Do you ever use a hip belt?

Hip belt good especially when weight gets above 15 or 20 pounds. I always use it. Some packs have more comfortable.

Never use sternum strap. I don't want a strap across chest inhibiting breathing.

Even out for out with a 10 pound load I use a hip belt. It keeps the pack from swaying on a climb. I use the sternum strap, too. It locks in the shoulder harness.

Jerry, did you ever try it high, like over your clavicles?

No hip belt would mean no pack for me, with my back. Well, maybe I could manage three or four pounds, but I'm nowhere near THAT light yet.

I LOVE hip belts. I first discovered their proper use 12 years ago when I purchased a child carrier so I could take my daughter hiking (and then to the store, for mowing the lawn, or putting her to sleep at nap time). This was when I only car camped. I was blown away with the fact that you could transfer the weight from your shoulders to your hips.

Hip belts are mandatory – even for my day packs. If I am wearing a day pack, whether for hiking or biking, I usually move a little more aggressive then the slow grind with my overnight pack. So, not necessarily need the hip belt for the weight distribution, but for stability.

Plus, it's another technical thing to geek out on!

"Never use sternum strap. I don't want a strap across chest inhibiting breathing."

Only time it inhibits breathing if its too tight. Loosen it up some. I feel naked now without one, but if I overtighten it, it does inhibit breathing.

Love me my hipbelts. Even on my daypack its used to keep the pack stable, not so much for weight transfer.

I would never use a backpack weighing more than 15 pounds without a hip belt. Plus, I feel uncomfortable if there is no sternum strap.

–B.G.–

hip belt over clavicles?

sternum strap over clavicles?

aren't shoulder straps always over clavicles?

I always use a hipbelt.

Jerry, you made a funny!

Hip belt over clavicles indeed…no, try the sternum strap.

I have never used a hip belt……. On a day pack

I have never not used a hip belt on a backpacking pack as I am always above 12 -15 pounds. I go back and forth transferring the weight for maximal comfort, sometimes I unbuckle or slack the hip belt for a while, then cinch it up high and have the pack put zero weight on my shoulders. Or just wear it wear it so it transfers weight evenly. Either way, it all feels comfortable to varied degrees.

I usually wear a belt except when carrying light loads on warm days.
I've played around with straight shoulder straps that attach to the belt loops on my pants before returning back to the pack. They pull the weight into the lower back while helping to keep your pants up. Suspenders sorta. No belts, no sternum strap. Felt good, but never had the ambition to carry it.

Not by itself

sternum strap over clavicle? that makes only a little less sense than hip belt

over the clavicle would be like right at my neck, just below adam's apple. That sounds very uncomfortable

hopefully I induced healthful laugh : )

I have a MLD Exodus, and stripped down, I think it weighs somewhere around 24 oz.

I realized that even the stripped down Exodus is overkill for my summer/fall 2-4 day trips, so–as an experiment–I bought a ZPacks Zero, without a hip belt.

The Zero is a size medium, and weighs around 7.6 oz with the features I added. I've only had the chance to use it on one very short trip so far, so the experiment is very much still in progress. On that trip, it worked well. The only notable take-away (besides featherlight weight!) was that it swayed around a bit as I walked. I need more experience with the pack to decide if that's problematic, or something I'll get used to. If I were to do it again, I'd probably get a small–the medium is pretty roomy, even when carrying a bear can.

Another aspect of the experiment is the durability of a non-hybrid cuben pack for me…that aspect of the experiment is, of course, also still in progress.

So, no–I don't always use a hip belt. But I haven't decided if that's a good or bad idea yet.

At 15 pounds, I typically do not use a hipbelt that transfers any of the load. I do have a simple grosgrain loop that snaps just to keep it from swaying, but even that can stay off sometimes. I do like a sternum strap even with light loads.

for anything overnight I need a hip belt and like a stay. For a 2-night weekend I'm around 15lb fully loaded. I'd have to get my base weigh waaay down in order to consider going w/out either. Unlikely.

for day hikes I have three options:

day pack with light belt, otherwise floppy — belt is mostly for stability
long narrow bike pack w/stiff back, no belt
butt pack

I'm sort of curious to try a combination of large butt pack + running vest. Seems like that would give a nice range of movement and a lot of control over what weight goes where.

