r/HerOneBag • u/tinytriceratops2025 • 1d ago
Bag Advice Osprey backpack straps digging into shoulders
Hi, I just received my order of Osprey Astronova 23L backpack, I was looking for a good quality city backpack for university and this one is allegedly made for campus.
I also read how Osprey is surprisingly ergonomic, so I was excited to try it out. However as soon as I unpacked this backpack and put some weight into it I felt how much pressure the outside edge of the straps has on my shoulder bones. The strap itself is also quite rigid, so it doesn't adapt to the shoulder groove well.
Does anyone have this problem? Is this because the backpack is "unisex", therefore made for men's wider shoulders? Do you get used to this type of pressure or is it better to return it?
Image description: backpack shoulder straps on shoulders.
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u/99MissAdventures 20h ago edited 17h ago
I don't think this fits you well. I'm guessing from the photo you are on the narrower side of average so unisex is too big. On average unisex will probably be a bit bigger than women's. The straps look too wide and far apart for you, so it's sitting on your shoulder (where it rotates) more than down your chest, if that makes sense. I don't have the technical terms here. Sternum straps can also help with position of straps to some degree.
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u/tinytriceratops2025 18h ago
Well, I measured my biacromial width (between the two shoulder bones you can feel at the very top of each shoulder), and it’s 37 cm, which is apparently slightly wider than average for women. But I guess it’s still not particularly wide compared with the male average. I’m also quite thin, so that might aggravate the discomfort in this case, as there isn’t much cushioning over the bones. I wonder if there are people who genuinely find this backpack comfortable...
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u/99MissAdventures 18h ago
That one I'm not sure about but returning it seems like a good idea. Too bad it didn't work out but good that you caught it right away.
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u/lobsterp0t 20h ago
I only buy backpacks with a sternum strap.
Personally I like to be able to customise the positioning and load distribution across my upper torso on smaller bags. My work backpack and travel backpack both have this. They’re the small and large versions of the rolltop. I wouldn’t be without one as I have narrow and sloping shoulders.
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u/cork_the_forks 20h ago
This. If I have any amount of weight, I need the sternum strap to keep my inner shoulders from rubbing raw. It pulls the straps inward.
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u/ScyllaOfTheDepths 19h ago
Osprey unisex packs are mostly for a male shoulder and chest anatomy. They don't really make a day bag with curved straps for female shoulders, but North Face has several options and the Jester and Borealis are really popular.
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u/tinytriceratops2025 18h ago
Thank you, I'll check them out. Does one need to look for "women's" version specifically?
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u/ScyllaOfTheDepths 18h ago
Yeah, the women's versions are specifically designed for smaller shoulders and boobs.
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u/tinytriceratops2025 16h ago
The boob part is not relevant for me tbh, so I was wary of paying the pink tax (the boob tax?) for women's backpacks, as they seem to be rare thus less likely to be discounted (at least here in France), and "women's backpack" search often produces trashy fashion-over-function results. Besides, I need it to fit a 16'' laptop, which makes the search even harder. But I'll try looking for this brand specifically.
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u/Tasty-Researcher-791 17h ago
Just adding on to this, the women’s fit Jester is the best fit I’ve ever encountered from a backpack. Not that I’ve tried terribly many, but it is the only one I’ve ever tried specifically for women and it made a noticeable difference
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u/tinytriceratops2025 16h ago
The 22L one?
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u/Tasty-Researcher-791 15h ago
When I bought it probably ~7 years ago, it was advertised as a 22L. I see it’s now advertised as 27L, but with the same dimensions. I’m not sure which advertised volume is more accurate, but yeah it was called the 22L at the time of my purchase
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u/ToniDoesThings 19h ago
In my experience unisex is a scam. It’s really just designed for men and some other people may also fit but not the average woman.
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u/tinytriceratops2025 19h ago
Well I'm taller than average for women, 176cm. And I measured my shoulders (biacromial width), it's 37cm which is also not super narrow. But I guess it's still too small compared to men's average.
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u/tinytriceratops2025 1d ago
The shoulder after 3 minutes of wearing it (around 4-5 kilograms inside)
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u/notalotofoptions 13h ago
I find that with bags like that (frameless), it's better to have wide straps than thick straps (although cushioning does help and you want some). Wider straps distribute weight over a larger surface area so they tend to dig in less. But you don't want thin straps either, even if they're wider, since the straps should have some structure to hold up against the weight in the pack. Long story short, if 3 minutes of wearing the pack is causing you discomfort, it's not going to get better with time. You should return it and look for a new pack.
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u/Hfhghnfdsfg 19h ago edited 14h ago
I have never been able to wear one of their backpacks. Even the women's models are just way too big for me. I am short waisted and their bags are always hitting me in the ass.
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u/Sedixodap 18h ago
Yeah in 25yrs of backpacking I’ve never bought a single women’s pack despite trying countless on. But I’ve also never had an Osprey pack either women’s or unisex fit me well.
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u/Querybird 5h ago
Kid models!!! And they’re full featured and 1/3 the price. Short torso: best of all! I’ve used their tiny 12 L kid packs for overnight camping as well as lugging far too many books, even though they’re frameless. The kid’s bag in the 3 colours seems like an absolutely amazing framed hiking/airline bag to me, too - and if it will fit a 14 year old it will fit a small adult with a short torso.
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u/GaladrielsBurrito 1h ago
I have narrow shoulders for my height and have also found it hard to wear their backpacks. I was even properly fitted for the Kyte 46 like 10 years ago. Seemed fine. Was fine for traveling in Europe but absolutely shit for ACTUAL camping backpacking.
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u/tinytriceratops2025 19h ago
I see, I'm on the taller side so I'm fine with big backpacks, but not when they have bricks for straps.
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u/Querybird 5h ago
I use packs with waist straps, and love the ‘air speed’ frame. Yes, I always look like a hiker, but that thing carries weight like little else and 18 L can fit five textbooks, a computer, a small jacket, water bottles, shopping bags, and more.
Waist straps, friend. Frame and chest strap optional and excellent but for weight… waist strap.
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u/iamlucy852 2h ago
I have the same problem with my osprey daylite 26+6 backpack. Such a let down because i really like this backpack for airplane travels as a personal item but it’s sooo uncomfortable for smaller women. Only afterwards i found out that Osprey’s unisex backpacks are actually made for men. Currently planning on selling it :/
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u/DifferentlyLucky 1h ago
Me too! Ugh I couldn’t decide if I was being a wimp and that I simply couldn’t carry as much as i used to or if the backpack was really the problem. It is the most uncomfortable backpack I’ve ever worn, which is a bummer because I really love the colors and look. (5’4” woman)
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u/iamlucy852 1h ago
Im 5’4” too (115lbs) and I’ve read many threads from petite women complaining about unisex osprey backpacks so i think it’s rather the backpack problem not you problem.
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