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The traditional way of carrying load on the head practiced in Africa, Asia and South America can be incredibly efficient. It creates an upright posture and the shoulders are weight free.  Research shows that some African women can carry up to 20% of their bodyweight with NO additional energy exertion on level ground; with heavier loads the energy increase was only HALF that of men carrying the same loads in backpacks. This shows the efficiency of a load carrying system where the center of gravity is vertically in line with the center of gravity of the load, so that your posture remains upright. It also shows that changing to a load carrying system which keeps you upright will reduce energy consumption far more than reducing weight in a backpack.   However head supported loads are inheritantly unstable and they need well developed musculature to support the spinal loading. To be able to carry loads on their head, children start developing the balance and musculature in their early teens , and progress to heavier loads as they get older. The instability of the load prevents this being a practical load carrying system in the wilderness. We solve these disadvantages by splitting the load into front and back portions and carrying them to torso height, and by removing the loading on your spine and placing it evenly around your pelvis.              FlowMo Bodypacks are the worlds first body centered load carrying systems This allows the centers of gravity of the load and the body to match Horizontally as well as vertically. Most of the load is now taken off the spine and transferred evenly around the pelvis, the most suitable bone structure in the body for load carrying. The load on the front is carried in 2 separate pockets with a gap in between so that so that you can see your feet as you walk - your forward vision is not restricted by the load up front. Because the volume up front is less than the pack behind, we pack dense gear in front and light bulky gear behind. Your posture and balance are now unaltered by your load, eliminating the strain of load carrying.   The 2 front Balance Pockets give ergonomic access to gear while on the move- unlike backpacks which require you to stop and take the pack off. Balanced around the center of gravity of your body, the load is very stable, and most suitable for dynamic movement. Flow motion systems in the pack harness facilitate this free movement of the body.

Aarn Design Leadership    Aarn Design has licensed the following technologies:   Packs U Flow-motion          Black Diamond, USA Bi- radial Frame       Vango, Scotland. X-arc frame             Halti, Finland Pelvic-form Hipbelt   Halti, Finland Tents Tension Band system   Vango, Scotland Side impact poles to    Vango, Scotland   FlowMo Bodypacks and Pacer Tents are trademarks of Aarn Design.

AWARDS

Product of the year awards, COLA, UK, 1992, 1993
Millennium Design Award for Innovation, UK 2000
DuPont BrandNew Award, ISPO Germany, 2003

Innovation award , Adventure Gear Guide, Australia, 2005

   Lisa Keating, outdoor instructor, climbing strongly with perfect balance and dynamic body movement.

  Our passion is creating the best load carrying systems for the human body on the planet.

  Using the findings of Sports Science we challenge traditional thinking on pack design. No longer just backpacks, our body centered load carrying systems are better described as  FlowMo Bodypacks. They disturb the posture, balance and movement of the body as little as possible under load (unlike backpacks), and now represent the most comfortable, practical and efficient way to carry load on the human body.

FlowMo  

* A pack which flows with body movement.

Bodypack

* A pack where the center of gravity of load can be matched to the center of gravity of the body, so that your posture and balance are unaltered by the load.

* A pack where all body contact parts can be customized to create a mirror image of your torso size and shape for a perfect fit.

 The biomechanical approach to load carrying has been proven by Sports Science to give outstanding benefits compared to backpacks:

* MINIMUM EFFORT load carrying     

* PAINLESS SHOULDERS & NECK

* SUPERB BALANCE

* UNMATCHED AGILITY + STABILITY

* GEAR ACCESS without stopping

                     * Sports Science findings

Inspiring testimonials from users world wide are showing that the Bodypack principles really work. Enthusiasts are telling their friends and gradually the word is spreading around the world. A small NZ company is revolutionizing the experience of load carrying in the outdoors. We have 8 patents covering this new load-carrying paradigm.

Contrast the minimum impact biomechanics of a Bodypack with the biomechanics of a backpack that substantially disturb the natural state of the body: Backpacks force a stooped forward posture, they pull back and down on your shoulders, they restrict your movement, they alter your balance and only rarely can they be precision matched to your body shape. The poor biomechanics of a backpack causes body pain and puts many people off carrying all but a small daypack.

Other Brands are starting to copy our balance and movement ideas, and claim them as their own. Aarn has been working on systems of counter-balance and free movement for 30 years, and is the unrecognised and true pioneer of biomechanically inspired load carrying.

The benefits of Bodypacks can only be confirmed by your own experience. In NZ we have a free tester program so you can evaluate their performance before you purchase.

AARN PACER TENTS

These utilise the rigidity of trekking poles to create lighter structures with greater stability for fast moving adventures.

Pacer 1: 1 person 3-4 season double wall tent  1.4kg

Pacer 2: 2 person 3-4 season double wall tent  1.75kg

BIOMECHANICALLY INSPIRED GEAR

The biomechanical systems approach we use to design our load carrying systems can be used to design all outdoor equipment. Outstanding gear using this approach are Pacerpoles and Five Fingers footware. These work superbly with Flow-Mo Bodypacks.

Our equipment is designed in Aotearoa-New Zealand using the wild and beautiful Southern Alps as our play and testing ground.

Aarn Design is here to create equipment that works in harmony with the human body, deepening the intimate connections between body, spirit and nature

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                     Aarn Tate     Devi Benson