Ark vs Duplex, a comparison review

[trophyhill]

@trophyhill I think there's value in these words. I'd sure like to read how you landed in your opinion and I think it adds to the purpose of what this thread and review are about.

I'd be appreciative because at some point Ucsdryder is dropping this ark off for me to experiment with. I think understanding multiple perspectives would be good food for thought as I am walking. Especially since I am a Seek fan and already bought and returned a K4 this year, my preferences might be narrow.

Alright, alright already. When I have a bit of time I will give y'all my thoughts and what I like about it. So far there is nothing I don't like about it. I'll leave you with this for those who can relate. An old Harley sportster, a newer Harley Heritage, and a brand new Street Glide CVO ST. Its all about fit, finish and most of all, performance.

 

[2001precision]

I hear you and understand where you’re coming from.

my review is going to be published June 1. I am letting a couple of other knowledgeable pack users use the pack to also include their thoughts on the pack, the more opinions the better.

I think what sets rokslide reviews apart from most reviews is that reviewers are able to spend some time with the product and use the product for its intended use.

I understand where both of you are coming from.

Here’s on thing that stuck out to me so far about the frame…

The lumbar pad on the ark has a different feel and shape. It’s stiffer and more square than the duplex. When I first put on the pack it felt like it was “jabbing” me in the back.

This is part of my previous post where I talked about the duplex being more comfortable because I was used to it. The lumbar pad on the ark, while not as “comfortable” as the duplex pad that’s more of a crescent shape, holds in the small of my back much better than the duplex with 60 plus pounds.

I believe the rounded edges of the duplex allow it to slide down toward my butt, while the right angles of the duplex do a better job locking it into place.

While talking to Aron about this, he agreed and said that if the stiffness of the ark pad is bothersome, you can put a 45 pound plate on the pad overnight and it will break it in. I was able to do the break in through wearing it, but if someone has an issue with the ark pad, give it a shot!

Finding and Reading this thread has been crazy for me. I bought the ARK frame after busting my pack from the 2023-2024 season, and was pretty taken back, by how poorly I thought it fit. I had the exact same experience of “jabbing” with the lumbar pad, especially in the top 2” of it. The lower part of the lumbar tapered away, making zero contact, creating a lot of pressure up top.
After learning the frame and straps a bit better, and breaking in the pad a touch, just by wearing it around the house and yard, I think it’s starting to grow on me a bit, just like you said happened for you.
I tried on a few of the other top pack brands, and I definitely like the soft padding with light loads. Part of me wants to send back my ARK for the Duplex Lite (softer/rounded lumbar), but the other part wants to give the ARK a chance. As you said in another comment in this thread, “once you get used to the boot, and once the boot gets used to you.”
Regardless, I’d better make up my mind, because I only have another week, or 10 days to send the frame back to Kifaru. You certainly can’t test a pack properly without using it in the mountains a little.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Finding and Reading this thread has been crazy for me. I bought the ARK frame after busting my pack from the 2023-2024 season, and was pretty taken back, by how poorly I thought it fit. I had the exact same experience of “jabbing” with the lumbar pad, especially in the top 2” of it. The lower part of the lumbar tapered away, making zero contact, creating a lot of pressure up top.
After learning the frame and straps a bit better, and breaking in the pad a touch, just by wearing it around the house and yard, I think it’s starting to grow on me a bit, just like you said happened for you.
I tried on a few of the other top pack brands, and I definitely like the soft padding with light loads. Part of me wants to send back my ARK for the Duplex Lite (softer/rounded lumbar), but the other part wants to give the ARK a chance. As you said in another comment in this thread, “once you get used to the boot, and once the boot gets used to you.”
Regardless, I’d better make up my mind, because I only have another week, or 10 days to send the frame back to Kifaru. You certainly can’t test a pack properly without using it in the mountains a little.

