Kifaru Timberline Pack...Best Option for Controlling Squeaks

[Mike7]

I love my T2 Pack, but I occasionally will get somewhat annoying squeaks which seem to occur where the surface of the Carbon Stays move a little within the Nylon Webbing Stay Pockets?

It may be more of an issue when the weather is warmer and I am sweating more? It does not obviously seem to be related to my loading of the pack.

Has anyone noticed this issue, and what have you tried? I would think some kind of lubricant/wax on the small areas of exposed/rubbing carbon would do the trick?

If nobody has dealt with this, then I may call Kifaru just to make sure that I don't put anything on that might damage the carbon or webbing.

 

[Ryan Avery]

Mike, I have logged a lot of miles with my t2 with carbon stays. I have no issues with noise. PM Aron he should be able to help.

 

[Aron Snyder]

Mike,

I'm on the road, but feel free to call anytime. I should be in service for a few hours ....

720-937-1418

 

[HellsCanyon]

I've actually noticed the same thing... seems to be occuring directly in between my shoulder blades. It's very infrequent though and I'm not sure if its the pack itself or my bino harness rubbing again the pack or my hydration tube running up from the bottom of the bladder pouch. Hasn't bothered me though as it only happens maybe 5% of the time I would say and is barely noticeable.

Mike

 

[6t4nova]

I noticed that on my DT1 also. I think mine was coming from the load lifters rubbing on something. Haven't messed with it sense to see what I can do to fix it.

 

[Aron Snyder]

If you're running a hose through the hole behind your head....it could be that.

The water bladder hose was the issue for me anyway.

 

[Xtorminator]

The leather on a bino harness will also make a noise.

 

[6t4nova]

I'll check the water bladder hose. I did have it ran through that small hole in the back.

 

[a3dhunter]

I would get a rubbing noise from my bino harness rubbing on the pads between my back and the pack.

 

[Mike7]

Aron, thanks. I'll play around with it more and maybe catch up with you after your hunt if it continues. It's not a binocular harness and not the water tube, those have been ruled out.

It is not horrible and seems to be intermittent, but I just like to tweak things where necessary to get them better if I can. The guy I hunt with has noticed it as well, but still wants a T2 (or a T1 with snow collar cut off).

I'll research it a little more, before I say for certain where the squeaking is coming from. I might just try putting a little lip balm wax at the one place on the carbon stay where I believe it is coming from and I'll really watch more closely how I am packing and cinching down loads.

 

[G Posik]

Mike,

I do not have this pack, but did have another brand that had a squeak like you are describing. Try taking candle wax and rubbing on contact areas. That is what worked for me.

Glenn

 

[RockChucker30]

You're not wearing a leather belt are you?

 

[RosinBag]

take the stays out and hike with it.....if the problem goes away you will know it is the stays rubbing on something. Also, make sure your stays are in correctly. I am not saying this to make fun, but sometimes when doing things to a pack you can put them back together incorrectly.

 

[MattB]

The squeak in the area you identified may very well be coming from the leather patch on your bino-harness rubbing against the pack. I had to moleskin mine to get rid of the noise. It can also come from items packed in the pack which squeak when in contact with the pack material.

 

[JPD350]

I was having the same squeaks, yesterday I had my pack out on the floor and put pressure down on the back pads and then flexed the carbon stays at the top and was able to repeat the squeak I had been hearing,

After a little troubleshooting and thought I came to the conclusion that I need to switch to the aluminum stays so I can adjust them to fit my back better. I noticed when I put my pack on the stays were leaning a little to far back at the top so when I would cinch the pack down it would flex the stays forward and straighten the dorsal part of my back a little bit, as I hiked the stays flexed back and fourth causing the squeak. What really made me see the problem with the stays was placing a 100 lbs in the pack, as soon as I snugged up the load lifters it would pull the pack forward and in turn the pad away from the lower back just enough to cause a pressure point at the front of the belt and the pack to slide down on the tail bone, at 50/60 lbs it wasn't all that bad I just had squeaks.

 

[cmeier117]

I have not had this issue in my DT1 or T2 and have the UL stays in both. Is there dirt or anything on the stays when you pull them out?

 

[stephen b]

JPD350- Just as you describe the issue could be that the stays do not fit your back and you need the mold able aluminum ones. If your back is curved more in the thoracic spine than what is in the pre set formation of the composite ones- then that center area of your mid back would be playing teeter toter with your hip belt and the upper part of the pack at the stay and load lifter point. Do not know if that would cause a squeak- but, it would not make for a comfortable pack. And if that is the case, then I think just the switch of the stays to ones that fit you right will be a lot of difference for you as far as the fit.

An inexpensive way to find out is to go to any Ace hardware, or any hardware store that has aluminum stock. Get 1" by the 1/8 thickness and have them cut to the 24 or 26 inch length of your stays and check it out. They are slightly less thick than the Kifaru ones and may be not quite as strong ( only slightly)- but they are lighter and still work well. I have an extra set that I tried this out with and found that the composites were not for me.

 

[Mike7]

Thanks everyone for the ideas. Took my son deer hunting last week and would get the squeaking sometimes regardless of wt amount in the pack (again seemingly from the stays and seemingly more when we were hunting in a cloud with 100 percent humidity or when I was really sweating hiking up a hill). I don't use a binoc harness because my binoc holder clips right to the kifaru shoulder straps. I have avoided changing anything on the pack because it came from the factory fitting me like a glove with excellent lumbar pad locking with the regular carbon stays.

I finally had time today to take the pack apart and pull the stays. They have a slightly sticky new carbon sheen on them with a possible slight rub spot in the shoulder regions and they had tamarack needles rubbed into/embedded in that outer sticky surface at the bottoms where the bottom stay pockets collected some debris. I was able to use fine steel wool to the entire stays making them smooth and removing debris and stickiness. Then I put on a very light coat of dead down wind scent free lip balm. These babies are smooth and slick now. So far I can't reproduce the squeak, but the true test will come this weekend with field use.

 

[HellsCanyon]

Interesting! Very curious to see how this turns out! Keep us updated!

 

[Mike7]

Update. Hunted last week in 3 days of rain and wet snow. No squeaking for the first day. By the last day or two with the pack being pretty wet there was some mild return of squeaking but not as loud as before.

I took the stays out after this hunt and saw no rub spots, but this time liberally applied some Dead Downwind Chapstick to the stays (without wiping it away afterward this time) to the points where the stays go into those rubberized type material pockets at the top and bottom of the pack. I was then out in light rain yesterday and the pack was absolutely silent. Hopefully, this will be the ultimate solution as it is so simple. I am surprised that almost nobody hunting in really wet weather has yet had to address this same issue.