Kifaru Flat Back Test Not Always Correct

[NVCHUKAR]

I thought I would post this for future pack orders. I ordered a standard back bikini and recieved it in late July. Initially I was pleased with the pack but it just didn't seem to fit me. It was comfortable up to 40lbs but got worse as I increased the weight. My main issue was that I wasn't making contact with the torso pads and the only way to really achieve that was to crank down on the load lifters to the point that my pack road at an angle towards my head.

When doing the kifaru flat back test I could fit my whole hand behind my lumbar. So I thought that I needed the standard. I emailed Kifaru and talked to Aron and decided to swap frames. Thank you Kifaru for the great customer service. I have been on a couple of hikes with 60#s and all of my previous issues are gone. The pack feels great and look forward to getting some blood on it in two weeks.

I am 5'9" 150# and the flat back stays work for me even with plenty of room in my lumbar. Maybe its because I have a slim build or my back profile is different.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Good to know. My bag arrives next month. Used to live in the Hunter Lake area (west Reno) and imagine you'll be seeing some weather soon. Love that whole area, from Quincy to Incline. Don't like the weather? Wait ten minutes. Ran the Health Club next to the big movie theatre and did stand-up comedy in the casinos. Learned that a 20 yr old has a hard time making blue haired people with walkers laugh over dinner at 4pm. Talk about your generation gaps...Ohhhh myyyyyy!

 

[NVCHUKAR]

Yeah weather changes quite frequently, Reno is great but I also enjoy the NE part of the state where I grew up, better hunting and fewer people.

 

[HellsCanyon]

Same story here but not as bad. My original timberline 1 fit me great and hauled out a lot of critters for me last year but it just wasn't as comfortable with heavy loads as I expected. I got a new bikini frame this year with flat-back stays and it fits better. The standard stays weren't horrible but I can tell the flat back stays fit me better. Same story as you, I can back up against a wall and have nothing but air between my waist and bottom of my shoulder blades...

Mike

 

[hammer0419]

I Too had the same problem. The pain from the lumbar pad was near unbearable. I blamed it on the pad being to thick. Come to find out it was the stays. I don't consider myself to have a flat back but the flat back stays work outstanding for me.

 

[huntabsarokee]

I Too had the same problem. The pain from the lumbar pad was near unbearable. I blamed it on the pad being to thick. Come to find out it was the stays. I don't consider myself to have a flat back but the flat back stays work outstanding for me.

I thought that the flat back stays would press the lumbar pad more into your back and increase the pain? Reason I ask is I have the same problem with the regular stays. Pad is very uncomfortable. Don't really want to switch to the aluminum stays bc of the weight.

 

[Yellowknife]

I thought that the flat back stays would press the lumbar pad more into your back and increase the pain? Reason I ask is I have the same problem with the regular stays. Pad is very uncomfortable. Don't really want to switch to the aluminum stays bc of the weight.

This is where a full wrap or floating belt works well for me. I haven't tried all combinations of internal frames, so there is a possibility that the right one would fit... But I'm pretty happy with the full floating belt on my Barneys, or the wrap belt with a minimal pad on the Stone Glacier. Minimal lumbar pressure = less pain under heavy loads for me.


As far as aluminum stays go... you might want to re-think that position. The purpose of reducing weight is not to have the smallest number on you gear spreadsheet. The purpose is to make you more efficient and comfortable in the field. In my experience, a pack that fits is going to be WAY more important than 5 oz in that regard.

Yk

 

[huntabsarokee]

Thanks for the info. I have actually thought about giving the SG a whirl especially after reading some of your impressions on it.

 

[hammer0419]

I thought that the flat back stays would press the lumbar pad more into your back and increase the pain? Reason I ask is I have the same problem with the regular stays. Pad is very uncomfortable. Don't really want to switch to the aluminum stays bc of the weight.

My pain was from the lower portion of the lumbar pad. Very uneven pressure. With the flat back stays it "squared up" the pad so it was flush on my back with complete even pressure. From 10lb to 95lb it is extremely comfortable.

 

[hammer0419]

I fully agree about the aluminum stays. They afford you to custom mold the pack to your back. To many people are hung up on saving an ounce and sacrifice something because of it. If the flat back stays didn't fix my lumbar pain I had all intention of going back to aluminum stays. There are a million other places to save those few ounces if it is that big of a deal. Total comfort for a few ounces is a no brainer.

