Well, I leave for Alaska in almost exactly 3 days and it looks like I may be leaving my Kifaru pack(s) at home. Right now I am battling two major issues and I am to the point of giving up and putting everything on the classifieds. I'm not trying to start a flame war here but I am a little disappointed in the fact that I have spent over a month trying to get my sternum strap fixed on my duplex frame. I know this is relatively minor and I could probably live without it but it's just frustrating.
The bigger issue I am having is I cannot, regardless of what I try, get a pack to stay up on my hips. I started out with a bikini with regular composite stays but it just never seemed to work right so I shelved that one and went with a duplex with aluminum stays. Now, I could technically pass the flat back test but I think it is because I have a unique back. By no means do I have any ass at all and when I wear a weighted pack for any amount of time, it just slips down to where the lumbar pad is at or below the top of my ass crack. I tried straightening the stays out for more of a flat back profile and this helped with the comfort a little but I still couldn't keep the pack up. Here recently I was doing hikes around the neighborhood with a 50lb bag of cat litter strapped up in a Nomad on the duplex. Overall pack weight was 65-70lbs depending on how much water I was hauling and other stuff. I could get the waist belt up on my hips like it's supposed to be and do my best to crank down on the hip straps as best I can.
Oh yeah, this is another issue that I can't seem to get a resolution to. It was suggested that I needed a large belt instead of the medium I have because the straps never feed right through the buckles. See the videos below. I would like to try out a large belt but I don't feel like wasting both my money and Kifaru's time just to order one and see if it works any better. I have asked about getting a trial belt but this has yet to be answered. I will admit that I'm not the workout warrior I may have once been and I have a few pounds to drop that I have been working on. I just don't want to buy a large belt only to find that it is too big, especially when I drop another 20lbs or so. As you can see in the videos, I feel like I am coming fairly close to bottoming out the medium belt. In the videos I don't really crank down as hard as possible but when I do, I have maybe an inch or two of webbing between the sides of the buckles and the edges of the belt. Wouldn't a large belt bottom out if I am this close with a medium?
Anyway, as you can see in the video, I have to tighten the belt one side at a time but eventually I can get it cranked down where the belt is up on my hip bones and the buckle is right at my navel. Unfortunately, within 50 paces or less, the belt is slowly making its way down to the position where most guys wear their pants lower on the hips. As mentioned before, the lumbar pad is now way down at my ass instead of up in the lumbar region where it seems it should be.
I should also mention that I end up having to have the shoulder straps and load lifters so tight (or they become this tight as the pack slips down) that eventually I just unbuckle the belt and it feels more comfortable even though the weight is all on my shoulders now.
I have even gotten to the point of pulling the stays out of the duplex and putting them back in "upside down". What is odd is holding the stays (out of the pack) next to my back, they fit the shape of my back better upside down. This is also after flattening out the "bottom" curve for more of a flat back stay.
Again, I will admit that I think my back is a little unique and maybe it just wasn't meant to be as far as these packs go. I just wanted to get this out there and see if anyone has any suggestions. I have read several threads where people have fit issues but none seem to relate to my issues really. I have really tried to stay positive and have an open mind about these issues but it's to the point now where it's frustrating to possibly be leaving the packs at home when the whole point of purchasing them was for trips this year.
Here is a poor attempt at a selfie to show the shape of my back. While I am twisting a little bit, I think this is a fair representation of the shape of my back. You can see how I could pass the flat back test while still having no ass at all.
Anyway, sorry for the long-winded blubbering but I feel better getting my frustrations out there where I know there are a ton of knowledgeable folks on the site that may have some suggestions. Also, it's not all doom and gloom as this first Alaska trip is more of a backpacking and fishing trip. While I can probably live with the fit issues or just leave the packs at home, this was supposed to be a testing opportunity as the mountains and hiking opportunities here in Kansas are limited at best.
Here is one more showing the current bend of the stays.
Thanks for any input.
The bigger issue I am having is I cannot, regardless of what I try, get a pack to stay up on my hips. I started out with a bikini with regular composite stays but it just never seemed to work right so I shelved that one and went with a duplex with aluminum stays. Now, I could technically pass the flat back test but I think it is because I have a unique back. By no means do I have any ass at all and when I wear a weighted pack for any amount of time, it just slips down to where the lumbar pad is at or below the top of my ass crack. I tried straightening the stays out for more of a flat back profile and this helped with the comfort a little but I still couldn't keep the pack up. Here recently I was doing hikes around the neighborhood with a 50lb bag of cat litter strapped up in a Nomad on the duplex. Overall pack weight was 65-70lbs depending on how much water I was hauling and other stuff. I could get the waist belt up on my hips like it's supposed to be and do my best to crank down on the hip straps as best I can.
Oh yeah, this is another issue that I can't seem to get a resolution to. It was suggested that I needed a large belt instead of the medium I have because the straps never feed right through the buckles. See the videos below. I would like to try out a large belt but I don't feel like wasting both my money and Kifaru's time just to order one and see if it works any better. I have asked about getting a trial belt but this has yet to be answered. I will admit that I'm not the workout warrior I may have once been and I have a few pounds to drop that I have been working on. I just don't want to buy a large belt only to find that it is too big, especially when I drop another 20lbs or so. As you can see in the videos, I feel like I am coming fairly close to bottoming out the medium belt. In the videos I don't really crank down as hard as possible but when I do, I have maybe an inch or two of webbing between the sides of the buckles and the edges of the belt. Wouldn't a large belt bottom out if I am this close with a medium?
Anyway, as you can see in the video, I have to tighten the belt one side at a time but eventually I can get it cranked down where the belt is up on my hip bones and the buckle is right at my navel. Unfortunately, within 50 paces or less, the belt is slowly making its way down to the position where most guys wear their pants lower on the hips. As mentioned before, the lumbar pad is now way down at my ass instead of up in the lumbar region where it seems it should be.
I should also mention that I end up having to have the shoulder straps and load lifters so tight (or they become this tight as the pack slips down) that eventually I just unbuckle the belt and it feels more comfortable even though the weight is all on my shoulders now.
I have even gotten to the point of pulling the stays out of the duplex and putting them back in "upside down". What is odd is holding the stays (out of the pack) next to my back, they fit the shape of my back better upside down. This is also after flattening out the "bottom" curve for more of a flat back stay.
Again, I will admit that I think my back is a little unique and maybe it just wasn't meant to be as far as these packs go. I just wanted to get this out there and see if anyone has any suggestions. I have read several threads where people have fit issues but none seem to relate to my issues really. I have really tried to stay positive and have an open mind about these issues but it's to the point now where it's frustrating to possibly be leaving the packs at home when the whole point of purchasing them was for trips this year.
Here is a poor attempt at a selfie to show the shape of my back. While I am twisting a little bit, I think this is a fair representation of the shape of my back. You can see how I could pass the flat back test while still having no ass at all.
Anyway, sorry for the long-winded blubbering but I feel better getting my frustrations out there where I know there are a ton of knowledgeable folks on the site that may have some suggestions. Also, it's not all doom and gloom as this first Alaska trip is more of a backpacking and fishing trip. While I can probably live with the fit issues or just leave the packs at home, this was supposed to be a testing opportunity as the mountains and hiking opportunities here in Kansas are limited at best.
Here is one more showing the current bend of the stays.
Thanks for any input.
