USERS EXPERIENCES
BODYPACKS
“For over 25 years I have been conducting international research on load carriage in military and leisure settings. This has involved a wide range of laboratory and field studies of many types of load carriage systems. Our research identified the principles of load carriage. As far as I am aware Aarn Bodypacks are the first to really put the principles into practice.”
—Professor Stephen Legg, Centre for Ergonomics, Occupational Safety and Health, Massey University, NZ
“Aarn Bodypacks are innovative and revolutionary and once you’ve experienced one all other packs will fade into insignificance. During my 45 years of tramping, climbing and hunting I have used many packs including the latest ergonomic designs. My experience with Aarn Bodypacks has changed all my previous perceptions of comfort. If I thought the others were comfortable, the Aarn Bodypack by comparison is pure luxury. “
—Ray Goldring, NZ Mountain Safety Organization
“Bodypacks virtually eliminate postural stress on the torso and shoulder girdle. My kinesiological tests on a patient who had back surgery showed no stress induced by using the pack”
— Jay Wilson, D.C., USA, Chiropractor and Backpacker
“Last weekend we went up the Croesus Track with my old pack. Within about an hour, I was starting to get my usual pain across the right shoulder blade that I’ve become accustomed to whenever I use traditional backpacks and which I don’t get when I use an Aarn Bodypack. I began tramping 26 years ago and have gone through 4 backpacks over that period. Your Bodypacks I have found the most comfortable and I can’t understand why anyone who is planning to purchase a pack would buy any other brand.”
—Chris Leaver, Vice-President, Peninsula Tramping Club, Christchurch, NZ
“It is hard not to be evangelical about a product that works so well. It’s hard not to gloat when you pass someone bent over with a big pack.”
—Phil Robinson, New South Wales, Australia
“I think the pack is tremendous! It’s the first pack I’ve had that really does what it is supposed to. I had back surgery six years ago. Part of a disc in my back was removed. I don’t have any back pain with my Aarn pack as I always had with other packs. Backpacking is the love of my life. I have had one of the best known, highly rated and most expensive internal frame packs on the market. This one surpasses that in terms of comfort. There was no discomfort in either the shoulders or the hips.”
––Dr. Jan Lemon, Neuropsychologist, Boulder, CO, USA
FLOW MOTION
“The Flow Motion system works! The pack hugs the back closely and moves with the body without the feelings of restriction and discomfort. Stability is much better than with an ordinary pack on. I was skiing down from Cairngorm in a high wind; conditions were icy and darkness was falling –
the pack was like a limpet, not swaying or moving at all, yet I had complete freedom of arm and shoulder movement.”
— Chris Townsend, Equipment Editor TGO Magazine and Author The Advanced Backpacker
MATRIX MESH VENTILATION
“It was pretty warm on our Sak River trip in South Africa—-up to 36C one day in the shade. In the open where we were walking of course there wasn't any shade and the temp was 52 degrees C. Still, it was dry heat, so reasonably comfortable. The packs were fine, and certainly no warmer to wear than a normal design, despite the front Balance Pockets. The matrix mesh back-pad is really great—much lighter than other packs and it lets the air through nicely."
—John Flux, North Island, New Zealand
WATERPROOF DRI LINERS
“After two months of meandering around the great mountains and valleys of the West Coast, I really appreciated how dry the Bodypack interior remained in the wet conditions.”
—Paul Kilgour, Takaka, South Island, New Zealand
“We recently used our packs on a paddling expedition. After an inadvertent swim in a class IV rapid, with my boat stuck in a hole for 15 minutes, everything came out dry!”
-Sam Salwei, North Dakota. USA
MATRIX MESH AUTO-MOULD SHOULDER STRAPS
“The wide shoulder straps are comfortable, pliable, and not bulky. Some of the most comfortable I’ve ever worn.”
—Ryan Jordan. Read the backpackinglight reviews of Liquid Agility & Featherlite Freedom under Test Reports.
BALANCE POCKETS
“In use the Balance Pockets enable you to walk in a more upright position, and with considerably more balance than with a normal pack. Additionally, the load is distributed over the body, so your shoulders don’t get as sore. It all adds up to a less fatigued body, and one that can traverse awkward terrain more confidently. I noticed a profound difference straight away wearing this pack.”
