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Post by cweston on Apr 3, 2017 10:54:39 GMT -8
I find that they tend to increase the stability and comfort of virtually any pack, even small daypacks.
In regular life, I carry the type of urban daypack that college students all carry, and I find it to be much more comfortable with the sternum strap in place. I've noticed that virtually NO college student uses them, though. I've lifted some of their backpacks--they tend to be very heavy, and I would think that improved fit and stability would be enough for them to override whatever "dorky factor" using a sternum strap creates.
I'm a man, but I would think that women especially would get a more stable fit/ride of the shoulder straps with the sternum strap, since having breasts seems like it would only exasperate the tendency for shoulder straps to spread without a sternum strap to keep them in place.
Discuss.
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Post by Coolkat on Apr 3, 2017 11:16:59 GMT -8
The only time I use the sternum strap when I need to keep the weight of the pack from shifting too much in sketchy places of the hike otherwise I find it very confining and never use it.
I will be interested to see how others respond since I'm not sure when the last time was I saw another backpacker using the sternum strap. Maybe I'm the odd ball though.
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desert dweller
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Post by desert dweller on Apr 3, 2017 11:31:49 GMT -8
I use the sternum strap most of the time. It keeps the shoulder straps from migrating outward. I find it also distributes the pack weight differently. With the sternum strap hooked, the upper pack strap system acts like a "grid" of weight equalization. Instead of just two pressure points, there are three. That's how I visualize it, anyway.
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gabby
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Post by gabby on Apr 3, 2017 12:16:11 GMT -8
I always use the sternum strap. As someone mentioned, it stabilizes the shoulder straps and keeps them from drifting out onto the deltoids, restricting arm movement and increasing discomfort. I don't know about anyone else, but I like my shoulder straps to sit just to the outside of my neck, but far enough away to prevent rubbing the neck. I adjust the sternum strap to obtain the best position. I find that this position varies somewhat from pack to pack. Like a lot of the other adjustment straps on a pack, I find that I tend to adjust the sternum strap a little bit as I hike. I doubt the sternum strap performs any load function, but my experience has been that all the adjustable parts of a pack contribute, together, to comfort - when adjusted properly for you. Aside: I notice that a lot of newer packs have elastic incorporated into sternum straps. I have wondered, though not all that deeply, how this makes them more useful. I haven't noted that I adjust the ones with elastic less often, but perhaps I wasn't paying close enough attention. Obscure forum historical note: An infamous former member of the old forum used an avatar that showed him wearing his sternum strap so precariously close to his Adam's apple that it became the source of more-or-less secretive snickers and more-or-less subtle taunts embedded in posts. But that's another story... I've noticed that virtually NO college student uses them, though. My experience is that most of these people - and especially the local high school crowd - are influenced more by the way they appear carrying a pack than anything related to comfort. Virtually all the high school kids I see around here let their bookpacks/daypacks ride on their buttocks, bouncing at every step. But I've asked a couple why they do this: They unanimously say that it's the best way to wear a pack - proving that this is best taken, I guess, as personal perception - HYOH. As I understand it, not only is wearing a pack like this uncomfortable as hell, but it also increases lower back problems and can lead to lower back "overcurvature", or lordosis. since having breasts seems like it would only exasperate the tendency for shoulder straps to spread Pick one:1) ex·as·per·ateiɡˈzaspəˌrāt/ verbirritate intensely; infuriate. "this futile process exasperates prison officials"synonyms: infuriate, incense, anger, annoy, irritate, madden, enrage, antagonize, provoke, irk, vex, get on someone's nerves, ruffle someone's feathers, rub the wrong way; 2) ex·ag·ger·ateiɡˈzajəˌrāt/ verbrepresent (something) as being larger, greater, better, or worse than it really is. "they were apt to exaggerate any aches and pains"synonyms: overstate, overemphasize, overestimate, magnify, amplify, aggrandize, inflate; More enlarged or altered beyond normal or due proportions. adjective: exaggerated "her plump thighs, exaggerated hips, and minuscule waist"3) ex·ac·er·bateiɡˈzasərˌbāt/ verbmake (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse. "the exorbitant cost of land in urban areas only exacerbated the problem"synonyms: aggravate, worsen, inflame, compound;
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tigger
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Post by tigger on Apr 3, 2017 12:27:33 GMT -8
I don't have boobs. That said, I always use my sternum strap. Maybe it's because I off-trail hike but I can't imagine trying to go over a log, under a log, shift sideways, or be off-balance without my sternum strap being secured. My pack flopping around would be seriously annoying. I would think even walking along a trail, it would make it much more comfortable. I hate most daypacks because they usually lack a sternum strap. I've gone so far as to make my own to use on a daypack.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Apr 3, 2017 12:31:45 GMT -8
I nearly always use the sternum strap on any type of pack. I find doing so helps keep the shoulder straps sitting where they belong.
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gabby
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Post by gabby on Apr 3, 2017 12:41:31 GMT -8
Estrogen injections will help you remedy this.
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Post by cweston on Apr 3, 2017 12:59:20 GMT -8
3) ex·ac·er·bateiɡˈzasərˌbāt/ verbmake (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse. "the exorbitant cost of land in urban areas only exacerbated the problem"synonyms: aggravate, worsen, inflame, compound; We have a winner.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Apr 3, 2017 13:39:12 GMT -8
I always wear my sternum strap, even with day packs. I have cut off the waist belt from my most recent day pack, as the pack is too short for the waist belt to fit on my hipbones. Now, if I was a college kid and not carrying the pack for hours at a time, I might just sling the shoulder straps on and go. But not if I was really hiking someplace more than 1 mile away.
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Post by zipposdad on Apr 3, 2017 13:47:23 GMT -8
I have been known to add a sternum strap to day packs.
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johnnyray
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Post by johnnyray on Apr 3, 2017 14:57:19 GMT -8
Yes
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herm
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Post by herm on Apr 3, 2017 14:58:42 GMT -8
I always use sternum straps on all of my packs. Having broad shoulders, shoulder straps tend to migrate outward, where they irritate the armpits. I find using the sternum strap helps keep the shoulder straps more centered; away from my armpits and my neck. On my Osprey Talon daypack, the sternum strap is equipped with elastic - I find this helps maintain proper adjustment.
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Post by bluefish on Apr 3, 2017 15:07:06 GMT -8
Depends on the pack, load, and circumstance for me. Since I began using an Osprey Atmos that is dialed in to fit me really well, I see little gain in the sternum strap, except to keep my camera from swinging around. I had a Granite Gear pack that I always used it with. The straps tended to migrate . I use the sternum strap often on my Marmot Kompressor daypack, as it's minimal and the strap helps carry the load and keep the thin shoulder straps from wandering. My wife ALWAYS uses hers on her Deuter. She says it aids her balance greatly.
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herm
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Post by herm on Apr 3, 2017 15:21:18 GMT -8
bluefishI have that same Marmot pack, and yes I must use the sternum strap to keep the shoulder straps from migrating off of my shoulders.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Apr 3, 2017 15:33:57 GMT -8
I use the sternum strap on my daypack if I'm biking. But that's about it. I do think it helps position the shoulder straps and all that. It's just that for me, the space between "squishing my boobs" and "strangling me" is too small. That's mostly a factor of my hypersensitivity, not reality. But since it feels that way, it's my reality.
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