Lighten Your Backpack Load With SuperStraps

Have you ever tucked your thumbs in behind your backpack shoulder straps and pushed forward, attempting to take the strain off your neck for awhile? You can only do that for so long until your arms and hands get tired. Now SuperStraps is here to do the job for you — pull on the system and the weight of your bag is instantly distributed more evenly, with pressure points taken off of your back, neck and shoulders to keep you hiking happy all day long.

SuperStraps simply Velcro on to the back of your shoulder straps and act like a pulley system that when engaged, creates an arc in the straps (basically shortening the straps) that hoists your load and stops you from slumping. This motion frees up your neck and head, enabling you to walk upright — supposedly the equivalent of taking 27 pounds of force off your neck.

SuperStraps works by transferring a large portion of your load to your chest, and dispersing it over a surface area up to five times greater than the crest of your shoulder (where the weight of your backpack normally sits). Most backpacks put a ton of pressure on the top area of your shoulder and provide little, if any, padding. So every time you take a step, the downward force is applied directly to your shoulder, with very little material to absorb any of it. SuperStraps disperses these forces over your chest and adds shock absorbing material to make it extra comfy.

While most outdoor-related backpacks are built with their own load lifter system and other adjustments to do this already, many daypacks use just plain should straps and this is often where you run into trouble. I would love to use these on my Timbuk2 Wingman as after carrying that around airports all day, I sometimes end up with a migraine from all the weight on my neck and shoulders. I am also curious how this might work for hydration packs on the bike.

SuperStraps come in one size — they are two inches wide (the most common backpack strap size) and fit most backpack straps that are one to three inches wide. The system is recommended for everyday backpacks, ideally hauling from seven to 21 pounds.

The company is taking pre-orders over on Kickstarter. You can get a pair of SuperStraps for $49 with expected delivery in October.

1 Comment
  1. Is this a late April fools prank?
    “creates an arc in the straps (basically shortening the straps) ” Umm why not just shorten your straps.

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