External frame packs..

[double.exposed]

Hey there, I'm a bit new here, and I've got a damn pressing inquiry about external frame packs. It seems that a lot of people have warned against them on this forum, so my question is: what specifically makes them so inconvenient?

I'm considering one for my trip for a few reasons:

> I'm prone to slouching, and I've read that external frames promote standing more upright.
> I sweat like mad, so it'd be nice to have the extra ventilation (and save washing my gnarly clothes so often!).
> My torso is also quite long, so it'd be nice to have the option of an adjustable frame.
> I will be travelling mostly in rural-er areas, as opposed to riding busy buses and scooching past people in bustling streets, so bulkiness wouldn't be too terribly dire.
> Plus you can hang jaunty little trinkets off of it, hey! :P

Anyway, now that I've justified my reasons for external frame love, tell me why they're not so good. Or tell me which situations they might be more useful for, and which situations they would turn into a loathsome aluminum framed horrordemon. Perhaps supply me with anecdotal evidence if possible. :3

Thanks a bunch!

[polarbear]

i did back country camping with a internal and a external frame pack. i liked the external frame for clipping stuff onto it, but if you clip on to much it will sway when you walk, which is no good for posture or back health. i would say go for an internal frame pack, i used one from REI, and it had as many bells and whistles as a swiss army knife. i liked that the internal frame you could mold to your back while the external is just solid.
but just try em on, i bet youll find one that will feel great, just dont forget to put weight in them at the store!

[c0urt]

i dont like them because i run into thing a lot.
best bet is to take a pillow to the store and try on bags and walk around the store with them