Bikini frame lumbar pressure?

[NorthT]

Hey guys had a couple of questions on my bikini frame. First off I bought it last year with a nomad. Love the pack. Can say enough good things about it. However I experienced a good bit of lumbar pressure when packing my elk out. Really it was just my last load. Didn't want to make another trip and I wanted to test it out. I guessing I had between 100-115 lbs. I had a meat baggy stuffed, meat under my lid and maybe some in the lid, can't remember exactly with the rest of my camp in the wings of my nomad. Last leg of the trio out I had to climb about 1000 in elevation. By the time I got to the top the outside of my left leg was numb. At the time I just figured it was the weight and maybe some compressions issues of the pack that I wasn't use too. That said after reading a lot of post regarding the duplex/comfort/load etc I got to thinking maybe my pack wasn't set up right or maybe I have my meat too low or maybe this is typical for the bikini.

Now my question is that has anyone experienced anything like this?
I had my grab it on the bottom attachment point, should I have raised it to th upper one to keep the meat higher?
With all the post on the new duplex, is the duplex really that much better?
Or do I just need to suck it?

I send a message to aron as well just wanted to know everyone's thoughts. Thanks guys

 

[NorthT]

Sorry that was way longer than I meant for it to be

 

[mrbillbrown]

I had similar issues with my bikini frame last year. Awesome & comfortable for me at less than 65# loads. Any time I trained heavier than that I had to be very careful with loading because I would get belt slip and low back pressure. Needed to load my stuff high, but not to high to create a cantilever effect against my low back, to keep it off my low back. Talked with Aron about my situation and we decided the duplex was a better option for my body type (flat back, no ass, fireman's beer gut) so I made the switch. The duplex was/is night and day better for me when carrying 70#+. That being said....I miss the light, flexible, cooler bikini frame and plan to buy another one. Aron will be able to help you figure what's best for you. Wait for him before you make any frame changing plans.

 

[sr80]

When I first got my duplex and loaded it with 65 lbs to test it it. I had excessive pressure at the top of my lumbar pad ( I had normal curved stays) I switched to flat backs and pressure gone, and it fits like a glove now. Also, when I wore the pack fitted from Kifaru, I was hiking and after about 30 min I noticed the front of my legs were numb. Basically the yoke was too long and the pack was riding too low on my hips/legs. I shortened it up and haven't had any trouble. Try it out.

 

[NorthT]

Agreed 60-70 felt fine. I have normal back stays, composite. I went by one of the videos for the stays, seems I have a normal back but not much in the a$$ department. I never noticed any pain until it got heavy but I've also read that around 80-100 is where the bikini seems to limit out. Glad to hear someone similar issues though. How would I go about adjusting the yoke?

 

[mrbillbrown]

I used the videos and "back profile test" when I bought my first bikini frame. Thought I was a regular profile but was indeed a flat back. Flat back profiles can be worn by the majority of the population where only those with non flat backs can get away with the regular profile stays. Might be something to discuss with Aron. You can adjust the yoke with the 3 bar sliders located on the lower end of the frame. They sit just above the lumbar pad. But.... Don't mess with any of that until you talk to Aron. He can decrease the learning curve tremendously. I had mine all jacked up by the time I walked into the shop and Kevin and Chris had to readjust everything I had "undone". If you're gonna make adjustments just go slow and measure or mark everything you decide to change. That way you can always go back to the original starting place if something feels too wrong.

 

[shaun]

Aron is on a sheep hunt so it might be a bit but he will get back to you. Now I will tell you what I do know between the two frames and what I am sure he is going to tell you. With the bikini being a barebones frame compared to the duplex you are going to notice a few things as it looks like you already did. The bikini is an absolutely awesome lightweight option of the Kifaru frames. Where it lacks though is heavy hauling, unlike the duplex that has a frame sheet to distribute the load throughout. The bikini just relies on the two stays without a sheet so you run into direct pressure points in the lumbar pad witch can cause the issues you are talking about.

 

[NorthT]

That's more what I was wanting to know. I love the bikini and majority of the time it's in daypack mode so it being flexible was a good thing. Just wanted to make I had everything adjusted correctly for this year and if I could tweak to get a little more load hauling out of it. 75lbs doable especially since it's only once or twice but I'd be lieing if I said I wasn't interested in what a duplex felt like with a load. Hopefully Aron will have a good suggestion. Any idea when he might be back around? Thanks

 

[mrbillbrown]

Not sure when he's expected to return. Id go ahead and call the office and speak to Joe or Kevin. Those guys have helped me out over the phone when Aron wasn't available.

 

[live2huntelk]

I had an issue with my bikini frame with a lower back, pressure point as well. I tried several things (load secured hi & medium, adding padding between the stay and lumbar pad and adjusting the shoulder straps to carry more weight on the shoulders) still was not able to get it to work for me. I talked with Aron....he hooked me up with a duplex frame - my old bikini was flat back and the duplex is flat back as well. It was like night and day difference. The Duplex is as comfortable as my Stone Glacier packs...bought the Stone Glaciers to try since the bikini was not that comfortable for me. Like others said, I advise you to talk to Aron and see what he can do for you. They had a few older duplex frames ....may be able to get before hunting season, otherwise you will have to get in line for the new duplex frames....may not have for this hunting season.

Edit: Note: I did add a 1" strap across the lower part of them DT1 pack (attached to frame on each side with K -connector buckles) and cinched it tight to keep the load higher in the pack and on my back.....similar to where the load rides on the meat shelf on my Stone Glacier. This seemed to help with the lower back pressure issue as well.

 

[NVCHUKAR]

That's more what I was wanting to know. I love the bikini and majority of the time it's in daypack mode so it being flexible was a good thing. Just wanted to make I had everything adjusted correctly for this year and if I could tweak to get a little more load hauling out of it. 75lbs doable especially since it's only once or twice but I'd be lieing if I said I wasn't interested in what a duplex felt like with a load. Hopefully Aron will have a good suggestion. Any idea when he might be back around? Thanks

I had a similar issue with my first bikini frame which was normal profile, swapped to a flat back and it fixed the majority of the problems. I also have a flatback duplex. For me the comfort level with heavy weight is fairly similar, its heavy and the pressure from the weight has to go somewhere. If you distribute too much weight off of your shoulders all of the pressure will be in the lumbar/hip area just as if you unbuckle the belt all the weight is on your shoulders.

For me its about balance 80/20 or 70/30 on heavier loads. The duplex is more stable with heavy weight but the comfort level is the same for me. Every body type is different and some prefer the duplex some the bikini. Having the proper stay shape will be more beneficial than which frame you are using.

 

[NorthT]

That's what I was afraid of. I have he normal back but was thinking flat back might be better. Correct me if I'm wrong but you can't swap the stays on the bikini right?

 

[NVCHUKAR]

That's what I was afraid of. I have he normal back but was thinking flat back might be better. Correct me if I'm wrong but you can't swap the stays on the bikini right?

I also have a curved back when doing the wall test but the flat back stays are night and day difference, flat back is a must for me.

No you cannot switch the stays on a bikini. The best thing to do would be to find someone near you that has a flatback frame for you to try on. I will be selling my flat back duplex in highlander once my new frame arrives.

 

[Archerm]

You might want to try shortening the space between the top of the shoulder straps and the lumbar pad sounds like your adjustment might be a little long. Also make sure most of your load is riding in the middle to upper part of your back and close to your back. Also make sure you adjust your load lifters to pull the lumbar pad out a little. The load lifters will pull the top of the frame in a little to relieve the lower pressure on the back.And never let your load slip down into the Sleeping bag area keep it above the shelf. The right adjustments are everything.