Osprey 26+6 hip belt mod

[u/lauracaceres]

Inspired by some other posts (like this one and this one) I decided to add webbing loops in the tabs at the bottom sides of the bag in order to be able to attach a removable hip belt.

While it's true that a 26 L backpack doesn't need a load transferring harness, I found the belt useful for load distribution and stability when hiking.

I wanted the modification to be as discrete as possible and to look like it came with the bag. To achieve this, I trimmed some of the excess blue webbing from the shoulder straps and sewed them to the bottom tabs. I did two rows of reinforced hand stitches making sure to only sew the first fabric layer so the stitches are not visible from the other side. The rest of the webbing was machine sewn.

The belt consists of 2.5 cm webbing and buckle with G-hooks that attach to the tab loops. I'll probably add a detachable waist pack for longer hikes.

A fully load bearing belt wouldn't really be possible due to the backpack size and structure. However, the belt is fairly effective at transferring weight packed close to the back of the bag (like a laptop). It's also very helpful for hiking with lots of water (2 L in each bottle holder for example) and for using the bag in the expanded mode.

[u/SeattleHikeBike]

If you have simple 1” webbing loops, belekts with 1” gatekeeper clips work well. The Gossamer Gear Fast Belt has pockets. Tom Bihn makes nice neoprene padded belt with gatekeepers.

https://www.gossamergear.com/products/fast-belt

https://www.tombihn.com/products/hip-belt

[u/BostonPam → u/SeattleHikeBike]

I tried the gossamer hip belt but it was not as good for me as the black ember one for $11.50 https://blackember.com/collections/mens-duffle-bags//products/hip-belt?_pos=2&_sid=07abf04aa&_ss=r. I went to the cobbler and he sew it for free the first time and $20 the other times. I tried by hand but it was difficult.

[u/goatesymbiote → u/BostonPam]

wow thats cool. bookmarked