I've had two of these bags now ( one I had replaced for the hip belt bucket breaking.) The second bag now did the same thing. Am I doing something wrong? Should these buckles be that easy to break? I think I need to get them replaced by metal ones of some sort. Does anyone have a suggestion of a sturdy buckle that I can use?
PhisshionSorry to hear about the buckle breaking. We have had a few reports like that, which is odd because the buckles are from Duraflex who are arguably the most respected name in buckles. It seems like they are slightly brittle or something and can break.
We are switching out the buckle for next year to something more durable. If you'd like to switch yours you can get in touch again for warranty, or swap on any 1.5" buckle. It's not normal for a buckle to break, so likely you'd have better results with a different 1.5" buckle. A quick way to do that would be to grab a 1.5" buckle from an online shop like Quest Outfitters for $1 - $2 and sew that on:
https://www.questoutfitters.com/Fasteners_Side_Release.htm#DUAL_SIDE_RELEASE_BUCKLES_