Too big

[sapblatt]

You are a disgusting fat body! - Gunnery Sargent Hartmann

Crazy topic/question...

I just bought a nice medium sized pack - a Kelty Moraine - kind of what I am looking for - big enough for winter and summer dayhikes, comfortable, affordable etc...also durable enough for the way I hike. My experiment with an ultralight pack did not go well.

The issue is me, not the pack - the pack is at its most comfortable when the waist belt goes around my navel (or yours, if you are wearing the pack )
The problem is that the belt, while not slipping out of its place, manages to slide down the natural/unnatural curve of my gut.

Any suggestions on this ridiculous issue beyond losing even more weight? I am thinking of bringing it back, but I really like it and want it to work for me.

 

[Jay H]

Wear the backpack backwards?

Have you tried to adjust the hipbelt vertically? Some backpacks allow you to move the hipbelt up and down.

Jay

 

[sapblatt]

Two excellent ideas! Wearing it backwards would cushion forward falls!
I will look into the other idea...
Thanks.

 

[dvbl]

Not a ridiculous question at all.

Maybe rig up a strap vertically from the waist strap to the sternum strap.

 

[Tom Rankin]

I tend to wear my pack strap lower than my navel. I guess each to his own comfort level...

 

[michaelb]

I tend to think the comfort of the waist belt may be the single most important aspect of a pack, particularly a winter pack when you will be loaded down. So that is not something I would want to jerry rig, and would be inclined to return the pack and get one that fits you right.

But I agree with Tom that the strap going across the navel sounds high, and that usually you would expect wear the belt on your hips. Many daypacks are "too short" to me if the belt goes across the navel. But you may prefer a shorter pack. Since there is so much variation in day packs these days, I would keep looking around.

 

[Chip]

I just bought a nice medium sized pack - a Kelty Moraine - .

The "medium size" of the Moraine 3300 refers to the volume, it's torso size range is 16"-18.5", probably too small for you. The Moraine 3600 fits torso sizes 18.5" to 21", which may be a better fit.

Having said that, I have a Kelty Shadow that makes me look 9 months pregnant, so I've decided I can lose the weight, the belt, the pack or my pride. I like the pack, so right now it's my pride.

 

[sapblatt]

The "medium size" of the Moraine 3300 refers to the volume, it's torso size range is 16"-18.5", probably too small for you. The Moraine 3600 fits torso sizes 18.5" to 21", which may be a better fit.

Having said that, I have a Kelty Shadow that makes me look 9 months pregnant, so I've decided I can lose the weight, the belt, the pack or my pride. I like the pack, so right now it's my pride.

I do have the large - I measure in that range...
I with you chip - out with the pride!

 

[smitty77]

The "medium size" of the Moraine 3300 refers to the volume, it's torso size range is 16"-18.5", probably too small for you. The Moraine 3600 fits torso sizes 18.5" to 21", which may be a better fit.

I'm one of the few with a "long" torso, evidenced by my 5'10" height but only a 29" inseam. I would consider my self of "medium" stature, but often find myself buying large packs to get the correct torso measurement. The belt and its associated padding should ride on top of your hip bones.

Smitty

 

[sierra]

packs are like boots they fit everyone differently, to me it sounds like you have a pack that does not fit you well at all. There are many packs on ther market, try some others and go from there, it would be a mistake to try and improvise an ill-fitted pack.
P.S. did a sales clerk help you? sometimes a good sales person can prevent this .
P.s.2. did you say summer AND winter dayhikes? the amount of gear in relation to hikes in the winter and summer at least for me varies so much I need a daypack for each season.

 

[sapblatt]

packs are like boots they fit everyone differently, to me it sounds like you have a pack that does not fit you well at all. There are many packs on ther market, try some others and go from there, it would be a mistake to try and improvise an ill-fitted pack.
P.S. did a sales clerk help you? sometimes a good sales person can prevent this .
P.s.2. did you say summer AND winter dayhikes? the amount of gear in relation to hikes in the winter and summer at least for me varies so much I need a daypack for each season.

I was measured and tested it a ton on my own...I do carry a lot of "just in case" gear even in the summer - so I really would not go much below 3000 cu...
thanks!

 

[Rick]

The solution is to gain weight and plenty of it. Once you have accomplished this, you can wear the pack knowing that when you cinch the hipbelt down, and I mean crank-it-down really tight, you will create a valley in your gut with a crest of fat both above the belt and below the belt. The belt will be swaddled permanently by those two mounds of fat and it remain immobile, like pigs in a blanket, until you and only you release the buckle.

If it doesn't work, then I am at a loss, as I definitely took the same approach with my pack a few years ago.

 

[Bobby]

Mike, I have the same pack, and the same issue. I just tighten the belt, and go with the "bum in the front" look. And I only allow pictures from the chest up . I tried not using the belt, but got some pretty intense neck and back pain.

 

[Woody]

I just tend to "dunlap" over my waist strap!

 

[REK]

I have a Red Cloud and a Tornado and I had to go through a long adjustment phase to get them to fit right (at which point my son tried the Tornado and said, "Hey I like this, can I have it?")
I don't know exactly how the Moraine works but most Keltys are extremely tweakable. I discovered that the shape of my back is not at all what I thought it was and spent a long time bending the stays. I also had to adjust the length a few times. I actually found that I had to shorten the torso a bit because I'm built srangely. The first few times I used the Red Cloud I was ready to pitch it in the nearest pond but now that I've got it tuned in I love it.

Take some time and play with it (hiking related fun when your not hiking) and you should be able to dial it in nice.
As for my gut, I just don't give a damn.
Bob

 

[sapblatt]

Thank you for all of your help everyone -
It is nice to see so many of us have such similar/nice body shapes...maybe we need a support group...?

I don't know why, but with this pack I actually read the directions - when I went home last night and ignored them and created as bobby said "a bum in the front" all is well...I will have to start only allowing head shots!

Thanks again!

 

[Rob S]

The belt and its associated padding should ride on top of your hip bones.

This is exactly what I was taught as a kid in Boy Scouts. Has always worked for me, but, as previously mentioned, different body types may require different techniques. Also, as Jay stated, if your pack has vertical adjustment for the hip-belt, try experimenting with various heights using a fully loaded pack. Good luck!

 

[amstony]

Thank you for all of your help everyone -
It is nice to see so many of us have such similar/nice body shapes...maybe we need a support group...?

My suggestion is bring it back and try others...........also make sure you buy a rain cover for the pack since it'll rain the whole time your out there.

 

[sapblatt]

My suggestion is bring it back and try others...........also make sure you buy a rain cover for the pack since it'll rain the whole time your out there.

I would not go to the Sahara without a raincover, trash bags and sea to summit bags...

 

[DougPaul]

I would not go to the Sahara without a raincover, trash bags and sea to summit bags...

You can always tell the NE hiker in the desert--he is the guy carrying his raingear. (And yes, it does occasionally rain in the desert... And then the flash floods wash you away, raingear or no.)

Doug