Vent: a guy at REI told me my pack straps were wrong and I've been hiking mad for 3 miles
He said to loosen the load lifters and stop cranking the hip belt so tight, and my shoulders stopped aching on the next trip up at Starved Rock. What other basic setup stuff am I doing backwards out there?
Does a guy at REI really know your body better than you do after three miles? Loose load lifters and a hip belt that's not cranked might feel great on a flat easy trail but that advice falls apart the second you're hauling 40 pounds up a real climb. I've messed with those settings for years and the "right" way changes depending on pack weight and how far you're going. Sounds like it worked for your one trip up Starved Rock, which is a pretty short hike, so I wouldn't overhaul everything based on that.