How your harness works

Your One Planet Exact Fit harness has been refined over many years. The aims of the Exact Fit system are to obtain optimum comfort, allow freedom of movement, minimise stresses on the body (especially the spine) and to facilitate an exact fit without removing the pack from your back for adjustment.

By transferring the majority of the load down the high tensile moulded aluminium frames to the hip belt, forces are distributed evenly around the lower lordosis (the small of the back) and the hip, thus by-passing the spine and reducing skeletal stress and fatigue.

The Exact Fit harness system allows the pack's back length to be adjusted without removing the pack from the back. Adjusting buckles located on either side of the hip belt make the Exact Fit harness simple to use and eliminate much of the time and effort required to adjust other brands.

The primary purpose of the shoulder straps is to stabilise and balance the upper pack, not to carry all of the weight. The shoulder straps are shaped so weight is distributed evenly and over as large an area as possible, eliminating discomfort from pressure points. The hip belt, which transfers the majority of the load from the pack to the body, is a vital component of your pack. The Exact Fit hip belt is pre-shaped and wrinkle free when in situ, which guarantees a comfortable fit.

Before you put the pack on

Start with a completely empty pack.

1) Fully loosen the top tension straps, (Fig 1) the shoulder pad adjustment straps and the side hip belt stabiliser straps (Fig 5)

2) Undo the hook and loop tab that secures the Exact Fit strap (Fig 2) and secure it above the strap. Now fully loosen the straps at the Exact Fit buckle (Fig 1 & 2) and slide the shoulder straps up the frames to their full extent.

It is important that all straps in steps 1 and 2 are loosened to their full extent.

Now put the pack on your back and locate the hip belt

3) Locate the hip belt so that the lumbar padding sits against the small of your back. Fasten and tension the hip belt buckle firmly. To effectively tension the hip belt buckle, pull on one side of the strap whilst holding the opposite side of the hip belt ( Fig 3).

Correctly fitted, the hip belt buckle should be located just on or under the navel.

It is important that the hip belt is firmly tightened to prevent it from slipping down over your hips when loaded. If the hip belt is allowed to slip downwards, sore spots can develop and a large proportion of the load will be carried on the shoulders causing soreness and fatigue.

Now let's locate your shoulder pads

4) Identify the shoulder stitching (Fig 4) that goes through the shoulder pads where the top tension straps take off to the frame. This stitching should be located about 50mm (2") down from the crest of your shoulder. This provides the ideal position for your shoulder pads.

The crest is the highest point on your shoulder. Most shirts have a seam here, running from the neck to the arm. Ideally, the shoulder stitching should sit 50mm (2") forward from the crest of the shoulder, but anywhere within 50mm (2") forward of the crest is fine.

Firmly tighten the shoulder pad adjustment buckle whilst keeping the shoulder stitching in place by holding the shoulder pad with the other hand.

Now let's adjust the pack to your back length

A few extra helpful hints

Once the pack is fitted correctly, there are only a few day-to-day adjustments that you will need to do, depending on your activity and comfort. The main adjustment is the shoulder pad adjustment buckle. The amount of tension on the strap through this buckle determines the amount of load carried by the hips and shoulders.

The preferred position for carrying load on a human body is on the hips (this is also the most comfortable). Load carried on the shoulders is transferred to the spine, which we want to minimise. However, to maintain stability of the pack, some load must be carried on the shoulders.

The most stable load distribution is 50% of the load on the hips, and 25% of the load on each shoulder. Depending on the terrain you are traversing (up hill, down hill, flat tracks, slippery rocks, crowded covered markets in Istanbul, trying to find the tube station at Heathrow) you may need to carry more or less of the load on your shoulders.

Don't forget to release the top tension strap before you adjust the shoulder pad adjustment buckle and vice-versa. Adjusting only one will cause the other to be incorrectly tensioned. Remember the top tension straps need to be lightly tensioned not pulled tight.

If you have followed these instructions and reached a comfortable fit, then on a general day-to-day basis you won't have to adjust the back length. As you become more familiar with your pack, you may want to start experimenting with adjusting the back length via the Exact Fit buckle as you are using the pack. This is especially handy if you are changing the amount of clothing layers you are wearing during your trip. (e.g. on a trek from sea level in India to Everest Base Camp, you would go through the extremes from just a t-shirt to several thermal layers, plus waterproof/windproof layers.) Fine-tuning of the back-length can also increase your comfort level, depending on your activity