Large Man. Little Straps. Need a pack that fits correctly.

[The Mighty Tiberious]

6'2" 385 LB

Looking for a light pack that will fit my waist?

Waist Belts do not come all the way to my side hip bone.

I would imagine I will loss enough weight that this will not be an issue after a month or so. Don't want to be uncomfortable at start that could add to the mental challenges on the trail.

I am not an Ultralite but I want keep my weight down as much as possible.

The Jam is out of stock. Would the Pinnacle be to large for a Thru Hike? Don't want to be tempted to fill extra space with junk gear or extra food.

Open to other packs but cost is a issue. Like the weight of the Jam. Never used frameless pack for more then a day hike.

Going to use a NeoAir All Season. No closed cell mat.

Thanks.

[Rocket Jones]

Can you replace the web parts of the hip belt with longer pieces? A little sewing to attach the buckles and you should be good to go.

[leaftye]

Buy your pack from a cottage company and request that a custom hip belt be made for you.

[Slo-go'en]

You should be able to get replacement buckles and snaps which mate with the ones already on the pack. Make an extention strap with those and some webbing. 385# ? Good luck to you.

[Nitrojoe]

There are several cottage shops that will cater to your needs. Ive gone to several of these small outfitters and the one that stands out for me is McHALE PACKS. He makes packs to fit your body. He will have you take measurements and will demand you take a picture of yourself with an old pack on. If you dont have a pack, he will send you one of his mock ups to try on. He carries different kinds of material from standard rip cord nylon to partial dyneema to full dyneema. The price varies depending on what you deside on. I got one of his packs and use it on my long distant thru hikes. He holds several patents on his pack designs. Warning, his packs are not cheep. The workmenship far out classes other pack makers out there. His packs are world noticed to those who demand high quality and superior workmenship.

[Toolshed]

If you were to go with a kelty, you could get a waistband that probably goes to 50 inches or more. Otherwise, find the pack that fits your frame and then go to an outfitter and pick up some stiffened 1.5" or 2" webbing (Match the packbelt width), along with a pack of Tri-Glide buckles
From here, put 2 triglides side by side and weave a portion of new belt with each side of your waistbelt ends through the tri-glides. By using 2 triglides to a side, you will create enough friction to stop any slippage over time. Re-attach the waistbelt's side release buckles to the new waistbelt extensions and you are set to go.

BTW (not judging) - 385#?? That's a lot of load to put your knees, ankles, tendons and ligaments through - Be careful of repetitive motion. Take it easy the first month or so. Good luck

[The Mighty Tiberious]

ToolShed:

Sorry, that should be 285 LB.
Use to be 300. My AT prep daily walking dropped me down a few pounds. Guess I am still use to typing three hundred?

[grayfox]

You can just sew on some extra webbing or make a small extension to use for a while. But I think what you are needing is a belt that is big enough that the padded part of the belt rides comfortably on your hips and wraps around to meet with only a short space for the webbing to bridge. Look for a pack that is otherwise comfortable and of the right capacity and has a removable belt. Remove the belt and take it to a shoe repair person or some one with a heavy duty sewing machine. Have them cut the belt in the middle of the back and sew in a piece of material, like seatbelt webbing, to make a belt that is comfortable on your hips and then put it back on the pack. Fit the belt like a tailor would fit a suit so that the belt retains the correct contour on your body. If you get a pack that offers sized belts get two so you can change out the belt as you loose weight. Hope this helps, grayfox

[lunchbx]

I think he means that the padded part of the hip belt does not reach to the proper spot on his hips, not that the belt doesnt fit around his waist, adding webbing will not solve this. I speak from experience being a large man myself. grayfox has the right idea but it seems to be an expensive solution. what i have done in the past is find some firm foam at a craft store and fashion my own hip pads using duct tape/dental floss sewing technique/cannabalised nylon material from old stuffsacks, basically whaterever you have onhand that will do the job. If your doing a thru though i wouldnt advise cuz it will prob need repair and retaping often. the best solution is to never buy a pack without trying it on first this is actually a good mantra for just about everything your gonna bring hiking as a "husky" man. you skinny punks dont know how good you have it sometimes, i wish i could just order a pair of shoes or raingear, or even socks online without looking at them in person to decide if theyre gonna fit me, but i degress. If you got the money i would go with grayfoxs' idea. It took me quite a while to find the pack i have and it still doesnt fit completley right but what can i do besides embrace my huskyness and hike till things fit me right.

[Swordpen]

REI Flash 50 fits size 40 waist pants. its 2.5# for the large backpack.

you could cut even that weight down to ~1.5# by taking off the top cap (when your'e travelling lighter, you don't even need it really, just cinch & roll the top up).

Taking out its frame is an option too (use your sleeping pad in the hydration pouch). Its $99 on REI outlet. I have one, its holding everything for 3 days (3 liters water too with a lot of room to spare). Its a nice pack, really, just doesn't have the "name"(s) you hear so often on these websites/ forums.

[lowerdegrl]

High Sierra Classic Series 59301 Explorer 55 Internal Frame Pack Pacific 30x14x8 Inches 3356 Cubic Inches 55 Liters by High Sierra belt will fit men's 54 pant, Lumbar support seemed to fit properly

[Brenneman]

tag for later as Im a bigger guy too