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I was hiking with some friends and we concluded that most/all our bags have ridiculously long waist straps that leave lots of extra strap that is annoying or must be tidied away. Additionally, some of us have to have the strap as tight as it will go to make it vaguely tight. Given that many hikers are fairly slight, this seems quite bad design.

Is there a sensible reason why its like this?

Charlie Brumbaugh
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nivag
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    Although many hikers may be thin this is not the case for all hikers. Of course the backpack industry tries to catch as many as possible to get their customers. – Wills Jan 06 '15 at 09:46
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    "Given that many hikers are fairly slight..." and some of us are definitely not ;-) Throw on some winter clothing and I am grateful for adjustable straps. – orangejewelweed Jan 06 '15 at 13:12
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    I always cut off the ends of the straps when I buy a pack. –  Jan 06 '15 at 15:58
  • I've loaned bags that I need to tighten the straps on fully to chaps that had to suck in their guts with the straps maxed out to get the same bag to fit. Backpacking is one of those prestigious fitness activities that the industry makes a lot of money off of selling gear to unfit people that are convinced backpacking is going to make them skinny. I know lots of bigger guys that have big shiny backpacks they've used maybe once, or "intend" on using someday. The average person isn't exactly as slight as the average alpinist. – ShemSeger Jan 06 '15 at 16:25
  • @BenCrowell do you burn the edges or cinch them with something to prevent fraying? – Michael Martinez Jan 07 '15 at 23:45
  • @MichaelMartinez I have the same problem, and I use to cut the straps and either burn the edges or fold he edge over and sew it. It's frustrating to have to do this on more or less all gear, and have to have the straps as tight as possible to give any support. – Ahlqvist Jan 09 '15 at 09:11
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    Depressing moment; finding my old backpack in the cellar. I shortened the waist straps 10 years ago. Now they are too short. Must have shrunk in the cellar. – RedSonja Feb 16 '16 at 13:00
  • A backpack generally has a (padded) hip belt, transferring the load to your pelvis. A waist strap (as used on lighter daysacks) only stabilises, and the load is entirely on your shoulders. Which are you asking about. – Toby Speight Nov 17 '16 at 18:04

1 Answers1

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Some reasons for the long waist straps are:

  • The most backpacks have only one size for everyone, so the backpack must fit a short/ tall/ tiny/ big person.
  • It also depends what your wear for clothes under your rucksack, if you wear it over a single shirt or over a big insulation-jacket.
  • For alpine backpacks or traveling: the waist straps need to fit around the backpack so you can clip them out of the way so they're not over your harness while climbing, or so they don't get caught on handrails, etc... while using public transport.
  • If you wear gloves, it's also handy to have the straps a bit longer than without gloves.

For some styles of backpacks you can find different sizes, these sizes include the length as well as the width of a person, which will offer a better fit.

ibex
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    The last point is especially useful because I guess most don't know this. If you are e.g. going with the backpack in public transport it is also very helpful to hide the straps on the other side of the pack. – Wills Jan 06 '15 at 09:50
  • @EverythingRightPlace thanks! Great point I will add this to my answer. – ibex Jan 06 '15 at 10:00
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    Also, you need considerably longer ends for handling when wearing gloves or even mittens. – cbeleites unhappy with SX Jan 06 '15 at 12:26
  • In cases of emergencies the additional material could also be used to improvise some equipment, say a stretcher or a pressure bandage or whatever. Still easier and faster done than getting natural fibrous material. – Ghanima Jan 06 '15 at 21:43
  • I never had problems clipping my backpack with harness on me at same time. During alpine climbing or XC skiing I actually always have my harness on me. It just takes to long to put it on and off each time you need it. And not clipping waistband of backpack makes it very wobbly and unstable. – Val Jan 13 '15 at 11:42