Backpack Challenges

I purchased a Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra women’s backpack months ago. However, upon fully loading it and attempting to hike, I quickly realized that its shape doesn’t align well with the contours of my body. Despite trying every possible adjustment, none of the setups seemed to work.

Here I was, three weeks before embarking on a lengthy thru-hike, and the backpack simply wasn’t suited for me.
I had to get creative: With the assistance of my kind neighbor, we removed the original, non-adjustable strongly bent carbon stays and crafted two sets of stays made from aluminum poles. The second set we made seems to have potential. It consists of a pair of straight stays.

- On the picture you see the original stays on the left, then the first crafted aluminium stays and on the far right you see one of the two straight stays that I am using now. 

Even now with the straight stays, I find it necessary to place my seat pad between my hollow back and the pack for some indirect contact, as I can’t handle the weight if the backpack is held far from my back. This means there’s not much airflow now, and I anticipate a damp back.
Nevertheless, it appears I might be able to make do with this backpack as an interim solution until I find something better suited.