Mountainsmith Strapettes

I have some 20 year old mountain smith tour and day bags. I've hiked and skied with them for years, but I wanted to use them for hunting. The problem is that they were going to be very full, and somewhat heavier than a normal day hike.The strappettes stabilize the pack and support the additional weight. I'm totally happy with them.

I have the Tour and I can’t put anything substantial in it unless I use these straps. Otherwise the bag just falls down and flaps around and is extremely annoying. It seems a really weird design flaw to require a piece of equipment but not include it with the bag itself. If you’re just putting extremely light things in the Tour then you don’t need the straps but if you’re carrying water bottles and things then you’re going to need the straps. The straps themselves are very comfortable and well made. They really should be included with the bag, though!

I am a Mountainsmith person. I have 3 sizes of packs. One smaller lumbar, the 9L lumbar that has the hooks for the strapettes and large pack so I am a bit biased. I found myself not wanting to take the larger pack out and using the 9L as a backpack with my ancient smaller tour pack as a lumbar pack. Eventually I discovered the strapettes and that they fit my pack. Wow, life changer. Love these things. Very easy to put on and take off so that you can switch back and forth between using the pack as a backpack and as a lumbar pack. Just watch the YouTube video and you can see whether it will fit your pack or not (it's about two connections on the lower part of your pack either you have them or you don't). Seriously, these are game changers. I was looking at getting a bigger pack but now these little 20 buck add-ons save me a bundle.

With a little extra hardware such as clamps and buckles (I got some from Strapworks.com) you could use this to convert many packs to a backpack. I used it on a large fanny pack that kept slipping off my waist. Please note that the image is accurate in that the padded part of the harness is narrow, so the straps cross your inner chest in front rather than your shoulders, making it less likely to slide off. A better design than traditional backpack straps, though I am not sure how much females would like it though. I bought this for hunting, because since the harness doesn't rest on your shoulders, it doesn't interfere with shooting.

Regardless of the other stupid reviews that may say not to buy this, please do yourself a favor & buy these now.I didn't buy them at first, but then realized it's common sense to buy these. takes all the weight off your waist, and if one has a little weight in the pack it's kind of tight around the gut area due to the weight pulling it back naturally.BUY THIS THING!!You will not regret it whatsoever!Have a great day!Happy hiking.

They do what they are supposed to do. I use mine when fly-fishing. How so? I put my day-gear (lunch, rain slicker, water filter) in the Mountainsmith lumbar pack (purchased separately) using this harness affixed. Then, I put my fly fishing vest over the harness. The result is a lumbar pack hanging from these shoulder straps without adding additional weight to your fly fishing vest. Over the years, I have attempted to be "gear" economical by using the large sleeve sewn into the back of the fly-fishing vest. But this ends up putting uncomfortable strain on your back and tends to be constantly pulling your vest down and back. These strappette straps, designed to be used with the Mountainsmith lumbar pack, relieve the strain and enable me to carry, AND fish, with all the gear I need for an extended day on the water. They ARE expensive. You pay for what they do, not what they cost to make. Another good feature; they are as lightweight as they can be...but are still sturdy as they need to be to do the job. Great job of design by Mountainsmith.

So for sure, if you're buying the day pack you do need this straps to be able to use the pack properly. The three stars it's for the way the design the straps. I wish all the points of attachments to the pack were made of buckle attachments instead of D ring attachments in the front of the straps. Sometimes It does disengage when you're trying to wear it. The other problem I have noticed, comparing to other design. the front of the straps attaches too far back on the pack itself so it does kind of wrap around your arm going back to attaches to the pack which makes it somehow uncomfortable and you won't be able to utilize it to attach something like molle to it. It would have been better if the front attachments were connect it somehow on the waist/hip belt itself, it would been more comfortable and more useful. Having said that, I do recommend this product and I would buy it again.

I have the Cairn II lumbar pack, but was using the single strap. It's my favorite bag I've ever had. Decided recently as my hiking grows more adventurous and less well worn path I wanted a double strap for security. Looked at a number of other options and none worked for me like my Cairn. Took a chance on these straps hoping it'd suffice....It performs so well it blew my mind. I love my bag even more as these straps have a high degree of customizability. If you time to dial it in, you will reap the reward on the trail. My bag sticks to me like glue but I never get uncomfortable. I can't tell you enough. If you have a compatible bag, get these straps.

Due to the recommendation of other buyers, I purchased two “strapettes” to replace the included shoulder straps for the "Tour" TLS R and "Daylight" TLS R lumbar packs. The strapette disperses the pack’s weight evenly, which makes carrying it far, far more comfortable.The strapette is well-constructed from heavy-duty nylon material and is easily installed on the "Tour" or "Daylight" lumbar pack. The 2 1/2" wide shoulder straps are padded, are adjustable for length and has a stationary sternum strap which provides added support, plus prevents the straps from sliding off the shoulders. Two slight drawbacks: (1) The sternum strap should be designed so that it's adjustable - it would add to the user's comfort level if it could be moved up or down the chest according to personal height. (2) Once the length for the shoulder and sternum straps are adjusted to personal size, the excess 1" wide nylon straps just hang. There should be elasticized loops to tuck the excess straps into so that they're not flapping around. The strapette disperses the pack’s weight evenly, (much better than the included shoulder strap), which makes carrying it far, far more comfortable.In my opinion, if you do any amount of walking, hiking or carry heavy loads, the strapette is highly recommended - it's a “must” and is well worth the extra expense. It’s too bad that Mountainsmith doesn’t include this with the "Tour" or "Daylight" lumbar pack instead of the shoulder strap, because it's far more useful and certainly adds to the overall comfort.

They do help stabilize the load and make it more comfortable to carry and reduces the pack pulling/leaning away from the body. I have used it for a month plus (almost daily).I like the idea of the strappette system but found them a little uncomfortable for someone of my height and build (six foot and 200 pounds) with the point they cross over rubbing my back.I tried adjusting it several ways without it getting my back and in the end ordered a surplus British PLCE H harness to jury rig on the packs.

I bought my Mountainsmith waist pack over 10 years ago and always found that I would get tired hips after a long day of hiking. After a quick internet search this year, I found and quickly bought these straps. When they arrived, they snapped in place easily, as if they came with the original pack. I only wish that I would have found them 10 years ago! I am quite tall and wear a lot of bulky clothes and while the straps fit me well, they could be about 4-6" longer in the back. My only real complaint is that the chest strap is located too high and can't be lowered to mid chest level.

Arrive quickly and are just what I wanted!

It was exactly what was described