@Kotaman since you sound like you are firmly in the x-curve camp like me, how’s the testing going with the Terminus/flat stays?
Jotting some notes down below in hopes it helps others considering these packs now or in the future.
Ordered and currently testing this pack against my x-curve, beciase I like “light” and bone my meat. My only complaints with the x-curve is the open spacer mesh being a magnet for everything, and since I’m 5’8” with a shorter torso, the top of the x-curve stays get into the back of my head, and I can’t look up. I’ve ran the xcurve since it’s release.
Context: I really struggled under load with the original Krux and the x-curve solved that big time, really keeps the hip belt parked for me. My back profile isn’t flat, I have shoulder blades and my back certainly curve. Against a flat surface I can get my hand between my lower back and the wall, but it isn’t extreme; it gets wedged in there and I can’t pass it through to the other side. I called the shop and talked to Phil, he mentioned that most folks grab their krux evo in the store when comparing the frames, and that shorter people like me also tend that direction due to the stay angle at the top of the x-curve actually bending back over your upper back. With the improved double pull belt and new fabric I said what the hell and ordered one to try.
Under load (54 lb of sand, not extreme at all): I get full contact with the lumbar pad on the x-curve, and like 40-50% with the flat terminus pad, meaning the top half of the pad really isn’t engaged when I’m standing straight up. This causes the belt to not want to stay parked and puts a pressure point above my ass.
So….the SG lumbar pads use two layers of foam, and a 3rd half sheet (ie about half the height from top to bottom of pad) stuck in the middle of the pad, on the frame side, which curves it. I have another lumbar pad so I I grabbed the half sheet out of it and stuffed it into the terminus pad, just trying to make the entire lumbar pad 3 layers and improve pad contact in my lower back. That bumped me up to about 95% contact, but obviously the pad gets harder from being more full. More foam gets more contact, but the angle that the contact occurs on the x-curve puts the top more into my back than bottom, which parks the belt firmly. With the flat stays the angle is obviously vertical. Not sure extra foam is “the” solution (one of the fixes Kurt had me try with the original x-curve) at this point since I experienced some back pain this evening, but will keep messing with it to try and see if this thing could work.
The upper suspension feels much the same between the two packs, and I can distribute the load how I want on my shoulders, upper back and front of my shoulders. And I can look up! Pack fabric is actually softer in hand than I expected, and I honestly just had to laugh when it picked it up due to how light it is.
