 to 32 pounds. Some backpackers stay around the 30 pound mark while others strive to get their weight as low as possible.
Don't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, put it on your hips! For a simple webbing waist belt, the bottom of the belt should rest on top of your hip sockets. For a padded belt, the contoured center of the waist belt should cup the pronounced part of your hips (the illiac crest). Tighten until snug.
Base WeightThe majority of hikers' base weights at the start of their hikes fell between 15 and 30 pounds, with the median at 20 pounds. The averages between section hikers and thru-hikers were almost the same at around 20 pounds.
Effects of an overweight backpackThe extra weight can distort the natural curve of the middle and lower back, causing muscle strain. Members of the UI Hospitals & Clinics Rehabilitation Services team recommend you carry no more than ten percent of your weight in a backpack.
This is perfectly fine for weekend trips or a few miles of hiking to a nearby campsite. However, base weights that exceed twenty or thirty pounds does not work well for long distance hiking. The typical conventional backpacker has a base weight around 25 to 30 pounds.
Many hikers have the common misconception that most of the weight should rest on your shoulder straps—and these people will feel the pain shortly into their hike. Follow the 80/20 principle: 80 percent of the weight should be on your hips and 20 percent on your shoulders.
A loaded backpacking pack should not weigh more than about 20 percent of your body weight. (If you weigh 150 pounds, your pack should not exceed 30 pounds for backpacking.) A loaded day hiking pack should not weigh more than about 10 percent of your body weight.
Backpacks are designed to distribute weight onto our hips through the hip belt. Our hips have a lot of capacity to carry weight, so this isn't a bad thing, but with enough weight, time, and steps, our hips will still reach a limit. Another specific impact of our hips carrying our pack weight shows up in our IT bands.
Before you start cutting the labels off your clothes, the edges off your maps and the end off your toothbrush, it is worth noting that the most significant weight savings will most likely be found in your “Big Three” items; namely your shelter, backpack and sleeping bag.