Mystery Ranch Guide Lite problem

[Luziana Feller]

i have a new Marshall pack on the guide lite frame. i packed 50 lbs yesterday for about 3 miles and it was a struggle. to compare, i previously owned a beartooth on the new guide lite MT frame and packed 60 lbs and it was a dream. i know there are differences in the 2 frames and waist belts but i felt like i was not adjusting something correctly?

i started out with the yoke too low so i stopped and adjusted it on the fly then re-cinched waist belt, shoulder straps and load lifters. it only took a few minutes before it needed adjusting again. the shoulder straps were killing me. i was carrying the load on my shoulders. so i stopped and adjusted the yoke up again (about 2 inches at this point). felt great again for a few minutes then it started again. i then realized that the belt was sagging in the back. the belt buckle was staying right where i buckled it but the lumbar pad was dropping and making the whole back of the belt sag down onto my butt. there was nothing i could do to keep the load from sliding down to the top of my glutes other than shifting the pack back up constantly. also, i had the weight cinched down good using the side a face compression straps. the load was TIGHT.

for reference, i am 5' 10" with 31" waist and weigh 160 lbs. I have a very skinny athletic build if that makes sense. no homo but my butt is a decent shelf lol but i probably have less than average hips. surely someone else has had similar problems? also, i have a call in to mystery ranch and have sent them a few pictures. waiting to hear back at the moment. hopefully this ain't another skinny white boy problem because i have enough of those...

 

[WV Mountaineer]

5'10" isn't an athletic build. It's a skinny build. :^) Seriously, my guess would be the torso was too long after the adjustments, you had your shoulder straps too tight on the initial carry causing you to increase the torso length, and that you might need a larger lumbar pad. One thing isn't debatable. If the frame was sagging, its due to a torso to long. These are my guesses and, they might all be wrong. Good luck and God Bless

 

[Luziana Feller]

Ha ha ha...lol I've came to the realization a long time ago that I will never be the biggest guy in the room.

I fiddled for a while with the shoulder straps before adjusting the yoke and everytime thereafter. Its definitely something to pay closer attention to next time though. Thanks for the pointer

 

[JD619er]

The flat stays and minimal lumbar pad just may not work for you. It didn't for me and we're built very similiar. I've owned about every high end frame made so I know how to adjust a pack to fit my body. Look at how wide the bottom of the guidelite frame is. It's almost wider than my hips. This not allowing the belt to wrap and make solid contact all the way around. The new lumbar design on the MT frame solved it for me.

 

[Luziana Feller]

Would the size of the belt cause this? I can get it really tight but it is bottomed out touching at my belly button

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

If they aren't make sure the rear corner straps are tight to something out on the face of the load so its pulling on the rear corner of the frame. Otherwise the frame can flex there and the lumbar will sink down folks with a flat butt (while the front stays in place) exactly like you're describing. That happened to me till I realized what my issue was.

 

[juan trueno]

Guidelight MT and NICE belts are Both better than the guidleght belt. For me The guidleight belt is ok it’s not uncomfortable and can hold a sever load. but with that NICE belt I almost can run that frame without wearing the shoulder straps . - If there was a change I’d ask for to the GL It would be to retrofit the MT belt. Can live without the SJlite buckles though.

 

[LaHunter]

i have a new Marshall pack on the guide lite frame. i packed 50 lbs yesterday for about 3 miles and it was a struggle. to compare, i previously owned a beartooth on the new guide lite MT frame and packed 60 lbs and it was a dream. i know there are differences in the 2 frames and waist belts but i felt like i was not adjusting something correctly?

i started out with the yoke too low so i stopped and adjusted it on the fly then re-cinched waist belt, shoulder straps and load lifters. it only took a few minutes before it needed adjusting again. the shoulder straps were killing me. i was carrying the load on my shoulders. so i stopped and adjusted the yoke up again (about 2 inches at this point). felt great again for a few minutes then it started again. i then realized that the belt was sagging in the back. the belt buckle was staying right where i buckled it but the lumbar pad was dropping and making the whole back of the belt sag down onto my butt. there was nothing i could do to keep the load from sliding down to the top of my glutes other than shifting the pack back up constantly. also, i had the weight cinched down good using the side a face compression straps. the load was TIGHT.

for reference, i am 5' 10" with 31" waist and weigh 160 lbs. I have a very skinny athletic build if that makes sense. no homo but my butt is a decent shelf lol but i probably have less than average hips. surely someone else has had similar problems? also, i have a call in to mystery ranch and have sent them a few pictures. waiting to hear back at the moment. hopefully this ain't another skinny white boy problem because i have enough of those...

This was my experience with the GL frame also. The belt is a poor design in my opinion. Did not work for me so I sold it.