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If you bought your new ArcLight™ pack through a dealer who fitted the pack
to you, follow these brief instructions to double-check that your pack is adjusted
properly. If you would like a full description of how to fit the pack yourself, see
Sizing and Fitting ArcLight™ Packs on page 11.
1.
Make sure the hipbelt is positioned at the very bottom of the slot behind the
lumbar pad. If it's not, reach between the belt and lumbar pad, break loose the
hook-and-loop and reposition the belt.
2.
Load the pack with a reasonable amount of weight (25 to 40 pounds). Be sure to
fasten and tighten the internal load-control strap — this is the strap with a yellow
buckle found inside the pack bag near the top.
3 .
For maximum comfort, it is imperative that you observe the following ritual when
fitting the pack and each time you put the pack on. First, loosen the hipbelt trim
straps and shoulder-pad lift straps. Now put the pack on and adjust the straps in
the following order:
1 .
Center the hipbelt on your hip crests and tighten the belt.
2 .
Tighten the main shoulder straps comfortably snug.
Firmly tighten the hipbelt trim straps — this is crucial to obtain the best
3.
possible performance from your ArcLight™ pack.
4.
Retighten the main shoulder straps.
5.
Lightly tension the shoulder-pad lift straps.
6.
Place the sternum strap in a comfortable position on your upper chest and
snug it lightly.
4 .
Now check off the following points using the 'Quick Start Fitting' illustrations on
the left as a guide. Be sure you adopt a backpacking position by bending slightly
forward at the hips.
The back panel of the pack should closely follow the contours of your back.
a .
b .
The upper ends of the shoulder pads (not the unpadded Stretch Adjusters) should
terminate one to two inches below the junction of your shoulders and neck.
c .
The Stretch Adjusters should form a smooth extension of the framesheet up to
the shoulder pads.
d .
The curves in the shoulder pads should swing outward around your neck and then
inward at your upper chest before sweeping outward again to avoid the breast area.
The lower end of the shoulder pads should terminate approximately two inches
e .
below your armpits.
f .
The sliding buckle where the shoulder-pad lift strap exits the shoulder pad
should be at the top of your shoulder.
g .
The sternum strap should cross the middle of your upper chest in a comfort-
able position.
h .
The hipbelt's pads should extend past the front points of your hipbones by an inch
or so, but not be so long that they prevent the belt from being tightened fully.
If everything checks out okay, you're ready to load the pack for real and hit
the trail! If something feels uncomfortable, see Sizing and Fitting ArcLight™ Packs,
1
on page 11, for detailed instructions.
Quick Start Instructions

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Summary of Contents for Dana Design ArcLight

  • Page 1 Quick Start Instructions If you bought your new ArcLight™ pack through a dealer who fitted the pack to you, follow these brief instructions to double-check that your pack is adjusted properly. If you would like a full description of how to fit the pack yourself, see Sizing and Fitting ArcLight™...
  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Adjusted and used properly, an ArcLight™ pack will give you superb carrying comfort. Please take a few minutes to read through this manual to learn how to use your new pack.
  • Page 3: Attaching The Hipbelt

    Attaching the Hipbelt You may want to remove your hipbelt for any number of reasons: to clean your pack, to create a HipLid™ hipsac or to reduce bulk while traveling. What- ever the reason for removing the belt, you’ll need to know how to attach it again properly.
  • Page 4: Pack Features In Detail

    Pack Features in Detail The following features are found on all ArcLight™ packs with a few exceptions. HipLid™ A HipLid™ is a large-capacity hipsac cre- ated by combining the pack’s hipbelt and lid. To create the HipLid™, remove the lid and hipbelt from the pack.
  • Page 5 Putting firm tension on the hipbelt trim straps is crucial to obtain the best possible performance from your ArcLight™ pack. If you want a softer-flexing frame while carrying lighter loads, reduce the tension on the hipbelt trim straps.
  • Page 6 Compression Straps Compression straps are the two horizontal straps located on each side of the pack bag. They are used to compress any size load, reduce the pack’s vol- ume when carrying a small load and attach skis, tent poles, fishing rods, etc. Keep the compression straps snugged tight at all times to compress and immo- bilize your load.
  • Page 7 Retractable Bottom Packing extra heavy? Packing extra light? Our unique retractable bottom helps in both situations. If you’re traveling light, retracting the bottom gives you a smaller pack that still carries superbly, with the load distributed evenly in the upper two-thirds of the pack. If you’re traveling with a bulky load, cinching down the retractable bottom gives you an extra eight inches of space at the bottom of the frame where you can lash on bulky items that don’t fit in- side the sleeping-bag compartment.
  • Page 8: Packing For Comfort

