Let customers speak for us
"I honestly couldn't have made this documentary without the Aarn Photo Balance Pockets. I was carrying a 5d Mkiii with a 24-105 lens, a 14mm prime, and tripod and they were all within hands reach at any time. The weight distribution was amazing as well. It's a little unwieldy to get on and off. Otherwise, brilliant."
I am a botanical artist and do a lot of sketching and photographing of plants in the field. I have gone through a lot of packs to find the right fit for my equipment. Finally after searching endlessly for a daypack that would hold my art supplies and my camera equipment, the Aarn Balance Pack has proven the perfect solution. I carry my camera equipment up front in the Photo Balance Pockets so I have instant access – no longer do I have to constantly take off my backpack- and I carry my paints, paper, water, sketching tools, clothing and food for the day in the pack. Since herniating a disk in my back several years ago balancing gear up front with and behind is much easier on my back than a backpack. Happily the Aarn design also does not sacrifice manoeuvrability for tramping and climbing. It is very useful to be able to attach the same Balance Pockets to either a full sized pack or a daypack, depending on trip length. Even in hot weather the Balance Pockets do not make the packs hotter and I have used them in some very hot places! I now use this pack exclusively on all my tramps from New Zealand to Bhutan and beyond. Excellent.
The Photography Balance Pockets make it really easy to keep the camera at the ready - it's very easy to grab the DSLR out of the pocket, even with a 70-300 lens attached. When it comes to changing lenses, its like having an extra pair of hands. The load balance was amazing - totally different to my normal experience. Last weekend I packed my normal day-hike winter safety gear, food, 1.5 L of water, then loaded the pockets with my DSLR, 3 lenses, binoculars, GPS, plus a second point-and-shoot camera. The load just never seemed to be an issue.
The elastic pockets worked well for stowing filters. I found the dry sacs spacious enough to make for easy use. This is a good feature as most inexpensive DSLR's and lenses aren't weather or dust sealed.
Aarn's Photo Balance Pockets have completely changed the way I take pictures whilst in the backcountry. As a long-time contributor to Wilderness Magazine I'm always striving to capture beautiful moments of people having a good time in the outdoors.
The Photo Balance Pockets help me having my camera and lenses available at all times without having to take my pack off. The other day I even caught myself changing a lens while walking. They are as much a camera bag as they are a safe container to handle my expensive camera gear while climbing up a mountain. My gear worries crossing rivers are a thing of the past, too. I just roll up the dri-liners and all that will get wet is me. Turning them into a day pack is another nice feature. Once I have made camp I can keep on exploring with a lighter pack.
With my camera gear safely and comfortably available at all times I can be fully in the moment and capture the story of a day in the mountains while it is happening.
I have been using the AARN Photo Balance Pockets with a number of pack models for several years now. The photo pockets have quickly become my case of choice for travel and field photography. Each compartment has individual dry bags for each piece of gear. Typically, I will carry an SLR (w/out battery grip) with a wide-angle lens in the larger compartment. On the other side, I fill the dry bags with various lenses and/ or a flash. There is more storage in the bottom each pocket that can house smaller lenses, or needed accessories. Access is one of my favorite features of the system: a top zip allows for quick grabs when needed. Each piece of equipment is protected with a dry bag, and some thin padding. I have taken my systems on several extended expeditions and have never had an issue with the padding. The final feature that has been a HUGE bonus for me is that the balance pockets detach and become a smaller backpack on it's own. This is truly great for those smaller hikes or urban travel with a camera system.
New Fav pack!
Bought this as a smaller fastpacking option to my Aarn mountain magic and absolutely love it! Easily got my overnight gear including tent and bedroll in and will be able to fit a few days worth of food.
Awesome piece of gear that nobody else seems to offer! Works great!
I am so impressed with this pack that I just felt I had to say thank you for the thought put into design! I do a lot of hiking and long distance hitchhiking, right now I am doing the winter in Sweden and for warmth have to carry a lot, my previous Deuter bag was not big enough so I went to buy a new pack and found a 45l Peak Aspiration and the expedition pockets... I filled the bag and tried it on and was so impressed that I had to buy it although way out of my budget (now I'm too poor to eat, but my back is happy!). I really can't get over it, even without the balance pockets and a 15kg+ load on my back I can hardly feel it, and the movement is incredible! if I had found a pack like this a couple of years ago I'd be in much better shape. it is truly amazing and I will be recommending your products to EVERYBODY and barely glancing at other brands, I hope one day I can afford some other sizes for other needs, but this is really going to make a big difference to my winter and I have to thank you! It feels weird doing this about a bag, but I really can't say how impressed I am and how much of a difference it makes to my adventure.
My body thanks you!
In the summer 2014/2015, I put making coffees aside for a bit to walk the length of New Zealand on the Te Araroa. Doing some research about what kind of gear to get for that challenge, I discovered Aarn�balance packs�and was impressed by the ingeniousness behind the design. I then decided to equip myself with a Featherlite Freedom, which made walking these 3000Kms from Cape Reinga to Bluff as smooth as a latte bowl. Along the way, my pack raised a few eyebrows, sparked a lot of questions and was tried on many times by curious and interested hikers. At least 5 of them now have swapped their regular backpack for an Aarn�balance packs:
- J�rg Flugge, from Germany and living now in Wellington, who bought his own Featherlite Freedom as soon as he could on the Trail.
- Rory Hart, who, right after the Te Araroa,� through-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in the USA and brought with him an AARN pack.�
- Patrick Cooley, who, while working as a sound engineer on a world tour for a rock band, seized the chance to purchased his AARN pack during his most recent visit to Christchurch.