—Mark Watson, Editor, NZ Climber magazine Test Review
ACTIVITIES
Snow Kiting
The balance pockets are perfect for snowkiting with a snowboard. No other pack that would allow me to access my food and drink at 25+MPH. The AARN balance pockets were an indispensable addition to our winter expedition gear enabling us to travel non stop for hours at a time. At night we would strategically pack the next days meals in one balance pocket allowing immediate and convenient access to our needed 6000 calories. Well the other pocket served as an insulated pouch for one liter of water. The outside mesh pouches worked well for immediate access to all of our technical gadgets GPS, anemometer, sat phone etc.
The AARN body pack allowed me to snowkite 250 miles while caring everything comfortably on my back for the 14 day period. The packs also allowed us the dexterity to "boost" over obstacles such as open water, barbed wire fences and 6ft high ice dams.
Sam Salwei, To Cross the Moon Expedition.
Extreme Skiing
" Skiing the thick snow in the narrow, steep main schute required strong stances with a lot of body extension. The Flow Motion systems of the Flowmo Bodypack allowed me to achieve the aggressive body positions of extreme skiing, which cannot be achieved with other packs. This gave me the confidence and security for a successful descent."
Rhys Vidgen, after first ski descent of main schute, Mt Alarm, Inland
Kaikoura range. NZ
Cross Country Skiing
“ It has been a longstanding problem cross-country skiing with expedition equipment. Sleds are hard to pull uphill and dangerous downhill. Serious backache often occurs even after a few kilometers due to an exaggerated stooped forward posture. Balance Pockets balance the weight front and back allowing us to stand upright and carry all the weight in the pack without back pain. We can leave the sled at home and go ride the hills for a comfortableweek of solitary skiing.”
Gael Simon, Ressources Orion, Canada
Kayaking
“We recently used our packs on a paddling expedition. After an inadvertent swim in a class IV rapid, with my boat stuck in a hole for 15 minutes, everything came out dry!”
Sam Salwei, North Dakota. USA
CONDITIONS
High Winds
We had the most ghastly weather the first day. Winds so strong they pushed us over - we were the lightest. Others packs kept swinging, mine, the Aarn sat absolutely with the body - probably because of the Balance Pockets and the X-Flow straps. Love the pack and think it an extremely healthy design because of the balance factor.
Jo Speedy, Wellington, NZ
Hot Desert
“It was pretty warm on our Sak River trip in South Africa—-up to 36C one day in the shade. In the open where we were walking of course there wasn't any shade and the temp was 52C. Still, it was dry heat, so reasonably comfortable. The packs were fine, and certainly no warmer to wear than a normal design, despite the front Balance Pockets. The matrix mesh back-pad is really great—much lighter than other packs and it lets the air through nicely.
John Flux, North Island, New Zealand
Cold and wet
We had torrential rain, sleet, hail hitting us sideways. My pack was totally waterproof, everything inside perfect. The Balance Pockets a boon as had everyone's snacks there and plasters - no need to take pack off in dreadful conditions with stiff frozen hands. All in all the pack is the best I have had, am totally sold.
Jo Speedy, Wellington, NZ
LIQUID AGILITY
“I found none of the usual sore spots (shoulders, hips, upper back) when I loaded the Liquid Agility with 35 pounds for a 20-mile day, as compared to virtually any other traditional internal frame pack. I'm rather convinced that decoupling shoulder and hip belt movement from the load bearing suspension components has a significant impact on muscle fatigue when carrying weight for long days. The front pocket system, which is integrated with the suspension, greatly improves the maximum load carrying capacity of the Liquid Agility pack. It carries a 30 lb (14 kg) load in outstanding comfort relative to most 30 L-range internal frame packs on the market.”
—Ryan Jordan. Read the Backpackinglight.com test review of Liquid Agility.
PEAK ASPIRATION
“The Peak Aspiration is the most comfortable pack I have ever worn - period. Not long after I left the car the first time I used the pack I was heard to say ‘I don’t even feel as if I’m wearing a pack’. Later, I lent the pack to a friend for a trip—his feedback to me was: ‘you don’t carry that pack—you wear it”.
—Mark Watson, Editor, NZ Climber magazine Test Review
FEATHERLITE FREEDOM
“Just completed a 22 hour continuous training mission in thick west coast bush. Featherlite Freedom was awesome. No sore shoulders or back…first time ever that I have carried a load for that long without a hint of discomfort. Amazing comfort and stability.”
—Andrew McLeod, Wanaka, NZ
“The Aarn Bodypack Featherlite Freedom gets an "A" for innovation. I achieved a superb fit with this pack and comfortably carried 30-pound loads over a variety of terrains. Featherlite Freedom has one of the most sophisticated and adjustable suspension systems to be found anywhere, and I had no trouble dialing in a perfect fit. The pack's articulated hipbelt and sliding shoulder straps allowed excellent freedom of movement while the pack "stuck" to my back."