A buddy and I put 80 pounds in his duplex and my ark and went hiking this week. The jabbing gets better with additional weight and wear. I don’t know if you’ve loaded it heavy yet, but make sure you do so before making a final decision.

 

[TheBootBowhunting]

Well, just tried the Ark on at TAC, and bought it. Much lighter in hand than I expected. Also liked the lumbar instantly. To the point made about lumbar break in, it seemed like the lumbar pads they had on the test frames were broken in as well from people taking them off and on at different events.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Well, just tried the Ark on at TAC, and bought it. Much lighter in hand than I expected. Also liked the lumbar instantly. To the point made about lumbar break in, it seemed like the lumbar pads they had on the test frames were broken in as well from people taking them off and on at different events.

I wouldn’t be surprised if kifaru broke them in to give the consumer a better idea of the actual fit. Like I said, they are recommending people put a 45lb plate on them overnight to break them in. I didn’t do that because I wanted to be able to report back with how long it took for the pack to break in. Congrats on the new frame!

What bag are you going to be using?

 

[TheBootBowhunting]

I wouldn’t be surprised if kifaru broke them in to give the consumer a better idea of the actual fit. Like I said, they are recommending people put a 45lb plate on them overnight to break them in. I didn’t do that because I wanted to be able to report back with how long it took for the pack to break in. Congrats on the new frame!

What bag are you going to be using?

Bedlam. I’ll keep a DL with a Stryker xl on it and sell the backup. So I’ll get to compare them as well.

I could tell by the creasing on the lumbar than they were broke in. All I tried on was the frame, but I felt even pressure through the lumbar. Could change once I get it in and put weight on it.

FWIW, the medium belt on the ark felt slightly bigger than the DL medium. I wouldn’t go down to small, but if you were getting close to bottoming out the DL medium, you might need a small.

 

[rhunter424]

Is the ARK belt taller than the duplex belt?

 

[mthomasondpt]

Finding and Reading this thread has been crazy for me. I bought the ARK frame after busting my pack from the 2023-2024 season, and was pretty taken back, by how poorly I thought it fit. I had the exact same experience of “jabbing” with the lumbar pad, especially in the top 2” of it. The lower part of the lumbar tapered away, making zero contact, creating a lot of pressure up top.
After learning the frame and straps a bit better, and breaking in the pad a touch, just by wearing it around the house and yard, I think it’s starting to grow on me a bit, just like you said happened for you.
I tried on a few of the other top pack brands, and I definitely like the soft padding with light loads. Part of me wants to send back my ARK for the Duplex Lite (softer/rounded lumbar), but the other part wants to give the ARK a chance. As you said in another comment in this thread, “once you get used to the boot, and once the boot gets used to you.”
Regardless, I’d better make up my mind, because I only have another week, or 10 days to send the frame back to Kifaru. You certainly can’t test a pack properly without using it in the mountains a little.

I got my ARK this weekend. I felt the same thing about the top of the pad. Put 45-50# in a bag and carried it around. That sensation went away pretty shortly as it got broken in. So, I’d echo what other people have said about it.

 

[mthomasondpt]

Bedlam. I’ll keep a DL with a Stryker xl on it and sell the backup. So I’ll get to compare them as well.

I could tell by the creasing on the lumbar than they were broke in. All I tried on was the frame, but I felt even pressure through the lumbar. Could change once I get it in and put weight on it.

FWIW, the medium belt on the ark felt slightly bigger than the DL medium. I wouldn’t go down to small, but if you were getting close to bottoming out the DL medium, you might need a small.

The belt size was a concern if mine. I wear a 34” pant and have a medium DL belt. Went with the small ARK belt and it fits me fine. I ended up going that size because there are some pants I have that are a 33”. That’s my experience FWIW. I’d say if I went with the medium ARK belt, I’d really run the risk of bottoming it out with real heavy loads.

 

[trophyhill]

@trophyhill I think there's value in these words. I'd sure like to read how you landed in your opinion and I think it adds to the purpose of what this thread and review are about.

