Ideas to prevent belt slip

[AspenTimber]

Hi,

I have a curved upper spine (broke and fused in an area) and even though I’m a glutton for punishment there’s got to be some ways to reduce belt slippage and the unnecessary discomfort ?

When I tighten load lifters it creates a fulcrum and pulls lower part of pack away from my
Body … I have the stone glacier x-curve and previously had a Seek outside frame…. The belt end up down on my thighs which makes walking tougher than it should be and the lumbar pad rubs top of tailbone raw

Open to any and all suggestions or tricks to keep in the packs up high on the shoulders and lumbar glued to lower back… (I’m thinking of getting a grippy fabric and really building up the lumbar pad to be size of a small pillow.)

 

[hammer0419]

X-Curve is grippy. Seek definitely is not. LOAD LIFTERS ARE NOT ment to be tight to the point it shifts pack!! Cranking the load lifters may be your problem. Can also Try to tighten those side straps on the X-Curve? I don't think they do much though?? Give them a call

 

[AspenTimber]

Yep definitely much better with the x-curve but still not great (not the frames fault) I’ll reach out to them and see if they have ideas … I’ve got the newer power straps and even if I tighten to the point of circulation cutoff it still slips eventually. I generally train with 80lbs when pack training so it has some gravity to contend.

 

[Ice-kub]

The k4 carbon fibre stays can be replaced with aluminum and curved/contoured to your fit? The lumbar pad is pretty sweet, firm but comfortable and grippy

 

[hammer0419]

The k4 carbon fibre stays can be replaced with aluminum and curved/contoured to your fit? The lumbar pad is pretty sweet, firm but comfortable and grippy

He is asking about the Stone Glacier X-Curve. Not Exo

 

[AspenTimber]

Correct, stone glacier thanks for clarifying … designed for back curvature… I have watched fitment videos and am aware not to overdo it on the load lifters but have been trying all extremes now on to crazy diy stuff like adding something grippy to the back of pack … just seeing if there’s anything out there that’s been done yet by others…

 

[madcalfe]

Kinda sounds like you are having the same issues I had. I’m a taller skinnier guy 5’11 155lbs. my pack would pull away a bit plus when I was loaded down my spine would actually make contact with the cross section of the stays in the frame. And if I tightened everything down super tight the hip belt would pinch and rub so much on my hips to the point of bruising if I was loaded down.
I replaced all the crappy thin original foam padding with 1” think foam and it’s night as day difference. I’ve also done the same with my kifaru. Super easy and takes about 30 mins to do. Then just take it to a ulphostery place for them to stitch it back up.

 

[AspenTimber]

Wow that looks amazing.! Where is the foam from just a roll off Amazon? Did you have to add fabric to be able to make room for the bigger pads? And yea bruises are a norm and it’s unreal how much lighter my load feels on legs even if I walk with it lifted in proper position by holding it there with my hands behind my back but not ideal in the real world outside of training

 

[madcalfe]

Wow that looks amazing. Where is the foam from just a roll off Amazon? Did you have to add fabric to be able to make room for the bigger pads?

there's a store where I live called everything foam. literally just went in there and felt a couple different foam types picked out one I liked and bought a 4ft sheet for like 40$
and no, no extra fabric. the most time consuming thing is trying to stuff the thicker foam in the shoulder straps. the hip belts are easy to do though

 

[AspenTimber]

I’m relatively proportionate outside of a curved back 180 5ft 8”

 

[5MilesBack]

I hate lumbar pads. I use a 1-piece belt on my SG Krux frame and just lock it tight around my waist.....above my hips. There is absolutely no way it can slip no matter how much weight I put on it. But I'm tall and lean....6'6"/220.

 

[Marble]

I would think that the ops issue is related to one or a combination of the following:


1. Improper pack adjustment
2. Improper belt size
3. Lumbar pad size needs to be adjusted.

I can say if I put my pack on with a lot of clothing material between the belt and body, it lets the waist belt slip more. I try to tuck in my base layer, move other clothing out of the way and tighten the waist belt first. Then the shoulder straps until the pack touches my upper back. My goal is to have it bounce ever so slightly off my upper back. Then I will adjust load lifters until they are snug and I feel the pack adjust just a little. Lastly is the chest strap. From watching kifaru videos and my own experience, it's sole purpose is to keep the straps out fo your arm pit.

I do not have experience with changing the shapes of the pack stays. I'm sure someone can chime in if this may help.

 

[ddd-shooter]

I hate lumbar pads. I use a 1-piece belt on my SG Krux frame and just lock it tight around my waist.....above my hips. There is absolutely no way it can slip no matter how much weight I put on it. But I'm tall and lean....6'6"/220.

Must be a tall guy thing. 6’4 205 here and the kifaru lumbar pad nearly killed me before I removed it. Love it now with no pad!

 

[trophyhill]

I generally train with 80lbs when pack training so it has some gravity to contend.

Yep glutton for punishment with a fused spine

 

[Smitty3187]

A suggestion Ive seen on Exo fitting videos and one that makes sense( ive personally started doing thid) is to set your chest strap width before tightening your shoulder straps all the way so when you cinch them down, they tighten down in the position they will sit, tightening the shoulder straps before the chest gives you bad fit in my experience after watching the Exo fit videos. I also had a similar issue with belt sliding and found that my torso adjustment was slightly off, as it was to short. making my shoulder straps sit to far back when a heavy load was in the bag.

 

[strongarm]

I replaced all the crappy thin original foam padding with 1” think foam and it’s night as day difference. I’ve also done the same with my kifaru. Super easy and takes about 30 mins to do. Then just take it to a ulphostery place for them to stitch it back up.

@madcalfe Really intrigued by your solution here, thanks for sharing. I may consider this for reviving a Kifaru belt that's compressed and gotten tired. Curious how you navigated the stitching where I believed it to be sewn through the foam in several places. Just use a seam ripper and then have the shop restitch on those lines? Any other order of operations suggestions that you found helpful?

 

[go4thegusto]

A hunting friend with a flat back and no butt smears clear silicone on lumbar pad and some areas of the belt to prevent slipping. Much like some pants that have the sticky material bonded in waistband.

 

[madcalfe]

Really intrigued by your solution here, thanks for sharing. I may consider this for reviving a Kifaru belt that's compressed and gotten tired. Curious how you navigated the stitching where I believed it to be sewn through the foam in several places. Just use a seam ripper and then have the shop restitch on those lines? Any other order of operations suggestions that you found helpful?

-take a seam ripper and tear the threads that are sewn through the foam on the shoulder straps and hip belt
-pull the old foam out.
-place the old foam on the new foam sheet and trace around it.
-cut out new pieces
-Stuff the new foam in the shoulder straps and waste belt.
-go to a local upholstery place and just ask them to sew the couple pieces back on and the openings shut. I literally gave them 20$ and was in and out in 5 mins just told them whatever colored thread that's already in their machine will work.

shouldn't take more than an hour or 2 to do and makes a world of difference to me anyways.

 

[IBen]

Here’s two things i did to improve comfort of my pack. Sewed a 3/4” webbing loop to capture the should strap. This attaches right at the top of my shoulder (like a hmg or some mchale packs) and eliminates the need for load lifters. I still uses them but it doesnt do much. It prevents the fulcrum effect. It is also more comfortable to use when not using the hipbelt. It also makes picking up awkward loads without the pack swinging and the velcro tearing.
With the hipbelt you can run it through the tension locks on the buckle and in the hipbelt (2nd pic) i also added foam to the lumbar pad

 

[strongarm]

@madcalfe thank you!