Back Suspensions and Belts

[kickemall]

This is actually a great thread. Lots of good info.

 

[luke moffat]

The only one piece belt that does work for me with a heavy load is a Barney's pack. But even that one works better for me when I attached an after market lumber pad to it.

I agree the Barney's one piece works well enough for me if I keep my waist at 30" or larger. It actually works quite well. The Paradox also works well with the 85-90 pounds I had it in when I packed out part of a mountain goat with it last year.

However neither compare in comfort to the 3 piece of either MR or Kifaru. Whoever is spouting that 3 pieces don't work beyond 60 pounds hasn't either used many packs or like Aron said has some sort of agenda. I have not doubt it may work for that individual better with weights over 60 pounds, but I found the I prefer 3 piece waistbelts for when the loads get up there. Just works better for me. But I don't claim that single piece/full wrap belts start failing after 60 pounds or more either. As I have used several designs styles and found otherwise. I just find the design inferior in comfort FOR ME compared to 3 piece style belts.

In fact for me the ultimate design would be a Kfiaru 3 piece waistbelt with the shoulder harness system of a Barney's! It would certainly be heavier than the standard Kifaru harness but man those shoulder straps are oh so comfy!.

 

[eltaco]

After trying both the Kifaru and Paradox hip belts, I'm on the same page. The 3-piece simply worked better for my body type for the loads I'm looking to carry. I have no experience with 150# loads, but it was fantastic with a complete hind elk quarter and backstraps... which is the max I intend to use it for.

Luke, that suspension description you just asked for is what I experienced when I got my hands on the Exo prototype at the ATA show. 3 piece belt design with substantially more shoulder strap padding. Very impressive setup from what I could tell on initial inspection!

 

[Angie123]

I don't think failure is really the right word for three piece lumbar pad designs. They work well for most people, and some people might not even know that their belts are distorted (I am going to use distorted instead of failure) I suppose I wouldn't have know, why I had to keep adjusting my hip belt all the time and why loads kept slipping if I didn't help design the hip belt, for paradox. Some people like bananas better than apples, some people like wool undies and some people go without. This isn't a my belt is better than yours kinda deal. It's a my body, my style, my comfort is what matter most. It's great to have a forum where we can all talk freely about our differences. Wish we could have had a drink in Vegas Aron... Maybe next time!

 

[dotman]

I don't think failure is really the right word for three piece lumbar pad designs. They work well for most people, and some people might not even know that their belts are distorted (I am going to use distorted instead of failure) I suppose I wouldn't have know, why I had to keep adjusting my hip belt all the time and why loads kept slipping if I didn't help design the hip belt, for paradox. Some people like bananas better than apples, some people like wool undies and some people go without. This isn't a my belt is better than yours kinda deal. It's a my body, my style, my comfort is what matter most. It's great to have a forum where we can all talk freely about our differences. Wish we could have had a drink in Vegas Aron... Maybe next time!

Exactly...every body type is a little different, so if a three piece doesn't work for one person they probably shouldn't say it doesn't work period past a certain point is what I think we are all saying. The three piece works for most but not all, as in your case it didn't work but that doesn't mean it fails or distorts for all.

Maybe Kurt with Stone Glacier will chime in on why he added a three piece belt this year in his offering. We already know why Exo has one, Steve wrote up about his testing process.

 

[Aron Snyder]

I don't think failure is really the right word for three piece lumbar pad designs. They work well for most people, and some people might not even know that their belts are distorted (I am going to use distorted instead of failure) I suppose I wouldn't have know, why I had to keep adjusting my hip belt all the time and why loads kept slipping if I didn't help design the hip belt, for paradox. Some people like bananas better than apples, some people like wool undies and some people go without. This isn't a my belt is better than yours kinda deal. It's a my body, my style, my comfort is what matter most. It's great to have a forum where we can all talk freely about our differences. Wish we could have had a drink in Vegas Aron... Maybe next time!

I was death on a stick, so I probably would have got you guys sick if we did.

Ended up in a meeting with some SAS dudes .....sorry I got wrapped up.

 

[Angie123]

No worries, Aron. Take tons of cos liver oil and vitamin c. It helps keep colds away, and if you do get sick it doesn't last long we had plenty of fun without you, but it would be nice to meet you sometime. Are you going to the BHA event in March?

