NO, not really. Proper strap adjustments should keep the pack movement to a minimum, but there will always be some. You can determine how much or how little movement is comfortable. For adjustments there are steps to follow:
1. Loosen all the straps on the hip belt and those on the shoulder harness, including the lift adjusters.
2. Hip belt.
- Put on the pack now that the shoulder straps are loose. Pull the shoulder straps just snug enough so that the hip belt is just below the waist.
- Now, shrug your shoulders up and keep shrugging while you fasten your hip belt.
- The position of the hip best should "cradle" the top of your hip bone -- the upper edge of the belt should lie slightly above the top of the hip bone.
- Snug the belt down and relax your shoulders. The hip belt should now be holding nearly all the weight of the pack. If the belt starts to slip, tighten a bit more.
3. Shoulder straps.
I do not know why the notion exists that the hip belt supports the entire weight of the pack, but that is incorrect. The shoulder harness is designed to hold about 10 to 15 percent of the packs weight -- which is a nominal amount -- while the hip belt is designed to support the rest. People can hurt their lower backs if the entire weight of a heavier pack is on the belt, and skin irritations and rawness around the waist and back are side effects which may happen at any weight level.
I don't know if an unloaded shoulder harness (all the weight on the belt) is a reason for the excess movement you experienced wearing your pack, but that is a possible cause. It can also cause the pack's movement to interfere with the center of balance.
Your pack harness may have three straps -- one to snug the shoulder straps down. Another called load lifters, which are at the top of the shoulder harness, which when tightened help snug the pack bag closer to the body. This helps with the comfort of carrying the load. Another strap designed to snug the two shoulder straps toward each other. That is the sternum strap, and it will assist in positioning the shoulder straps so they do not rub against arm pits and slip around your shoulders.
- Snug down the shoulder straps so that they just start taking some weight.
- Fasten the sternum strap. Adjust it so that the position of the shoulder straps rests on your shoulders at a comfortable distance. Some packs will allow you to move the sternum strap up and down on the shoulder harness so that it crosses the chest at a comfortable point; you can do this prior to fastening the straps.
- If you have load lifter straps, they will be at the top of the shoulder straps. Reach up and back toward the pack following the shoulder strap until you feel an adjustment strap. Grab it and pull toward outward to the front. You will feel the pack start to snug to the top of your body. The ideal position for these straps is when they form a sort of 45 degree angle when looking at the pack from the sides.
Pack adjustment are never static. In other words, as you are hiking, you will make tiny adjustment to the straps as you need to relieve pressure, snug things up, shift weight between belt and shoulders, etc. But mostly, when the pack is loaded properly and adjusted well, a good fitting pack will be comfortable to wear ---- well, as comfortable as one can be carrying weight on their back