Belgian M97 back length hack

[ianmbetts]

Any of you who like me are 6'5" (1.95m) or taller will know how difficult it is to find a backpack that fits well.

It seems, at least for affordable options, ex military 100L+ packs offer some possibilities, but even these can be problematical, as I have found initially with a recently purchased Belgian M97 pack.

I came up with a simple hack that adds another couple of inches.
It involves bypassing the top plastic guide on the back of the padded shoulder harness and installing a new guide two inches below it.

I managed to do this using only three turns of double sided 1" velcro tape to fabricate the new guide, and 2" loop through the bypassed plastic guide to hold the new velcro guide in position. This allows the padded harness to be positioned up to 2" higher on the frame. It seems to work flawlessly and makes a huge difference to the comfort as it efectively extends the length of padding for you shoulders.

I will try to add pictures later

 

[ianmbetts]

 

[ianmbetts]

Any of you who like me are 6'5" (1.95m) or taller will know how difficult it is to find a backpack that fits well.

It seems, at least for affordable options, ex military 100L+ packs offer some possibilities, but even these can be problematical, as I have found initially with a recently purchased Belgian M97 pack.

I came up with a simple hack that adds another couple of inches.
It involves bypassing the top plastic guide on the back of the padded shoulder harness and installing a new guide two inches below it.

I managed to do this using only three turns of double sided 1" velcro tape to fabricate the new guide, and 2" loop through the bypassed plastic guide to hold the new velcro guide in position. This allows the padded harness to be positioned up to 2" higher on the frame. It seems to work flawlessly and makes a huge difference to the comfort as it efectively extends the length of padding for you shoulders.

I will try to add pictures later

Any of you who like me are 6'5" (1.95m) or taller will know how difficult it is to find a backpack that fits well.

It seems, at least for affordable options, ex military 100L+ packs offer some possibilities, but even these can be problematical, as I have found initially with a recently purchased Belgian M97 pack.

I came up with a simple hack that adds another couple of inches.
It involves bypassing the top plastic guide on the back of the padded shoulder harness and installing a new guide two inches below it.

I managed to do this using only three turns of double sided 1" velcro tape to fabricate the new guide, and 2" loop through the bypassed plastic guide to hold the new velcro guide in position. This allows the padded harness to be positioned up to 2" higher on the frame. It seems to work flawlessly and makes a huge difference to the comfort as it efectively extends the length of padding for you shoulders.

I will try to add pictures later

 

[Laurence Milton]

Clever mod...........
I am 6' 4".......but it's not ones height that's the issue, it's ones back length....measured from bump at base of neck (C7) to top of pelvic girdle.
As a rule of thumb, go for packs with adjustable back lengths or measure the back length; for despite my height my back length is average or slightly long (about 22"), most of my height being in my legs............

 

[Erbswurst]

If you want to go for hiking, long legs are pretty practical anyway.