—Will Rietveld. Read the entire backpackinglight.com review of Featherlite Freedom under Test Reports.
I've come off a 5 day tramp in the Tararuas with Featherlite Freedom. Like many older trampers I too have suffered and been damaged by inadequate packs, little realising how they were hurting us.
This trip my partner carried my last "good" pack, a 55 litre design from one of the big players that til now seemed better than most. Because we have very similar body sizes we were able to swap from one to the other for direct comparisons.
The Featherlite was the clear favourite. Perhaps the most noticeable effect was the ability to just "stroll" in a relaxed normal gait on the flat sections. To my mind the unbalanced lean forward pose of the older designs means that you are constantly "walking uphill", expending extra effort even on the flat. All up we estimate your design trims anything up to 15-20% of the effort off a typical day's tramp".
—Phillip Wilkie, Wellington, NZ
NATURAL BALANCE
“I recently took the Natural Balance Bodypack to the UK where I completed the Lands End to John O’Groats Walk—1,050 miles in 57 days, i.e. an average day of walking 18 to 24 miles.
Having had a lumbar discectomy a few years ago, and a history of neck and upper back problems, it was essential that the pack and hipbelt put minimal strain on my lower back, neck and shoulders. I found that at the end of each day, I had no soreness or tiredness in these areas. Further, my overall fatigue level after 8 to 10 hours walking was surprisingly low, given that I was carrying an average daily load of about 13 kg.
The fore and aft balancing worked well—I found that I had good balance when it was really needed; going up or down steep gradients, rock-hopping, crossing streams or on slippery surfaces. The backpack proved 100% waterproof. Thanks for helping me to realize a dream!”
—Richard Hipgrave, Wellington, NZ
“Hi. Not something that I usually do, but I just could not let the event pass without comment. An unsolicited recommendation!
I am 59 years old and my wife is 56. In February 2004 we had a serious bike accident where my wife broke her collarbone, her pelvis and a rib. I fortunately suffered more minor injuries. We are both keen trampers and planned to continue but were worried about being able to carry our old packs, which always gave problems mainly on our shoulders. We purchased two of your Natural Balance packs (mine the 75L, my wife's the 70L). I was looking initially at the lightweight aspect of these but was interested at the claim about being a more balanced pack.
We have just returned from 4 days of tramping round Lake Waikaremoana and what a revelation! Both of us just could not believe that you could spend days with the pack on and have absolutely no issues with the weight. These packs just have no impact on you shoulders. This particular tramp requires a lot of clambering up and down a 'root' based track but the packs were just great to carry. I cannot recommend the packs more highly and regardless of whether you have problems I am sure that you will benefit from using these amazingly designed packs.”
Thanks for saving our outdoors life!
—David & Margaret Ivory, North Island, New Zealand
EFFORTLESS RHYTHM
"I initially purchased the Sport Balance Pockets, but once I had seen the attention to detail and quality build I was convinced to put aside my 'leading name brand' pack and move to an Aarn Body pack. I purchased the Effortless Rhythm to complete the system and the first impression was that this system was designed by people who had spent a lot of time thinking about carrying loads. The pack is a clean highly functional design with everything knitting together to make a complete highly efficient system. All other packs you may haul on your back, but this one you wear like a coat it is so comfortable. This system is the only one that I have found that truly allows you to get a 'perfect fit'. When wearing the body pack I was outright amazed to have no pain in the shoulders, back, or hips even after hours of hard tramping. Couple this with a huge increase in walking efficiency and the advantages of this system really come into their own. I have been tramping for over 30 years, carrying loads around 35 - 40kgs at times. I have been involved in Search and Rescue in the Nelson area for the last several years and I have tried a wide range of different gear over that time. Nothing at all that I have seen, tried, or owned previously comes anywhere close to the quality, design, and outstanding common sense system that Aarn delivers."
George Turner. Nelson, New Zealand
“I used Effortless Rhythm on the Copeland Pass crossing. This is really quite amazing. I was able to walk with it for 3 days and remove it at the end without a single sore spot or any indication that I’d been wearing a pack at all."
