Gearskin

[Didjfan]

I know Sgt.Rock has one, does anyone else here? I am having some trouble getting mine to not use so much shoulders to support the load.
I may be selling it if anyone is interested.

[Hog On Ice]

I have one - the fit is very good for me but then I would have expected a good fit since Jonathan of Moonbow was the person who measured me. Unfortunately for you there really isn't much adjustment - just the two adjustable straps that connect from the shoulder harness to the main body of the Gearskin and I am assuming you have already played with the various possibilities there. What it sounds like is that the point at which the shoulder harness is sewn on the main 'skin is perhaps set too low. I would suggest emailing Moonbow and see if they agree with my guess. Another possibility is that the load itself is not snugged down enough to make it a single unit or the load does not extend enough upward to enable the two adjustable harness straps to lift the load off your shoulders. One possibility here is to make sure you fold the load right at the hip belt and don't let it sag down too much as you are tightening the side straps.

Note take all the above with a grain of salt since I really have not had a lot of experience with the Gearskin under different loads - in other words my 'skin fits well with the load I normally carry which includes a full length pad thus giving the adjustment straps something to work against.

[SGT Rock]

I think it may be your packing style, but I could be wrong. Could you describe how you pack it.

[Hog On Ice]

In a casual discussion on another site about the Nada Chair I noticed that the hip belt for the Gearskin could serve the same purpose as the bulk of the Nada Chair if the hip belt was extended out by either tieing on additional webbing or by having a compatible buckle on some additional webbing. Today I tried the idea out and it seemed to work reasonably well using two 48 inch straps tied onto the hip belt of the Gearskin (sheet bend) and then joined at a buckle between the straps to make the big loop adjustable. Anyways with the hip belt behind my back and the extra strap hooked around my feet it was reasonably comfortable sitting on the ground - no back pain (ie much more comfortable that without this Nada Chair emulator). Links:

original thread that gave me the idea (http://thebackpacker.com/trailtalk/thread.php?id=20095&age=999)

The Nada Chair site (http://www.nadachair.com/)

[SGT Rock]

Cool idea. I'll have to try that. I've been thinking of adding an inflatable sit pad to my gear too.