CHOOSING

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

In choosing which brand your purchase, the impact on the environment is important. Our aim is to adopt the cradle to cradle principles developed by William McDonough and partners (see www.mbdc.com). The main principles are to change the material cycle from cradle to grave to cradle to cradle using 100% recycleable materials; to eliminate any toxic materials from the cycle; and to replace non biodegradable materials with biodegradable ones as they become available. To achieve this our policy is:

  1. To make our products last as long as possible. We have an ongoing focus on improving the durability of our products without increasing weight. Our guarantee on materials and workmanship is 3 years to the original purchaser. We offer a low cost repair service.

  2. To recycle all materials used in the business, rather than sending them to landfill.

  3. When the product has finished its working life, we ask you to return it to Aarn Design, rather than sending it to landfill. We will dissassemble it and recover all reusable materials. These will be recycled in various ways.

  4. As biodegradable materials become available which meet our performance and durability criteria, we will adopt them.

  5. We use 100% renewable energy in our office and warehouse.

WHICH MODEL?

 To decide this the first question you need to consider is the longest trip you will do with the pack and the gear you will need. This will determine what volume pack is needed.

Listed below are the volumes of our Bodypacks in litres. The Balance Pocket options and combined volume are given where Balance Pockets are not standard equipment. Where 2 volumes are listed, the first is for the short torso length, and the second is for the long torso length.

ULTRALITES

Marathon Magic             11

Marathon Magic             22

Marathon Magic             33

Featherlite Freedom    62/67

Natural Balance          72/77

STRONGLITES

Liquid Agility               32/37   -with Compact Balance Pockets

                                 38/45   -with Sport Balance Pockets

Natural Exhilaration     36/43   -with Compact Balance Pockets

                                 42/47   -with Sport Balance Pockets

Peak Aspiration           50/55   -with Sport Balance Pockets

                                 58/63   -with Expedition Balance Pocket  

Guiding Light              65/70   -with Sport Balance Pockets

                                 77/84   -with Expedition Balance Pockets 

Effortless Rhythm       75/80    -with Sport or Dri Balance Pockets           

                                 73/78    -with Expedition Balance Pockets    

Load Limo                   88/93

Choose an Ultralite model if you are optimizing all your equipment for lightness and using ultralight hiking techniques. Always use Balance Pockets for multi-day trips to reduce energy use and body pain. You can use the daypacks without Balance Pockets around town with light loads. Add them for heavy loads in town and for day walks. They allow quick access to items

without taking the pack off and reduced energy use with loads over 3kg.

    * Marathon Magic 22 & 33, and Mountain Magic 44 & 55 come with their own Balance Pockets.

    * Sport Balance Pockets are standard equipment on Featherlite Freedom.

    * Expedition Balance Pockets are standard on Natural Balance and Load Limo.

For other models Balance Pockets are an option. Balance Pockets will increase the capacity of the pack making it suitable for longer trips. For example, adding Compact Balance Pockets to Natural Exhilaration make it large enough for an overnight trip. For the models where the Balance Pockets are an option, follow these guidelines:

* Compact & Photo Balance Pockets fit on  both the long and short backlengths of all models except the Marathon and Mountain Magics.

* Sport and Expedition Pockets come in 2 lengths, S and L. We recommend you use the S version with Short backlength packs, and the L version with Long backlength packs. Choose the Sport Pockets for compactness and the Expedition Pockets for maximum counterbalance.

  You can further customise your pack for different activities with our Add-on accessories.

Here are some model suggestions:

DAY  AR, Nordic walking, cycling              Marathon Magic 11, 22, 33

         Dynamic movement, cycling            Liquid Agility

         Wet climate, all activities                 Natural Exhilaration

OVERNIGHT  Multi-use                            Peak Aspiration

                     Ultralight                           Mountain Magic 50

3-5 DAYS     Climbing, skiing, hiking        Guiding Light

                    Ultralight                            Mountain Magic 50

                                                             Featherlite Freedom

                    Standard gear                     Effortless Rhythm

6 DAYS +     Ultralight                             Natural Balance

                    Standard gear                     Load Limo

                    (ULTRALITES, STRONGLITES , TRAVELITES)

