Inward pull waist belt straps?

[Eric Blumensaadt]

I have two packs with waist belts straps that pull inward. They are SO much easier to adjust than older, outward-pull straps.

In fact I like 'em so much I even got Gregory to send me the proper sliders to re-make my backcountry ski pack that way. And they did, for FREE! Love that company. Had one of their packs for 10 years. "Beautious!"

What are the opinions out there on this type of waistbelt adjustment?

[Jake D]

My Osprey Exos's have inward pull.. definitely much more ergonomic and easy to tighten. I was also excited that my size S packs had straps that i didn't max out with my 29" waist. that is a first for any pack i've had.

[Sam Farrington]

Like Jake D, am assuming without knowing that you are talking about a 'block and tackle' setup similar to that on Osprey waistbelts. Without question, they make it far easier to cinch the belt tight, or adjust it in use. There is a catch, however. If the design of the belt is not good, you can end up squeezing yourself to death trying to keep the belt from slipping.

[Nick Gatel]

Don't see any advantage. Belt design and proper fitting of a pack is much more important than the buckles. I have a Gregory Whitney 95 that is properly fitted and the inward pull buckles don't overcome the inherent design flaws of the pack.

Both of my "go to" internal frame packs have outward pulls. Never need to adjust them after putting on the pack, and the belts stay on my hip where they belong, it isn't too tight, and my hips are never sore no matter how much the pack weighs.

[Jeffs Eleven]

nothing impresses nick anymore. his kit must be perfect

[Dale Wambaugh]

+1 for me. Much easier to pull that way and the loose bits are over at the side rather than flopping around in the middle and it helps prevent "lost buckle syndrome." Osprey's zig-zag arrangement on the Exos packs allows small and much lighter webbing and hardware. The photo below shows the detail on an Osprey Ariel 55 with 1.5" webbing– kind of overkill, IMHO, but the zig-zag really spreads out the stress and you get the mechanical advantage too. I have an REI Traverse 30 that has more conventional single 1.5" webbing with the reverse pull.

It's not a show stopper either way, but the reverse pull is a nice touch.

[Mark Andrews]

I prefer this type myself…in fact, I had Chris @ Zimmerbuilt do this on my custom last year.

-Mark in St. Louis

[Nick Gatel]

"nothing impresses nick anymore. his kit must be perfect"

Nothing is perfect. My kit works for me. No need to lust over new gear, or constantly play with spreadsheets, or spend more money. In the past two years I have only bought one new piece of gear other than exact replacements for a couple small items that wore out.

Life is good and my savings account is growing :)

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Nick,

As most here know I suffer from chronic "gearism". I like to get new gear and I like to tinker with improvements on that new gear, be it stoves, packs or tents.

I admire your restraint in new gear purchases. You are approaching the Buddhist ethic of non-attatchment and that is good. I'll probably be reborn as a Tibetan yak doomed to carry, yep, GEAR up and down the mountians endlessly. That's a fitting rebirth for a materialistic gearhead.

That said I think the person who invents better gear, like the more ergonomic inward pull waistbelt straps, makes life for the rest of us easier and lets us concentrate on the hike and not the gear.

Dale,

I agree, that Osprey zig-zag inward pull waistbelt that evenly distributes pressure is just one more improvement that makes carrying a pack more comfortable. And I believe Osprey is trying to move toward creating a "pocket" for the iliac crest of the pelvis without infringing on the British patent on a waistbelt that has an opening in that area. They now have something like it on one or two of their larger capacity packs.
Combine the ziz-zag belt arrrangement with that iliac crest "pocket" and you make the belt even more comfortable.

[Dena Kelley]

My Granite Gear Vapor Trail has inward pulling waist straps. I like them, they are easier to adjust.

[Valerie E]

+1 on the love for these. Until I get a surgical fix on my shoulder problem from climbing, the inward-pull makes it bit easier to tighten my waist belt…not a day-and-night, earth-shaking difference, but I'll take it! :~)

[Larry De La Briandais]

The inward pull are oddly easier (not sure why). For heavy packs the ones with purchase (belt slides thru the attachment at the buckle in the middle) are a huge help. Heavy packs need to have the belt cinched up more. The purchase makes it much easier to cinch it up enough without over doing it. :)

[Greg Mihalik]

"The inward pull are oddly easier (not sure why)."

Two WAG's –

1) It may be ergonomically easier pulling from near your hip to you navel, versus from your navel out, as you have less of a shoulder extension to start with. Does 6" really make a difference?

2) There is a 2:1 mechanical advantage that reduces the force required, but it's anyone's guess how much of that is lost to friction.

[Larry De La Briandais]

Not all inward pull hip belts have a mechanical advantage. The belt on my vapor trail does not:

http://www.gearcoop.com/Granite-Gear-Ultralight-Hip-Belt/dp/B00CS8AE44?traffic_src=froogle&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=froogle&gclid=CMrL1srVzroCFRFo7Aod0TYAiQ

And I still like it better, although I have only tried the pack on several times. But I have tried out other inward pulls, both with and without purchase (mechanical advantage) and always thought they were easier to use. :)

[Max Dilthey]

I prefer outer pull. Call me crazy, but I feel like I can get it tighter, faster if I'm pulling my arms out to my sides. My Kelty doesn't do it that way, though.

---

Aside:

I like Nick's way of doing things too, but I miss being a gear-o-holic.

About 6 months ago, I was spending mercilessly. I would pay bills and then blow the entirety of my paycheck on backpacking gear. I went through 4 packs and 3 jackets and 4 pairs of pants and 2 headlamps… etc.

Now, I'm dialed in. I still occasionally (about every ~2 weeks) go lusting after gear but everywhere I click, I'm saying "I have that, I have that, I have that…"

So, now, I have one of everything I need. One daypack, one backpack, one fleece, one insulated jacket, one pair of hiking shoes… I just replaced my windshirt and that's pretty much it for a long time.

I can't replace anything, nor can I buy anything new. I had $60 in store credit at Backcountry and literally couldn't spend it. My savings account is getting bigger… and I sold almost all my spare stuff on Gear Swap.

Thanks BPL, I guess. Now I can't spend…

P.S. Not that it's relevant, but for some reason, 50%+ of my stuff turned out Patagonia. I guess I like those guys.

[Dale Wambaugh]

I'm sure there is some ergonomic advantage to pulling from the hip in at that angle. I'm not an expert on physiology, but it seems I am using my pectorals and biceps pulling in and my triceps and lats and trapezoids pulling out, plus whatever is going on if you rotate inward vs outward– the resistance/anchor point for all this pulling. No doubt, I have more strength pulling in

As to mechanical advantage, that would only be with the zig-zag system a la the Osprey, which is like having two pulleys. You can make your eyeballs bug out ;) A single belt has some of the ergonomic qualities, but there's no improvement mechanically.

You can also reach out and pull up your pack by the corners with the belt tips in your fingers and kind of slide your hands forward on the belt, tightening at the same time. It's easier to jack it up a bit that way, along with my usual shoulder shrugging and maybe a small jumping motion.

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