Load lifters too low?

Yes, a lot of load lifters are designed too low on packs. A few that come to mind are the the vapor series from Granite Gear, the REI flash 30, and golite pinnacle. That said, they do snug the load closer to your torso/shoulders, as you've mentioned. To me, this has a perceivable benefit–the load isn't pulling away from me, and equates to a bit of shoulder comfort improvement. For true load lifters to work properly, they have to 1) be attached to a pack with a true frame, e.g. twin aluminum stays, a u-hoop, etc; and 2) be set high enough so that the straps leave the shoulders at ~45 degree angle. If these two conditions are met, you'll notice that the load lifters effectively raise the shoulder harness a bit off the tops of your shoulders, and improve comfort dramatically. In my own experience, I find that irregardless of height/angle and whether the load lifters are attached to a frame or not, any load lifter system is helpful when weight is above 15lbs or so. You'll notice the true potential of a load lifter system if you are hauling substantial weight–which is the one of the reasons why one would require a true twin aluminum stay frame necessary in a real load lifter system in the first place. When my pack weighs 30lbs or more, it's mandatory for me to have a good frame and real functional load lifters, as I cannot really tolerate that much weight on my shoulders

Agree with Konrad, but I'll add this: any pack with load lifters at the correct 45 degree angle is by definition much taller than my shoulders. I've come to prefer a shorter pack, so I don't bang by head or my Tilley hat on the top of the pack. So the load lifters don't work quite as well, but they still provide some additional comfort.

Thank you for asking this question!

I've always wondered why so many packs didn't seem to have load lifters that worked for me, and finally concluded that I misunderstood their purpose.

Turns out I had it right all along.

+1 konrad's comments

regarding the lifters on the GG vapor line: they were high enough for me, but they weren't attached to the framesheet?! When my load had enough volume to keep them taut they functioned well (typically there was a bear can up there which prevent collapse). As my load got smaller I had to carefully pack or they wouldn't function.

–mark

If you want to – or need to – use load-lifters you need a taller pack. This has the added benefit of allowing the load to move toward your back. Hence, closer to your center of gravity. Most of the pack-fitting problems I've delt with have been caused by a pack that's too short.

If you are able to carry your pack weight on your shoulders you probably don't need load-lifters. I am not able to carry any weight on my shoulders. I must have a pack that is designed to transfer all the load to my hips. It's one of the reasons I carry a Luxury-lite. The frame is adjustable enough to lead the shoulder straps up to nearly 60° above my shoulder.

Red Leader, Twenty Pound & Tracker with Luxury-Lite Packs, in Lassen NP.

I have been designing, making and using all my packs since the mid-seventies.
For whatever that's worth, MHO is as follows:

If the load lifter strap is not sloping downward from the pack to the shoulder, it will not work well in most cases. It may be needed to bring the top of the pack up snugly aganst your back, but is not good for much else. As already pointed out, a pack with a longer torso length, will probably create the downward slope.

My current pack does not have the load lifter straps, because it fits my back well, does not need to be snugged up against my back, and when the hip belt is snug, the straps leave the pack at a point level with the top of my shoulders. Since that close a fit is hard to achieve, the load lifter straps can achieve the same result without the precise fit.

In sum, load lifter straps:
1. Bring the center of gravity foward, snug against your back, if the pack does not achieve this without them.
2. In conjunction with a good hip belt, insure that the shoulder straps do not pull down on your shoulders.
3. Work best if they slope slightly downward from the pack to your shoulder.

the "load lifters" suffer from both a poor name, and terrible design.
Dan Mchale figured this out decades ago, but here it is as i grasp it.

the LL straps function is to hold the pack against your back, as was so correctly stated on that last post. and THAT is what they do. the shoulder straps job is to hold up the pack.
function wise: it actually takes two separate straps to do this properly, or one is faced with a constant and annoying task of adjusting both sets of straps any time anything at all changes.
when we get tired, nobody's going to go thru all that poopoo and this will cost pain/fatigue/miles.

look at Dan's site, and it explains it all (i think).
but if you have his two-strap system, things become quite crystal clear. and you can throw slack into the shoulder straps and the pack won;t droop behind you. or, you can hitch up the shoulder straps, and take the load off yer hips for a bit.

the current system as used by mostly the entire world does not work at all well. and … it's a big part of the reason a lot of us are here.
because it's not really the weight, it's the problems weight causes, that matter.
hope that helps.

v.

Load lifters. When did we stop calling them porters?

Tote that barge, lift that bale!

Get a little drunk and you land in jail.

This is not about Kenny Helwig.

I learned a lot (or better put – I unlearned a lot) from Dan McHale when I bought one of his packs. The fitting process requires one learn how set-up a pack. McHales are unique because they have a separate LL strap that goes from the top, all the way to the bottom of the pack. Here is a close up of his system.

Interesting stuff Nick. I can't really tell from the pic, but do u mean that when u snug on the load lifters over your shoulders it also pulls the very bottom of the pack upwards?

Konrad,

There are more pictures of his system on another thread I posted about a week ago.

The load lifter strap (Dan calls his a By-pass Harness) on McHales run through the shoulder strap and connect at the bottom of the pack. It is a separate strap, whereas most other packs connect the LL directly to the shoulder strap usually fairly close to the top of the strap. This means that when you tighten the LL, you often need to make an adustment at the bottom of the should strap. With a McHale, the By-pass is independent of the strap.

Here is a link, which shows it: http://www.mchalepacks.com/sarc/04.htm

NM

David,

Agree! I have not really used the LL (took of the by-pass harness), except for one long day hike to test it out and get familiar with it.