>>292405These things are inconsequential on military packs being used by military folk because there are other more important considerations than comfort. Packs are worn high and tight on the shoulders because you also need access to whatever is on your belt/vest. You also need to be able to ditch that shit in an instant, meaning no waistbelt. Most of my packs even had quick release buckles on the shoulder straps.
No matter how strong you are however, wearing a heavy-ish pack with all the weight on your shoulders will start to suck eventually. This is because a greater proportion of the weight pulls AWAY from your body, constantly tugging at the small stabilizer muscles in your shoulders and neck. These aren't designed for that.
To illustrate, to get a 'basic' pack to sit snug on your shoulders you have to crank the shoulder straps tight. With a waist belt you should only have to lightly tighten them just enough to bring the pack in the last couple of inches. That is the difference in outward pull you are asking your neck and shoulder muscles to counteract.
A framesheet and belt transfers more of the weight vertically onto your skeleton, most of it through your legs. Your skeleton is definitely designed for vertical load bearing - same principle as people carrying baskets on their heads, or when you lean forward to rest when wearing a pack. Lastly, a sternum strap provides stability. Maybe a bit of an extreme scenario, but a pack suddenly shifting off your shoulders could well pull you off of a mountain.
I'm not hating on Goruck, only their claims that their packs are somehow so comfortable they don't need a waistbelt and go against all the above, with nothing tangible on the packs themselves to support this. If they'd simply said 'having a less complicated pack is more important' then that would be fine.