 

[BRN]

I have been wondering the same thing. I can fit the entire hand behind so I ordered the standard. When I have it on I get a shooting pain on my right hip and right leg (left side is ok) I have been carrying the gun on the right side in the gun bearer and thought that maybe that is the reason. So far just using the belt loose and carrying more load on the shoulders. May have to call Aron and get his take.

 

[jquarnberg]

I havent tried a kifaru pack yet but im working on it. I did the test and can fit my whole hand but now wonder which stays will be best for me. I have zero but and assumed I would have been flat backed until I did that test.

 

[Aron Snyder]

Hey guys,

You need to keep in mind that less than 1% of users had issues with this, so it's not real common.

Feel free to call me with questions on this....720-937-1418

 

[Eagle]

I had very similar issues, passed the standard back test too. When the pack was loaded with 20+ pounds I would have a lot of discomfort in my lower lumbar, and sometimes would even end up with cramping in my quads so bad that I couldn't walk, literally had to sit down and stretch for several minutes before I could move again, never had experienced that with a lot of backpacking. I also had severe bruising on my hips that would last for more than a month after the fact. I still continued to use the pack thinking I had done something wrong fit wise, but gave up at the beginning of the summer and sold it. Now it looks like it may have been that I had the wrong stays, but that doesn't really explain the hip bruising I dealt with. Aron fit the pack for me when I bought it at Kifaru, and the customer service was second to none, so the stays never crossed my mind and I just figured the pack didn't fit me and I was in that 1% after talking to Aron.
I'll likely give the bikini a shot in the spring with flat back stays and test it along with a SG Krux frame. Hopefully I'll find one that works for me.

 

[BRN]

I just spoke with Aron and mine isn't related to the stays.

 

[Ironman]

You guys have just been lied to. "you have a nice ass", was just to inflate your ego.

 

[luke moffat]

T
As far as aluminum stays go... you might want to re-think that position. The purpose of reducing weight is not to have the smallest number on you gear spreadsheet. The purpose is to make you more efficient and comfortable in the field. In my experience, a pack that fits is going to be WAY more important than 5 oz in that regard.

Yk

I agree 100%....going lightweight is only worth it if it still functions as well or better than something heavier. While its fun to fiddle with the numbers during the off season to get it as low as possible adn i have packed Becca and I for a combined weight with food for a week and rifle for less than 60 pounds combined weight so I know it can be done. But the reality of the situation is, another 5 and even 10 pounds on my back is NOT going to make or break my hunt. Still gonna go, and likely still hike faster than most the people I hunt with even if I have 10 pounds more in my pack. Not the end of the world.

Just go with the pack that is the most comfy for you. Whether thats a 7+ pound Kifaru duplex or a 3.5 pound Stone Glacier or a 10 pound Mystery Ranch...so long as it works for your body use it.

 

[jmez]

I agree 100%....going lightweight is only worth it if it still functions as well or better than something heavier. While its fun to fiddle with the numbers during the off season to get it as low as possible adn i have packed Becca and I for a combined weight with food for a week and rifle for less than 60 pounds combined weight so I know it can be done. But the reality of the situation is, another 5 and even 10 pounds on my back is NOT going to make or break my hunt. Still gonna go, and likely still hike faster than most the people I hunt with even if I have 10 pounds more in my pack. Not the end of the world.

Just go with the pack that is the most comfy for you. Whether thats a 7+ pound Kifaru duplex or a 3.5 pound Stone Glacier or a 10 pound Mystery Ranch...so long as it works for your body use it.

And therein lies the entire problem with trying to buy a high end pack. Despite what many would like to believe some packs just don't fit or work for some people. When you get into the higher end you get the privilege of spending $700-$800 to figure out if it will work or not. Sometimes,two or three times.

 

[HellsCanyon]

And therein lies the entire problem with trying to buy a high end pack. Despite what many would like to believe some packs just don't fit or work for some people. When you get into the higher end you get the privilege of spending $700-$800 to figure out if it will work or not. Sometimes,two or three times.

The resale value is pretty good with the high end packs however so it is still a pretty low-risk venture. Time consuming though with a lot of packs being weeks out in delivery Times!

Mike

 

[ohhiitznik]

Ask Franklinmanklin about his flat back issues! lol