Fear of small UL backpack buckles popping / breaking on trail

[Joey G]

So, I’ve been searching for a backpack for me for awhile now. I’d like to get a UL one, but I can’t get over the smaller hip belt and / or chest strap buckles. I’m a big dude and when I load up one of these and put it on, I feel like a lot of pressure is being put on these buckles. I keep returning packs that have these and I’m trying to figure out if this is a real fear I should I have or if it’s just in my head.

Packs I’ve tried recently and returned or sold because of this are the Atom Packs Mo and SWD Long Haul.

I liked the buckles on the HMG Southwest, however that was my first backpack that I used on three trips. The shoulder straps actually digged into my shoulders so I’ve been searching for something else. Having said that, I got a large and my torso is 21.5. So it could have been a bad fit and I should just go up to a tall.

Anyway, thanks for all that reply!

[dirtbag]

I carry replacement buckles male and female ends in my pack. I believe I have them for my Gossamer Gear packs..

Now that I am mostly using Zpacks.. I actually should look i to getting 1 spare..

[JCH]

I’ve been using a ZPacks Arc Haul since 2015 without any buckle issues…not even a hint.  All of the hardware on this pack is small and “UL”.  I am 6’1″ 225 lbs so not a small guy.  My experience would suggest that the type of failure you mention is very unlikely.

[Philip Tschersich]

I replace the 1″ hip belt buckles with these Austrialpin metal buckles which have an 800 pound working strength. Note that these are the lighter, thinner version and not the ones rated for rescue loads. I use the nylon versions on my 1.5″ hip belts. They are basically indestructible. I have never worried about the typical 3/4″ chest strap buckle/whistle.

[Joe Vigil]

+1 for the Austrial Pin buckles

[Sam Farrington]

” I can’t get over the smaller hip belt and / or chest strap buckles.”

You don’t say how much weight you carry.  For me, in the 20-25 pound range, including food, a small hip belt and straps + buckles is not sufficient to keep weight off my shoulders and back.  And a recent thread on BPL brought out many with the same experience.

I make my own packs, and shoot for around 2 lbs weight unloaded.  20-25 lbs is much less than I used to carry, but still find that only a wide and stout hipbelt and straps provide comfort, and even intend to go back to using light side-arms to insure that all the weight is on the hips.

Some folks with muscular builds have posted that they can do with light suspensions, or even no suspensions at all, and do fine.  And that included women as well as men.  But I think for most, a stout suspension is needed.

As for the buckles themselves, including the ones that tighten the pack and hold attachments, 3/4 inch wide acetal buckles have been ample.  The one things I don’t make are the hip-belt and shoulder straps that are 1″ wide for the straps buckles, with no side-arms and belly straps, hence no buckles needed except those that cinch the sidearms, which are 3/4″ wide. Without sidearms, I used a 2″ belly buckle and 2″ straps that buckled near the ends of the hipbelt with a 2″ buckles, one on each end of the belt, so the belt cinched tight by pulling the straps together with both hands.  That was much more comfortable than pulling the straps apart at the belly buckle.

The hip belts and shoulder straps were easy to find sold separately in gear shops, were worth the slightly added weight, and saved me from having to construct them myself.  And I never had a buckle fail.

[Matthew / BPL]

I’ve always been concerned that the buckle on the hipbelt of my packs is potential failure point. The most likely method of failure might be stepping on the buckle while the pack is on the ground. I take care to keep it out of the way when putting my pack down.

I’ve considered carrying an extra buckle but I have come to the conclusion that I could rig something up with a bit of extra guyline. I’d tie a loop in each free end of hipbelt and then use a maybe 18-24” of guyline to go through both of those with a bowline on one end. Then tighten it and tie off with a slippery half hitch.

I feel like this would work pretty well with a 22# pack and might not be such a great plan with a 42# pack.

Any thoughts on this? Are there better ways to improvise a a hipbelt closure in the case of a broken buckle?

[Kyler B]

I think you should stick with the string and a basic knowledge of knots. You can fix a lot with that. I think I mostly break buckles in car doors or by inserting them wrong. Never once seen one “pop”. Even tbe tiny ones on my UL packs withstand a ton of tension. I don’t think breaking a hip belt buckle is common enough to warrant bringing a spare especially when it’s easily replaced by string.

of coarse that would depend on your trip. There is probably a time and place to bring a spare or use a more robust buckle.

We all have different body types but my sternum strap on my pack really just fictions to keep the shoulder straps in the proper place. Never had much tension. I broke one from osprey (junky system) on my ski touring pack and used string.

Maybe try a different way of loading and wearing your pack if you haven’t already. It sounds like your pack is pulling away from your body. It should be loading straight down on you pelvis and upper body.

-pack less weight than the “maximum comfortable load” of the manufacturer.

-pack heavy items close to your body

-don’t allow you pack to move your centre of balance behind you. Keep the loads tight to your body and allow the pack to grow taller instead.

-tighten load lifters if available.

not implying that you don’t know how to wear a backpack but it never hurts to look at technique before switching gear. You may just be on an endless search.

[Sam Farrington]

Correction:  Looked again at the acetal buckles that hold food etc on the top shelf of my pack.  The were 5/8″ webbing buckles not 3/4″ at I had posted.  The others were 3/4″ as was stated.

[Roger Caffin]

Big warning: There are TWO sort of ‘locking’ buckles on the market.

One sort allows you to tighten the strap and stays fixed. However, it can be a bit hard to adjust: you may need to lift the tab to help the tape slide.

The other sort is much easier to adjust: a much reduced pull is needed. But it is NOT designed to lock on the tape! It will slide open (slowly) under tension, and especially under vibration. It is meant to be this way.

Yeah, at one stage I bought the wrong sort, and used them on a pack. Much grief until an elderly rep who knew about buckles explained it to me.

Cheers

[Sam Farrington]

Roger,

When using a 2″ belly buckle, never had that problem.  Probably because the buckle was there just to join the two ends of the hip belt.  The actual cinching was done by a couple 2″ buckles, one on each end of the hip belt, and were comfortable to cinch tight by pulling together with both hands.  A lot of packs have this arrangement, but not all.  With some you have to pull the straps apart at both sides of the belly buckle.  Glad I’m now done with belly buckles for good.

[Roger Caffin]

Sounds as though you had the locking variety.
Cheers

[Ian]

”I replace the 1″ hip belt buckles with these Austrialpin metal buckles which have an 800 pound working strength.“

+1.  I switched to these after a buckle failed and couldn’t be happier with them

[Philip Tschersich]

If anyone cares (and I know you weight weirdos do, lol), the 1” Austrialpin ‘Fashion’ buckle weighs 18 g, and the 1” buckle that ships with ULA hip belts (National Molding Mojave Streamline 25 mm) weighs 16 g. Given the lack of weight difference, I think it’s questionable why any serious backpack ships with a 1” plastic buckle. Of course the Austrialpins cost 10x what a plastic buckle costs, but I’ll let you decide where you want to be cheap.

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