Did the Seek Outside lumbar pad make all the difference for any of you

[westsloper]

I previously owned a Seek Outside pack several years ago when the packs were fairly new. I never could make them work for me. The pack leaned backwards and the frame hit my butt, and it could only be made to sit right be cranking the load lifters uncomfortably tight. I worked with the Seek Outside folks but it just didn't work out.

Things have changed since then, and the lumbar pad has been out for a while. Has anyone else struggled with the fit of Seek Outside packs in the way I did? If so, was this with or without a lumbar pad?

 

[DaveS]

I bought a Seek Outside pack when they first came out. The problem for me was that I have a lot of curve in my back especially in the lumbar area. The belt did not contact my lumbar area so all the weight concentrated on my hips with the bulk of the pressure at the point where the belt attaches to the frame. With 40 lbs it was uncomfortable.

About 2 years ago I bought another pack for my wife with a lumbar pad. I decided to try it out for myself. Instead of attaching the belt to the frame as suggested by SO I wrapped the straps so the belt was tight to the frame. I "captured" the belt and added the lumbar pad. This made a huge difference. Now the pack is very comfortable.

 

[RockChucker30]

Yes, the lumbar pad makes a huge difference for some people.

Some like floating no pad (my preference), others like floating with pad, or captured with pad, and we have to work with others on belt height and tuning lumbar pad thickness.

The key that I’ve found is that most people have a strong preference for just ONE of those.

People’s bodies are all different as are their preferences.


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[Halleywood]

Lumbar made all the difference for me. I started out without and when i was testing heavier loads i got pain in my upper glute area. I added the lumbar and the pain went away. For my money it's the most comfortable carrying pack I've used with the lumbar pad.

 

[Bearsears]

I had the exact same problem as you did. The lumbar pad made all the difference in the world for me and my pack fits perfectly now. I run it floating with the lumbar pad at 24" while backpacking and hunting. Then I run it captured with the lumbar pad and at 28" when I'm packing meat. Works great. The pic is day hunting gear in a Lanner 5400 and an entire buck I harvested this year.

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[roosiebull]

I had the exact same problem as you did. The lumbar pad made all the difference in the world for me and my pack fits perfectly now. I run it floating with the lumbar pad at 24" while backpacking and hunting. Then I run it captured with the lumbar pad and at 28" when I'm packing meat. Works great. The pic is day hunting gear in a Lanner 5400 and an entire buck I harvested this year.

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i'm buying a Lanner 54 sooner than later (hopefully they are still building packs) I am just getting the lumbar pad right off, and if I don't need it, that's fine. the beauty of SO packs is the versatility built into the design.... so many cool features built in. the peregrine is very tempting too, but I think i'll end up with the Lanner. I tend to like some lumbar pad support, and I could see this being a big deal on these packs

 

[DawnPatrol]

Some like floating no pad (my preference), others like floating with pad, or captured with pad, and we have to work with others on belt height and tuning lumbar pad thickness.

Could you give a little more detail on what each of these things mean (or maybe even post a picture of what each looks like on a pack)?

I'm considering stepping up to a S.O./S.G./EXO pack (in part because they seem like the lumbar pads and other features help when carrying big loads) but I'm daunted by the idea of buying a pack I've never put on.

If I could better understand the different lumbar pad options, maybe I could at least try on some other packs (i.e. traditional backpacking packs at REI?) with different lumbar support configurations to see how they feel with weight?

This discussion is super helpful--thanks everyone! Sorry if this is a thread hijack.

 

[RockChucker30]

Could you give a little more detail on what each of these things mean (or maybe even post a picture of what each looks like on a pack)?

I'm considering stepping up to a S.O./S.G./EXO pack (in part because they seem like the lumbar pads and other features help when carrying big loads) but I'm daunted by the idea of buying a pack I've never put on.

If I could better understand the different lumbar pad options, maybe I could at least try on some other packs (i.e. traditional backpacking packs at REI?) with different lumbar support configurations to see how they feel with weight?

This discussion is super helpful--thanks everyone! Sorry if this is a thread hijack.

So floating belt with no lumbar pad fits a very tricky body type - telephone pole. That's me. Flat back, no hips, no big butt, tall and lanky. Other pack belts slide off me. Our belt stays put.

Regular builds tend to like the lumbar pad, but mostly because it pushes the bottom of the frame away from the body a bit and prevents body contact.

Some builds on the other extreme from mine are challenging to fit...I've had 3 or so guys that couldn't get the pack dialed until they captured the belt, played with thickness of foam in the pad, captured the harness, etc. Lots of ways to rig the pack.

Instead of soaking up a ton of space here, I'd point you to our youtube. We've got some videos that probably do a better job than me at explaining.