Fitting Backpacks
Harness Systems
SSS Harness - Superior Sliding System (Replaced by the SHS
Harness)
 An
original design by the White Mountain team, this Superior
Sliding System has an independent shoulder harness sliding
adjustment you adjust before wearing the backpack for the first
time. The Internal Staves are not parallel as in the SYS system,
but tapered to the base ensuring maximum load transference to
the muscles on the lower back either side of the Sacrum or 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 on each Shoulder Strap. This provides a
facility to optimise the Upper Load Stabilizer Straps pull
position before putting the backpack on for the first time.
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 the Hip Belt and Lumber Cushion, a Sliding
Sternum Strap, Shoulder Harness D-Rings, Upper and Lower
Stabilizer Straps, Dual Adjustable Waist Buckle and Keepers on
the Waist Belt.
Torso Length
The SSS Harness System allows for an effective adjustment
range of 4 cm below and 8 cm above the medium Torso Length.
Superseded
Now superseded, the SSS Harness System was previously
available on the Holiday, Pacific, Antarctica, Main Peak and
Basecamp series of White Mountain backpacks. From December 2001,
the SHS Harness System superseded the SSS Harness System.
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 SSS Harness System?
-
Move the Lumbar Support out of the way by undoing the
press-studs either side of 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 on the Hip Belt.
-
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. Utilise the 40 mm
incremental markings on each Sliding Shoulder Strap and
place the required Torso length adjacent to the indicator
(unimode) arrows above the Lumbar Support.
-
Tighten the 25 mm yellow webbing at the base of the
Shoulder Straps and secured on the Hip Belt, to Lock the
Torso Length position.
-
NOTE: When tightening the 25 mm yellow webbing to
secure the Torso Length position, ‘Do Not Over Tighten’.
Tighten until the Hip Belt is pulled a little over 90
degrees or slightly towards the base of the backpack.
-
After securing the Torso Length position, lay the
backpack on the ground, hold the Hip Belt at 90 degrees to
the backpack with your knee and secure the backpack by
holding the opposite bottom corner with your hand. Then pull
the Shoulder Strap to the top of the backpack forcibly with
your free hand. Repeat this for each Shoulder Strap or each
side of the backpack. If the Shoulder Straps are stable and
remain in the correct position without moving (with the
indicator (unimode) arrow displaying the Torso Length as
selected), you have succeeded in setting the Torso Length or
Shoulder Strap position correctly. If the Shoulder Straps
move during this test, apply more pressure by tightening the
25 mm yellow webbing, but not to the point that you pull the
Hip Belt excessively towards the base of the backpack.
-
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 the Back Cushion on the Velcro provided,
directly under the Shoulder Strap padding.
-
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 Shoulder Strap
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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