Suspenders

[TooOld2Hike_EP]

I couldn't make a regular pant belt "work" with my backpack hip belt. Even a small buckle/fastener dug into my belly with my hip belt cinched tight. (And I'm skinny.) So I've switched to suspenders.

Wow - what a difference.

I'm kicking myself for not trying suspenders 50 years ago. Even in everyday wear, it's quite refreshing not having something strangling your waist all the time.

As it goes to backpacking, I've tried a few different varieties of suspenders so far.

The variety that I've settled on is a 1 ½" Undergarment type (soft, ACE bandage-like material) X-style with "finger clips."

The finger clips are thin enough that I don't feel them digging into me. (Hack: The bigger clips that I tried at first did dig into me. So I took some paracord and made two "extenders" for the front clips, that looped around my belt loops and were grabbed by the clips a few inches above my hip belt. I could do the same with the finger clips if they ever became uncomfortable.)

One disadvantage of the soft ACE-like material is that is isn't as strong as normal suspender material.

So far this hasn't been a problem. I simply adjust the tension on them a little more. And once your hip belt is on, tension is moot, since the hip belt is clamping the suspenders near their bottom.

But if I were to wear a stronger normal material, the manufacturer sews a leather reinforcement patch at the X on the back.

During everyday wear, the patch doesn't bother me. And it doesn't actually bother me when I'm wearing my backpack. But it seems that my back could breath better without a leather patch on it. And when I lay down, a patch kinda bunches up and snags.

So for now it's the softer, small clip suspenders without a patch on the back.

[big_load]

And it doesn't actually bother me when I'm wearing my backpack. But it seems that my back could breath better without a leather patch on it. And when I lay down, a patch kinda bunches up and snags.

One thing to watch out for with that is if the leather has any dye the bleeds when you sweat. I haven't experienced that with suspenders, but I have with other a phone carrier.