Who Knew?!
So guys… I went to go look at the backpacks at a local outdoor store for my trip and who knew so much went into finding a pack. I walked in expecting to choose a pretty color and be out of there within 30 minutes but boy was I wrong!
After wandering around the pack section for a few minutes I was already overwhelmed. Why so many brands? What does 30L mean? What about 80L+10? Why are they so expensive? Why are there 17 different sizes and styles? I found an employee and basically sent a distress signal.
He asked me all kinds of questions pertaining to my trip. He told me he would have to measure me so we could find the right fit. First, we had to find my hip bones. Second, I had to lean my neck down so he could count down my neck to find a certain spot in my neck. He then pulls out this contraption and straps it around my waist. Moves some straps, adjusts the neck height and voila, just like magic, we have some measurements.
He pulls down a few different packs for me to try on and stuffs them full so they weigh about 20lbs. We put the first one on and he starts adjusting what seems to be like 20 different things, asks me if it feels okay and tells me to take a walk. (We did this with 4 different packs.)
After TWO HOURS I finally found a pack that was perfect! I am still laughing at my ignorance of hiking backpacks. But hey, I am thankful for a few things, the employee who helped me and provided me with so many tips, now having some knowledge on the subject and that my family didn’t kill me during the process (:
