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How Aarn Packs Work
Biomechanical Principles
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 FlowMo Bodypacks are the first to really put the principles into practice.
Professor Stephen Legg, Centre for Ergonomics, Occupational Safety and Health, Massey University, NZ
The Aarn Pack key insight into the biomechanics of pain-free efficient load carrying is amazingly simple. Create a load-carrying system that disturbs the body the least. Aarn FlowMo Bodypacks overcome the disadvantages of backpacks which strain the body. Lets look at the biomechanics of a Bodypack in detail.
NATURAL UPRIGHT POSTURE The importance of posture in load carrying is unrecognised and unaddressed by all the worlds leading pack manufacturers. There are packs out there with a distance from front to back of 0.4metre. The load acts like a lever on the back creating a bending moment that forces the wearer to lean forward to stay upright. Walking all day in this way strains and pains the body. No wonder most people will not carry a large backpack! Research shows that nearly all body-pain caused by using a backpack is due to the stooped forward posture, not the weight itself. A Bodypack solves this situation by balancing weight in front and back eliminating the bending moment. You maintain your natural upright posture under load allowing stress-free load carrying. The natural upright posture eliminates neck, shoulder and thigh pain and almost eliminates back pain with heavy loads. The testimonials confirm that the benefits are real and substantial. |  |
NATURAL BODY MOVEMENT Unless the centre of gravity of the load corresponds to the centre of gravity of your body, the lever-like load on your back makes body movements unwieldy. So creating a natural posture by balancing load front and back is the first step in facilitating natural movement. The second step is to allow the shoulder straps and hipbelt to move freely with the body while the pack remains glued to your back. Then your agility and performance under load will approach the pack-less state. This requires a FlowMo Bodypack. In contrast, a conventional pack alters your centre of gravity and restricts natural shoulder and hip movement. It is like strapping yourself into a frame. The muscles cannot move or stretch to release tension; tiredness accumulates; and your ability to perform high action sports is inhibited. |  |
MIRROR IMAGE HARNESS SHAPING Everyone has a different body size and shape. Unless all the body-contact parts of the pack can be precisely customized to create a mirror image of your body, pressure points will be created, leading to discomfort or pain. Thirty years of designing packs has allowed us to develop the simplest systems to precisely fit the widest range of body forms.
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NATURAL BALANCE Natural Balance requires a natural upright posture, free body movement with complete pack stability, and your pack fitting like a glove. The faster you travel, the more dynamic your activity and the more uneven the terrain, the more important these principles become to maintain balance. |  |
LIGHT WEIGHT Weight becomes the biggest killer of comfort once all the above biomechanical principles are addressed. Your pack, which is only a device for carrying your other gear, is often your heaviest bit of kit. Once you have the most efficient load carrying system- a FlowMo Bodypack- then your energy expenditure is directly proportional to the weight being carried. We prioritize low weight. We do this not by omitting the frame or the hipbelt, which would compromise performance, but by selecting every component and fabric for the highest performance/weight ratio. |  |