Proper backpack fitting

CEBU, Philippines - Overloaded, improperly used backpacks or ill-fitted ones can cause back pains or spine trauma with diagnoses ranging from cervical, thoracic and lumbar strain to spondylolysis – a stress fracture in a vertebra.

Habagat Outdoor Equipment, the foremost outdoor equipment company in the Philippines dedicated to manufacturing durable (but certainly very affordable) high-quality products, shares these tips in ensuring back safety while engaging in various activities – from traveling to sporting events. 

How to adjust your pack for a proper fit

• For a proper fit, first determine your torso length. The torso length is measured along the spine. Starting at the seventh cervical vertebrae (the lump on the back of your neck), roughly level with the top of your shoulders down to the protruding part of your hips.

• Aluminum stays come pre-bent for your convenience. However, if a more custom fit is desired, bend the stays to conform more closely to the curve of your back.

• Insert the aluminum stays in their sleeves. Make sure their bends are oriented properly so that they follow the curve of your back. Secure the stays by closing the Velcro tapes of the sleeves.

• To determine which lock in the webbing ladder the yoke should be positioned, measure a distance equal to your torso length from the bottom of the lumbar pad to the valley of the leather yoke. Note the nearest lock which corresponds with this measurement, and position the yoke just below this point.

• Insert the top end of the shoulder harness yoke in the right slot in the ladder and insert the bottom end of the yoke to the corresponding ladder below it. Secure the Velcro closures at the bottom and the top ends of the yoke.

• Thread the lifter straps of the shoulder harness through the buckles attached to the top ends of the stay sleeves. Wear the pack and adjust the lower shoulder straps for a comfortably snug fit.

• Adjust the lifter straps to stabilize the top of your pack. The lifter straps act to bring the pack closer to or farther away from your body. Loosening the straps move the pack away from your back and enhances ventilation but sacrifices balance and stability.

• Adjust the hip belt for a secure fit. Ideally, your hipbones or pelvis should carry most of the load because it is closest to your center of gravity and is your body’s largest bone mass. If your shoulders carry most of the load, it may cause undue strain on your spinal column.

Using the controls

The pack’s controls allow you to fine-tune the distribution of loads to your shoulders or hips. Ideally, the hips should carry about 75 percent of the pack’s load, but you may experiment with the controls to find out what works best for you under different trail condition.

To shift weight from hip to shoulders

Tighten the lifter straps. Tighten the straps of the shoulder harness. You may wish to loosen the hip belt for a full weight transfer to the shoulders.

To shift weight from shoulders to hips

Loosen the shoulder straps and the lifter straps until you feel the load shifting to your hips. You may wish to tighten the hip belt to ride securely on your waist, just above your hipbones.

Wearing your pack

• With the pack properly loaded, loosen the shoulder harness straps, lifter straps, hip belt and hip stabilizer straps.

• Put the pack on while hunching your back to bring the hip belt to a position just above the pelvic bone. Tighten the hip belt making sure it rides snugly around the contour of the waist.

• Tighten the shoulder straps gradually so that approximately a fourth of the pack’s weight is distributed to the shoulder harness.

• Position the sternum strap up or down the shoulder strap’s webbing so that it is just below your clavicle where the chest expands when you breathe. Tighten the sternum strap enough to prevent the shoulder straps from slipping off your shoulders but not too much to constrict breathing.

• Pull on the lifter tabs to bring the pack closer to your back. This makes the pack ride closer to the body allowing you to maintain better balance and a more natural carrying position.

To learn more about Habagat’s new summer products, call (032) 231-5651/412-2310/232-0963. Email: [email protected]/[email protected]

or visit www.habagat.com.