hip bruising with kifaru dt1

[sk1]

anyone else experience this with moderate loads? im skinny with hip bones that stick out, and all my packs in the past have bruised my hips. when i got the dt1 a couple weeks ago, it seemed to solve the issue, the waist belt wrap was very comfortable and holds the pack in place well, and testing it i didnt appear to have any pain. after a few hunts now with around 35lbs of weight.....my hip bones bruised pretty badly. it is a little different type of pain than with other packs, i think mostly because the kifaru holds the pack in place so well.....but those straps going over the top of my hip bones is killing me....ive been able to make it through the day of hunting, but wonder how many consecutive id actually be able to tolerate.

i cant think of any solution other than trying to find some foam padding somewhere and somehow strapping it to that portion of the hip belt.....anyone else have this issue? I did try to wear the pack a bit higher to get the strap off my hip bone and put it above it, but then it sorta pushes downward on it.....maybe it only hurt because my hips were already bruised, so maybe it is an option still, am not sure at this point

 

[fillthefreezer]

i get some of this, usually only on 50+lb loads though

 

[HellsCanyon]

i get some of this, usually only on 50+lb loads though

X2. Same story here

 

[sk1]

i saw some like 2" foam at the store the other day, i might try to put that on the belt over the portion that goes on my hip bones and see if that helps at all. still debating how i would attach it, thinking about just using some coban wrap or something

 

[Lawnboi]

Play with the height that your pack rides at on your hips. That's what I do when I get hip discomfort.

I'm skinny too, and I think the kifaru is great for skinny guys. Suck your belt very tight.

 

[squeekieslayer]

I cannot really help here, and I am not sure what to do to fix it.... But I do not think that adding padding to the belt is the fix. There are a lot of packs out there with extremely padded belts. From my experience, the thick padding just makes it harder to get tight and locked in properly, and I usually get rubs. My MR pack had very thick padding and seemed to tear me up.

I would work on what is said above, try bumping the belt up higher and really cinching the belt down, you may need to shorted your yoke to get it to fit properly. I see a lot of people that try to get their load higher on there hips but leave the yoke the same and it slouches back down so they think it is not the right fix.

Joe

 

[AK Troutbum]

I'd contact Kifaru and see what they suggest.

 

[sk1]

I cannot really help here, and I am not sure what to do to fix it.... But I do not think that adding padding to the belt is the fix. There are a lot of packs out there with extremely padded belts. From my experience, the thick padding just makes it harder to get tight and locked in properly, and I usually get rubs. My MR pack had very thick padding and seemed to tear me up.

I would work on what is said above, try bumping the belt up higher and really cinching the belt down, you may need to shorted your yoke to get it to fit properly. I see a lot of people that try to get their load higher on there hips but leave the yoke the same and it slouches back down so they think it is not the right fix.

Joe

yeah i never thought about changing the yoke when i adjust the height, good call....might be worth a shot when i play with the height

the pack feels great, but man those straps going over my hip bones are murder after awhile......I do plan on asking kifaru and/or aron for suggestions.....Im just stuck at work all weekend so i thought i would make a post and see what others thought or if anyone has the same issue

 

[RosinBag]

I wouldn't add anymore foam padding anywhere. The Kifaru belt is designed to be flexible and contour around your hip bones, adding foam will negate this. Certainly try adjusting the shoulder straps to change where the hip belt rides. I would also experiment with the delta straps. Once I find I sweet spot on my pack for the delta straps, I lock them down and never touch them again. Lastly call Aron, your not the first to experience hip soreness because of a pack. It may be that you need a different stay shape to help with weight distribution. The Kifaru will work, it is the best of the best and they will help you get it right.

 

[HellsCanyon]

One other thing to keep in mind is what belt and pants you're wearing. I know that I swapped to a very thin profile and flexible nylon belt with low profile buckle helped. The C4E belt I had tore up my hips. I also had the belt loops moved in narrower as they were double thick right on my hip bones. The most comfortable my hips have ever been was when i wore the pack with boardshorts this summer. Just a drawstring and thin material really made it a pleasure and felt great.

Mike

 

[RosinBag]

The belt can play a huge part. That is why Kifaru sells belts. Simple, functional and compatible with their packs.

 

[sk1]

One other thing to keep in mind is what belt and pants you're wearing. I know that I swapped to a very thin profile and flexible nylon belt with low profile buckle helped. The C4E belt I had tore up my hips. I also had the belt loops moved in narrower as they were double thick right on my hip bones. The most comfortable my hips have ever been was when i wore the pack with boardshorts this summer. Just a drawstring and thin material really made it a pleasure and felt great.

Mike

i use the C4E belt and love it......I let my pants ride just a little low, below the hip bone......the only thing between my hip bone and my waist belt is my shirt, so i wouldnt think there are any issues there, and i have stopped and checked several times to make sure my belt didnt somehow get under the waist belt

 

[Aron Snyder]

Give me a call and we can go over the issue on the phone.... 720-937-1418.

Here's what I would look at either way.

Belt loops or belt adding pressure points

Delta straps to tight

The packs hip belt is to small giving pressure in the wrong area

You've been using packs that don't give shoulder lift and your hips are not use to the weight

We can figure it out in a couple minutes over the phone.

 

[MattB]

I would run the delta straps loose for a bit and see if that changes things. It made sense to me to tighten up the deltas when I got my first Kifaru and had a bit of that. The company told me to just barely snug up the delta straps and my discomfort disappeared. They are really only there to keep the bag from swaying horizontally and do not need to be tight to function.

 

[Jay Kyle]

If the bruising is localized to only a small diameter area, your getting too much pressure in that one spot. Try the same idea as people with corns on their feet - a bandage with a hole in it - but for under the waist belt, some 1/4" high density foam with a hole cut out where the sore spot is. The idea is to spread the load more around and away from the sore spot. If you have bone bruising under that spot it will take a while to heal up.