Kifaru pack No No's and tips on fit.

[cmeier117]

So I had a few local buddies and father in-law buy a kifaru pack this summer and they are starting to get them dialed in for the season, they have had some issues on getting the pack adjusted properly and fitting right when loaded up. I figured I would post up what they were doing wrong and maybe it would help out some Kifaru newbs along the way.

1.) Have all the straps loose when putting the pack on not only for fitting but when you put the pack on each time. Too many times people have the delta straps tight or the lifter straps tight and it throws everything off. So straps loose and when you go to fit the pack you should tighten the straps in this order.
- Waist belt
- Shoulder straps
- Chesty strap
- Lifter straps
- Delta straps, but just snug them up do not over tighten.

2.) Next issue is make sure the 3 bar slider on your shoulder strap that connects the lifter strap to the shoulder strap is even or close too your collar bone, this will help give you proper lift and suck the load up to your back better. I have seen that 3 bar slider on the top or even the back side of the shoulder strap, so this is important.

3.) When adjusting your should straps to get the proper fit, put 15-20 lbs in the pack and put the pack on in the order I listed in number 1 above. Their should be little to no gap from the top of your shoulders to the shoulder strap. Now because with day hunt gear weight it doesn't matter I like a little gap so when I load it up with 100+ lbs of meat it settles down to a perfect gap and keeps weight off my shoulder nicely. But there should not be too much of a gap so be careful.

4.) If you have ever had a Kifaru pack and had pressure on the top of the lumbar pad and your back you may need flat back stays, or.... you may be tightening down too much on the lifter straps when your marginal weight 40-50 lbs in the pack. Since Kifaru used proper stays (and this especially is true for the composite ones) that are stiff, you can actually kick the bottom of the lumbar pad off your lower back and cause the lumbar pad to not evenly contact your lumbar area, thus creating a hot spot at the top of the lumbar area.

5.) Do not wear a leather thick belt under your pack waist belt.

6.) Pack your bag correctly to make sure the weight isn't pulling you back.

 

[SHTF]

Great Post man. Ive made many of these mistakes before myself. Its a learning curve for sure.

 

[Daniel_M]

#5 HA! Currently a belt conflict. When you have no hips you need a wilderness belt to keep the pants up. Well the pack and pant belt are unhappy with each other.

 

[cmeier117]

#5 HA! Currently a belt conflict. When you have no hips you need a wilderness belt to keep the pants up. Well the pack and pant belt are unhappy with each other.

Try the belt from Kifaru or Kuiu. You want a thin webbing belt and that will help solve the issue.

 

[dreamingbig]

I love my Kuiu belt and so does my Kifaru pack.

 

[bighouse31]

where does the three bar slider on the should straps need to be on the actual strap since it is adjustable.

 

[cmeier117]

That is point number 2, it need to be even with your collar bone.

 

[littlebuf]

only one a skip is the delta straps. I only loosen those up when Im putting on a real heavy pack then tighten in place. normal on and off stuff you can leave those alone.

 

[cmeier117]

You can see in this pic where the 3 bar slider is, it actually might be a little low in this pic. But gives you an idea.

 

[cmeier117]

only one a skip is the delta straps. I only loosen those up when Im putting on a real heavy pack then tighten in place. normal on and off stuff you can leave those alone.

Ya, they can do more harm than good with day hunt gear loaded up. Even for the pack in I like to have them snugged up, really helps stabilize the load.

 

[Ray]

And if you have a really flat lumbar - your pants are always slipping down hip-hop style - then even the flat back composite stays may not work. You will have to keep the metal ones and custom bend them to get full contact of the pad. It could take a few weeks to get it all dialed in.

The pack fit videos contain good info from the OP and are really helpful.

 

[bighouse31]

I know they line up with the collar bone but you can slide the three bar slider up and down on the webbing on the shoulder strap so where does it need to be positioned on the strap itself. Above the three bar slider the webbing is swen to the shoulder strap how far below that sew spot should the 3 bar be.

 

[bbrown]

bighouse - I wondered the same thing as I picked mine up used and have been trying to get it all dialed in. Most the pics I have seen the 3 bar seems to be centered between the 2 stitch points.

 

[Aron Snyder]

I know they line up with the collar bone but you can slide the three bar slider up and down on the webbing on the shoulder strap so where does it need to be positioned on the strap itself. Above the three bar slider the webbing is swen to the shoulder strap how far below that sew spot should the 3 bar be.

Dead center of the two stitch lines.

 

[cmeier117]

Dead center of the two stitch lines.

Yep. One of my friends is barrel chested and we did have to slide his almost all the way to the lower stitch point though.

 

[bighouse31]

Thanks Aron.

 

[cmeier117]

In the pic above it is dead center like Aron said.

 

[bighouse31]

What angle should the load lifters be set. I know if one of Patricks videos I think he said 15 degree angle but in most of the picks I see it is much greater than that.

 

[cmeier117]

The bigger the load the bigger the angle IMHO. I think Aron would a agree with me that for big loads I like 30-45 degrees. I don't adjust it down either for day hunting as I can't tell a huge difference anyways and is plenty stable and sucked into my back.

 

[eltaco]

Thanks for posting this... great info.

First and foremost, I saw on the Kifaru videos that the hip belt should be dead center at the top of my hip bones. When I do this, it feels like the lumbar pad is riding too high into my back. Is it more critical to get the belt this high, or position the lumbar pad where it sits in the small of your back? An inch or three makes a big difference in how the shoulder straps and 3-bar sliders sit. Maybe I'm misunderstanding the video...

I'm working on getting mine setup and found that my 3-bar sliders were closer to the top stitching. When I adjust them down to center they're well below my collar bone. Sounds like I have some work to do.