Longing for an Aeronaut waist belt...

[stevejs]

Does anyone else need a waist-belt to take some of the weight off of a moody back? If so, has anyone found a third party or DIY solution?

Thanks

[aiethabell]

I've tried doing this, and unless you find a real hiker's backpack with a good belt, you're going to get really frustrated. Problem with that is that any pack with a good belt has seen use, and may not last long in its second incarnation on your bag. Lightweight hip belts off most Goodwill or garage-sale bags will only frustrate you, since they'll slip, sag, and cause more trouble than they're worth.

Let's not mention sewing that belt onto an already-existing bag will void the bag's warranty AND be difficult at best for a non-professional seamstress. Sewing that much fabric/padding into a sturdy, functional, presentable whole is out of the question for most of the sewing machines out there (I was a professional costumer in college - trust me on this when I say you'll run a good chance of ruining your machine if it's a cheapo Wal-Mart special). If you really want to go this route, check at REI or similar serious outdoor retailers for their gear repair shop recommendations. Anyone with the equipment to repair packs/tents will have the equipment to do this, but it may cost more than you'd like to spend. Labor isn't cheap.

I really wish the Aeronaut would have a real, carry-load hip belt option, then I'd kick my Air Boss to the back of the closet and pull it out only for the suit-and-diva-crowd business trips. It's the one item I used all the time on my now-dead Eagle Creek Solo Journey, and no backpack-strap bag's ever come close to its hiker-origins hip belt. With that hip belt on I could RUN for connections and my bag wasn't moving one iota.

Tom... any chance of getting one on future redesigns of the Aeronaut? Hint, hint!