I tried for several years to make my own hip belt for my home-made external frame pack. I always ended up with sore hips -- on my JMT trip my home-made belt actually led to open wounds on my hips. I finally broke down and ordered a hip belt from Bruce at Luxury Lite. It was easy to install (it just Velcro's around the bottom rung of my pack), is easy to adjust and transfers weight perfectly.
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My blog on politics, the environment and the outdoors: Haiwee.blogspot.com