mmog balance bags ala aarn

[Daniel Lemieux]

so seeing the aarn theories, I have a thought that adding some pockets up front might be nice, and have the ability to do so to my bag. but I have some questions:
1. having a gut or having boobs are often cited as reasons for back pain, so wouldnt adding weight up front be bad?
2. wouldnt weight be handled best closer to the spine to reduce torsion loads? they completely miss this fact in their force diagrams, somehow the loads on the regular bags show as torsion loading, but that is all gone with theirs….. when in reality if you loaded the front pockets, they are typically more than 12" FURTHER away from the spine, which would cause HIGHER torsional loading… need explaination on that one.

[Daryl and Daryl]

Daniel,

I can't answer any of your questions but I have used a front bag for well over 10 years. Last year I made a pack for a friend of mine and he is now a front bag user as well.

Here's a link for more info:

Daryl

front bag

[Brett Harrison]

Check out this very long thread on Aarn packs. Towards the end I explain a bit about how they work and others weigh in with detail about the reservations and experiences.

http://bushwalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1038&hilit=aarn

I have two and I love them. It's gives you back your natural center of gravity, which, in the context of backpacking, is revolutionary, IMO.

[Daryl and Daryl]

Brett,

Thanks for the link. Interesting to see what people say about the concept.

I also use a pack with front bag. Love it. I made one for a friend and he is now a convert. I think a person has to try one for awhile to know if it works for him/her.

Daryl

[Daryl and Daryl]

When I use my backpack with a front bag my body feels in balance(i.e. I'm not straining forward or backward) The "feel" of things is similar to what I feel with the balanced ladder in this photo.

The ladder comparison is a bit confusing because there is an equal amount of ladder in front of and behind me. With a front bag backpack the front bag has much less weight than the back bag but,with a little trial and error, I can adjust things so my body feels in balance.

(edited to reduce confusion over the word "balance")

[David Thomas]

Carrying a baby in front is harder than carrying a much larger toddler on my back.

I've carried rucksacks front and rear to aid a weaker hiker. But I wanted less than half of the weight to be in front.

When I've had to carry another person's BP (NON-UL!) plus mine (this was in the 1980s), I'd lash their's above mine – both on my back. Their 55 pounds in back and my 25 pounds in front was still too front heavy.

Based on all of that, I'd say less than 1/4 of total weight, probably better 1/5 of total weight could go in front.

You are not a sideways burro that needs equal loads on each side. Think of your back more like the burro's back (lots of weight) and front like the burro's nose (little of no weight).

[Daryl and Daryl]

David,

What you say is correct so my ladder comparison has only confused the issue.

When I'm wearing my backpack the back bag might have 20 lbs or so and the front bag maybe 5. I'll move things between bags until I feel in balance, even though the bags are far from balanced in a weights and measures type of way (i.e. they are far from being equal in weight).

The "feel" of my pack when the contents are correctly apportioned between front and back bags, however, is similar to the way I feel when the ladder is balanced like in the photo. I'm not straining forward or backward to keep myself in balance. Carrying a canoe near the mid point would have a similar feeling.

Daryl

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