Hip Belt Issues for 13 y/o Son

[wedgetail]

Just wondering if anyone can comment on a backpack fit issue I’m having with my son. He’s 13, on the skinny side of average. I’ve already shortened the hip belt and he can tighten it as much as he wants now. Once the feels in the right place and the belt is really tight everything is good for 10-15 minutes but then it slips down noticeably and the pack rubs on his collar bone.

I’m thinking the hip belt is too wide - the padding is almost 4” where it joins the frame/bag. Im
Wondering if this is the issue and not conforming to his torso. I can open the fabric, trim the padding and restitch but wanted to get some opinions first. The pack is a North Face Terra 65 - not high end but hopefully he can use it on our upcoming 4 day hunt in October to work out what/if to upgrade to.

 

[LCguy]

Is it the proper length for his torso? I had this same problem and fixed it by adjusting the harness a little shorter.

 

[wedgetail]

Is it the proper length for his torso? I had this same problem and fixed it by adjusting the harness a little shorter.

Yes - I had to alter it but it is now short enough - on minimum it is too small

 

[butcherboy]

Can’t help you much but this is why Exo makes a pack for youth and women. Also, there is another company that specifically makes youth packs and have had reviews here but I can’t remember the name. Do a search or maybe someone will just post the name of the company.

 

[wedgetail]

Can’t help you much but this is why Exo makes a pack for youth and women. Also, there is another company that specifically makes youth packs and have had reviews here but I can’t remember the name. Do a search or maybe someone will just post the name of the company.

Thanks, I’ve actually reached out to the Exo podcast with this question - hopefully they’ll have time to comment. It would be good to buy him a pack eventually but for the moment I just want to get this one usable

 

[TaperPin]

I’d steer clear of a single pack made for both kids and women. Women have more curves and a belt that works best for them isn’t doing a skinny kid any good.

The bad news for skinny guys with no hips is there’s nothing to hold the belt up so the best you can do is a pack with shaped belt that really claws onto whatever hips are there, AND has a well fitting shelf at the correct angle to sit up on the top of whatever butt is there. Again, skinny kids with no butt are what they are.

Regardless of what well meaning pack fitting instructions you go by that are designed for average shaped and size folks, the less weight that can be applied to the waist, means the shoulders have to pick up more of the load. Shoulders are full of different muscles so it won’t be automatic that it feels comfortable or works well, but many of us small hipped guys treat it like the rest of our muscles that have to be kept in shape.

Warning bells go off when someone is modifying a large torso pack for a smaller size. Is the shoulder strap attachment dropped down to where it makes a normal curve up and over the shoulders so it can carry some weight and not just keep the pack pulled against the body? I’m not visualizing how well fitting shoulder straps ride any different with more of a load unless they weren’t fitting very well to begin with. Packs curve to match the back - does that model have aluminum stays that can be modified/bent to fit the curve of his back? Is the lumbar area too high and actually pushing the pack down? Etc.

I love tinkering with packs, and had a short torso human in the family that we spent a lot of time modifying packs for, but pack fitting actually has to fit all the parts or half of it will still be working against you.

 

[TaperPin]

If modifying a belt, look at a small well shaped belt to duplicate, or better yet graft the sides of a good belt onto your pack. By far the best solution is pick up a pack that fits him. Used Dana Teraplane packs come in all sizes and the liners of the pack cloth in many are old enough it’s a little sticky so they are dirt cheap. I bought a medium Teraplane and small Astralplane in new condition for $50 each and these are equal or better than the top packs today because each size of belt, shoulder straps and pack are specifically shaped differently and not just adding more adjustment notches for one size fits all. Dana belts come in woman and men’s models with different angles. The system of custom fitting packs with so many options has gone away with most companies dumbing down their designs.

 

[V2Pnutrition]

It sounds like the pack may just not be the one for him if you're looking for a really great fit.

What do the load lift angles look like when on?
A couple of photos could help some ideas, too.

I'd imagine the wrap on the hip belt is too large and you'd have to do some pretty extensive modification to get a good wrap on his hips for it to stay put- especially with weight. Trimming it might make it worst too if there's no wedge or "purchase" at his back. It may just slide more.

I run the XS hip belt on the Exo packs at a 30" waist. I have about 1/2 of the hip belt webbing left before it completely bottoms out. I have also run the EXS ("women's") and short standard (23.5") frames. The EXS was a little too short for my torso and found a great balance at around 23". Since I'm built like a 13 year old, I'm happy to take some measurements if it'd be helpful in you making a decision (haha!)

 

[TradLife406]

Can’t help you much but this is why Exo makes a pack for youth and women. Also, there is another company that specifically makes youth packs and have had reviews here but I can’t remember the name. Do a search or maybe someone will just post the name of the company.

This. My 12 year old girl got one for her birthday. She's tall and like a string bean. Fits perfectly.


Her younger sister is a bit stouter and I got her some backpacking pack. Can't remember what brand but it's but it's for kids. And it's huge. Probably wouldn't pack an animal out with it but that kid won't be doing any meat packing due to issues with her legs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[wedgetail]

Thanks for all the advice. I must admit it’s not an area I’m experienced in - my ex army pick is comfortable enough for me but the ins and outs of correct fit is more involved. I got my wife to help (has some outdoor education experience in a past life) and she adjusted the top shoulder straps bringing the weight forward and that seems to have helped a lot. Also moving the test load inside the pack so the tent poles is weren’t digging in helped. We went on a 1 hour hike with some good elevation and he reckoned it didn’t slip done uncomfortably and still wasn’t carrying much weight on the shoulder straps.

