Ray Way pack assessment

A couple of months ago, while looking at the Pacific Crest Trail Assn website, I clicked on a link to Ray Jardine's website.  Interested, I ordered some things which included a Ray Way backpack, Medium size 3000 cu inches.  I built it per Ray's instructions.

It is huge.  the bag without the extension collar is 3000 cubes, the mesh pockets add 400 cubes and the extension adds 1200 cubes.   Total: 4600 cubes.  I hope I never fill it.  

I moved the ladder buckle on the shoulder strap of my Ray J. pack from the bottom (shorten the strap by pulling UP on the free end) to the top (shorten by pulling down--like every other pack).  Now the strap works much better.  Also, I walked 4.5 miles with 12 lb in the pack--I didn't like that much for how it made my shoulders sore.  Even such a small load works better with a hip belt to transfer the load.  

Modifications for the next bag, a size Large 3000 done, include a sleeve sewn into the back for an air mattress support system and 4 loops  sewn on the seams between the back and the sides for a compression system.  

shoulder strap  The shoulder strap separation on the Large doesn't exceed the medium by more than .5".  L sh strap is longer, but only by 1".  And it needs 6-10" more length to accommodate things that I want to attach, like pockets, an umbrella holder, hand loop, bungees for holding water bottles and a camera pouch--wait, too much stuff.

Carrying performance.  If carrying over 12 lb, the pack works best with some kind of stiffener like a closed cell foam (CCF) pad to give it structure.  Without it, the pack just pulls down on my shoulders with the hip belt useless.   For use with an air mattress, I sewed in a sleeve for insertion and inflation--it works well, but the sleeve needs to go as low on the pack as possible.  

Hip belt.  That Ray Way hip belt for which I paid $7.95 doesn't function as in normal packs.  

Because I cannot seem to reduce my basic kit (summer camping gear before food/water) to less than 13 lb, today I walked with a 20 lb load, which includes the pack, the 2" wide 1/4" thick padded hip belt Ray sells with his packs, a CCF pad unrolled inside, 1 liter water & other weight.  4.75 miles.  Pack seems to carry O.K. with much of the weight bearing on the hips.  It might benefit from a wider hip belt of maybe 2.5 to 3"  and also placement on the pack at the lowest and most forward point so that weight in the pack doesn't ride on the buttocks.