    Packing For Comfort To obtain the greatest possible comfort from your ArcLight™ pack, you must load it properly. The fundamental principle is that a thin, flat load, as viewed from the side, carries better than a fat, cylindrical load. Carrying a thin load lets you walk com- fortably upright instead of leaning forward in a constant battle against a pack that’s trying to pull you over backwards.
  • Page 9 Dana Design® packs are built from extremely tough materials, but naked fabric is no match for sharpened steel. To protect your pack when carrying skis, cut four six- inch lengths from an old bicycle inner tube.
  • Page 10: Adjusting Your Pack On The Trail

    Adjusting Your Pack on the Trail For maximum comfort, it is imperative that you follow this ritual each time you put the pack on. Before picking up the pack, make sure that the hipbelt trim straps and shoulder-pad lift straps are loose. Now put the pack on making sure to lift the pack by the haul loop and not the shoulder pads.
  • Page 11: Sizing And Fitting Arclight™ Packs

    Sizing and Fitting ArcLight™ Packs A Note on Fitting While it is possible to size and fit an ArcLight™ pack by yourself, we highly recommend that you visit a Dana Design® dealer who we have trained to size and fit our packs. If you have any questions which cannot be answered by a dealer, please call our Customer Service Department at 888-357-3262.
  • Page 12 Adjusting ArcLight™ packs ArcLight™ packs use our patented Stretch Adjustment System™ to fine- tune the fit once you’ve selected the right size. The Stretch Adjustment Sys- tem™ is ultimately simple, yet infinitely flexible. It allows you to adjust the ef- fective shape of the pack’s framesheet to fit your torso length and shoulder...
  • Page 13 When the Stretch Adjuster is correctly positioned, it causes the Top of shoulder pad to wrap Shoulder around the shoulder so End of that the end of the Shoulder shoulder pad is 1” to 2” below the top of the 1"- 2"...
  • Page 14: Sizing Chart

    Selecting the Correct Size Shoulder Pads All ArcLight™ packs use our Soft Edge Shoulder Pads. These pads are avail- able in three sizes: small through large. In general, many women use small pads while taller women (5' 8"...
  • Page 15: Bending The Aluminum Stay

    If you need to modify the stay’s shape, we strongly urge you to seek out a Dana Design® dealer. All of our dealers have been trained in the proper fitting of our packs. If that’s impossible, you can test your agility by using a mirror or test a friendship by employing a friend.
  • Page 16: Caring For Your Pack

    Caring For Your Pack Cleaning Your Pack Packs lead a hard life. They get dragged through the mud and tossed into the back of pickup trucks. You can extend the life of your pack by cleaning it when necessary. Start by removing the aluminum stay (see Bending the Stay, at the top of this page) and the hipbelt (see Attaching the Hipbelt, on page 3).
  • Page 17: Buckle Threading

    Buckle Threading Ladder-Lock Buckle (1) Thread the loose end of the strap through the bottom of the buckle, (2) over the visible bar, (3) then back down through the buckle and out. The loose end is the end used for adjusting strap tension. (4) This loop attaches the buckle itself to a fixed point on the pack and is shown here for reference only.
  • Page 18: Dana Design Pack Accessories

    ® Dana Design Pack Accessories We build a full line of pack accessories that can make your trip more convenient and enjoyable. Ribs Ribs are a convenient and comfortable way to carry items you want to reach quickly, such as a camera, map or water bottle.
  • Page 19 Travel Pocket™ When traveling on airplanes with your pack as checked luggage, we strongly recommend stowing the pack inside our Travel Pocket™. Not only does the Travel Pocket™ protect the pack from conveyor belts and baggage gorillas, but it doubles as a makeshift rainfly and a second piece of luggage.
  • Page 20 Window Stuffers For the ultimate in organization, Window Stuffers not only compartmentalize your gear, they also give cues for at a glance identification. Three sizes for versatility. Ideal for first aid kits, repair kits, spice kits, anything where easy identification is useful. Compression Stuffers When your gear threatens to explode out of your pack, Compression Stuffers are the ideal containment system.

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