I’m sure there is still plenty of room for improvement though. Some measurements @V2Pnutrituon would be great thank you. Now I’ve brought the waste belt in he can’t max it out. Some of the padding made up overlapping - I didn’t think this was a problem but I could remove some. To me it looks like he could get it higher but he reckons it won’t go. I had a good look at exp youth packs and the waste belt padding looks even wider than this so I reckon that’s not the problem. There is a stiff frame behind the straps but not sure if it’s bendable alloy. We’ll do a longer hike next weekend and see how it fairs.


I forgot to take photos yesterday but got him to chuck it on before school this morning.

Is the shoulder strap attachment dropped down to where it makes a normal curve up and over the shoulders so it can carry some weight and not just keep the pack pulled against the body? I’m not visualizing how well fitting shoulder straps ride any different with more of a load unless they weren’t fitting very well to begin with. Packs curve to match the back - does that model have aluminum stays that can be modified/bent to fit the curve of his back? Is the lumbar area too high and actually pushing the pack down?

Would you be able to have a look at the photos and see if you think the shoulder strap area is right?

Trimming it might make it worst too if there's no wedge or "purchase" at his back.

I’m sorry but I’m struggling to follow this point. What do you mean by wedge? And how does it get purchase on his back?

 

[wapitibob]

The belt looks right to me. I have no butt and need the belt to sit on top of my hip bones, buckle at or above the navel, or it'll slide down. Shoulder straps look wonky but I'm not sure what needs to be done there.

 

[TaperPin]

Would you be able to have a look at the photos and see if you think the shoulder strap area is right?

It looks like that pack is pretty close. With kids and light packs I like to have 20% to 30% ish of the weight actually on the shoulders rather than all of it on the belt. With a 30 lb pack that’s barely 10 lbs, like a book bag for school, just enough the pack stays in place. The belt is tightened up first, then the shoulder straps are tightened to just put a little pressure on the shoulders so there’s no gaps, THEN the load lifter straps are tightened just barely enough to bring the pack to touch the back.

In short the load lifters look a little tight and the shoulder straps are a little loose.

With more weight, those of us adults with skinny hips have to put larger percentages of the weight on our shoulders, so I may have 30% to 40% or more on the shoulders.

 

[V2Pnutrition]

Thanks for all the advice. I must admit it’s not an area I’m experienced in - my ex army pick is comfortable enough for me but the ins and outs of correct fit is more involved. I got my wife to help (has some outdoor education experience in a past life) and she adjusted the top shoulder straps bringing the weight forward and that seems to have helped a lot. Also moving the test load inside the pack so the tent poles is weren’t digging in helped. We went on a 1 hour hike with some good elevation and he reckoned it didn’t slip done uncomfortably and still wasn’t carrying much weight on the shoulder straps.

I’m sure there is still plenty of room for improvement though. Some measurements @V2Pnutrituon would be great thank you. Now I’ve brought the waste belt in he can’t max it out. Some of the padding made up overlapping - I didn’t think this was a problem but I could remove some. To me it looks like he could get it higher but he reckons it won’t go. I had a good look at exp youth packs and the waste belt padding looks even wider than this so I reckon that’s not the problem. There is a stiff frame behind the straps but not sure if it’s bendable alloy. We’ll do a longer hike next weekend and see how it fairs.


I forgot to take photos yesterday but got him to chuck it on before school this morning.

Would you be able to have a look at the photos and see if you think the shoulder strap area is right?

I’m sorry but I’m struggling to follow this point. What do you mean by wedge? And how does it get purchase on his back?

There’s a couple of things going on that make me think the pack isn’t a good fit for him:

1. He has that belt completely maxed out. Any additional weight (meat) will cause all of the weight to shift to his shoulders and make matters worse than they already are.
2. The spacing between the shoulder harness and the hip belt is too long. That’s why you’re getting that “ridge” at the top of the shoulder harness (and why it probably slides).

The waist belt padding width isn’t the problem. It’s the size of the belt. You want there to be some webbing left even when firmly planted on his hips. His is totally maxed out.

Here’s how some things to consider on how an EXS (or more kid-friendly pack of any kind) fixes these problems:

1. Some me companies (Exo being one) will put shims in at the lumbar pad to get that pad to sit firmly on the tailbone. If there’s less/no padding/shims/etc., there’s no “purchase” to the tailbone/waist. It’ll just keep sliding with more weight (which is why I probably wouldn’t trim the foam).
2. He needs a smaller belt- XS or similar. This will let the padding wrap the hips, but leave some more room to really tighten it down once you get meat in it.
3. Torso length is made for smaller torso’s. You get less of a gap between the waist and the shoulder harness so things ride much, much better.

Here’s what I’d do:

1. Measure his torso length (prominent point at his neck to his wist). Run the tape down his spine to get the measurement.
2. Measure his waist at the iliac crest (prominent hip bones).
3. Use those measurements to compare packs within your price range to find one that matches him perfectly.

Bad as it sucks to hear: I would sell the pack to fund something different- even if it’s not a “hunting brand” pack.