Backpack Utility Straps

bignslow · Jan 20, 2008

Backpack Utility Strap

This is one modification I recommend everybody does to their backpacks. The project does not require any sewing although it does add some nice finishing touches if you do sew the ends of the straps. All you need to add the straps is the materials and any backpack with two compression straps on each side.
Materials

* 4 1" Tri Glides
* 2 1" Buckles (be sure to get dual adjustable ones)
* 4-6' of 1" nylon webbing

You can purchase the materials online from www.owfinc.com or from Ragged Mountain in Intervale, NH

Assembly

1. First slide a tri glide over each of your compression straps on your backpack. You may have to remove other buckles from your pack first. In some cases you may have to cut the folds on the original straps.

2. Take the straps and cut it into 4 equal lengths and fuse the ends with a lighter (be careful to not burn your house down). Optional: take the lengths of webbing and fold a tab in each end, then sew them. I usually fold the tabs in opposite directions. The tabs aren't manditory, but they prevent the webbing from slipping out of the tri-glides or buckles when they're not under tension

3. Thread the webbing through the tri glide as shown

4. Attach the buckles around the back and you're ready to go.

Tips and Tricks

I've used these straps to carry my snowboard, jacket, snowshoes, crampons, etc...

If you want to use them on more than one backpack it is not necesarry to build two sets, you just need an extra set of tri-glides, removing and attaching the straps takes only a few seconds

Kevin · Jan 24, 2008

Thanks for the tip!I must give you praise, as I set up a guy at my store with your idea... He needed a set up for his crampons or a jacket. It cost less then 10 bucks for straps & buckles for enough to make 4 set ups.

Catch you on the trail...
Kevin

--M. · Jan 24, 2008

Nice job, and thanks for putting it out there!

bikehikeskifish · Jan 24, 2008

How different is it then say the OEM system on this pack here:

Those straps across the back pouch (high and low) will actually wrap all the way around to receiver clips near the body, and do a great job carrying my jacket or my snowshoes.

Now, I'd welcome an idea how to carry the crampon bag. I've wedged it under the upper compression strap, and then 'binered it to the top section closure zipper loop so I don't lose it if the strap comes loose. The crampon bag in this case is a re-purposed cycling light case, which has only got a double zipper loop for attachment purposes. No photo handy, could attach one this evening I guess.

Tim

bignslow · Jan 24, 2008

It's the same exact idea as those OEM straps, except none of my backpacks have the straps from the factory. I actually originally got the idea from the Dana Designs "beaver tail" (seen on the back of this pack: http://www.trailspace.com/gear/dana-design/bomb-pack/)

I had bought the beaver tail for $50

for my first snowboarding trip to tuckermans (it included the webbing, buckles, and a rugged piece of fabric to use similar to a shovel pocket) However the fabric was too wide to hold the snowboard securely so I ended up just using the two buckles. I've added this to every one of my backpacks, for the few oz that it might add in weight it adds a ton of versatility.

One other tip I forgot to type was to pull the tri-glides as close to the frame of the backpack as possible. One other thing I like about this design over that Osprey OEM one is that with the tri-glide as close to your back as possible, it takes a lot of play out of the attachment point as opposed to having the slack in the fabric before the attachment.

bikehikeskifish · Jan 24, 2008

Here's a photo:

The top strap is wrapped all the way around and the short clip is unused, while the bottom strap is in the short position and you can see the unused clip around to the right.

Tim

John H Swanson · Jan 25, 2008

A very worthwhile suggestion as it is lighter and stronger than bungis, though one could say that a snap buckle is harder to manipulate than a bungi in really cold weather.

The benefit with your suggestion is that the weight is attached close to the frame of the pack adding stability and load bearing.

This was one of several modifications I spec'd out for my McHale pack. The McHale version is slightly different in that it is a little more secure than the tri-glides, yet fully removable. It really transfers the weight to the frame.

I've used the McHale version of this system to piggyback a second pack of an exhausted or injured hiker quite a few times. I've even carried a second pack and two pair of snowshoes at the same time. When carrying a second pack, you secure the hipbelt of the second pack around the middle of body of your pack and use the upper strap to pull the top of the second pack closer to your head (and center of gravity) Your pack has to be designed to carry the full load to pull this off in comfort.

It allows me to take all of someone's weight and get moving again in only one or two minutes. As a relatively strong hiker and leader, I view this as one of my assets.

And to take this further, I've considered whether or not I could carry an injured hiker this way. Obviously not the best position, so it would need to be a "desperate situation". Say above treeline in bad conditions. Eventually I will push this pack past it's limit.

Peakbagr · Mar 8, 2008

"Now, I'd welcome an idea how to carry the crampon bag. I've wedged it under the upper compression strap, and then 'binered it to the top section closure zipper loop so I don't lose it if the strap comes loose. The crampon bag in this case is a re-purposed cycling light case, which has only got a double zipper loop for attachment purposes. No photo handy, could attach one this evening I guess."

Tim, you might pick up a couple of pack accessory patches and sew them to the top back of your pack lid. Run a couple of small nylon straps thru them with snap buckles on either end the crampons are up top, easy to get at and out of the way of the vertical snowshoes on the back.

BTW, I have the same pack in your picture(thanks it was your recommendation), but I'm not following what you did in the photos of the Osprey.

Thanks,
Alan

bikehikeskifish · Mar 8, 2008

What I was trying to say was that the OEM pack has a pair of compression straps which double as snowshoe (or other, I put my jacket in them some times) carriers.

When clipped to the female clip on the front (furthest from my back) of the pack, the strap is short and in "carrying" mode. When clipped to the female clip on the side of the back (near my back) the strap is long and is compression mode.

Does that make sense? In the picture, the top strap is in compression mode and the bottom one is in carrying mode.

Thanks for the idea on the crampon bag inside the pack. I could just toss them in on top, except I worry about melting snow getting the inside wet. My current solution has worked out OK. Occasionally I am aware that a branch or something has caught on the crampon bag, but it's never stopped me, broken the branch or pulled the bag off.

For carrying the crampons, I tuck them under the really short compression strap in the top right in the photo, and then clip them to that 'biner you can see (more top, more right) which itself is attached to the top pouch zipper. This pack as sold doesn't have a mechanism to attach a crampon-compatible (Osprey) accessory bag. Plus that would tend to interfere with the snowshoes.

Tim

jniehof · Mar 8, 2008

bignslow said:
One other tip I forgot to type was to pull the tri-glides as close to the frame of the backpack as possible.

Depending on how your pack is constructed, you could also use one length of webbing (instead of two) and run it from buckle through tri-glide, around the back of the pack, through the tri-glide on the other side, and to the other side of the buckle. Then any force that gets through the tri-glide is transferred to the back of the pack instead of pulling your webbing through. This assumes you don't mind a strap across your back or that you can thread it behind some other feature of the pack.

Backpack Utility Straps

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