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 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.
Superseded
Now superseded, the SSS Harness System was previously available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SHS Harness System superseded the SSS Harness System.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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