Kifaru Ark Frame - solving forward lean & posture

[Wilderness Will]

After many a mile, and many adventures, I finally wore out my old stone glacier. I decided I would try out the new Kifaru Ark frame. The craftsmanship that went into this backpack is remarkable. The feeling of that solid carbon sheet felt great and it’s hard to explain how nice that dense foam feels. I loved everything about it… expect for when I had it loaded with 70lbs+

Just like boots, if you have to try and convince yourself that your pack fits, that’s a bad sign. When my Kifaru was loaded heavy, it definitely caused me to lean forward at the waist. It was still doable and fairly comfortable but my lower back was sore after a long hike. I was so disappointed!

Standing next to a mirror with my pack loaded, I noticed there was a nearly 2” gap between the top of the lumbar pad. I totally removed the lumbar foam and put my pack back on, my posture was totally corrected and I was upright. Yay! With a sharp knife I thinned the width of the foam to roughly 60% of its original thickness. Boom! Perfect posture and super comfortable. I was worried that doing so would cause the lumbar pad to slip down, but it stayed up high where I like it great.

 

[Tradchef]

These guys said the same thing. It’s the first one to review. Check it out

 

[isleofGough]

The problem with the video above is that they had too small a Ark frame. My experience with Kifaru vs others is that for light loads, a smaller lumbar pad is more comfortable and better balanced (Exo, SO, HPG). For heavy weight, the larger lumbar pad helps.