View Full Version : Do women need hip belts?
berninbush
07-29-2006, 09:16
Hi ladies, earlier I posted this message in another thread, but I wanted to know what you thought of it.
My personal theory is that hip belts may be more helpful to women than to men. It's simple biology: men carry a lot of strength in their torso, while women have strength primarily in their legs. I'm female, and find that I have an easier time carrying a heavier load with a hip belt than a lighter load with no belt, because it transfers the weight to a stronger part of my body.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
07-29-2006, 09:28
The feamle dino here - I've carried a variety of packs and those with a well-thought out supension system including a hip belt worked better for me. The Ray-Way type bags make my shoulders ache all night even when the contents only weigh 15 to 20 lbs. (6.8 to 9 Kg). YMMV
gsingjane
07-29-2006, 13:12
I like using a hip belt (the more tightly fastened the better), especially when carrying 30 lbs. and up. I think it's true that women's shoulders and upper bodies tend to be weaker in proportion to their lower bodies and legs, so anything that would move the center of gravity and weight lower should be of benefit.
Jane in CT
The way you pack your pack can make a big difference too. I use to take people out on backpacking trips..all the gear was mine. To keep up with all that gear I used seperate stuff sacks to organize it all..one for the sleeping bag..one for the clothes..the kitchen gear..one for food..one for the shelter. It was very easy to unload and repack with this setup and we would try a variety of loads until the pack felt good to the carrier. In those days the tent was the heaviest item and most women felt the best with it packed in the middle of their backs...the men either put it at the top or at the bottom. Once we got out on the trail people would change it around until they found exactly what they liked. It varied alot. I would definitly experiment with they way you pack your pack until you find what feels best.
I do not think male or female has anything to do with it. A hip belt allows either to carry a heavier load. Military pack made strictly for men had waistbelts decades ago.
I do think body shape can affect the geometry of the belt. So depending on your body a pack designed for women may work out better than a generic one.
I think a hip belt is a must - don't know whether that has to do with body type or just because.. I usually cinch my hip belt pretty tight, so that I don't have all the weight on my shoulders. After a few days, my hips are somewhat bruised (after a week, it hurts to put underwear on) but I absolutely prefer it to being hunched under the weight on my shoulders. I find that walking is easier. I have a Kelty Cheyenne, which is a women's pack, and I find it very comfortable. You might want to try one.
cindellasaurus
02-08-2010, 21:25
I personally, loovvveee the weight distribution that you get with the hip belt. When I first got my pack I tried on a regular back-pack with no hip belt with 35lbs, and then my pack with a hip belt and the same weight, and it was like going from a billion pounds on my back to almost nothing. I would recommend going with a pack that has a comfortable hip belt.
And the winner for digging up the oldest thread this week goes to...
JustaTouron
02-08-2010, 22:03
And the winner for digging up the oldest thread this week goes to...
Better than doing what everyone else does.....start an a new thread discussing the merits or dismerits of alchy stoves.
RedneckRye
02-08-2010, 22:38
Hi ladies, earlier I posted this message in another thread, but I wanted to know what you thought of it.
Originally Posted by BERNINBUSH
My personal theory is that hip belts may be more helpful to women than to men. It's simple biology: men carry a lot of strength in their torso, while women have strength primarily in their legs. I'm female, and find that I have an easier time carrying a heavier load with a hip belt than a lighter load with no belt, because it transfers the weight to a stronger part of my body.
Not sure if I am allowed to post here in the Female Hiking Forum as I am a guy, but even if a guy's torso is stronger and can support more of the packs weight, don't his legs have to carry his torso and thus the pack? If the torso (aka shoulders) carries weight doesn't it have to work and then the legs have to work as well? Transferring the weight to the hips bypasses the muscles of the torso and thus takes less energy.
At least I think that is how it works.
If you are not sure if you should be posting in the womens forum, read the sticky post and then follow the directions. But as we all know, men won't read or follow the directions...
