Frame pack for short guy

[marksman1941]

Hi folks. I've been leaning towards a frame pack for a while now, and finally sold off all my Badlands gear to finance a decent frame pack. However, there's nowhere local to try on any frames, so I've got to buy sight unseen. The hard thing is that I'm a hobbit sized guy with a man sized torso and a dwarf sized gut. 5'7", 210, 32" belt, 30" inseam, and more of a gut than i prefer to admit. I will be taking torso measurements tonight.

From what I've been reading, the Kifaru 24" Duplex is often favored by the 5'8"-6' athletic crowd. One other poster mentioned the Stone Glacier X curve mentioned a shorter frame, but he was dramatically skinnier than I am.

I hunt almost exclusively in southern oregon, and don't (at least yet) do anything overnight. Everything is within walking distance of a vehicle. But, we've got steep canyons, heavy brush, and some seriously nasty holes that elk like to dive into right before they die, and I want the ability to drag a critter out of one of those.

So! Anyone of a similar build running a frame pack? Again I'd love to just go try packs on but that doesn't seem to be a thing around here. Thanks in advance.

 

[BRTreedogs]

My wife is 5'6 to 5'7 and I got her a 22" kifaru frame and a 22mag bag.
With that and a guide lid and grab it you could do a few days out of it.

 

[Read1t48]

The Bowtech HQ in Eugene carries Kifaru. I have a 24” Duplex with ex-small belt. You would probably be a medium belt but you can close with customer service. I’ve ran their older and newer model for years. It works for me.

 

[*zap*]

For a short torso length a straight frame stay design may be best....

 

[marksman1941]

The Bowtech HQ in Eugene carries Kifaru. I have a 24” Duplex with ex-small belt. You would probably be a medium belt but you can close with customer service. I’ve ran their older and newer model for years. It works for me.

That's good to know. Eugene is a few hours from me, but for the price of a new setup it would be well worth running up there and trying some shit on.

 

[BRTreedogs]

If you ever get up to Redmond area pm me you can try on her 22 and my 26

 

[penningt0n]

I have the Horn Hunter Full Curl that works fairly well. Might be something worth looking into. I'm 5'8" btw

 

[marksman1941]

If you ever get up to Redmond area pm me you can try on her 22 and my 26

Thanks a kind offer! I live in Medford and don't head that direction much, but if I make a Bend trip in the future I'll be sure to swing in and give them a try. Much appreciated!

 

[marksman1941]

I have the Horn Hunter Full Curl that works fairly well. Might be something worth looking into. I'm 5'8" btw

That looks like a huge pack! Does it squish down fairly well as needed?

 

[penningt0n]

That looks like a huge pack! Does it squish down fairly well as needed?

You can adjust the torso as needed. The frame is tall but the torso adjustments help with that.

Not sure what you mean by squish down. Are you referring to the height or to how much it sticks out?

If you go to www.hornhunterpacks.com they have videos of how you can adjust everything. There are smaller frame packs that are great as well.

 

[specneeds]

I’m short of 5’9” barrel torso wear 2xl shirts etc. bought the Mystery Ranch Sawtooth 45 last year it did great hauling out a hindquarter - never felt better carrying that much weight. It’s the right size for a long day in the field and a couple trip pack out couldn’t be happier. I did have to adjust it shorter twice during the trip & it was just right for the heavier load. I added the lid this year for a little more capacity so I can haul more food & gear if I want.

 

[Tradchef]

I’m 5’7 158lbs and athletic build. I’ve had my kifaru 24” lite frame and small belt for 4 seasons now. I was using the xcurve before that. I loved it but I couldn’t get it right with the curved stays. I put the straight stays in and it was a night and day difference. One of my friends has the Krux Evo frame and it’s freaking slick. She’s 5’7 and 118lbs with the small belt. I know if I ever change frames that will be my next frame. Both are worth a look into

 

[marksman1941]

I found out that my local Sportsmans carries a few Mystery Ranch packs. I played with a Metcalf today, but saw they had a Sawtooth 45 and a few others. I'll head back in and see how those feel. I wasn't stoked with the lack of pockets on the Metcalf, and the frame felt oddly flexible.

EXO seems to be coming up over and over in my research. I'll try to get my hands on one if I can. My brother has a Krux Evo frame, and a Stone Glacier Serac 1700 bag as well as a Evo 40/56 bag. I'm going to try it out this weekend if I can and see how the frame fits me.

 

[trapperJ]

I have a Krux frame and it works well for me. 5'6", wide torso and I like beer!

 

[Pilgrim2094]

Hi folks. I've been leaning towards a frame pack for a while now, and finally sold off all my Badlands gear to finance a decent frame pack. However, there's nowhere local to try on any frames, so I've got to buy sight unseen. The hard thing is that I'm a hobbit sized guy with a man sized torso and a dwarf sized gut. 5'7", 210, 32" belt, 30" inseam, and more of a gut than i prefer to admit. I will be taking torso measurements tonight.

From what I've been reading, the Kifaru 24" Duplex is often favored by the 5'8"-6' athletic crowd. One other poster mentioned the Stone Glacier X curve mentioned a shorter frame, but he was dramatically skinnier than I am.

I hunt almost exclusively in southern oregon, and don't (at least yet) do anything overnight. Everything is within walking distance of a vehicle. But, we've got steep canyons, heavy brush, and some seriously nasty holes that elk like to dive into right before they die, and I want the ability to drag a critter out of one of those.

So! Anyone of a similar build running a frame pack? Again I'd love to just go try packs on but that doesn't seem to be a thing around here. Thanks in advance.

Not sure if you've looked into Stone Glacier but there packs adjust quite a bit. Plus they are quality!

 

[marksman1941]

I have a Krux frame and it works well for me. 5'6", wide torso and I like beer!

You sound my build! Lol That's good to hear.

 

[Aimsmallmissmall]

Another vote for a 22” frame from Kifaru and the 22 mag.

 

[marksman1941]

So regarding straight vs curved frames. Zap above said that straight frames may be better for short folks. I read a simple test (maybe from Kifaru?) to stand with your back to the wall and try to fit a closed fist in between the small of your back and the wall. If it fits, go with curved. Has this method worked for any of you?

 

[ZDR]

So regarding straight vs curved frames. Zap above said that straight frames may be better for short folks. I read a simple test (maybe from Kifaru?) to stand with your back to the wall and try to fit a closed fist in between the small of your back and the wall. If it fits, go with curved. Has this method worked for any of you?

Aron has a video showing exactly how to tell what frame stays you need:

 

[marksman1941]

Well, that reinforces what I read. looks like I need a curved.