Our shipping department is closed temporarily until Monday June 24. We have left our Order Form open so you can place orders, but we will not be able to ship orders until the week of June 24.
Thank you - we appreciate your interest in our products!
Ray on the AT with a 2,200 in3 backpack. (Baseline packweight = 7.5 lbs.)
Sixteen student-made Ray-Way backpacks (2,200 in3) loaded with Ray-Way Tarps and Quilts at one of our outdoor classes. The base-line pack wights of each were 11 lbs. for a full week of hiking and camping enjoyment.
The "shoulder sizing" pertains to the size of the shoulder straps and their attachment points.
To determine shoulder girth, stand with your arms by your sides, and have someone measure all the way around your chest, arms and back at a distance of two inches below the top of your shoulders. To avoid false readings when taking the measurement, avoid inhaling deeply and expanding the arms.
Size
Shoulder girth
XS
less than 34"
S
34" - 38"
M
39" - 41"
L
42" - 44"
XL
45" - 49"
2XL
50" - 54"
3XL
More than 54"
Pack Volume
In addition to shoulder sizing, we have a range of pack volumes:
Note that this is the baseline volume of the pack body itself, and does not include the volume of the three mesh pockets (an additional 400 in3) or the extra space created by the extension collar.
We consider a hip-belt unnecessary with a light to moderate load, in fact counterproductive. And of course we don't normally recommend hiking with a heavy load.
But for those that want it, we sell a specially deigned backpack kit with a hip belt. Our Hip Belt is padded but very light-weight. It has a side-release buckle, and you can adjust the webbing in the usual manner.
If you want to order a Ray-Way Backpack Kit with a hip belt, please see the backpack section of our Order Form where we ask for your hip measurement. Our computer programming customizes your hip belt to fit you.
More info: Hip Belt, and please read why we, ourselves, don't use hip belts.
Hip Belt Size
To take your hip measurement, wrap a tape measure around your body, just above the widest part of your hips. In other words, where you tend to wear your hip belt. If you don't have a tape measure, use a string, then measure the distance on the string.
We don't use sternum straps ourselves, but all of our Backpack Kits come with a removable Sternum Strap. Once you have completed your pack, you can use the sternum strap or leave it off; it's up to you. The sternum strap is easy to remove if you find you don't need it.
Included with the kits are all the materials needed, and detailed, step-by-step instructions with many illustrations.
Backpack Sewing Video
Also available: Backpack Sewing DVD Video, showing the construction of the backpack.
