How to Fix a Broken Backpack Adjuster

As an avid outdoorsman, you are meant to practice the essence of self-reliance. Not only is backpacking hard on your body, but it can be hard on your gear as well. If your gear breaks while you are in the field, it's helpful to know different ways to repair it. However, some gear repairs require specialty repair equipment such as a modified backpacker's sewing awl. Knowing how to perform different repairs will ultimately help you to remain in the field longer and take better care of your equipment.

Things You'll Need

  • Specialized backpacking sewing awl
  • Fishing line
  • Seam grip
  • Duct tape
Show More

Instructions

  1. Broken Hip Belt Buckle

    • 1

      Load your hip belt by fastening the buckle and pulling the adjustment straps so that the buckle is tightened against your hips, transferring the load of the pack onto the hip belt. If the buckle snaps open, even slightly, then it will not adequately transfer the load, causing more pain for your shoulders and back than absolutely necessary.

    • 2

      Open the brain (also known as the lid) of your pack and pull out the extra hip belt that is used to turn your brain into a fanny pack when it is fully detached from your bag. Remove the webbing from the brain's hip belt buckle by unthreading it from the webbing straps. Repeat the same unthreading process for your backpack's hip belt.

    • 3

      Exchange the buckles from the hip strap found underneath your brain with the one that is on the hip belt of your pack. If you don't thread the webbing through the buckle correctly, the straps will easily slip through the buckle. If you are not familiar with how your buckles work, only replace one half of the buckle at a time, starting with the female end on the hip belt from the brain, followed by the female end from the hip belt belonging to the backpack.

    Broken Webbing

    • 4

      Thread the backpacker's sewing awl according to the directions. Different field-sewing repair kits have various ways of threading the modified punch awl so that it can also sew while being used in the field. If you have run out of heavy-duty thread, fishing line may be used as a substitute.

    • 5

      Sew the broken piece of strapping or webbing that needs repair. If the webbing is passed through or connected to a buckle, adjust the webbing so that the sew part of the strap is permanently on one side of the buckle or the other.

    • 6

      Apply seam grip and duct tape as a final protective covering and adhesive sealant for the stitches that were put into the pack as a means of reinforcing the repair.