Question for Kuiu users

[BillingsKeith]

I just received my Kuiu Pro LT and I have been playing around with configuring it. To put it into load carrying mode you have to unhook a little metal hook at the bottom of the pack. Unhooking this thing is a huge pain. I can barely unhook it under the ideal conditions of my house and it still takes me many minutes of struggling. I don't really see how this would be possible with cold hands outdoors. Do Kuiu users even bother securing this hook or do you just leave it undone? It seems like the bag could be used with it unhooked and you wouldn't suffer any consequences. Just curious what other people's experiences with this are.

 

[11boo]

Mine is an older one, an ultra 3000. Same issue, but my hooks are plastic.
Very tight fit in the fabric loop. I took some emory cloth and softened the plastic hook up a bit.

 

[go_deep]

I leave mine hooked and have the weight ride up higher.

 

[grappling_hook]

Depending on the load, I might have it hooked or unhooked.

After playing around with it a bit, I found I don't have any trouble hooking and unhooking it. Assuming yours is the same as mine, I pull it taut, pinch the middle of the loop for clearance, and slide out the hook. I can do this fine with gloves. Here it is:

https://imgur.com/a/nKmCah4

 

[BBob]

My early one falls out by itself all of the time and is useless, the newer one with the improved hook I don't find very hard to get it unhooked. Have they changed the design again where it's harder?

 

[Venom One]

IIRC, the key is to have the side straps loose when hooking/unhooking that center tab. If the sides are cinched down it's much harder.

 

[Tod osier]

I just received my Kuiu Pro LT and I have been playing around with configuring it. To put it into load carrying mode you have to unhook a little metal hook at the bottom of the pack. Unhooking this thing is a huge pain. I can barely unhook it under the ideal conditions of my house and it still takes me many minutes of struggling. I don't really see how this would be possible with cold hands outdoors. Do Kuiu users even bother securing this hook or do you just leave it undone? It seems like the bag could be used with it unhooked and you wouldn't suffer any consequences. Just curious what other people's experiences with this are.

This isn't helpful, but mine always comes unhooked by itself.

 

[sodaksooner]

I noticed after my hunt that mine was unhooked. Don't know when it happened but obviously didn't make a lot of difference for me.

 

[BillingsKeith]

Maybe it will loosen up a bit or I will get more adept at it with some practice. I'll keep playing with it. Thanks for the advice!

 

[BillingsKeith]

Depending on the load, I might have it hooked or unhooked.

After playing around with it a bit, I found I don't have any trouble hooking and unhooking it. Assuming yours is the same as mine, I pull it taut, pinch the middle of the loop for clearance, and slide out the hook. I can do this fine with gloves. Here it is:

https://imgur.com/a/nKmCah4

Thanks for the video. Mine isn't anywhere near that loose and my bag appears to have much more tension. If I could get the bag off of the top forks first, it wouldn't be a problem, but the tension across the bag makes getting the top or the bottom unhooked difficult. The first time I did it I muscled the top forks off first, but that seems like a risky thing to do over and over again.

 

[grappling_hook]

That makes sense. For the top forks to come off, that also requires loosening or unbuckling of the bottom straps first so that the pack can slide up and off of the frame. If you unbuckle those bottom straps in preparation for load configuration, then that is also what gives you the space to access the little hook strap. If you leave them tightened and buckled, it's hard to find room to access it. Luckily, the only time you'd need to undo the hook strap is if you're about to use load carrying mode or need to remove the bag from the frame, so loosening the bottom straps is part of the process anyway.

 

[11boo]

On my old ultra bag, the loop is much smaller than that video one. The hook was an absolute bear to get in/out.

 

[Venom One]

That makes sense. For the top forks to come off, that also requires loosening or unbuckling of the bottom straps first so that the pack can slide up and off of the frame. If you unbuckle those bottom straps in preparation for load configuration, then that is also what gives you the space to access the little hook strap. If you leave them tightened and buckled, it's hard to find room to access it. Luckily, the only time you'd need to undo the hook strap is if you're about to use load carrying mode or need to remove the bag from the frame, so loosening the bottom straps is part of the process anyway.

This is what I was trying to say, but you gave a much better explanation.

 

[Stroke250]

Depending on the load, I might have it hooked or unhooked.

After playing around with it a bit, I found I don't have any trouble hooking and unhooking it. Assuming yours is the same as mine, I pull it taut, pinch the middle of the loop for clearance, and slide out the hook. I can do this fine with gloves. Here it is:

https://imgur.com/a/nKmCah4

Yours looks to have more slack than mine(and I’m sure the original posters). I modified mine with a file so the hook/bend is gone. I’ll try to get a pic of what I did.

 

[Stroke250]

Here is my modified hook.