I'd be appreciative because at some point Ucsdryder is dropping this ark off for me to experiment with. I think understanding multiple perspectives would be good food for thought as I am walking. Especially since I am a Seek fan and already bought and returned a K4 this year, my preferences might be narrow.

Ok so with both my old packs, the Tactical and the Duplex UL. The first thing i noticed was the fit of the Ark. Perfect fit comparatively speaking. The old packs, I had to have a small belt because the medium belt would bottom out and not be tight enough. The small belt was a pain in the azz because i would have to loosen it all the way to get it clipped, and then there wasn’t much belt to grab to cinch tight.

With the Ark, it’s a perfect fit with the medium belt. I was worried I’d have the same issue with the medium as i had previously with the other 2 packs. But it’s a non issue. So it’s a win for fit. With 75# in the pack, it doesn’t slip, and i can tighten more if i had to.The width and comfort of the waist belt is just what the doctor ordered and form fits my body perfectly. I just simply watched the videos and adjusted accordingly. It was damn near a perfect fit out of the box other than adjusting the shoulder straps and load lifters.

The lumbar pad is a huge improvement over the old pad as well. It conforms and hugs tight and does not allow for any slippage under heavy load. Which is huge as anyone who has experienced slippage can attest too. With my other packs, i would have to adjust and tighten frequently when humping camp In and out and even more so with unstable meat loads. I always went with the adage, “it aint sposed to be easy”. But it could always be better. Which i think Kifaru has done with this pack.


At first I thought the frame was on the stiff side compared to the Tactical, but quickly realized it’s the fit of the new and improved lumbar pad. This thing simply sticks into my lower back and stays put. I think that is why i initially thought it felt stiffer. It really is a great fit. The Ark seems to move with me under heavy load but not nearly as much as the Duplex UL as far as side to side movement goes. It is similar to the Tactical in that aspect.

Attaching the Hoodlum was a breeze and didn’t even need to watch the video for that . Once you attach 1 Kifaru bag to a Duplex, you can attach any Kifaru bag to any frame. The belt pockets were simple to install and i definitely like the new system compared to the old for those attachments.

In the end, i have to give a big thumbs up to Kifaru. They could have sat with their thumbs up their asses and stayed with the status quo, but it’s obvious there were some things on the Duplex frames that customers did not like, and or maybe even Snyder didn’t like. But this is what great companies do. They listen to the customer base and make improvements and or innovations. They actually tested and R&D’d the fk out of this pack frame to come up with what it is at the moment.

Now as far as the frame’s being easy to scratch or having slight cosmetic blemishes from handling? I have to laugh at that. It’s a total non issue for the performance of the frame and i think that’s just guys trying to find something, anything they can to not like about it, because they can’t find anything else to bash about the frame. (These guys are probably justifying to themselves why they don’t want to spend the coin on a 100% Made in America product because they spent almost as much on their made in china packs.)

Judging by what i see so far, this frame system just raised the bar that much higher, and now it’s going to be the new gold standard the other pack companies are just going to have to live up too and up their game, or be left behind.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Is the ARK belt taller than the duplex belt?

The ark is just under 7” at the “tallest”part. The duplex is just over 6” at the tallest part. Its 3/4” difference.

 

[rhunter424]

The ark is just under 7” at the “tallest”part. The duplex is just over 6” at the tallest part. Its 3/4” difference.

Thank you. It looked more than that from the pictures. It must be the positioning of the sewn PALs webbing vs laser cut.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Thank you. It looked more than that from the pictures. It must be the positioning of the sewn PALs webbing vs laser cut.

Definitely looks like more in person too.

