Good advice. I grew to resent my Kelty while trying to traverse boulder fields in the rain. Not only was it wobbly, but every time I stubbed a toe, I'd lurch forward against the pack straps, then a second later the pack, inspired by this, would smack me on the back like a freight train while I was balancing on wet rock. This was solo, in a true wildnerness area with no rangers, and no one knew exactly where I was. A broken leg could have been a problem.<br><br>On the other hand, I've seen a number of beginners with internal-frame packs adjust them so that the frame wasn't really doing anything at all.<br><br>Though not a paleontologist, I can sympathize. I once hiked a waterlogged whale vertebra for some miles over soft sand, lashed to the outside of a Gregory day-and-a-half pack (no frame at all, just a padded back). Wasn't fun. The looks I got when getting back to the populated beaches were.. memorable. The vertebra now has a place of honor on my bookshelves.