—Julian Maclaren, Christchurch, NZ
LOAD LIMO
“I recently purchased one of your Load Limo Bodypacks. I am very impressed with it. I find the concept of having body center of gravity and load center of gravity along the same line is brilliant. I have a back problem. It has been recurring for 3 years now. This year, just a month ago, I had a spinal spasm. Severe pain lasted only 3 days. Previously, it took over a month to loose the pain. My physiotherapist says, “Your back was much stronger and posture much better, what have you been doing for it?” I tell her about my new Aarn pack and show her the brochures and literature. She’s very impressed. Her prescription for me: “you just keep walking and tramping and using your Aarn pack, that combination is the perfect balance for your back situation.”
—Paul Kilgour, Takaka, South Island, New Zealand
“In my 48 years of life I have spent a significant amount of time with a pack on my back participating in the activities of either tramping, climbing, travelling, working and family activities. I tested Essential Rapport on a 6 day trip with clients in the Southern Alps.
The pack for the days 1-3 weighed 21 kilograms and from days 3-6 weighed 16 kilograms. From the first step taken this Bodypack was significantly different to any other pack that I have used, the comfort level was very high both in terms of the hipbelt and shoulder straps, in fact so comfortable that I thought that this cannot last, but it did 2, 3, 4, 5 hours later the same degree of comfort was being experienced. The shoulder straps were gently and I experienced no neck pain, which has been a constant feature of my pack carrying life.
This pack has many adjustments and while initially I needed to sit and work it out, the pack can be custom adjusted to fit any person’s frame size. Likewise, the Balance Pockets involved a cultural change in what I was used to, like me habitually leaning forward with my tramper’s stoop. But again, after a couple of hours of consciously walking more upright, the benefits of the Bodypack became apparent.
The ease of availability for essential items (first aid, camera, scroggin, water bottle) stored in the Balance Pockets meant less frustration and less stops along with the obvious benefit of weight balance.The sown in pack liner is a very useful addition and one less thing to consider. The Velcro closing for closing the top was great and again the simplicity of the feature made me wonder why it hasn’t been thought of earlier. The Bodypack stuck to my body like glue and the harness was particularly effective in achieving this when I negotiated constant windfall.
Overall this pack felt like something from another planet, something us pack-carrying people have not seen the likes of before and have only encountered in our dreams. The attention to detail along with the constant strive for improvement, the comfort, the lack of aches, strains and stresses make this Bodypack in my opinion a must for serious consideration for anyone considering replacing or buying their first backpack.”
—Paddy Pawson, Waipuna Community Trust, Christchurch
“I am a 60 year old bushwalker and I only took it up at age 58. My son has had one of your Essential Rapport packs for a while now and he’s always raved about it. So, I bought one for my trip on the Larapinta Trail in Central Australia. It was fantastic. For the first time I felt really balanced and I never once experienced sore shoulders. So thank you for designing such a wonderful pack and I wish you every continued success in your business.”
—Bob Sharples, Victoria, Australia
“Got my Essential Rapport recently and headed for my favourite trail in the Kenai mountains. I have never before covered that mileage with so little pack pain/ awareness. Simply amazing! I noticed that at rest stops, after taking the pack off, that feeling of being ‘pushed forward’ that you get from compensating from a pack that pulls backwards, was absent.”
—Bill Siemens, Anchorage, Alaska
“ I am a 55 year old male with forty seven years of hunting and tramping in all sorts of New Zealand terrain. I have just trialed your Bodypack and when I lay down last night in my tent, there was something wrong—there was NO PAIN! Mate, I felt like I had been transported to another planet.”
—Rick Wildman, Carterton, North Island, NZ
PACERPOLES
"We averaged a daily non-stop walking routine of consistent 15-hour days.
The only piece of equipment that did not fail in temperatures colder than
minus 45 degrees was the Pacerpoles. The Pacerpoles felt natural to hold day after day, and less tiring than the 'ski poles' that others used and bent
due to the extreme forces we placed on them. The others had to wrap their
handles with lots of foam wrapping to give a more comfortable shape! We had
to ascend and descend over tall rough ice in amazing ice fields and yet the
Pacerpoles took the strain of both my bodyweight and 180lb pulka we were
dragging."
—Steven East - Magnetic N Pole Expedition, 2003
“A truly innovative design which will change the fundamental thinking on how we use poles to aid us when walking or trekking."
—Cameron McNeish, Editor TGO Magazine, UK
“My standard trekking poles are cumbersome, far less precise and a lot less comfortable. The controlled forward motion of the Pacer Poles was very natural in comparison and the tip could be accurately placed.”
—Ray Goldring, Mountain Safety Organization, NZ
“Pacer Poles are excellent and I will certainly be using them as my poles in
the future.”
—Chris Bonnington, famous British Mountaineer
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