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The traditional way of carrying load on the head practiced in Africa, Asia and South America is incredibly efficient. It creates an upright posture and the shoulders are weight free. Research shows that African women can carry up to 20% of their bodyweight with NO additional energy exertion. With heavier loads the energy increase was only HALF that of men carrying the same loads in backpacks. Even though the load is unstable when carried on the head, this shows the potential efficiency of a load carrying system that does not alter your posture. It 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 the instability of head supported loads and the need for a well developed musculature to support the spinal loading prevent this being a practical load carrying system in the wilderness. We solve these disadvantages by splitting the load into front and back portions around your torso, and removing the loading on your spine and placing it onto your pelvis.              FlowMo Bodypacks are the worlds first body centered load carrying systems The center of gravity of the load is brought down to match the center of gravity of the body. 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 front carrying system consists of 2 pockets- you see your feet in the gap between the pockets so that your vision is not restricted. 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.

2. PACERPOLES are the worlds first left and right handed trekking poles. They are the first trekking poles designed from biomechanical principles. They are the most efficient and comfortable trekking poles ever developed, and they have been taken to the most extreme environments on the planet.

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 therefore completely replace backpacks as the most comfortable and efficent 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 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.

 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 needed 8 patents to cover 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.

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.

COMPLEMENTARY PRODUCTS

The biomechanical systems approach we use to design our load carrying systems can be expanded to all equipment carried. We aim for the lightest and the most bio-mechanically and physiologically efficient gear. We also require each gear item to integrate and function well with the other items of gear.

1. 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

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.

                     Aarn Tate     Devi Benson