Models optimized for particular activities:

Climbing           Natural Exhilaration, Peak Aspiration and Guiding Light

Snow Sports     Natural Exhilaration, Peak Aspiration and Guiding Light

Running, AR      Marathon Magic 11, 22, 33, Liquid Agility

Cycling              Marathon Magic 22 & 33, Liquid Agility

Daily city use     Liquid Agility, Back Favour 35

Daywalks           Marathon Magics, Liquid Agility, Natural Exhilaration

Fishing              Marathon Magics

Accessories to customize your pack for different activities:

Photography      Photo Balance Pockets (2 models) +/or Tool Quivers                                (for tripod)+ pack of choice.

Search+ Rescue SR Balance Pockets + pack of choice

Climbing            Balance Gear Racks +/or Tool Quivers + pack of choice

Snow sports     Sport or Expedition Balance Pockets + Ski or Snowboard                          straps + pack of choice

World travel     Balance Pockets + Travel pack

PACK TORSO LENGTH AND HIPBELT SIZE
Once you have selected the best model for your needs, you need to choose the correct torso length.

The Marathon Magics and Back Favour come in one torso length only as they have extra long range of backlength adjustment All other models come in two torso lengths, short and long.

To determine your torso length, measure the difference in height between the top of your hipbone to the mid-point of each shoulder. You can do this yourself, as follows:

Stand with your back against a wall with a hard covered book and pencil in hand. Place the book vertically against your sides with the bottom edge of the book resting on top of your hipbone and the back edge against the wall. Mark the height of the lower edge of the book on the wall. This is the height of the top of your hips.

Now place the book vertically by the side of your head, with the back edge resting against the wall and the bottom edge resting on the mid point of one shoulder (half way between your neck and the end of your shoulder- this is where the center of the shoulder straps should lie). Mark the height of the bottom edge of the book on the wall. This is the height of your shoulders.

Now measure the difference in height between the 2 marks on the wall- this is your torso length.

If your Torso Length is less than 36 cm, choose the short (S) torso length.  If it is more than 38 cm, choose the long (L) torso length. For 36-38cm either torso length will fit.

The mid-to-large volume models have hipbelts available in 3 sizes. The medium size, M is standard. To decide whether you need a S or L size, use a tape measure to measure your hipbone length; measure from left front corner of your hipbone, around the back of your hipbone to the right front corner of your hipbone. This your hipbone length. (It does not include the measurement across your tummy, as in the usual hip circumference measurement).

If this distance is less than 55cm choose the S size, if it is greater than 65 cm, choose the L size.

USING

CUSTOM FITTING YOUR BODYPACK

Our user guides for our models are now in video format:

STRONGLITES
Liquid Agility

ULTRALITES
Marathon Magic 11,22,33

ACCESSORIES
Compact Balance Pockets

PACKING: Backpack vs. Bodypack
Correct weight distribution of the load makes a huge difference to the comfort of your pack. Its more important than the weight itself in reducing the forces acting on the body. To achieve the optimum weight distribution, you must get the feel of the weight/volume ratio of each piece of equipment.

For example, a 1.5 kg. sleeping bag will have a low weight/volume ratio. A 1.5 kg. bag of raisins will have a high weight/ volume ratio.

For optimum comfort, items with the highest weight/volume ratio should be high and close to your back (backpacks), or low and in front (Bodypacks).

With a Bodypack, the lightest items go at the top of the pack, with medium weight items below. We want to bring the center of the gravity of the load down as well as in in order match the center of gravity of the body.

We recommend putting your heaviest most compact items and items you need to access quickly in the Balance Pockets. If its a choice between the 2, counter balance comes first. As you use up heavy items like food on a trip, keep transferring the weight forward to keep the pockets full.

Water is your heaviest item so it is placed as far forward as possible- in the stretch pockets on the front of the Balance Pockets. We recommend using 2 pump type water bottles, one in each pocket to keep the weight balanced. Drink from each alternatately to maintain the balance. Pump bottles are light, cheap and easily replaceable. In the stretch pockets they are easy to access to drink from and to refill (you don't have to take the pack off). A hydration bladder on the other hand is easy to access to drink from but fiddly and time consuming to fill and reinsert in the pack. We use 2 small volume bottles when the water requirements are less, 2 larger volume bottles in dryer conditions.

