View Full Version : *GASP* Non-hammock question...
blackbishop351
11-18-2006, 19:36
This isn't related directly to hammocks, but since so many of you are DIY buffs, I thought I'd ask anyway...
Anybody know where to find a good set of nice, wide, well-padded shoulder straps? I'm making a gearskin-type pack, and I think trying to design my own S-curve may be a logistic nightmare.
Just Jeff
11-18-2006, 19:55
I'd start with the Goodwills in your area. Then check out the school pack sections of Walmart, Target, etc - some of them have straps that are easily suitable for 30 pound loads, and you can get the whole pack for pretty cheap. Otherwise, lots of outfitters carry replacement shoulder straps, like these (http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=4880&parent_category_rn=5404696&vcat=REI_SEARCH).
blackbishop351
11-18-2006, 20:25
Maybe it would help if I were more specific...
I have shoulder problems, so I'm going away from the traditional strap layout. Instead of trying to use load lifters to get weight off the top of my shoulders, I'm going to put the strap attachment points ABOVE the level of my shoulders in the first place. It'll permanently put all the load on my hips, but my hips can take it, whereas my shoulders can't. The shoulder straps will basically just be there for balance.
Even though there won't be any vertical load on the straps, I still need something wider and more padded than normal, too. I'm thinking around 2.5-3" wide.
Just Jeff
11-18-2006, 20:41
I'm pretty sure those Arc'teryx straps are about that wide. Seems like any strap would work if it's not taking much load, though - just sew it higher and don't use the load lifters. Why do you need a special strap?
Or click here (http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?ht=1&from=R4&satitle=shoulder+straps&sacat=382%26catref%3DC6) and check out the eBay straps, like tree stand shoulder straps (http://cgi.ebay.com/SUMMIT-BACKPACK-STRAPS-TREE-STAND-TREESTAND-SHOULDER_W0QQitemZ270053039298QQihZ017QQcategoryZ5 2508QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) for $10 or ALICE pack straps (http://cgi.ebay.com/U-S-Military-Alice-Pack-Back-Pack-Shoulder-Straps_W0QQitemZ280049067159QQihZ018QQcategoryZ361 10QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) for $10.
I've even looked at the butt-pack and shoulder strap setups, like the miltary's web gear, to see if I could make it the foundation of a lightweight pack. I think it'll work. Here (http://cgi.ebay.com/MOSSY-OAK-CAMO-AMMO-BELT-PACK-SHOULDER-STRAPS-NEW_W0QQitemZ160053426244QQihZ006QQcategoryZ2021QQ rdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)'s a mossy oak civilian version of what I'm talking about. Using arrow shafts as the frame, even with this you could get the weight off of your shoulders.
You probably don't want a whole ALICE pack, but this link (http://cgi.ebay.com/Military-Backpack-Medium-Alice-With-Shoulder-Straps_W0QQitemZ230053553553QQihZ013QQcategoryZ871 23QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) has a girl in a thong wearing one. Bid's at $5 right now... :D
The physics of attaching the straps above your shoulders is really messed up :)
Just Jeff
11-18-2006, 21:27
Yep - it's almost like stamp collecting... :p
blackbishop351
11-18-2006, 21:41
I can't believe it took six months for somebody to comment on my signature.... :p
I think my shoulder problem is something like a pinched nerve...so even just having pressure on the front of my shoulders will start hurting after a while. That's why I'm looking for something "overstuffed"...
Thanks for the suggestions! I'll look around some more.
Just Jeff
11-18-2006, 23:51
Maybe just wrap some Charmin around it. Prolly need a silnylon cover in case it rains.
blackbishop351
11-19-2006, 00:23
Toilet-paper topology....I like it! :D
If you have a hairy back then you could consider a velcro pad on the pack instead of straps.
Looking at ethnic engineering, there's always the 'forehead strap' approach.
Just how silly are you willing to look on the trail?
Just Jeff
11-19-2006, 01:06
Just how silly are you willing to look on the trail?
Isn't that relative to how silly he already looks? :D
blackbishop351
11-19-2006, 02:06
Isn't that relative to how silly he already looks? :D
You're absolutely right....everything's relative! As in, relative to that goofy waterproof sombrero thingy you wear? :eek: I didn't know they were SI Air Force equipment these days...
You're absolutely right....everything's relative! As in, relative to that goofy waterproof sombrero thingy you wear? :eek: I didn't know they were SI Air Force equipment these days...
They're only for the elite Space Cadet squadron. In order to get one you have to be able to recite the Complete Works of Leonard Nimoy - in Vulcan.
titanium_hiker
11-19-2006, 06:44
blackbishop- I assume you've been to a doctor about this?
I've got a semi sensitive back, and what works is just loosening up the straps so the weight goes on my hips.
TH
Peter_pan
11-19-2006, 07:24
If you are going to make it a UL pack...the second hand store old school packs are a great source for staps to canabalize for normally $2-5.
Pan
Porkbutter
11-19-2006, 11:11
Or you might try these:http://www.owfinc.com/Hardware/phardware.asp#MISCELLANEOUS%20HARDWARE*
Scroll down until you see "shoulder pads"
Just Jeff
11-19-2006, 11:12
Hey! My mommy said that hat was cool!
blackbishop351
11-19-2006, 11:39
Hey! My mommy said that hat was cool!
Did she also say "Live long and prosper" a lot? :D
blackbishop- I assume you've been to a doctor about this?
I've got a semi sensitive back, and what works is just loosening up the straps so the weight goes on my hips.