If you are not sure if you should be posting in the womens forum, read the sticky post and then follow the directions. But as we all know, men won't read or follow the directions...
it's really not their fault. their pride won't let them..
RedneckRye
02-09-2010, 00:19
If you are not sure if you should be posting in the womens forum, read the sticky post and then follow the directions. But as we all know, men won't read or follow the directions...
I just clicked a link to a question and then saw the red border, now that I've been "Welcomed", I'll leave.
Have a nice day.
gipcgirl
02-09-2010, 01:01
I think a hip belt is a must - don't know whether that has to do with body type or just because.. I usually cinch my hip belt pretty tight, so that I don't have all the weight on my shoulders. After a few days, my hips are somewhat bruised (after a week, it hurts to put underwear on) but I absolutely prefer it to being hunched under the weight on my shoulders. I find that walking is easier. I have a Kelty Cheyenne, which is a women's pack, and I find it very comfortable. You might want to try one.
If you are getting bruising and pain in your hip because of the hipbelt you may wish to review the type of hip belt on your pack. It may be too wide for your hip or maybe the wrong angle shape for you. YOU SHOULD NOT BE GETTING PAIN IF IT FITS YOU CORRECTLY. I have been hiking for years with approx. 30 - 35 lbs weight using a Deuter 60 + 10 litre pack I love it and would not use any other pack. The hip belt on my pack is awesome (for me) I also pull it in very tight to lift the weight of my shoulders.
Happy Hiking
I'm going Nobo 19th March 2010 with my Deuter.
Gunner81
02-09-2010, 20:34
I do not think male or female has anything to do with it. A hip belt allows either to carry a heavier load.
I agree. I've used a number of different packs. All of them had hip belts, but the suspensions systems, width of the belt, and curvature of the belt differed. Its really what is the most comfortable for you, regardless of your gender.
Ladies, I've read the criteria for posting in the female forum. I think what I have to add could be helpful so don't think I'm trying to invade your space. Just trying to help. If it's not my post will be deleted.
This is an old thread.
We are forgetting what waist belts are designed to do in the vast majority of backpacks, whether they are designed for men or women. They help redistribute some of the pack wt to the hips so a less proportinate amount of wt is put on the shoulders and back. Most of a loaded packs wt should be carried by the hips. Since women in general have less muscular upper body strength than men it MAY BE more important to have a woman's pack that fits correctly and distributes even more wt. to a female's hips.
The backpacks that are designed with a flimsy waist/hipbelt, perhaps something like hipbelt wings or even just a webbing strap that tightens around the waist or perhaps NO waistbelt at all, whether they be designed for men or women, are usually employed by those that carry VERY LITE(Read: ultralite and SUL) loads. When carrying these VERY LITE loads, it is thought that it is more acceptable to carry a substantially greater amount, and sometimes even all the wt, on the shoulders. Sometimes the webbing belt around the waist is doing nothing more but keeping the pack from sloshing around uncontrollably. Obviously, even with UL and SUL loads, when using no waistbelt/hipbelt, whether or not the person is male or female, the wt is being carried on the shoulders which may be even more of a burden for women.
IMO, the vast majority of female backpackers should use waist/hipbelts, especially those hauling conventionally weighted packs and gear.
Ladies, I've read the criteria for posting in the female forum. I think what I have to add could be helpful so don't think I'm trying to invade your space. Just trying to help. If it's not my post will be deleted.
Men are more than welcome to add information to the women's forum. The topics can get personal, so we just ask the men to refrain from making smarmy comments.
Dovetail
02-17-2010, 21:18
Hip belt for sure. Takes weight off neck and shoulders. If you want to give your waist a rest, there's always the option of unclipping the belt for a few miles. It helps in carrying pack weight higher and so reduces lower back strain.
Hawkwind61
02-22-2010, 21:33
*Chuckle* This may be an old revived post, but it certainly has merit.
