[pct-l] Why don't we wee more Thoracic bags (front packs / balance pockets / bodypack) in the Industry?

[Kevin]

How do you get the weight onto your hips? A front pack would ensure the load rests on my shoulders all day. No thanks. I'm a wanna be photographer, so I carry a DSLR and lenses into the backcountry most of the time. I have a nice Lowe Pro bag that I hang from my sternum strap. I can totally feel the weight there. All day, everyday. For my PCT hike, I'm only bring one lens first of all, and I think I came up with a better way to carry the camera securely and still provide quick access. My goal this time is have the weight suspended from my hip belt. 

I'll admit I didn't look at the links, but I think I know what you're describing. My experience with the camera bag hanging in front yells me no thanks. 

One other downside... Visibility. You can't see your feet. Not a huge deal most of the time, but sometimes it can be. HYOH and YMMV, but I would offer a strong recommendation against a front pack. 

Misspellings and typos brought to you by iPhone.

On Feb 6, 2011, at 1:08 AM, John Abela <pacificcresttrail2011 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hey All,
> 
> Been yapping with a couple of guys off-list about this, we thought it would
> be nice to post it to get a broader level of feedback.
> 
> Now first the obvious... the whole concept has been patented by a few people
> over the last few years.
> 
> http://www.freepatentsonline.com/D499882.html
> http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5950896.html
> and so forth.
> 
> And there are a folks that are already making them:
> 
> http://www.thesyncpack.com/biomechanics.html
> 
> http://www.aarnpacks.com/sports_science/index.html (I think these are the
> guys who started it all, right?)
> 
> 
> Aarn Tate (from the website above) said this in a post over at BPL:
> 
> "A bodypack will weigh more than a backpack made of the same materials
> because there are 3 separate load carrying compartments rather than one. How
> do we decide which needs the least energy? Let's take two examples. Some
> large volume ultralight US packs are up to 1 kg lighter than our Ultralite
> models because they do not have frames, effective hipbelts, Balance Pockets
> or waterproof liners. Sports scientist Ray Lloyd concluded from his research
> that the energy saving posture of our Bodypacks more than makes up for 1 kg
> extra pack weight with loads over 7 kg. Another example: if two backpacks
> are the same weight and you add Balance Pockets to one, then the one with
> Balance Pockets will use less energy if the load is over 3 kg. With heavier
> loads, this energy reduction is magnified."
> 
> 
> Now in the cottage world we have a few folks playing around with this, but
> not a whole lot.
> 
> http://www.suluk46.com/RandD%20-%20RD24%20Cuben%20Fiber%20Chest%20Pack.html
> 
> 
> If we were to have something like this one from suluk46, except instead of
> having zippers, have a seam down the middle, which could than hold two pepsi
> bottles (one on each side) that would give us the ability to offset 4.4
> pounds from our back and potentially provide a good counter-balance (well,
> at least until you run out of water.) It would also give us the ability to
> have a smaller pack (or one without side pouches to snag on bushes and
> trees) and still maintain our cubic inches for our gear.
> 
> Anyway, just wondering what everybody thinks about why these things have not
> caught on - and if such a thing did exist (such as the water pouch idea, or
> the one that suluk46 made) would you actually use it? Personally, I am not
> sure, but it would be something I would 100% give a try and see if it did
> actually help.
> 
> John
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