There are situations where load lifters make sense on a backpack — and situations where they don't. On the Rushfaster Travel Backpack 36L, we chose not to include them. Here's why.
Why Load Lifters Work on Large Hiking Packs
Load lifters are a proven and genuinely valuable feature — on the right backpack. On large hiking packs, they play a critical role in managing heavy loads. Their effectiveness comes down to their position: they anchor above the shoulder line, creating an upward angle that pulls the top of the pack back toward the user’s centre of gravity. This reduces the torque created by weight sitting high and away from the body, relieving pressure on the shoulders.
Note: this mechanism depends entirely on one key condition: height and angle.
Why They Don't Work on Shorter Travel Bags
On shorter backpacks — where the top of the bag sits at or near shoulder level — the load lifter anchor point simply cannot achieve a meaningful upward angle. Rather than lifting and rebalancing the load, the straps can only draw the pack inward by a very small horizontal distance, typically just a few centimetres. In this configuration, the mechanical benefit is minimal. The straps may slightly refine fit or reduce minor movement, but they don't significantly improve load distribution or comfort.
The Rushfaster Travel Backpack 36L stands 54.5 cm tall. For most users, this means it won’t extend sufficiently above shoulder height to create an effective load-lifter angle. As a result, load lifters would provide minimal practical, real-world end-user benefit in this context.
Our Approach: Only What You Need, Nothing You Don’t
Rather than including a feature with marginal end-user benefit, we chose to remove it entirely. This reflects how we think about design — we’re guided by Essentialism.
- Less complexity: fewer straps, fewer adjustments, cleaner interaction
- Lower weight: every component must justify its presence
- More clarity: no features that suggest performance we don’t genuinely deliver
We don’t add features for the sake of it. Every strap, buckle, and adjustment has to justify its place — and load lifters on a one-bag, carry-on travel backpack simply didn’t.
To us, good design isn’t about stacking on every possible feature. It’s about refining the essentials — keeping what genuinely enhances the carry experience, and removing what doesn’t. It’s a careful balance of weight, access, security, and function.
Shop the Rushfaster Travel Backpack 36L
Shop the Rushfaster Travel Backpack Bundle