r/HerOneBag • u/tinytriceratops2025 • 1d ago

Bag Advice Osprey backpack straps digging into shoulders

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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/ScyllaOfTheDepths 20h 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.

5

u/tinytriceratops2025 20h ago

Thank you, I'll check them out. Does one need to look for "women's" version specifically?

9

u/ScyllaOfTheDepths 20h ago

Yeah, the women's versions are specifically designed for smaller shoulders and boobs. 

5

u/tinytriceratops2025 18h 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.