 Fitting Backpacks
Harness Systems
SHS Harness - Superior Harness System
 An original
design by the White Mountain team, this Superior Harness System has an independent shoulder harness sliding adjustment that you adjust before wearing the backpack for the first time. This harness also includes an upper Cross Frame on top of the backpack, which interlocks
with the vertical staves and further prevents backpack twist. The Internal Staves are not parallel as in the SYS system, but tapered to the base ensuring maximum load transference to the lower back either side of the Sacrum at the base of the spine. This tapered design allows
the backpack to pivot providing more freedom of movement in the hips if required, and also provides for narrower shoulders when adjusted to the smaller Torso Length The Torso Length is clearly marked in 40 mm increments in the centre of the backpack. This provides a facility
to optimise the Upper Load Stabilizer Straps pull position, before putting the backpack on for the first time. This harness is currently available on the White Mountain Holiday, Main Peak and Antarctica series of backpacks.
Features
Haul Loop, Dual Tapered Aluminium Internal Staves, Independent Sliding Shoulder Strap Adjustment, Dual Density Foam Padded Shoulder Straps, Hip Belt and Lumbar Cushion, a Breathable Mesh on a Removable Back Cushion, a Sliding Sternum Strap, Shoulder Strap D-Rings, Upper
and Lower Stabilizer Straps, Dual Adjustable Waist Buckle and Keepers on the Hip Belt.
Torso Length
The SHS Harness System allows for an effective adjustment range of 10 cm either side of the optimum or medium Torso Length, or a recommended adjustment of 5 cm below and 10 cm above the optimum or medium Torso Length.
Unisex Fitting
This harness system is a true unisex fitting, providing for a greater variation in shoulder widths, has contoured shoulder straps and a variable cant on the hip belt allowing for a closer fit on a greater variation on hip curvature
How do you fit the SHS Harness System
Move the Lumbar Support out of the way by undoing the 50 mm Velcro that wraps around the two vertical Internal Staves behind the Lumbar Support.
Loosen each of the two Lower Load Stabilizer Straps attached to the Hip Belt. This will give you access to the Sliding Shoulder Strap attachment buckles that secure the 25 mm yellow webbing at the base of the backpack.
NOTE: You will need to loosen the 25 mm yellow webbing to gain access to the Velcro tabs that hold the Internal Staves in place.
Remove and carefully contour the two internal parallel Internal Staves.
Install the two contoured internal parallel Internal Staves into the backpack. You will need to ensure that the upper end of the stave is slotted and interlocked correctly into the cross bar at the top of the backpack. When installed correctly the Velcro tabs will
close easily to secure the Internal Staves in place.
Measure the Torso Length beginning at a point on the spine level with the top of the hipbone or Iliac Crest. Measure along the curve of the spine up to the base of the neck or top of the seventh cervical vertebrae (the prominent bone or large knuckle at the base
of the neck, or when bending the head backpacks, the crease of the neck).
Position the two independent Sliding Shoulder Straps according to the Torso Length measurement. Use the 40 mm incremental markings in the centre of the backpack and place the indicator (unimode) arrows adjacent to the required Torso length.
Tighten the 25 mm yellow webbing at the base of the backpack and Shoulder Straps to secure the Torso Length positioning.
NOTE: With the SYS or SHS harness system White Mountain™ supply a Removable Back Cushion to fill the gap between the back and the backpack to provide further comfort. This Back Cushion is removable if further ventilation is required and when removed will
not interfere with the harness performance. Position this Back Cushion on the Velcro provided, directly under the Shoulder Strap padding.
With the Torso Length position secured and the Back Cushion in place, pull on the Upper Load Stabilizer Straps located at the top of the Internal Staves to form a gentle arc in the Shoulder Straps and feed the excess of webbing through the Shoulder Strap D-Rings.
NOTE: Pulling the Upper Load Stabilizer Straps to this point enables the individual to put the backpack on without it pulling away from the back.
Put the backpack on the individual and have them pull the two Shoulder Straps simultaneously down and towards the backpack. This will gently draw the backpack into position with the Internal Staves following the contour of your back.
Provided you have positioned the Torso Length correctly, the pull position of the Upper Load Stabilizer Straps will now be below the Clavicle, or Collar Bone and you should discover that the Hip Belt is in the correct position level with or just below the top of
the hipbone or Iliac Crest.
NOTE: White Mountain™ do provide sliding buckles on the Shoulder Straps for a finite adjustment in the placement of the Upper Load Stabilizer Strap pull position, but it is our opinion that these in the majority need not be used and can stay positioned hard
against the D-Ring. These sliding buckles can, however, be moved up to 25 mm in either direction to optimise the position of pull from the shoulder.
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