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"It doesn't even feel like I am wearing a pack!"
Adding Balance Pockets or Universal Balance Pockets to your pack reduces or eliminates the leverages on your shoulders and back arising from the offset load. Reducing these forces acting on the body results in less fatigue and more comfortable pack carrying.
Our designs, which include slim side profiles (so the load in your pack is closer to your back) and U-Flow systems (which allow you to move more freely), have been created based on what sports science tells us is the most efficient way to carry pack load.
Not only that, but the instant access to your gear the Balance Pockets provide allows you to move more efficiently through the terrain without stopping to take off your pack.
The energy savings you’ll get from a balanced load make up for the additional weight of an Aarn Balance Backpack when the total load carried (pack and pockets) is greater than 6kg. When comparing a 900g traditional backpack to a 1.7kg Aarn Balance Backpack the weight difference is negligible.
How the balance of Aarn Backpacks compares to traditional packs. See Ray Lloyds Sport Science for more in depth info.
Balance Pockets only work with specific Aarn Backpacks. They are two smaller bag-like pockets that attach to the front of your pack and to each other so you can balance the load on your back by adding weight to these pockets. They have metal frames (that can bend to fit different chest shapes and create air gaps to eliminate heat build-up) that transfer the weight of the load from the pack onto the hip belt, which reduces or even eliminates leverages on the hips.
The two separate pockets create a gap between them so that you can see your feet as you walk. The Balance Pockets are attached to the pack before you put it on. They can be left permanently attached or removed for separate use as a daypack using the daypack straps. *
*Only available on some Pocket Models.
Universal Balance Pockets allow hikers to try some benefits of Aarn’s principles while using their current traditional pack. The Universal Balance Pockets work on similar principles as our Aarn Balance Pockets, offering a taste of energy efficiency, strain relief and convenient access. To get the full benefit of movement and balance, an Aarn Backpack and Balance Pockets are recommended.
Universal Balance Pockets fit most brands of packs that use a hip belt and sternum straps; they attach differently than our standard Balance Pockets. While Balance Pockets are connected before you put it on (and can be left permanently attached), Universal Balance Pockets are attached once you have put the pack on and are unclipped before you take it off.