CARING

   The following guidelines will enable you to get many years of superb use out of our packs:

• Wrap hard or sharp objects in clothing before packing.
• Don’t haul the pack over rocks or sharp objects.
• Put your pack in a duffle bag for airline travel.
• Clean mud off your pack with soap and water at the end of your trip. Hand washing with a soft bristle scrubbing brush is best. Hang your pack in a cool area to dry.
• Store the pack in a cool dry environment.

Water repellancy

Spare Parts

We do have some spare parts for new and old products available.

Packs: Buckles, nylon and elastic webbing, zip sliders, lids, hip belts, sternum straps, shoulder straps etc.

Pacerpoles: Rubber tips, snow baskets, and various plastic pieces.

To obtain any of these items or to inquire about items not listed here, please email aarndesign@paradise.net.nz

DURABILITY

   Our packs are now made in Vietnam in a professional pack factory with new premises and good working conditions. You can be sure that your pack is not made in a sweatshop! This factory meets ISO 2000 quality control systems.

   Achieving lightweight durability is an ongoing focus at Aarn Packs. Five generations of designs have allowed us to eliminate weak areas.  Here’s how we optimise lightweight durability:

Durable design means we spread the loads over wide areas, eg:

• The most common place on packs for breakage is where the shoulder strap webs are sewn to the pack. Our lower shoulder strap webs form a continuous sling under the bottom of the pack to disperse the load.
• Gussets are used to distribute stress over a large area.

Durable construction means we use multiple layers of stitching and fabric where loads are concentrated, eg:

• Double stitched and bound main seams to prevent seam splits and internal wear.
• 12mm seam allowance rather than the usual 10mm.
• Hyperlon fabric at frame ends and wear points.
• Double or triple bottoms.
• Bar-tacking web insertion and other high-stress points.

Durable materials means we use expensive, high quality materials, eg:

• Nylon webbing.
• Duraflex®, YKK® and ITW ® buckles.
• Heathcoat® Matrix mesh from the UK.
• 1000D and 500D Cordura® or Kodra fabrics.
• Kolon® or Bontex® ripstop nylon.
• YKK® zips.
• Yunan® 7075 T6 alloy frames.
• Daeshin 6061 T6 alloy frames.

GUARANTEE
Our products are guaranteed against defects in materials and workmanship for 3 years to the original purchaser.

This warranty does not cover damage due to wear and tear, abuse, accidents and other mistreatment that the product was not designed for. If a product fails due to a manufacturing fault, we will repair it free of charge or replace it at our discretion. If a replacement is necessary, a deduction based in usage may be made. If the product fails for other reasons, we will repair it for a reasonable charge.

Sending in your pack for repair.

Please remove all personal items ( trash in pockets, etc) and clean the pack with soap and water before sending in. The product may be sent back to the you or you may be charged a fee for the cleaning of the pack prior to repair, if it is very dirty. Proof of purchase, a clear description of the damage and full contact details also need to be included for warranty service.

For international sales where there is a distributor for your country, please contact the distributor for details regarding the repair service. If there is no distributor in your country, items that must be returned to us in NZ for repair should be sent via insured International Air Mail or courier post at your expense.

EVOLUTION
We welcome your intelligent feedback, both constructive and critical, based on your experiences. This helps us refine our designs into the most efficient, integrated and realized pieces of load carrying equipment possible at this time. Every year we make improvements in our designs. We like the excitement of being at the cutting edge of design. Products either get better, or if they stand still while others improve, in effect they get worse. We reserve the right to improve our designs without notice!

DESIGN FOR MARKET LEADERSHIP

 Aarn Design has 8 patents granted or pending in many countries on packs, and 4 on tents.  Aarn Design has licensed the following patented technologies:

Packs

Frame systems to AMG Outdoor, Scotland.

Flow Motion systems to Halti, Finland

U-Flow Motion system to Black Diamond USA

Waterproof Dri-liners to Fairydown, NZ

Tents

Tension Band system to AMG Outdoor , Scotland