 

[Aron Snyder]

Yes, we'll have a booth.

 

[Angie123]

Sorry, I guess I should PM. I am new to forum stuff. Back to hip belts, and backpacks!

 

[Shooter71]

First post but have been lurking since the beginning. I have experience with the long hunter, timberline 1, Dana terra frame, old mcHale pack, Gregory Denali pro, and a few others. It's difficult to judge comfort when the load is over 100lbs. I think instead of discussing which belt design is better we should state our dimensions and usage along with what we prefer. For me I'm 5'10" and 165lbs. My waist is about 31" and no butt. My low back has a good curve in it but under a load it's pretty flat. With most packs I get bruising on the front of my hips when packing out loads, including the Kifaru and Dana packs. The McHale is a full wrap but sucks under load with no lumbar padding. Another pack is an old custom evolution alpine equipment pack with a full wrap belt along with a thinner lumber pad which I beefed up a little. It has proven the most comfortable so far, with no bruising of the hips. I believe tuning the aggressiveness of the lumbar pad is the key to making the belt work.

 

[Justin Crossley]

I'm 5'10" and 175 lbs. Last year I packed out three elk with the Timberline 1. All three times I had half a boned out bull elk. (1 in WA, 2 in CO)

100 lbs in a Timberline is no problem.

160 lbs sucks no matter what! The pack held up great imo. It was my legs that didn't like the idea! Thank goodness my brother switched with me for part of that pack out and he let me carry his pack with "only" 130 lbs in it.

Half of littlebuf's 2013 WA bull.



Half of dirtytough's 2013 CO bull.

 

[luke moffat]

Heck 100 pounds sucks for me Justin...no way will I be putting 150+ on my back ever. My little knobby knees gotta keep working for me for decades from now. You are a beast!

 

[ScottR_EHJ]

100lbs is heavy no matter who you are.....

 

[ams]

Both designs work for me! I was pretty skeptical of the paradox design as I really was comfortable with a 3 piece belt and almost sent it back without giving it a fair shot. That being said the kifaru timberlines and duplex frame worked great with aluminum stays for me. A really good setup was a dana external with a hpg hipbelt and an additional foam piece in the lumbar pad. I didn't care for the MR design as much or the Kuiu belt. I packed out an entire deer, minus the guts, and could stand up straight with the paradox. I didn't hike standing straight up as over 100#s is over 100#s but I wasn't hunched over either. Some people like 1911's and some like sigs. (I like both of these as well).

 

[luke moffat]

I didn't hike standing straight up as over 100#s is over 100#s but I wasn't hunched over either. Some people like 1911's and some like sigs. (I like both of these as well).

HAHA I hear ya!!! Here I am with a verified (I weigh all my pack loads when i get them back to the truck with a luggage scale) 132 pounds in my Kifaru Bikini frame/highcamp 7K bag and I go caveman mode on anything over 100 pounds with not matter what pack I'm using

 

[ams]

Thats what I was trying to describe!

 

[Justin Crossley]

Heck 100 pounds sucks for me Justin...no way will I be putting 150+ on my back ever. My little knobby knees gotta keep working for me for decades from now. You are a beast!

I just read my post and it reads like "I can pack 100 lbs no problem". That is not the case and not what I meant. I was trying to say that the Timberline has no trouble with 100 lbs.

I do train with 80-100 lbs in my pack quite a bit and the Kifaru belt works really well for me.

 

[5MilesBack]

I just have one question: Is the lumbar pad supposed to feel like someone's knee stuck in your back? The more weight I'm carrying, the worse that gets.

 

[Matt Cashell]

I just have one question: Is the lumbar pad supposed to feel like someone's knee stuck in your back? The more weight I'm carrying, the worse that gets.

I suppose that is not a real serious question, but of course the answer is no.

Either the pack fit is off, or the belt just won't work for you.

 

[dotman]

I just have one question: Is the lumbar pad supposed to feel like someone's knee stuck in your back? The more weight I'm carrying, the worse that gets.

I bet if you drove up to the Denver area they could get it fit so that doesn't happen