Fashion Backpack With Padded Hip Strap

Retrieve in high school when anybody wore their backpacks by a single shoulder strap? Nosotros were all too cool to vesturetwo straps. Ane strap was plenty to carry a bunch of heavy books on your small frame… right?

Thankfully, we grew upwardly and started caring about our bodies. Except for ane matter…

I however come across travelers with their backpack'south hip belt dangling effectually their legs. Their overworked shoulders sag under the weight of their bags. They dismiss the hip strap on their bag every bit inconvenient or unflattering.

A practiced hip belt is a requirement for a comfy travel backpack.

Airlines allow carry on backpacks upwardly to 22 pounds (10 kg). 20-two pounds is a lot of weight to put on your shoulders. Imagine carrying that effectually while you effort to navigate a new city. Even a minor load becomes a burden when you lot're lost, frustrated, and on foot.

All of Tortuga's travel backpacks take hip belts. We feel strongly that this is the correct pattern. This article will explore why hip straps are so important that we include them on all of our large packs. We practise not include belts on our smaller, personal-item-sized bags. I'll explain the reasoning for both decisions later in this article.

Now, let's salve your shoulders. If you already knowwhy you need a hip belt, yous tin skip ahead to the section on how to fit your backpack'south belt for maximum comfort.

Why Your Backpack Needs a Hip Belt

Permit'southward prepare travel gear aside for a moment. Take a wait at hiking backpacks, which are oftenlarger and heavier than travel bags.

Every hiking backpack has an advanced suspension system including a padded, weight-bearing hip chugalug.

Without carry on limits to adhere to, hiking backpacks are larger than travel backpacks. Large hiking packs are also heavier afterwards they're packed with food, clothes, camping ground equipment, and other supplies. Outdoor companies are experts at making these huge, heavy bags feel light enough to carry over many miles and many days.

The near important function of the suspension system on these bags is the belt. This strap is meant to transfer your pack's weight from your shoulders to your hips.

A hip belt can transfer upwardly to 80% of your pack'southward weight from your shoulders to your hips, according to Outdoor Gear Lab. Would your shoulders feel better if your pack felt 80% lighter?

With this number in mind, not using your hip belt seems ridiculous.

Our friend Travis at Actress Pack of Peanuts covered this topic in a podcast episode on choosing the correct backpack.

At the max carry on weight of 22 pounds, a hip belt couldaccept 17.6 pounds of weight off of your shoulders. All yous have to do is buckle the belt and tighten the straps.

Transferring your pack's weight from your shoulders to your hips lets your stronger leg muscles—not your weaker shoulder muscles—do the heavy lifting.

Nosotros built Tortuga'due south travel backpacks to maximize behave on infinite. Our bags are large and hold a lot of stuff. They can exist heavy when packed with clothes and a laptop. A hip chugalug is anecessary feature for a comfortable deport.

We included a hip belt on our original listing of "must accept" features when we designed our first backpack in 2009 and oasis't taken it off the list since then. A total-sized carry on backpack is too heavy to carry on just your shoulders.

If you disagree, just disassemble the belt. All Tortuga hip belts are removable.

Our smaller laptop haversack does not take a hip chugalug. At 27L, this bags is smaller and lighter—even when packed—than a total-sized travel haversack. A hip strap doesn't offer enough advantages to exist worth the extra weight and cost on smaller numberless.

What Makes a Adept Hip Belt?

When shopping for travel backpacks, make certain to look closely at the hip strap on your favorite bag. Some bags merits to have a hip belt, merely the belt is simply a flimsy slice of webbing.

Webbing straps don't transfer whatever weight. Those straps only hold your purse confronting your body. They are for stability, not weight distribution.

A travel haversack must have a padded, weight-begetting hip chugalug. Otherwise, the strap won't do anything. Don't be misled by deceptive marketing and the poor design of this key characteristic.

A wider hip chugalug is good because it volition distribute your bag'southward weight over a wider area of your body instead of earthworks into your waist and hips. However, a hip belt tin also be besides big. Make sure not to purchase ane that overwhelms your midsection.

When shopping for a travel backpack, we recommend a hip belt that:

Is 2″ wide or larger
Has soft foam for condolement
Has pockets for storage
Uses high-quality webbing and buckles
Is included with your backpack

Make sure that your backpack includes a belt. Some companies exit off this necessity to brand you buy the belt separately. They try to brand their prices await lower and so force you lot to upgrade to avert the pain and discomfort of conveying your bag without a hip strap. We disagree with this arroyo.

Our chore is to brand travel easier, not to copy the airlines' deceptive pricing schemes.

Now that we've covered why y'all need a hip belt and our hip belt design decisions, allow'due south hash out how to adjust i for maximum comfort.

How to Fit Your Hip Belt

Your hip belt won't do anything if your bag doesn't fit correctly. Just buckling the strap isn't enough.

Let'southward encompass how to fit and adapt your pack, including the hip chugalug.

Measure Your Torso

To measure out your torso, ask a friend for aid. All yous need is a soft tape measurer.

Tilt your head forward to find your C7 vertebra, the one that sticks out at the base of operations of your neck.
Observe the top of your hip basic, besides known as your iliac crest. Place your hands flat with your fingers pointing forward and thumbs pointing astern. Your hands will form a "shelf" that your backpack will residue on.
Take a friend mensurate the distance from your C7 vertebra to the top of your hip basic.

That distance is your torso length. Yous can utilize that length to buy the right backpack for you. Backpacks with hip belts will include sizing information, whether the bag is one-size-fits-all, pocket-sized/medium/large, or fully adaptable.

A backpack that is too curt or too tall for your torso will be uncomfortable and won't transfer the handbag'southward weight correctly. The hip chugalug must sit on your hips. Otherwise, y'all won't become the total benefit of your suspension system.

At present that you've measured your torso and found a haversack in your size, yous can load up your bag for a exam pack and get the perfect fit.

Conform Your Backpack'southward Fit

Recollect that y'all are adjusting the hip belt. Your hips and legs are doing the piece of work. This is not a waist belt. Your waist can't comport anything.

The hip chugalug should residual on the top of your hip bones. Depending on the height of your hip chugalug, the buckle should be roughly on elevation of your navel.

Offset there and so adapt the position and fit until it is comfortable.

Hip belts tin can acquit up to 80% of your pack's weight. When y'all've adjusted the belt correctly,you'll know it. The weight will motion off of your shoulders. You lot'll feel the weight on your hips. The shoulder straps volition be carrying some weight but will by and large be holding the pack against your body.

The feeling is like magic. If y'all aren't certain, y'all don't accept information technology correct. This sounds crazy to people who have never used a hip belt earlier. When you get it right for the first fourth dimension, you'll have the aforementioned "aha" moment that I did.

Now that yous know why hip belts thing and what to look for in a hip chugalug, you lot tin can start searching for the perfect travel haversack for you.

We designed the Outbreaker Backpack for maximum comfort. The pause system is fully adjustable to fit most any height and trunk length. The padded hip belt volition transfer your pack's weight from your shoulders to your ships for a comfortable acquit. You can utilise the spacious hip belt pockets for your phone, ticket, or annihilation else you demand at your fingertips.