When you are looking at a traditional hiking pack there are straps all over the place, some of them
it's obvious at what they do others it's not so obvious so I thought I'd talk about each strap
and their purpose. This was actually a requested video so I thought it would be handy for people to
know especially if you are a beginner. Now I have two kinds of packs here one is a more traditional
hiking pack the other kind of pack is an ultra light backpack which is good for when you start
to significantly lighten the load of your pack because these packs usually have a lower weight
load limit of what it can carry comfortably. So I'll just show you the difference in these straps
as we go along. Number one compression straps. Compression straps are usually found on the sides
of your pack their purpose is to compress your load so it becomes smaller and your gear can be
pulled closer to your body. So this traditional pack has two compression straps on either side.
The ultralight pack also has two but slightly different positioning. These straps are also
great for keeping items in your side pockets from falling out. For example if my hiking poles were
in my side pocket they've got extra support up the top. Number two a hip belt. This is usually the
most defining feature of a hiking pack. Your hip belt should sit directly on top of your hip bones,
its purpose is to take a significant weight load off your shoulders and onto your hips. Making
carrying your pack for long periods of time much more comfortable. Number three a sternum strap.
Otherwise known as a chest strap. It connects the two shoulder straps of your pack and clips across
your sternum. This strap is basically there to increase the stability of your pack on your body.
It also keeps the shoulder straps in place so they don't slide down. It's usually the place where you
also might find an emergency whistle. Number four gear loops. So these are the one or the two Loops
that you'll find at the bottom of your hiking pack. Their purpose is so you can carry things
like trekking poles or even an ice ax. You can rest the bottom into the loop and secure
them with the draw cord. So these elastic little cords can be helpful for securing things down.
Number five load lifters. The load lifter straps sit at the top of your pack these straps pull in
the weight at the top of your pack forward or backwards in other words it can lift the pack
up off your shoulders. However these are a little bit of a balancing act it is recommended to have
these straps sit at about a 45 degree angle, but it's really about what you find comfortable so
these are ones to play around with. Number six loading straps. These straps are usually found
on the bottom or the top of your hiking pack. Your pack might even have both. They usually have some
kind of clip and are great for attaching things like a sleeping mat or a tent. Number seven hip
belt stabilizer. These straps connect the hip belt to the body of the pack and will basically pull
the pack closer to your body especially around the bottom. I love these straps and pretty much always
pull them as tight as they can go. Number eight grab handles. Usually a backpack will have some
sort of handle at the top between the shoulder straps, some might even have a handle on the side,
and it's literally just a handle. It might be helpful if you need to hang your pack up
somewhere. I actually always use this handle to help myself put my pack on. I feel like I use this
handle so much that one day I'll break it. Number nine shoulder straps. These straps are usually a
key indicator for whether a pack will fit you or not. For most traditional hiking packs the height
of the shoulder straps will be adjustable raising up or down depending on the length of your torso.
When putting a pack on, you would tighten the hip belt first, followed by the shoulder straps.
Number 10 Daisy chains. Daisy chains are multiple little Loops sewn into the pack
usually in a line. Daisy chains can be used to attach things like carabiners or external pouches.
The daisy chain on this pack is where they have taken the opportunity to put on reflective
detailing, so you can easily see the pack at night when the light hits it. Number 11 closure straps.
These straps are the mechanism in which your pack will close. Most traditional packs will have two
clips that come down the front and will secure the lid closed. some packs will be a roll top,
my ultralight pack is a roll top but instead of closing at the top the two clips then come down
the side, which I love as it gets your load nice and snug. Number 12 extension straps. Not all
packs will have these but basically you can loosen the straps to gain extra space in your pack. So by
loosening the straps of my pack I gain an extra 10 liters and if I tighten the straps i'll lose the
extra 10 liters. So that covers the majority of straps that you'll find on a hiking pack,
hopefully there are no longer any mystery straps flying about for you. Some of them might be useful
some not so much but as always thank you for watching and I'll see you in the next one.