Back pack frame length

Hello,

I am looking for a frame rucksack that has a frame length of around 26 to 28 inches. The rucksack I was using has a 24 inch frame, and this barely reaches above my shoulders with the waste belt attached. To beable to use the loas lifters i really need a bigger frame. Has anyone any suggestions for an internal frame rucksack ?

Pete

You may have to have a pack custom-made for you, since most mass-produced packs top out around 23 or 24 inches. I’ve heard of (but never dealt with) McHale Packs, a one-man (?) operation - you can probably locate it with a Google search.

Thanks for the advice Glen, it looks like it will hqve to be. I think i am overly long in the torso, I am 6ft2 and only have a 33 inch inseam so i am overly short legged, and from my illac crest to the neck vertebrae I am 24 inches. I suppose that sort of puts me in the average 6ft 6 person in torso length.

Edit.

Actually i need a 22 inch back length, but if the frame goes beneath the illac crest 2 inches and needs to protrude 2 inches above the shoulders, that is 26 inches frame length ? Correct ?

I have a similar situation with a long torso and wanted to find a pack frame that I could use with load lifters. One of the things that I did was to extend an ALICE pack frame by welding two frames together. I was able to use MOLLE pack straps and hipbelt with this frame, although they are relatively heavy. This stuff hasn't been hard to come by or expensive, so it might be worth a try. You can see pictures here:

http://www.pbase.com/wgiles/alice

I cut the frames with a tubing cutter and had a local welder weld them together and then riveted the center straps together. The MOLLE straps and belt are heavy, but comfortable. I later found a load carrying harness made by Condor, that I could cut down and use for the shoulder straps and hip belt. I then started making my own frames with tubing and hardware from the ALICE pack frames. All of this has worked pretty well, but I've moved on to other designs and started sewing my own packs and straps. I have used these pack frames for heavy loads over short distances, mostly packing out glacial stones for landscaping.

It sounds a little like you may be using the wrong size pack. I think you’re trying to find a pack by asking the wrong question.

Have you been to an outdoor store (REI or a local hiking store) to be fitted for a pack? From your reply to my post, it sounds like you’re shopping for the length of a frame, but all the measurements given in catalogs are for TORSO length, not frame length. The torso length measures the length of the suspension (hip belt to top of shoulder straps.)

At 5’11”, (29” inseam), I’m between a 20 and 21 inch torso length. I just walked out and measured the length of the frame on my pack, and it’s just over 25” long. If I look on a website, the size L I use is listed as fitting 20-23” torsos. (The M is described as 19-21” torso, but the L fits me better.)

I think you’re making an apples-to-oranges comparison; go to a backpacking store and have them measure your torso length. While you’re there, you can try on various packs and see how they feel.

Along time ago glen i have been. The trouble is that they give you the back length, and that appears to mean the absolute limit that the pack will strech to, with no thought for the fact that load lifters need to be at a 45 degree angle. I will go to an outdoor store and ask, and i will post the info here, see if they do big packs or they know what theyre selling !

The molle is a little heavy for me.

Thanks again pete

The point about the load lifter angle is an important one, too. It does affect pack length, since it has to attach high enough to make that angle. The usual recommended angle is 45 degrees, but that’s not absolute. Some packs (especially for loads under 30 pounds) don’t demand a 45 degree angle; some (including Deuter) actually say the load lifters aren’t for load carrying, but just to keep it from pulling backward - they recommend an angle of 10-30 degrees (if memory serves.) Just as important is where the lifter attaches to the shoulder strap; it should be just in front the top of the shoulder straps, usually. Again, Deuter allows you to adjust this contact point, also. (As I think of it, you might want to take a look at Deuter’s adjustable packs; you might find a good fit there. I’ve used the ACT Zero 50+15, and found it very good when my loads were in the 22-27 pound range. Right now, with a load around 18 pounds, I prefer the Osprey Exos 48 which weighs a pound less.)

Good luck!

Try on a number of different makes and models of packs. I depend heavily on load lifters because the tops of my shoulders are extremely pressure-sensitive--I need to keep the shoulder straps pulled up and off the tops of my shoulders. However, the back length of my pack is the 15" torso length. (I can't recommend the pack I use because it was discontinued in 2006.) And the load lifter angle is 45*. A lot of packs have load lifters at a different angle or have no load lifters at all.

You need to get your correct torso length (or the next size up if you're "in between" for that model of pack), but you also need to find a pack with effective load lifters.

Be sure to take your gear with you when trying on packs, and ask for an appointment with their most experienced fitter.

I was able to make a relatively lightweight pack frame from the lengthened ALICE pack by making my own straps from some lighter commercial straps. It's important to understand how the MOLLE straps adjust, even if you don't use them. The original ALICE straps are not a good choice, because they don't use load lifters or allow for any real adjustment. The MOLLE pack frame and straps do. The MOLLE pack frame uses load lifters and allows for longer frame systems. The MOLLE system is good, but heavy. I borrowed from them to create my own adaptation. If you are in England, you may not have access to the components that I used, but you probably have access to something similar. Even though I sew my own straps and bags, I often start with a commercial product and a seam ripper to create something more to my liking. Oftentimes, the only thing necessary is to strip off the parts that you don't need. Since we are talking about external frame packs, I would look to the military packs and frames for ideas. By combining two frames, I was able to create a new frame with a longer length that I could set to my liking.