Sternum strap - yes or no?

[hikerjohnd]

I have been wondering about the necessity of my sternum strap. On my external pack, it was the first hing to go, but now I am moving to an internal frame and am reluctant to remove it. While hiking, I find the strap restrictive, and sometimes it is difficult to breathe with it on (no matter how loose). I believe some of it is psychological, but not all. How many of you use a sternum strap? How many don't? Can it be useful in certain situations (to the point I should leave mine attached)? Thanks for the input!

[SGT Rock]

Mine is still on, but I don't always use it.

[Lone Wolf]

Never have, never will. Just another bell or whistle.

[SGT Rock]

Never have, never will. Just another bell or whistle.

Just like a Nalgene bottle

[Lone Wolf]

Or a hammock. They're only good for the back yard while relaxing and drinking beer after mowing the lawn. Certainly not functional for backpacking.

[SGT Rock]

OK, ya got me there. I do love to lay out in a hammock and drink beer.:

[Lilred]

I have been wondering about the necessity of my sternum strap. On my external pack, it was the first hing to go, but now I am moving to an internal frame and am reluctant to remove it. While hiking, I find the strap restrictive, and sometimes it is difficult to breathe with it on (no matter how loose). I believe some of it is psychological, but not all. How many of you use a sternum strap? How many don't? Can it be useful in certain situations (to the point I should leave mine attached)? Thanks for the input!

Are you sure the strap isn't riding too high on your chest? It should be crossing about mid-sternum. If it's closer to the top of the sternum, by your throat, it's too high and you will have difficulty breathing. I like the sternum strap. Adds a little more stability to my external.

[Footslogger]

I use one all the time and adjust it during the day as I hike to reposition the shoulder straps. Without that strap my shoulder straps ride outward and I'm constantly rounding my shoulders or grasping them and pulling them inward.

'Slogger

[The Weasel]

Necessary with packweight over 35. Useful with packweight over 20. Unnecessary below that.

The Weasel

[kentucky]

yes most the time ,I seem to use it because it helps my p ack ride tighter especially going down hill,if Im just strutting on flat land I usually undo it. kentucky!

[Lumberjack]

sometimes I use it and sometimes I dont.... depends on how the pack is riding ect..

[Mouse]

I found the sternum strap crucial to a good fit. But then men don't have quite the same geometry as we do.

[yappy]

I like mine to kep my shoulders more comfy... I change it alot thru the day.. I also use it to hang my hat on...which is very convenient

[The Cheat]

I found the sternum strap crucial to a good fit. But then men don't have quite the same geometry as we do.

Geometry? If that were true I would have done alot better in geometry. Anyway, I thought calculus dealt with curves. Or was that trigonometry?

[Lone Wolf]

Mouse meant algeBRA.

[Peaks]

I found the sternum strap crucial to a good fit. But then men don't have quite the same geometry as we do.

True. I think that using a sternum strap or not is related to how well the shoulder straps fit your body. If you have wide shoulders, or maybe narrow shoulders, it can make a difference.

[Bjorkin]

I like it because it makes the pack feel even more of a part of me. The snugger (is that a word?) my pack fits without being too tight the more it feels like hiking instead of lugging a pack around. But then again, I think climbing harnesses are comfortable too.

[Mouse]

I found in the more involved rock climbing that I wanted my pack cinched tight to my back like it was part of me, something that pretty much required a well-adjusted sternum strap. I even kept it on all the way through Mahoosuc Notch, squirming through the underground passages.

[neo]

i dont use mine,i removed it neo

[C-Stepper]

I have 2 packs, a "men's" pack (gg vapor trail) and a "women's" pack (mountainsmith chimera). I periodically unbuckle my sternum strap just for a change, but if it's unbuckled while I'm twisting around trail obstacles, my load can shift and I'll be sitting on my butt, at best. Another woman FOR the strap.