Lighten Up with Airpacks

Living in the modern age has its conveniences - and they all add weight. Cell phones, portable CD players, PDA's and laptop computers have made their way into our backpacks and book bags and are weighing us down. The result is strain on the muscles in the upper body that causes head and neck aches, bad posture, muscle spasms and tingling in hands from carrying too much weight where it shouldn't be carried.

Airpacks has developed a unique, patented system designed to help tote today's loads more comfortably and safely. The air pack system is an innovative "air technology" that uses a combination of air-filled straps and a lumbar cushion to redistribute weight to the stronger, load bearing muscles in the hips and lower back - exactly where health experts say weight should be carried.

No More Slouching

By shifting weight to the lower extremities, the airpack creates a fulcrum that promotes an upright standing position. Encouraging the body to stand posturally correct, the AirPacks System actually improves the overall biomechanics of the spine, reducing the stress on the body by 80% and lightening the effective load by 50%. So the wearer actually FEELS BETTER. The improved posture airpack backpacks offer helps reduce child back pain from backpacks.

No other pack can provide the ergonomic support or comfort of the AirPacks System. In fact, we're so confident that we offer a Comfort Guarantee, or your money back.

We're people just like you. Lugging around laptops and suffering from aching backs and shoulders. Tired of watching our kids slouch under the weight of their schoolbooks. We were founded by a mother and businesswoman who, along with a group of other concerned parents and friends, knew life shouldn't be so painful. The more we learned about the long-term and lifetime effects of carrying too-heavy loads, the more we felt an obligation to design an ergonomically-correct pack for children and adults.

Working with leading members of the health care community, we successfully tested our design at a national neuromuscular research laboratory. The first backpacks using our patented AirPacks System were introduced in 1998 and were met with sighs of relief from physicians, parents and children everywhere. Since then we've expanded our line to include briefcases and computer bags and will soon be introducing pocketbooks, all with the AirPacks System and Comfort Guarantee.

40 million teenagers carry a backpack to school each day. While carrying a backpack to school every morning may seem harmless enough, it can cause painful back and neck problems and injuries for students who don't pack or carry their backpacks properly. It can also lead to long-term health problems. In fact, more and more doctors are seeing children for back pain and injuries.

Health professionals advise that individuals carry no more than 10-15% of their body weight on their backs.

Example: A child weighing:
- 50 lbs. should carry no more than 7.5 lbs.
- 80 lbs. should carry no more than 12 lbs.
- 100 lbs. should carry no more than 15 lbs.
- 130 lbs. should carry no more than 19.5 lbs.
- 150 lbs. should carry no more than 22.5 lbs.

Many children are carrying up to 40 lbs. and are injurying themselves and ruining their health. Today's heavy loads are causing injuries that last a lifetime.

> A study by Northeastern University (June 01) reported that the average student has a VAS (Visual Analog Scale) pain level of 4.3 with a high percent reporting in the range of 8-9. The students who wore an AirPacks backpack for six weeks had a VAS pain level of 1.8, a 50% reduction in pain.

> A study by Simmons College (February 01) found that 55% of students carry more than the recommended guidelines of 10-15% of their bodyweight on their backs.

> When 200 New England school nurses were surveyed, 66% reported seeing students with pain or injury that could be attributed to carrying backpacks that were too heavy. > In October 1999 the American Academy of Orthopedics stated that "of the more than 100 physicians surveyed": - 71% felt that backpacks are a clinical problem for children - 58% have seen patients complaining of back or should pain related to backpacks - 65% have recommended that a patient modify the use of a backpack to iprove or correct a back problem - 52% feel that backpack injury is a significant problem Survey was conducted amongst physicians from Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL and Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children, WIlmington, DE > In November 1998 the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a warning concerning injuries related to backpacks. The commission estimated that "3,300 children aged 5 to 14 were treated in emergency rooms last year for injuries related to bookbags". > An Auburn University study reported that heavy backpacks might be a threat to spinal development. In their survey sample, the average pack was 17% of the child's weight. 67.2% of the children studied suffered muscle soreness, 50.8% back pain, 24.5% numbness and 14.7% shoulder pain. > National Public Radio reported that 65% of adolescents' visits to the doctor are for backpack related injuries (October 1998). Comfort Guarantee The AirPacks System provides ergonomic support for less stress and more comfort. It is the only technology that has been extensively tested by the healthcare community. No other pack can provide the ergonomic support or comfort of the AirPack System. In fact, we're so confident that we offer a Comfort Guarantee. We Guarantee that you'll find products with the AirPacks System more comfortable than any other similar product on the market or we'll refund your money if returned in 30 days. Guaranteed. AirPacks products are endorsed by the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA), and International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA), and is approved by Backpack Safety America.

What People Are Saying About AirPacks "AirPacks offers biomechanical efficiency and increased comfort, allowing people to carry their ever-increasing loads with great comfort and safety. The unique design of AirPacks transfer weight system, wider air-filled shoulder straps and lumbar cushion provides superior ergonomic support." - Mary J. Hickey, PT, MHP, OCS Professor of Physical Therapy, Northeastern University "Initial biomechanical tests indicate that the AirPacks backpack causes less stress to the trapezius and abdominal muscles. This supports the premise that the AirPacks packs are better for your back and will cause less stress to the back, shoulder and neck." - Carlo DeLuca, Ph.D. Biomedical Engineer and Director of The Neuromuscular Research Center at Boston University "I've been recommending AirPacks to my patients. The AirPacks system centers the weight, balances impact and provides superior ergonomic support." - Lynda Palmstrom, OT Founder of Occupational Therapy Associates, Wakefield, MA "Optimal health begins at a very early age. It has been shown how much damage a backpack can do to a developing spine. As a father an a Chiropractor, my children will use AirPacks only." - R. Jerry DeGrado, D.C., F.I.C.C. DeGrado, Ltd., Wichita, KS "We have found that the AirPacks have made a great impact on the biomechanics of our patients. The packs help maintain the integrity of the spine and help assist in supporting corrective care." - Sheryl Russell, D.C. Beverly, MA