Trail Motion™ Pivot System

I recently wrote about the evolution of MEC packs where I alluded to the Trail Motion™ technology. I stopped by Mark Knight’s desk to ask a few questions and get some insider info. Here’s all the beta I promised.

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A few years before moving back to Canada, Mark hiked the Haute Route in summer carrying a pack from AARN that was equipped with motion technology. He very much liked his experience and wanted MEC packs to offer the same benefit. Given that we were updating MEC packs with highly technical fabrics and numerous comfort-enhancing features, it was only natural for us to modernize the suspension system on our hiking packs by incorporating some movement in there. After all, the job of a pack is to carry a heavy load, and a well-designed one will do it without you noticing that you are carrying that much weight on your back.

So began the R&D process of developing a suspension system that would move with the body. The design team drafted a list of criteria for the new motion system and went to work:

• Comfort
• Durability
• Load transfer effeiciency
• Easily repairable
• Hipbelt must remain usable even if the pivot breaks
• Sound of pivot in action (i.e. as quiet as possible)

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Another important condition was that we not simply copy and enhance an existing system, but rather develop our own and push motion technology forward. The result (which BTW met all the criteria) is pretty brilliant, at least in my humble opinion: a cool looking pivot with a 12° range of motion that helps stabilize loads and promote natural motion. Should you be scrambling up some scree and get annoyed with the movement of the pack, you can “lock out” the motion system by tightening the straps on the hipbelt.

Some motion systems out there are made of plastic or fabric components that rub against each other, therefore having a tendency to be louder and wear down faster due to increased friction. The MEC Trail Motion™ pivot however, comprises a ball bearing recessed into an aluminum housing that is bolted through a sheet of plastic and directly onto the aluminum pack frame for efficient load transfer. The counter side is made of plastic to avoid the moving parts from rubbing through the fabric on the lumbar support.

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As for ease of repair, it doesn’t get much better than this. In the unlikely event that it would ever wear out, the bearing is a standard one available at most hardware stores and the Allen key needed to remove it comes with the pack (take a peek inside the hipbelt pocket). If you encounter a problem on the trail, detach the lumbar pad by undoing the Velcro holding it in place, try removing the pivot, rotating it to one side, and bolting it back in. That should provide a temporary fix until you get back to civilisation. In in an absolute worse-case scenario where you somehow managed to break off the hipbelt, don’t panic. The lumbar pad will still hold the hipbelt in place allowing you to carry on.

Although we haven’t tested this theory ourselves, other pack manufacturers have equated pivot systems with energy conservation (your energy). Makes sense if you consider that the pack is moving with you and not fighting you. As your body is encountering less resistance, it is using less energy.

What improvements does Mark have in mind? Well, I just saw the prototype he built of a new frame structure he’s working on for spring 2014 and it looks rad. Sorry, it’s top secret stuff so I can’t show it to you. What I can tell you is that it’s already 60gr lighter and that it offers greater flexibility so it will move with you even more efficiently. Stay tuned for more updates.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.