 

[mthomasondpt]

After going back and forth with my ARK and DL frames, I've come to the conclusion that the ARK frame is a definite upgrade for those still wondering. To me, the waist belt doesn't feel that different on the ARK. There is an obvious difference in the lumbar pad that, so far, feels better on the ARK. The biggest surprise for me though was the shoulder straps. I don't know how or why, but the shoulder straps on the ARK fit me MUCH better than on the DL frame. I've played around with my set up and fit for my DL frame for a long time, but never felt like it was perfect. On the ARK frame, once I got the correct position of the shoulder straps on the frame, they felt like they conformed to my body so much better. Could be a lot of reasons I suppose, but I don't really care, it just feels more comfortable. Even if I over-tighten the load lifters it still does not feel that bad. If I did that with the DL frame, it would compress my pecs and shoulders in an awkward way. I can feel that the frame itself does have more flex in it moving forward toward me. However, I can't tell yet if it has more torsional (twisting?) flexibility that is noticeable. So, if anyone out there is still on the fence about upgrading... I think it was worth it for me, and I was skeptical.

 

[Ucsdryder]

The ark load sling adds a ton of versatility to the ark frame. I haven’t heard any talk about it yet but it’s almost a must have…

For the guys that want to dump their bag and have a meat hauler or a shed pack, see picture 1.
For the guys that want a meat shelf, see picture 2.

 

[TheBootBowhunting]

The ark load sling adds a ton of versatility to the ark frame. I haven’t heard any talk about it yet but it’s almost a must have…

For the guys that want to dump their bag and have a meat hauler or a shed pack, see picture 1.
For the guys that want a meat shelf, see picture 2.

I ordered one of em as well. Youre just leaving it attached on the frame behind the bag when not in use?

 

[mthomasondpt]

The ark load sling adds a ton of versatility to the ark frame. I haven’t heard any talk about it yet but it’s almost a must have…

For the guys that want to dump their bag and have a meat hauler or a shed pack, see picture 1.
For the guys that want a meat shelf, see picture 2.View attachment 704190View attachment 704189

I have a Grab It 2 and was worried when I saw the load sling come out that I couldn’t use the Grab It with my new ARK frame. Happy to report you can definitely use it on the ARK frame and don’t have to upgrade to the load sling if you don’t want to. I can take pictures this evening if anyone wants to see.

 

[Ucsdryder]

I ordered one of em as well. Youre just leaving it attached on the frame behind the bag when not in use?

Yeah it’s a little confusing to explain and to think about but I’ll include pictures in the final review. Just leave it attached to the back. The tricky part is that when the bag is not attached at the top, the sleeve that goes over the top of the frame, you need to use the attachments that come with the frame. So you need to carry those attachments. If you forget them then it doesn’t work as a load lifter. I can send pictures if that’s confusing.

It works really well though. It carries the load high and really sucks it down tight which is important on heavy loads.

 

[Ucsdryder]

I have a Grab It 2 and was worried when I saw the load sling come out that I couldn’t use the Grab It with my new ARK frame. Happy to report you can definitely use it on the ARK frame and don’t have to upgrade to the load sling if you don’t want to. I can take pictures this evening if anyone wants to see.

I put my grab it 2 on as well. Yes it works, but the new one works better and is more versatile. The theme of this review, is it worth the upgrade? I guess that’s up to the user.

 

[TheBootBowhunting]

Yeah it’s a little confusing to explain and to think about but I’ll include pictures in the final review. Just leave it attached to the back. The tricky part is that when the bag is not attached at the top, the sleeve that goes over the top of the frame, you need to use the attachments that come with the frame. So you need to carry those attachments. If you forget them then it doesn’t work as a load lifter. I can send pictures if that’s confusing.

It works really well though. It carries the load high and really sucks it down tight which is important on heavy loads.

Im tracking on that. Seems to be worth the 5 ounces to just leave it attached.

I saw the 'bag to ark' vid on Kifaru's youtube, Kenneth just leaves those 2 tabs at the top of the frame and just slips the bag over them. The duplex lite frame has those tabs sewn in at the top, so as long as you leave them attached on the ark, no real difference there.