- Evelyn de Boeck and her partner Per-Jonas Strand (aka Eef and P-J), who both decided for an AARN pack to walk the Bibbulmun track in Australia right after the Te Araroa.
Am I boasting that I played a part in these people swapping their old backpack for an AARN pack? maybe a little, but really, the practicality and comfort of your clever pack did all the convincing. I just happened to show the pack around and spread the news.
It is exactly as described and an awesome product
Maybe the perfect overnight pack�
I wanted a lightweight but still fully featured and resilient pack for 1-2 night adventures. Couldn�t be happier with the Pace Magic 40. As light as many �ultralight� packs but with a frame, good material.
"Working for myself comes with benefits I occasionally need to remind myself of. The other day I had to jog my memory when I noticed a weekend tramping trip wasn�t an option but that a quick mid-week getaway was available to those of us with a flexible schedule. Yay!
As I gathered my gear, I mentally reviewed the changes I had made to my tramping kit over the past year. My goal was to reduce neck and back pain, which had been plaguing me for many moons. I have been reviewing these changes over a few trips, going through various iterations of equipment that brought me ever closer to my dream setup.
While the overarching goal was weight reduction (of the pack, not its mule), I increased the weight of comfort items like a sleeping pad (also adding a camping chair). During this process, I took a lot of inspiration from ultralight principles, but without (going to the extreme of) cutting off my toothbrush handle. The resulting loadout is tailored to suit my most common type of trip: A single overnighter in low alpine terrain covering 3.5 seasons. I have also learned to embrace some of my more idiosyncratic needs to keep my brain happy, but more about that later.
Weight Reduction
My new kit is by no means ultralight, but it has come very close. The ultralight adage that not bringing items is the cheapest way to reduce weight guided a lot of my decisions. Every item in my pack was evaluated, and either removed, replaced, or, in rare circumstances, kept as-is. Save 30 grams on an already quite light titanium pot? Bring it on! Leave the Kindle at home and use a phone + ultralight battery pack instead? Sure! Drop 150 grams on a rain jacket? Absolutely!
Taken by themselves, each of these changes will have your tramping friends laugh you off the mountain. But apply them to dozens of items, and suddenly your base weight is 30-40% lower. The effect of carrying less weight is drastic!
The dark side of these changes lies in their cost. A lot of items can only be sourced from cottage companies overseas. By the time they arrive in New Zealand, they are�expensive. When I started going for the low-hanging fruit, each gram saved cost me roughly one NZD. These days I�m closer to $2/g. That�s ouch, but I�d rather buy new gear than give the money to my physiotherapist.�
The number of changes I made could fill a book, so I�ll discuss only a few noteworthy items below.�
Sleep System
My ideal sleep temperature range is quite narrow, and after 20 years in sleeping bags I decided to give quilts a chance. Not only does my�Enlightened Equipment Revelation�quilt allow me to pop out a leg to cool down when set up as a blanket, it also zips up the footbox in colder nights. As a nice extra it can be turned into a poncho, which is great on a cold morning. I have used the -6C version down to -4C on this trip, and could not have been happier with it. It�s also stupidly light and can be customised for warmth, length, width and colours.�
After using Therm-A-Rest sleeping pads for almost twenty years, I finally started looking for alternatives. I was extremely happy with the weight and warmth of my X-Therm pad, but due to its relatively hard horizontal baffling system I never slept on it particularly well. I have since tried various pads to address this issue, and have landed on a�Big Agnes Rapide SL�pad for now. It is significantly more comfortable than the X-Therm, at the expense of being slightly heavier and colder. I was happy with it at -4C, but I would not use it when camping on snow.
Another addition to my sleeping kit is an inflatable pillow. My�Hikenture pillow�will not break any weight records, but it is an incredibly comfortable pillow for side-sleepers. Using a stuff-sack full of clothes does not even begin to compare. Why did I torture my poor neck for so long?
Between sleeping much better, having less weight to carry, and having a way to relax comfortably in my�Helinox Chair Zero�during breaks and in the evening, my body has never been happier during or after a walk. I used to be in pain for days, and sometimes weeks, when coming back from a tramp, thanks to lifelong back issues. The improvements to my well-being have been significant, and pain does not factor into trip decisions any more.
Other Changes
While I was reviewing my kit, I started challenging a few other assumption and habits. I have always struggled a lot more than the average person with the feeling of cold sweat and sunscreen on my skin. For the last few trips I tried Brynje�mesh undershirts, that were originally designed for moisture management in cold conditions. I have a summer and a winter shirts, and they have served me well on hot summer days as well as temperatures just above freezing.�As a bonus, the looks of a 90s rave outfit will serve to amuse your tramping buddies.�
I combined this with a sun hoodie � a thin, long-sleeved polypropylene shirt with an integrated hood. This combination keeps me dry and out of the sun, and has been a huge improvement in warm...
I think the pack is tremendous! It's the first pack I've had that really does what it is supposed to. I had back surgery six years ago. Part of a disc in my back was removed. I don't have any back pain with my Aarn pack as I always had with other packs. Backpacking is the love of my life. I have had one of the best known, highly rated and most expensive internal frame packs on the market. This one surpasses that in terms of comfort. There was no discomfort in either the shoulders or the hips.
The Balance Pockets enable you to walk in a more upright position, and with considerably more balance than with a normal pack. Additionally, the load is distributed over the body, so your shoulders don't get as sore. It all adds up to a less fatigued body, and one that can traverse awkward terrain more confidently. I noticed a profound difference straight away wearing this pack.
