How to: Adjust the Fit of your Backpack

This how-to focuses on correctly adjusting your backpack. An incorrectly fitted backpack can be irritating, often moves around too much, and feels uncomfortable. A properly fitted backpack will evenly distribute the load, making it light and comfortable to wear.

Adjusting the Fit of your Backpack

Most backpacks allow you to adjust three different parameters:

• The waist strap
• The shoulder straps
• The chest strap

A properly fitted waist strap will carry around 80% of the backpack’s weight. This means that most of the load will be supported by your hips, reducing the stress on your shoulders. The shoulder straps take the remaining 20% of the weight and ensure the pack stays in place even during bumpy rides. Since there’s relatively little weight hanging from the shoulder straps, they might start sagging down your shoulders. This is where the chest strap comes into play, which is intended to keep the shoulder straps in place nicely, alleviating the pressure on your shoulders.

1. First pull on the shoulder straps, making the backpack hang against your back comfortably. The waist straps will be just above your hips when you do.

2. Slightly raise your shoulders and secure the waist strap, pulling it taught. The waist strap closes around your hips, meaning that when you lower and relax your shoulders again, your hips will now support the weight through the waist strap.

3. Pull on the shoulder straps slightly, making sure the pack lies flat against your back. Don’t pull them on too tightly, as your shoulders will rotate forward slightly when you assume your riding position.

4. Finally, close the chest strap. Make sure that the elastic isn’t pulled to its maximum stretching capacity. The chest strap should close just above the stomach and below the chest.

Adjusting Shimano Backpacks

Shimano has a different securing system compared to most other brands. Shimano refers to it as the X-Harness. This system connects the shoulder- and waist straps across the chest. This way, the straps form an X across your body.

Adjusting this system is done using the method outlined below.