Kifaru frame hitting me in the rear!

[aclawrence]

Hey guys, I picked up the new Kifaru frame last year when they came out. I went with the tactical ultralight 24". I finally got around to putting some weight in this pack and doing a little walking with it. I'm using a cargo panel and a 50# bag of sand. I'll just go ahead and say that I'm a little out of shape. I've been hitting the gym for a while on and off and making some slow progress but still have lots of room for improvement. I'm a smaller guy. I'm 5'4 and 150lbs with a fairly athletic build. I'm turning 34 in a few days and my abs have gotten a little softer over the last few years.

So, after walking with the weight in my pack I'm noticing that the bottom of the frame is hitting me in the butt. I haven't messed with the adjustments on the frame because I thought they had it dialed in pretty well from the factory. I started with the cargo panel attached to both attachment points on the frame, then I moved it up one, then I adjusted it as high as I could get it. The load feels more comfortable now but the frame is still sitting a little low it seems. I know your just going to tell me to call Kifaru but I thought I would see if any of you had any suggestions before I get on the phone with them. Thanks

 

[aclawrence]

 

[aclawrence]

Also when I tighten the shoulder straps down to where the little metal clip thingy is even with my collar bone I feel like it is suffocating me a little bit.

 

[COlineman78]

You probably need the curved stays. Some people were having this problem with the UL frame that was fixed with curved stays.

 

[aclawrence]

Yeah that might work. I didn't really notice until i put the heavier weight in the pack. I think I'll call out to Kifaru and see if they recommend the same. That would be an easy fix..I think. HaHa

 

[rhunter424]

Yep I second what COlineman says. I tried the arrow stays and was fine until the weight went to about 30/40 pounds. I constantly needed to lift the pack up (shrug movement) and try to tighten the belt more. The problem is that the lumbar pad never gets situated in your "lumbar pocket" so it just slides down.

 

[Kotaman]

Consensus...Get rid of the arrows on that kind of weight and you should be good to go.

 

[mrbillbrown]

You're belt looks like it's riding a little low to me. Like it needs to be elevated a hair to grab the tops of your hips. If you raise the belt up how does the lumbar pad feel in the small of your back?


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[colonel00]

Belt looks low. Load lifters look like they are pulling a bit too much. Also looks like you could shorten up the torso length a little.

 

[dunner543]

Hmm, this makes me realize that I probably had the same issue as you. I have a 26" ultralight frame and trained and hunted with it this year carrying up to 60-95 lbs consistently and fairly comfortably. I decided that the 26" was a little taller than I wanted after catching it often on branches while trying to sneak through timber so I ordered a 24" with the composite stays. Long story short, the top of the 24" frame is basically in the same spot as my 26" because it sits higher on my back. Haven't done any heavy hikes with it yet but I'm assuming it'll probably feel better since it sits a little higher. I think the 26" was sliding down but my big butt was keeping it from going too far. I did have a little rubbing right at the bottom of the stays/lumbar pad area but I chalked that up to probably carrying more weight than optimal for arrow stays. Now I'm thinking its probably because of the straight stays based on what you guys are saying. For reference I'm 5'9" 160.

 

[mauidiver]

Also try loosening the loadlifters a good bit then tighten the shoulder straps to align the metal rings to collar bone and adjust belt a bit higher. The more you play with it, the more sense it makes.

 

[aclawrence]

Thanks for all the input guys. I'll keep tinkering with it. I'm going on a hiking with a rifle trip this weekend and I've been a little nervous to get too crazy on the adjusting before the trip. Hopefully my pack will be way less than the 50# sandbag...On the way in

 

[derland]

Call Kifaru. They're more than happy to help with fitting. They'll troubleshoot and walk you through everything.


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[c5mrr270]

You don't get the 3 bar slider on your collar bone by wrenching on the shoulder straps. You get it there by opening the torso pad and sliding the shoulder straps up higher on the Velcro. You might try getting the waist belt up higher first though. It looks low to me.

If you bring the waist belt up the 3 bar slider should move forward.

 

[c5mrr270]

Here's a video on an older frame but you get the idea.

Kifaru Pack Fitting - Fine Tuning a Longhunter, EMR, MMR, AG1 or AG2 - YouTube

 

[Stid2677]

Looks like your belt might be too small. I had issues with my pack sliding down with one of my Kifaru packs, changed out the waist belt so when it is tight now the padded wings almost touch. This gave me a much better fit. Just a thought.

 

[aclawrence]

Thanks. I'll check that video out. I try to start with the belt high but it just slides down.

 

[MattB]

I'd call Kifaru, but agree about looking into the stays, belt size Y(you should probably have the small, up to 33"34" waist), and the something about the shoulder straps looks amiss.

 

[Lockster]

I haven't used a Kifaru yet but this is a similar issue that I had with the Exo due to its rigid "straight" frame, at least the Kifaru has the option of swapping to a curved stay, I'm going to have to get rid of my Exo and buy a different pack to fix the issue.

 

[wasatchcomm]

belt looks low to me as well
flat back?