Gregory Goes There

When it comes to how you put on a 40+ lbs pack, most people believe it’s best to buckle your waistbelt first. Wrong. Luckily, we have George here to set us straight. You know, it must be really hard being George, the all-knowing backpack tech master, AND a rippin’ skier. Real tough.

How do you put your pack on?

We’re not talking lighter day packs, we’re talking 40 + lbs.  I bet it’s awkward.  I bet you try to buckle your waistbelt first.  I bet it’s not ‘fun.’  Here are a couple pointers:

First, forget the old adage to ‘buckle your waistbelt first’ … that’s right “FORGETABOUTIT!”.  Here’s why:

We’ve all seen it, if not been ‘that guy’ (yes, me too).  Lifting your all too heavy pack – which is always awkward in itself (keep reading)- and attempting to ‘place’ the waistbelt where you want it to sit, and then trying to buckle the waistbelt.  But you are never able to do it unassisted, so you ask a friend, use the hood of your vehicle, lean up against a tree or boulder.  Pretty much anything you can do to get the pack ‘supported’ while you buckle your waistbelt.  Here’s how we recommend to do it:

First to pick up the pack, stand it up (on the ground) with the backpanel facing you.  Place one foot in front of you, and one slightly behind, with your knees bent.  Now you can lift the pack using the grab loop, and one of the shoulder straps if necessary onto the knee in front of you.  That wasn’t so bad.  In this position, you can now ‘slide’ your body into the pack, without having to strain yourself to lift 40 (or more) pounds any higher.  Here’s the important part.  DON’T TRY TO BUCKLE THE WAISTBELT (do you see an ongoing theme yet?).  Instead, give a quick yet firm tug to both shoulder straps simultaneously.  Whoa!  You will note now that your pack is all but in the spot where it needs to be to buckle your waistbelt.  If need be, you can simply shrug you shoulders to ‘lift’ your pack the extra inch or so needed to get your waistbelt to surround your iliac crest.  With a proper fitting pack, you should be able to lift your  leg up until you femur is parallel with the ground without the waistbelt padding interfering.

We recommend tightening the load lifter straps to ‘finger tight’ (to start).  Simply grasp the strap between your thumb and forefinger and tighten until your fingers slip off, that is your starting point.

If you haven’t seen our fit video or fit guide, do check them out as they will go into more detail for ‘fitting’ you pack.

*Spread the word*