Custom bag partnerAnswer first
Start with Bag Position, Not a Size Chart
A crossbody strap should put the bag at a height you can reach and carry comfortably for its intended load. Body proportions, preferred position, bag depth and the strap's attachment points all affect the total length needed. A number copied from another brand's chart may put your bag in a different place.
If you already like the fit of another bag, use that bag as a reference, but record what you measured. The length along a detached strap between its ends is not the same as the vertical handle or strap drop from its inside apex to the bag top. The latter Guide explains those endpoints; this one focuses on finding a crossbody fit.
A practical fitting method
Try the Bag, Then Measure the Path
- Choose the carry position: decide where the top and body of this bag should rest, not just where a different-sized bag rests.
- Try a reference: wear a similarly sized bag, or use a length of string between the proposed attachment points. Move it until you can reach the opening comfortably.
- Measure the defined span: if using a detachable strap, measure end to end including the hardware only if your specification says to include it. Mark the endpoints on a photo or sketch.
- Allow adjustment: record a useful shortest and longest setting after trying likely wearers and clothing layers. Recheck where the bag hangs when it is filled.
Mautto's own strap guide suggests testing with string on the bag and measuring the result; Arden Cove suggests measuring a favorite bag's drop or the intended shoulder-to-opposite-waist path. Their charts are for their own products, not a universal AltusPack length.
For a custom bag brief
Give the Designer More Than One Length
We can help turn your preferred carry position into a strap and attachment brief. A target length alone leaves questions: is it the webbing only, the full detachable strap including clips, or a vertical drop? Where on the bag are the fittings? How large and heavy will the filled bag be? Without those answers, a first sample may fit differently from your reference.
Ann Saunders recommends checking strap attachment, balance, adjustment and comfort on a mockup. For a new bag, it is sensible to try the sample loaded, over expected clothing and on people within the intended user range. That is a design review, not a guarantee of ergonomic fit or load strength.
A useful message to send: “I want this crossbody bag to sit around my upper hip. The reference strap measures ___ from end to end including clips at my preferred setting; its usable range is ___ to ___. I have marked the bag's attachment points and would like to confirm fit on a loaded sample.”
Apply this to a catalog style
Mark the Strap Hardware and Attachment Points
AltusPack catalog style · AP-R4-046
Checkerboard Crossbody Bag Catalog Style
What the photo shows: A small bag, a strap slider and clips at the bag-side fittings.
How to use this example: Identify which hardware is included in your length measurement and where the strap meets the bag. Then check a physical sample at the intended setting.
Evidence limit: This photograph does not establish total strap length, usable range, fit, fibre content or load capacity.
Source and limits
Why There Is No Single Number Here
Ann Saunders, Design, Manufacture and Sell Your Bag Collection (first published 2024), PDF pp.224 and 226 / book pp.201 and 203, covers strap balance, adjustment, wearer checks and the distinction between drop and handle length. The linked Mautto and Arden Cove guides offer fitting methods for their own strap ranges. Our sample-brief steps are editorial application. None of these sources verifies a universal crossbody measurement or this catalog style's dimensions.