TH
Yes and no on the doctor. I know exactly what CAUSED this, and I'm pretty sure there's nothing reasonably affordable that can be done about it. Maybe nothing reasonable period. So no, I don't have an official diagnosis.
I've tried all sorts of strap-loosening techniques. Part of the problem is that my torso is very long, which means that other than my ancient external frame, I haven't been able to find a pack that's long enough to get ALL the weight off my shoulders.
I'm modifying a pack to make this thing, and I thought...If I'm gonna move the straps anyway, I may as well get something more comfortable than the dinky little "ultralight" straps it has now.
If you are going to make it a UL pack...the second hand store old school packs are a great source for staps to canabalize for normally $2-5.
Pan
I'd thought about that, too. In fact, JimTanker and I designed and built a pack like that for him to use. I considered one for myself, but I think the cloth-body gearskin type design has some advantages.
Check out the luxurylite pack (http://www.luxurylite.com/packindex.html). Pricey, but the design does what you are looking for. The shoulder straps attach to the pack over your head like you are talking about. I think the maker refers to them as load stablizers or something and not shoulder straps. Maybe something you can use on your design. I tried it, but it sat on my lower back wrong.
blackbishop351
11-19-2006, 12:25
LOL I'd love to have one of those. But money is, as always, another consideration at the moment. I would've bought a gearskin by now if it wasn't :p And a KAQ and a JRB set and a MacCat and....the list goes on....
slowhike
11-19-2006, 12:36
just wonderin... is it just one shoulder or both?
and is it mostly downward pressure that affects it?
does a little pressure pushing on the front of the shoulder, pushing the shoulder back toward the pack, (like you`d get w/ load lifters) bother much? ...tim
blackbishop351
11-19-2006, 13:07
It's both shoulders, and it's both directions. The issue isn't immediate - it takes a few hours to really start hurting. I've compensated (partially) by adjusting the fit several times during the day, but it still starts bothering me eventually. Pressure from front isn't as bad as from the top, but it's still not good.
slowhike
11-19-2006, 16:30
here`s a thought... even though it doesn`t give you much to go on in the way of actual materials that would really work & still be lightweight.
i wonder if two stays could be made that would not only stiffen the pack, but continue up above the shoulders & curve forward mabey 4-5".
mabey they could be aluminum w/ a slight spring.
with the straps coming off the top of the stays (which are over & near the front of your shoulders) they would make very little contact w/ the shoulders.
instead, the straps would pull the pack against your back by contact w/ your chest.
you would probably need a sternum strap... or mabey the straps would form an x across your chest.
this wouldn`t be as ultralight as you could go, but if it alowed you to walk pain free... hey!
and mabey the stays would slide out of there selves on the pack & serve other purposes... like spreader bars for the hammock? ...tim
blackbishop351
11-19-2006, 16:54
That's an interesting idea, especially since I've always had better experiences with external frame packs - same idea here, I think.
If the pack itself is stiff enough, though, would something like that be very different from attaching the straps above shoulder level? I'm not sure...definitely worth looking into.
To forestall the next series of comments, yes, I've considered just sticking with an external frame. That's what I'm doing at the moment, actually. The problem is that they're heavy, expensive (like the LuxuryLite), or both. I'm also trying to come up with the most versatile design I can, and a frame pack is pretty limited.
One thing I would like to play with at some point is a hybrid external frame / gearskin idea. The only problem is that I'm not a metalworker, so it could get expensive.
Arkwater
11-19-2006, 17:14
I have a pack similar to this one (http://cgi.ebay.com/Hiking-Backpack-w-External-Frame-The-Andes-No-5732_W0QQitemZ260052282748QQihZ016QQcategoryZ36110 QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem). The frame only weighs a few oz (9?). At that price it would be a cheap experiment. That being said, Iwould think if you raised the top mounting point very far the straps would be in the way. Maybe rubbing your ears:D
slowhike
11-19-2006, 18:22
yep... i think that some of the ultralight packs attach the straps high to a pack that has been stiffened, mabey by a plastic sheet or a ccf pad, & this does away w/ the need for load lifter straps... because it`s custom made for that person.
but if high attachments for the shoulder straps isn`t enough to keep the pressure off your shoulders for the long haul, mabey the curved rods/ poles/ stays, a few inches above your sholders would do the job. ...tim
That 'LuxuryLite' thingie made me laugh - a lot :)
I needed it too. I have an exam in the morning and I still need to read a few hundred pages of Plutarch. **** those pesky Scipios, Gracchis and Caesars! **** their eyes! Why couldn't they all have their own names instead of recycling the same ones over and over?
blackbishop351
11-20-2006, 12:47
That 'LuxuryLite' thingie made me laugh - a lot :)
I needed it too. I have an exam in the morning and I still need to read a few hundred pages of Plutarch. **** those pesky Scipios, Gracchis and Caesars! **** their eyes! Why couldn't they all have their own names instead of recycling the same ones over and over?
Blech!!! Classics!! I still have nightmares over the Iliad from high school....:eek:
Just Jeff
11-29-2006, 13:39
http://www.blackhawk.com/product_detail.asp?product_id=2467&d=
Check this out and see if it'll work. The straps I have are just the web gear shoulder harness and don't have the mesh panel on back, but their website isn't the easiest to search. If you don't want the mesh panel, call them and see if you can still order just the straps.
The padded part is 14" long, 4.5" wide, and about .75" thick. I'll take some pics of mine if you want more details before ordering them.
Or you could always make your own. It's just a casing with some padding stuffed inside.