I have recently been doing some backpacking with my girlfriend and have noticed some things that I suspect effect most women. Any body that would have any ideas or comments would be appreciated. I bought her a GG Mariposa and it seems to continualy ride up on top of her hips. She has a rather curvaceous form, which I like in most cases, but right now is frustrating me. Are there other packs that would be better suited or has GG or ULA done any kind of women specific fitting? Please, Brian or Glen feel free to comment.

hipbelts kinda stink for women with actual hips. most belts are sewn on somewhat straight, since men mostly have straight hips. but for women they really should be sewn at an angle - so that they cup the hips. the other problem is the small bump of abdominal padding that most women have - the belt tends to ride up and sit on it, which is less than comfortable (for me, anyway). in my fantasy world, the belt is stiff, cups the hips, and is canted downward in the front, to rest on the abdominal bum instead of riding up over it. this of course increases the weight of the pack...

i haven't used many of the more popular UL/LW packs. i do have a women's REI UL 45, which is not the lightest pack around but I have found to be very comfortable. sadly, the best hipbelt i've ever had was on a pack that weighed over 6 lbs empty - the Gregory Electra (but if ya gotta hump 50+ lbs it's awesome).

I like my ULA Circuit because the hipbelt has two rows of fasteners. I can tighten the top row and loosen the bottom row to get the flare I need for my hips. The adjustable "female" fit is one of the many things I like about this pack.

Granite Gear women's hipbelts are sculpted to fit the increased angle of women's hips. My GF uses the Vapor Ki with women's belt in this manner; and it takes alot of the weight off the shoulders.
Read about it here

Several women I know have also used the Vapor Ki and loved the hip belt on it. It is decently light weight and has some nice features.