How to Adjust a Hiking Backpack
- 1). Determine the length of your torso before you buy an adjustable hiking backpack. Using a measuring tape, measure from your waist up to the base of your neck. Bring the tape measure with you so that you can find a backpack that has shoulder straps that are located slightly below your shoulders.
- 2). Fill your hiking backpack before you adjust it. Make sure the heaviest of your gear is in the center of your backpack.
- 3). Loosen all of the straps on your back before trying it on. Hiking backpacks have shoulder straps, hip stabilizer straps, a sternum strap and a belt that secures around your waist.
- 4). Put your arms through the shoulder straps of your pack and using your hands, adjust the bottom of the backpack so that it stays in the center of your back.
- 5). Fasten the hip belt and adjust it so that it fits snugly, but comfortably, over your hips. Be careful not to fasten the belt over your stomach, or you may have trouble moving and breathing as you walk.
- 6). Tighten the shoulder straps so there is no slack. The straps should not be so tight that they pinch under your arms, but you want them tight enough that they will not slip off your arms.
- 7). Adjust the hip stabilizer straps on the sides of your pack so that the backpack lies flat against your back.
- 8). Fasten the sternum strap across your upper chest. This strap should be comfortable but not so loose that it flaps around.
- 9). Begin your hike. As you move across terrain of different inclines, you may need to readjust your backpack again. After several uses, you should get used to the weight of the pack and how your body moves to know how to adjust the straps without much thought.
