How to Measure Your Torso - Backpack Fit Guide
This guide is designed to help you get the most accurate measurements possible for your custom Sockdolager Equipment backpack.
Every pack I build to these measurements, so they are critical to getting an ideal fit.
Items You Need
Fabric Measuring Tape: These can be found at your local craft store. A flexible measuring tape is more accurate than a rigid ruler or tape measure.
A Friend: These measurements, in particular the torso size, are hard to do accurately on your own. A friend can help make sure your spine is straight and the measurements aren't distorted.
Measuring Your Torso Size
1. Locate your iliac crest. Place your hands under your ribcage and compress your waist, sliding your hands down until they come to rest on the rigid shelf at the highest point of your hip bones - this is your Iliac Crest. Trace a line between the top of your Iliac Crest to where it intersects your spine.
2. Locate your C7 vertebra. Gently tilt your head forward to find the bump at the base of your neck. This is your C7 vertebra.
3. Measure the distance from the Iliac Crest to the C7. This is most easily accomplished with your friend using a flexible measuring tape, and following the spine from the intersecting line of the Iliac Crest to the C7 vertebra. Stand upright before making the measurement. This is your torso size.
Effective Frame Height (Secondary Measurement)
This measurement helps estimate a Bad Larry frame height on your body. This is a secondary measurement that can be used as a reference to confirm how the finished pack would fit your body.
This measurement on the pack is from the bottom edge of the hip belt to the top of the frame where the load lifters attach. The top of the frame should extend above your shoulders to your ear. A proper frame height will allow you to keep the weight off your shoulders while allowing the load lifters to be adjusted properly. This becomes even more important the heavier your total pack weight is.
1. Approximate where the bottom edge of your hip belt will rest. This location can be estimated by wearing a fully loaded pack you already own or have access to. You can also cross reference these measurements with a trial pack to verify the fit.
2. Measure the distance from the bottom edge of your hip belt to the center of the ear. Stand tall and upright, and have your partner use a flexible measuring tape to measure straight down from the ear to the bottom of edge of the hip belt/lumbar pad.
This measurement serves as a second reference point to torso size, and corresponds to the exact measurement of the finished backpack before it is fully loaded.
*Shoulder strap height is the exact dimension on the finished pack from the bottom of the hip belt/lumbar pad to the seam the straps are sewn into.
Size Chart - Torso Size
Small:
Torso Measurement: 15-17"
Shoulder Strap Height: 16.5"
Effective Frame Height: 21.5"
Medium:
Torso Measurement: 17-19"
Shoulder Strap Height: 18.5"
Effective Frame Height: 23.5"
Large:
Torso Measurement: 19-21"
Shoulder Strap Height: 20.5"
Effective Frame Height: 25.5"
Extra Large:
Torso Measurement: 21-23"
Shoulder Strap Height: 22.5"
Effective Frame Height: 27.5"
Measuring Your Waist Size
This measurement is the total circumference around your waist where you will wear your hipbelt. This is NOT your pant size. It is the exact measurement of your total waist circumference.
Measuring the Padded Belt Size
This measurement is used to make sure that the padded section of the belt fully wraps the entire skeletal structure. This measurement is your total circumference of your waist, from the forward edge of your hipbones around your back to the other edge of your hipbones.
Size Chart - Waist Belt
Small: 28" padded - Fits 29" – 38"
Medium: 31" padded - Fits 32" – 41"
Large: 34" padded - Fits 35" – 44"