Great question — answering as the UphillTech team:
I prefer to pack tall (not much above shoulders though) and thin for better weight distribution and balance, easier maneuvering though bush and general freedom of movement. I find short and fat tends to put weight too far behind you, and makes the pack unbalanced. It also encourages sloppy packing of the pack, and the light weight (compared to longer trips) means I pay for being a little less disciplined than needed.... When in this situation, I pull in the lower compression straps, pack the pack and once packed, pull in the top ones. First pack before the trip I maight unpack a few times to get them just right, but after a few trips, you get pretty good as guessing just how much you need.
Full answer by user5330: https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/15903 (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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