[gpccan]

I'm having a heck of a time getting warranty part replacement for a faulty sternum strap from Gregory backpacks. It's been 6 months and many messages and all I get back is "out of stock" and "We do not have an estimated date of availability at this time". Very frustrated and I've now asked for a replacement backpack because this one is unusable as the straps just fall off our shoulders. We've only owned the pack for 9 months and used it maybe 5 times. Any suggestions from this group?

[Kim Brown]

Just a wild guess re the last few months: the company and it's suppliers has been affected by closures due to the pandemic?? Doesn't excuse pre-pandemic non responses though! For now, use a shoelace. I've used a shoelace for years on my backpack and it works fine. Sure a sternum strap would be nice, but I never remember to go that extra step. And this suggestion doesn't help your warranty issues.

[Bowregard]

I bought a Gregory Backpack a few years ago as-is with a broken sternum strap and was shocked that they could not replace it for me. But they directed me to Samsonite (who owns Gregory Mountain Products) and I was able to buy a great replacement one over the phone. It was kind of strange because I think all they asked for was my name and I can't remember if they even billed me. I liked the strap so well I bought another one for my Salomon Daypack a year later. They a bit difficult to attach to the cording but once installed they worked better than the original. I looked it up and the last one I bought was in July of 2016. I have a photo from somewhere with the following information on it: 1042792 - STRN STR S11 W SLIDRS 20MM BLK I hope that helps. I had a hard time finding one that would attache as designed.

[Anne Elk]

[Songs2]

I have several straps with buckles, used with my older external frame pack, created before sternum straps were a regular part of a backpack. A quick look at Amazon shows: Thermarest Camping and backpacking and accessory straps Wisdompro backpack chest strap BTNOW DIY rolls of webbing plus side-release buckles Many choices. These things are cheap and are really useful for affixing items to a frame. I throw them in, along with some lengths of rope, on almost any trip longer than a couple of days. They don't slide down when used as a sternum strap, so they don't need to be attached to the harness. In my experience.

[SwitchbackFisher]