What Makes a Good Backpack Strap?
Have you ever actually thought about that? Thought about what you should be looking for in a strap on your backpack? Comfort levels, materials used, width’s, etc are all factors to consider when looking at straps. And while it might not be front of mind, it’s pretty important. You’ve had bags that are real uncomfortable, chaffing, rubbing, unbalancing the load in your pack. Well, we’ve sat down in an attempt to try and put together a guide of what you should look for in a strap when purchasing your next backpack…
Some of the factors we think will help make your backpack more comfortable are:
For a hi res view of the image, click here
Wide Straps Spread The Load
Wider straps spread the load better across your shoulders. However go too wide, and they’ll rub on your neck & arms. Find your compromise.
Sternum Straps
Sternum straps are a great way to stabilise the pack and reduce the heavy feeling when the pack is carried around for a while. 2 things to watch out for:
1. Make sure the strap has enough vertical range that you can get it to a comfortable height (especially for girls)
2. Sternum straps that run on piping should not easily slide off the top or bottom, or you’ll lose them.
Strap edges
These have to be soft, or they’ll rub and irritate you as you walk. There are two main constructions – with binding and without… Straps with binding are flatter, which allows the use of high density thin foam – leaving a low bulk strap suitable for lighter loads and shorter trips. Straps without binding are commonly used for outdoor bags. The foam used inside those straps is thicker, giving more comfort with heavier loads.
Adjustment
This should be fast & easy. When the buckle & webbing are of good quality the adjustment is smooth, the release is easy, and the bag stays in position when in use.
Foam
EVA is one of the best foams used inside straps. It is a high density foam with good durability. You can generally tell it’s EVA if when you squeeze the strap, it really springs back against your pressure.
Strap Shapes
STRAIGHT straps work for infrequent or iight use. They look good on fashion packs.
SHAPED straps fit your curves better, reducing rubs during active use.
ONE PIECE straps must be the right width for your shoulders (they slip off if too wide).
Strap Lining
A SOFT nylon jersey or mesh is better under the strap than the itchy ‘airmesh’ most often used. Always feel the lining material against bare skin, to see if it scratches or irritates.
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Did we miss anything else worth noting? What else do you love or loath with backpack straps? Let us know in the comments…
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You are too hard on aerospacer, or airmesh! I am not totally sold on it, granted- but using it for building backpacking packs is great, particularly in body panels. It helps keep your back cool and is slightly supportive. Maybe wool for the shoulders, though I worry about pilling in the long run? Thoughts? Leather is an elegant solution as well…
I am not down with straight straps, unless they are all web. They look cheap to me, no other reason really. I have particular disdain for ones that look like pillows.
A little more on adjustment: I am enjoying the industries’ use of mounting the tension locks on the pack body. Bravo for thinking outside of the box!
Getting into the nitty gritty- I’ll skip being verbose here:
It is imperative for designers to hard mount straps to the pack body main. I have seen too many that rely totally on Cordura to bear the load of a bag. This is not long-lasting design. Do not skimp on these buckles. They are a pain to replace and absorb lots of stress, which is not a good combination for a crappy buckle.
Hi John, thanks for adding several really good points here…
I hope I can explain a little better why I feel airmesh in bags has become a cheap, no-brainer choice for designers, rather than a choice for better product.
Airmesh has been created by the Chinese market about 10-15 years ago to respond to the need of affordable breathable material for bags. It was a great invention, but no one is questioning it since then. It has become an easy solution! I think we can do better than that.
It needs to evolve and become nice to the skin in summer, and probably more breathable too (it is perceived as breathable because it has holes, but it still severely restricts air circulation).
Specialist backpack brands (ie: Arcteryx, Osprey) are starting to walk away from it. Most Urban packs or daypacks brands still use it way too much (even on snow packs!).
Using a Herman Miller Embody chair I can see that perforated foam with the proper fabric on top is much better. Even though airmesh is serving a purpose today, I think more of us bag designers need to explore other (potentially better) options.
I agree with the point re: moving forward. I built a backpacking backpack and the airmesh is (slightly) uncomfortable with the weight of the pack pulling back off of my shoulders. Arc’teryx solved this problem in some packs by using spandura which is durable like cordura and stretchy/soft like lycra. This comes in 2-way and 4-way stretch options and a variety of weights. Some companies make blends with cotton, which would likely be unsuitable for backpack straps- but oh so soft!
I would love to see a cordura/wool/ lycra blend for this use.
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Hi there, hope this comment finds you well.
I am trying to make myself a back-pack for fun. Could you give me some suggestions as to where to purchase high quality dual density foam? I tried to search on the web and nothing comes up. Online store would be great, otherwise, I am in NYC. If you have any suggestions/tips/supply store links, please throw it at me. I need all the help I can get.
Thank you in advance very much for your help.
Hi
I was wondering what your thoughts are about the kind of hook strap adjuster Salewa uses for their rucksack compression straps. Here’s a link to one of their packs:
http://media.salewa.com/20112/00-0000004956_mountain-guide-38-pro-bp/0950_black-yellow/thumb1_4956_0950.png
The adjuster on the red strap. Btw, do you know anyone else who uses that kind?
Vio
Vio,
The buckle is likely aluminum and made for salewa in china. Chrome uses this style of compression buckle, and you will also find in in bouldering pads for rock climbing.
Like here: http://www.metoliusclimbing.com/crash_buckle.html
Hope this helps! I have researched manufacturing them domestically (US) and it wasn’t worth the cost!
to Suzieq,
Try Seattle Fabrics for foam. I would consider ditching the dual density foam approach- I have not found it common in the pack manufacturing world, as the two layers need to be manufactured separately then laminated together (or not). There can be complications.
There are others, might I reccomend backpackinglight.com forums for more information about building packs.
I disagree on the dual density foam issue. We regularly use dual density foam in our packs, and in large trekking packs -even triple density foam.
It is also really easy to do the laminating yourself, as long as you’ve got the different foams in their correct thicknesses. I use Polyken 44 spray adhesive to bond the layers, but other sprays probably work well too.
Joey,
Thanks for the information! I live in a bubble it seems.
I am also looking for a new manufacturer of foams suitable for strap manufacture. Could you recommend one?
JC,
No worries. Different companies make different products. Our way might not be the best (although we do like to believe that it is) and people usually have different opinions about most things.
We do have a lab with a pretty expensive machine that we use to measure compression resistance and “rebound” on single or multiple layer foam composites in order to get a strap that spreads the load over as large areas of the shoulder/hips as possible.
We produce in Vietnam and China, and our foam suppliers are generally Chinese or Korean. I guess you were looking for a US supplier? Can’t really help you there. We have done some packs in the US (for the Navy SEALs, nonetheless) at Savannah Luggage Works and they sourced US foam similar to our reference foams. Maybe you could try giving them a call?