Heavy stays high and close to your back.

The biggest cause of backpack back pain is packing like a grocery bag — heavy stuff at the bottom, light stuff on top.

Here’s the deal: your body tolerates weight best when it sits near your spine and at your mid-to-upper back. That means your sleeping bag and puffy jacket (light, bulky) go at the bottom. Your stove, tent, food, and water go up high, pressed right against your back panel. People get this backwards all the time because the bottom of the pack feels like “the bottom” — but that’s where gravity torques your shoulders forward the most.

Also: use the hip belt. The whole point of that strap is to transfer load from your shoulders to your pelvis. If you wear the hip belt loose so it rests on your gut, the pack hangs off your shoulders and your back takes the beating. Cinch it over your hip bones, not your waist. Shoulders should feel like they’re just stabilizing, not carrying.

And don’t clip stuff to the outside of the pack. That shifts your center of gravity backward and pulls you into a lean. If you can’t fit it inside, you’re carrying too much.

Think of your pack as an egg that needs balance: heavy over your spine, light away from it. If it feels like you’re leaning backward to compensate, repack.

Your back won’t hurt if the load hugs your spine — and let your hips do the heavy lifting.