I’ll never forget a monthlong glacier trip I did in my early twenties with a backpack I borrowed from the guy I was dating at the time. He was bigger and broader than me, and so was his pack. A week into the trip, the skin on my hips was raw, and I spent another 20 days miserably adjusting and readjusting and padding and un-padding and generally wishing I had a way to carry 85 pounds that actually fit me. By the time I got home, I was ready to burn it, and not just because our subsequent breakup wasn’t exactly amicable. 

Since then, I’ve become pickier about the people I date, and also about my gear. I’m lucky: a decade ago, adventurers who didn’t fit the burly male mountaineer archetype didn’t have a ton of options, and just a few years before that, it was men’s packs or nothing. So. I’m glad Deuter makes packs that are specifically designed to fit women. Here’s a little more about that and why it’s rad.

My hope is that one day most outdoor gear companies will be making gear to fit a variety of body types. It doesn’t have to be gendered “male” and “female”—it doesn’t have to be certain colors or patterns or whatever—it just has to fit people as they are so they can skip the part about feeling self-conscious about their bodies and just get to the adventuring. I am glad to be associated with Deuter, who cares about making products that actually fit the people who want to use them.

Note: I guess you’d call this a sponsored post, since I am a brand ambassador for Deuter. But you should know that I’ve been using (and paying full retail for!) Deuter packs for most of my career, because I think they are the best backpacks on the market. They fit me, they distribute weight comfortably, and they are durable enough to last for years and years. Okay, carry on. 

Feature photo by Becky Marcelliano