Adam,

Seems like you are doing exactly what I was thinking of doing. I will probably get the zpack zero with a removable hip belt just to be safe.

Is the medium Zero pack less volume than the exodus or about the same? I'm stuck between the small and medium size for the Zero. I just don't want the small size to have such a small opening. My MLD burn is driving my insane because of the opening.

I still remember the first time I wore a pack with a hipbelt! It was a miracle of comfort and ease! I've never gone back, and I never intend to.

FTW, I also think a well-designed frame-and-hipbelt combination is the epitome of comfortable packing. Errr, yes, also light weight! (Almost forgot that – coulda lost my BPL membership right there! Yikes!)

Yup, A good belly laugh, without a hip belt holding it in.

No that would be a bit too high. Right at the base of the clavicle should be fairly comfortable. Unless you are really doing deep breathing exercises (or climbing up a mountain) this doesn't hardly get involved for breathing. I know they call them sternum straps, but unless they are very loose, they restrict my breathing…I could never get any real benefit from them low, kind'a like you.

ahhh… I see what you mean now, above or at top of sternum, that wouldn't be so bad

I've never really had a problem with my shoulder straps sliding outward requiring sternum strap

> Is the medium Zero pack less volume than the exodus or about the same?

I don't know–the Exodus is packed full for a hike tomorrow, but over the weekend, I'll take some measurements. My initial guess is that the medium Zpacks zero is smaller than the Exodus.

I used an MLD burn for PCT thru hike. I guess I'm a minority but I don't like a hip belt. I like the freeing feeling of a pack without a sternum strap or belt. I carried weights up to 30lbs (6 days, maybe I could push 7 without some hiker hunger) and while it was heavy I never wanted to trade for another pack. I could "rotate" my shoulders slightly to shift weight across different parts of my shoulder. I love my burn.

Also during my hike, for fun I traded packs with many people, Ospreys, ULA's and zpack arc blasts. For the most part even if it had a hip belt it was still heavy as hell and I could feel all that weight just pulling me down. Many people who tried my pack even with 25lbs remarked how much better it felt. Very subjective I know but my .02.

"I've never really had a problem with my shoulder straps sliding outward requiring sternum strap"
There is more to it than simple load stabilization. Up high you can actually put some pressure on the strap. Not so much it pulls the shoulder straps tight, but enough to pick up a couple pounds of load. This has the effect of distributing the load pressure across your whole upper shoulders, not only on your shoulder straps. Especially when overloaded, like at the beginning of a long trip or just after a resupply, it helps manage the loading.

Over 10 pounds, you need a hip belt, even just a strap. The majority of the load should be on your hips anyway…about 60/40 to 70/30…it keeps the weight off your spine. But, your pack should twist with each step or you end up abusing your buttock and upper thigh muscles, if the pack is stiff. This is a huge drawback to a framed pack for me, the ones I used to use in the early 70s. With a semi-framed, internal framed pack or no frame, packed loosely, it is much easier to walk due to the natural twist your body follows (ie,left foot and right arm, right foot left arm.) This needs to be balanced with the need for support, of course.

The twist, especially if you use hiking staffs, is easily apparent if you think about it…the load shifts from left shoulder strap to right as you walk. Stick your fingers under your strap as you walk sometime, to check. The sternum strap pulled fairly tight over your clavicle (just under your neck area) allows this transfer to happen across the front of your shoulders as well as the back, easing the strain. Of course, you always carry the weight, no way around that. But a sternum strap distributes the load better.

Richard, that's kind of what I was doing with my burn this past weekend. Would just move the straps a little, shift shoulders, and use the sternum strap to move it in further up my shoulders. Loved it except for the opening. But I measured my pack last night and it is 9" wide, when according to MLD specs, should be 9.75". That's kind of a big difference. Kind of bummed about that.