Ark frame worth the upgrade ?

[Joshuajosh]

I currently own a kifaru duplex lite 24” with a Stryker xl. Those of you who have moved away from the duplex lite, is the ark worth the extra cost? If so why?

 

[justin davis]

I really like my ARK frame. Very comfortable for me

 

[wh0cansay]

Since there are no aluminum stays, you can't fit the frame to your spine, so it's gonna be a gamble. Make sure you can return it or resell it for a good price if you go in blind.

I wouldn't trade my aluminum Duplex Lite for an Ark if you paid me.

 

[bozeman]

I upgraded and glad I did.....Ark fits me to a 'T'.

 

[mrbillbrown]

Having owned more Kifaru than I want to admit openly, I just can’t find enough “improvement” to justify buying the Ark for that crazy price. Zero complaints with my Lite frame and the price keeps me from trying it.


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[Yaremkiv]

Was worth it for me. I liked it so much I ended up replacing both duplex frames with the Ark Frame.

 

[guitarpreston]

Something in my duplex squeaked and the ark does not….had I not gotten 4 people to sign up for GH using their refer a friend program (it’s back on now fyi) I would not have gotten the ark though.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

M

Since there are no aluminum stays, you can't fit the frame to your spine, so it's gonna be a gamble. Make sure you can return it or resell it for a good price if you go in blind.

I wouldn't trade my aluminum Duplex Lite for an Ark if you paid me.

Me Either. I will never figure out why Kifaru went away from the aluminum stays. A three pound frame is 6-8 ounces heavier than their competitors lightest pack frame.

I Currently own a tactical frame with aluminum stays and I finally found a pair and put them in my duplex light frame. Both have been tweaked to the perfect fit.

Where people get this wrong is a perfect fit applies to times when you aren’t carrying dead stuff. If a pack fits well, you rarely take it off during the day. A worn pack helps stay warm. Allows for quick moving changes. And, is always there when you need it.


I take my hat off more than I do my pack. Because it’s so comfortable.

 

[2Stamp]

For me it wasn't. I went back to my Duplex Lite.

 

[wh0cansay]

M

Me Either. I will never figure out why Kifaru went away from the aluminum stays.

Multiple reasons, as far as I can ascertain:

Back in the day you'd buy a backpack locally and the staff would help you fit the stays. That's no longer the case, and people can't be trusted to fit their own aluminum stays, so they went with an average curve that can't be adjusted but should fit 'the average person' mostly OK.

Also, aluminum doesn't really mesh with the current trend of cutting weight wherever possible. Composite /carbon is lighter, even if it makes your loadout feel 15 lbs heavier due to a poor fit.

Finally, 'innovation' and hype move products, so most manufacturers will always be thinking of new ways to push things on the consumer, whether they're actually good or not. Shiny new materials and 'cutting-edge' tech always draw attention from the crowd.

As far as I can tell, from the top-tier pack companies, only HPG is sticking with 7075-grade aluminum stays because its properties simply can't be beaten and it has a proven track record that spans multiple decades. Everyone else runs composite, carbon, or rigid (tubular) aluminum. None of these can be fitted to the user's spine. I used to think the composite stays my Duplex Lite came with were fine until I swapped them out for alu - the difference is night and day.

Same goes for the current Dyneema / Ultra trend, materials that will annihilate your bank account for a 3 or 4 ounce gain versus 500D Cordura because nobody realizes that the bulk of empty pack weight isn't in the fabric, it's in zippers, buckles, etc., so you save the equivalent of a large titanium cup for hundreds of dollars and now you have to worry about delamination, stray branches, crinkling noise and so on.

Miracle materials come and go (who still uses X-Pac these days?) yet Cordura has been around for almost 60 years and is still the most widely used fabric in these types of backpacks.

I prefer to stick with what works.