As of July 1st, we've changed our hipbelt sizing. The main message that we want to get across is that you need to measure yourself and choose the right size for you, but this blog will outline why we changed.
Part One
After years of fitting hikers at Atom Packs HQ, we noticed a pattern: the hipbelt size we recommend probably isn't the one customers were expecting. If you have been wearing a size large your whole life, it would be a concern when you turn out to be a size XL hipbelt.
It’s no surprise really.
Clothing sizes vary wildly between brands and a hipbelt is doing a very different job than your shorts. Likewise, if you skip the measuring and order what you normally wear, there’s a good chance you’ll end up with a belt that’s too small, or worse, only realise once you’re miles down the trail.
There was a definite pattern of people being surprised about their size, as well as many people guessing their size and ending up with a too-small hipbelt. It prompted us to switch things up.
That's why, as of July 1st, we moved all our sizes down one size.
The old medium has become small, large has become medium, and so on. Nothing about the hipbelts has changed, but this shift makes the sizing a bit more intuitive.
This is important to bear in mind if you already own an Atom Pack and you want to buy a replacement hipbelt or a new pack.
Part Two
Simultaneously, we wanted to move away from sizing altogether, so the other change we made is to the names of the hipbelts.
We'd rather label the hipbelts than the people wearing them. Sizing from A-H is more inclusive, less confusing and another reminder that you should measure yourself rather than guessing.
Being able to make hipbelt sizes (and torso sizes) for all body shapes is something we've always been proud of. Changing the naming to go one step further in inclusivity is a change we are really pleased to be able to make, even if it means quite a bit of reorganising file names in the background!
We chose the 2XS to be size A because it's rare that we need to make a hipbelt smaller than that. Size XS is B, small is C, and so on.
| New Size | Centimetres | Inches |
| A | 71-76 | 28-30 |
| B | 76-81 | 30-32 |
| C | 81-86 | 32-34 |
| D | 86-91 | 34-36 |
| E | 91-96 | 36-38 |
| F | 96-101 | 38-40 |
| G | 101-106 | 40-42 |
| H | 107+ | 42+ |
If you fall outside this range, please get in touch.
How To Measure
Put your hands on your hips. This is normally a good cue for where you're going to wear your hipbelt. It's usually about an inch or two below your belly button so just do a sense check here.
Take your tape measure and wrap it around this point. Where the tape measure overlaps is your measurement. Take a look at the chart above to see what size you are.
To allow for effective weight transfer, a well-fitting hipbelt should hug the back, sides and front of your hips. The padding should cover the bony front of your pelvis and there should be at minimum a gap of 8 inches between the pads at the front to allow for weight loss on trail.
As always, measure and measure again.
Your future hips will thank you.
