Backpack without Shoulder Straps?

Too wobbly and unstable. If the pack is transferring the load to your hips correctly, then the shoulder straps are mostly for securing the load to your body. I couldn't imagine walking around the backcountry with an unstable load.

Why wouldn't the sternum strap keep it stable?

"Why wouldn't the sternum strap keep it stable?"

A sternum strap connects between two shoulder straps. If there are no shoulder straps, then the sternum strap has nothing to connect.

–B.G.–

Casey, I'm sure you could create a sternum strap that connects directly to the pack body. But good luck breathing with that pulled tight enough to keep the pack stable!

I think if your pack is light enough, stability wouldn't be that much of a problem and you wouldn't have to keep your chest strap overly tight. Frankly, I was pretty impressed with how stable my half pack before I put any load on the shoulder straps. I'd say a pack that was a bit wider than a normal pack, and shorter, with a chest strap instead of shoulder straps would work just fine.

Why would you want to do this, though? Just curious.

I think the OP means a "sternum strap" NOT between two shoulder straps, but passing under the armpits from the pack across your chest, and back to your pack.

Limiting ourselves only to men and flat-chested women, I still see a problem.

You breath. So your chest strap would loosen 1.5" on every exhale. You can't use elastic if you want it to hold any weight, so the pack would sag back every 5 seconds. Maybe that's okay. It would be easy to mock it up and test.

Also consider a "trump line" to avoid the shoulder straps. The height and the angle might be better, especially if it came off the very top of a tallish pack.

That's an extreme example, but maybe shows its potential.

It's called a fanny pack

There was a prototype pack at one of the U.S. Trail days or kick offs.

Someone posted pictures to BPL, but now I can’t find it.

A hipbelt and huge chest strap was the basic design.

Not knowing the problem you are trying resolve makes it difficult to address.  More details might be helpful.

That said, I will suggest a middle ground: I have high “load lifter” attachment points on my modified ULA and can transfer a large portion of my pack weight to the sternum-strap/pack-body. Virtually no weight bearing down on my shoulders per se, but a fair amount of front to back “compression”. Additional weight transfer to my hips reduces the compression enabling me to find the “sweet spot of the moment” given my load and the incline of the trail.

Found a picture, gave up on finding the thread.

Sounds like you might be a Dixon roller pack client. But there is then the problem of most wilderness areas not allowing wheeled devices on the trails. And I’ve been on trails that would be absolutely miserable with such a pack….

The models are nice to look at, if nothing else… http://dixonrollerpack.com/

Yep, they call it a “gray area” about wheels in wilderness areas, but you know, the thing that would matter to me most is what a ranger you run into would say — and they often interpret things quite differently than websites, or marketing patter, do.

Cant find the thread, but these are what I was looking to find.

http://www.me-2packs.com/prototype/

Backpack without shoulder straps sounds like a Mountainith lumbar pack to me.

Interesting how David’s 2012 reference to a “Trump line” could be reinterpreted in 2015 …

Yvon Chouinard has used a “tumpline” for decades, based on traditional designs from around the world. Patagonia sells one:

http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/patagonia-tumpline?p=11685-0

— Rex

+1 to Doug.

Your thread reminded me of this old video. This guy condenses quite a bit into his fannypack.

The pack in Cayenne’s post looks like it’d have 3 major issues: Sliding down, digging into your gut, and not allowing as good of back ventilation. The way I was shown to wear a backpack, you belt it high so that it leans backwards a little and gives you a nice little airgap for your back.

Put a luxurylite belt on it, and it won’t slip or dig in.  It is just a lumbar pack with an extension, and am upperbelt to hold it steady.

Doesn’t make any sense to me at all.
Looks like another deliberate attempt to do something differently for the sake of appearing to be thinking outside of the square and all of that.
One obvious problem was mentioned by David Thomas, we breathe.
So if it is tight enough when we breathe out it will be too tight when we breath in.
Anyway just as your socks tent to fall down as you walk (or leave nice imprints if tight enough…) the pack would do too .
I would imagine it will also be unbalanced sideways, so not ergonomically efficient causing one to spend more energy balancing the load.

http://www.luxurylite.com/stackpackindex.html

I bought a luxurylite for my girl friend because she has a shoulder problem that prevents her from having any weight on her shoulders.

The shoulder straps really are just for stabilizing the pack from side to side movement.

The weight is carried all on the hips via the hook belt.

In that regard they are not used all that much.

If you are looking at weight savings, I guess one could experiment with not using the shoulder straps to see if the pack is stable.

Tony

Hey all,

Saw the link to your page and thought I would respond and an answer any questions. I did not think the shoulder-strapless backpack was possible, but my mind has been changed. I’m a teacher and my colleague and friend came up with this idea. She was severely injured in the neck and shoulder area and couldn’t backpack again. She literally had a dream and came up with the design. We went through a few prototypes and we’ve settled on one that works.

We were at the PCT Days this last September: getting peoples opinions and letting them try it on. We found that many of the thru hikers who had no-hips or meat on them whatsoever had trouble with our pack design. It slipped down on them. We modified the design to accommodate this issue. Our end result is a pack that contours to your back in the lumbar region and fits comfortably against most to all body types. For me, it fits kind of like a back brace. My lower back pain goes away when I put this baby on. I love it. I can move my arms freely and I don’t get any weird swaying motion either.

I agree this may not be for everyone, but no-shoulder-strap backpacks are possible. They work, and most importantly, Candace (the creator) and I are excited to get people who can’t use shoulder straps back to backpacking.

Let me know if you have any questions.

-Josh

ME-2 Technology Guy (You can blame me for any website/social media stuff. I keep telling Candace we will have to hire a pro if we ever start to make any money.)

http://www.me-2packs.com/

Josh,

Could you tell us what the volume of the pack is?

Concept seems great, but my concern is how much volume it has to be able to do a week long trip.

Thanks!

Tony

If you have something taller than a fanny pack that would need a sternum strap then almost by definition you have a load riding high enough above the hipbelt that it would be susceptible to shifting left and right, and a sternum strap is a poor solution to that problem. Eventually the pack would just torque to one side or another. Minimalist shoulder straps would work better and weight almost nothing more.

Or, of course, the tumpline, already mentioned.