On my very first longish hike at 15 years old in the NH Whites and hauling an old fashioned non-belted and even non-external (no such animal as internal then) framed pack on my way up Mt Madison...trust me when I say, hip belts are da bomb!
(That was the first time I had ever seen an external frame pack on a couple of the other hikers.)
I 'returned' to backpacking about 6-7 years back after my children were all finally out on their own. I am absolutely thrilled with all the new innovations since I was 15 and met a small section of the AT for the very first time.
I think hikers that are overweight need to carry less, whether they are men or women. When I was 230, I found it much harder to carry 30 pounds than at 200 pounds. I played around with systems that balanced weight front and back that could be carried with looser straps, but came to the conclusion that more than 10 pounds weight on the shoulders is too hard on the back, and that if you do carry 30-40 pounds it should be pretty much all on the back such that you lean forward slightly. This forward lean works best when you are not overweight, because you get a better forward lean, so that more weight ends up on your hips.
Anyhow, 15-25 pounds should be sufficient for most hikers, unless perhaps you bring a youg family along. 15-25 pounds can be carried easily any number of ways when you are not too much overweight. The practical challenge is finding the best way to carry 15-25 pounds when we are overweight, and most of us are from time to time, which is another good reason for doing the hiking that we do. 15 pounds is very easy, because with 10 pounds on the shoulders, the belt does not have to be all that tight for the 5 pounds on the hips. 25 pounds is a bit harder, because the belt has to be about 3 times tighter for the 15 pounds on the hips. The slight forward lean never really happens when you are overweight, plus there is often a less well defined set of hips. But there is usually enough padding, internal and external, that you can tighten the strap enough and still be comfortable. More than 25 pounds, plus the extra body weight, just gets too hard when you are overweight, so you can usually hike it off faster with a lighter pack because you can hike farther and faster with a light pack.
There might be more pear vs apple differences than man vs woman differences.
Do they have traffic signals in singapore?:-?
can a dog pee standing up?:-?
berninbush
03-29-2010, 14:10
Wow... popped back on here and started perusing topics where I had posted. I saw the title of this one and thought, "hey that sounds interesting." Then I saw it was a thread I started, four years ago!
I still like my hip belts. :) And I still tend to think that, while a hip belt can be helpful to both genders, it's probably more of a necessity for women. But to each his or her own. ;)
singingpilgrim
03-29-2010, 15:10
When I was a trail angel, some of the hikers thought it was fun to have us try on their packs and stagger under the weight. One guy's pack I tried on had a good hip/waist belt and when I put it on I exclaimed 'this doesn't really feel heavy!'
To which he blustered (from pride) 'you try carrying it all day!'
And I hurried to ease his pride by assuring him that I'm sure it was very heavy when hiked with all day...
But it highlighted to me the essential importance of a pack that distributes weight to the hips. It was remarkably lighter feeling than those who didn't, or didn't do it well. It felt lighter than my bookbag (I was in college at the time) while probably being at least three times heavier.
I don't have my pack yet, but I know it'll have to have a good hip belt.
tothetrail
04-04-2010, 13:01
I know I wouldn't survive without a hip belt.
Reading these posts brings back memories of all of the conversations my husband and I used to have about how to carry a pack. Alas.... he was wrong.... and finally came to admit it. There is definitely a difference in physiology. A woman's center of balance is in her hips and she carries weight better on her hips. A man's power is in his chest. (ever try that trip about leaning against a wall and picking up a chair....men cant do it... women can) I used to drive him crazy because he'd tighten my shoulder straps and say that's how you carry it, and I'd immediately loosen the shoulder straps and tighten the hip belt. It always went better carrying the weight on the hips with the shoulder straps for stabilization. For men, with small hips, it's the reverse. The shoulder straps carry the weight and the hip belt is a stabilizer.
Great to read all of these entries. I was a solo hiker 27 years ago ... and am now back hiking solo... strange after all of those years with a partner... I got used to not having to carry ALL the weight....It's an adjustment I'm getting used to ....but I sure do love being back in the woods!