MR Metcalf fitting

[ID_Matt]

My friend and I both bought mystery ranch packs this year. I had a kuiu before that worked OK but I wanted something bigger. The pack seems to do fine with modest weight on in...20-40 lbs. but when I load an animal on it and get up to the 60-90 pound range the pack really sags on me and starts putting weight on my shoulders. I have adjusted it quite a bit but it doesn't seem to help much. I am used to having the pack ride almost completely on my hips, which my kuiu did a good job of. I am wondering if anybody else has experienced this. The MR packs don't have as pronounced of lumbar pad as some others and I wonder if that is the problem, or if maybe my hips aren't as pronounced so it won't ride on those. Any opinions?

 

[ams]

If you are confident you have adjusted the pack correctly then it just might not be the pack for you. I happen to suffer from too much ass so packs that have a minimal lumbar pad do well for me such as the new MR packs as well as seek outside. I actually don't do too well with packs that have pronounced lumbar pads unless they have aluminum stays which I can shape to my liking.

 

[boom]

My new Metcalf has those new reverse pulls on the hips that allow me to quickly cinch them down on the fly. I think your Kuiu has a similar type pull.

On a heavy load, I find I have to pul things tighter anyways. On any pack. I smooch it all up and cinch it down. No issues.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

There is one thing with the guide light frame that I've found makes a night/day difference in the fit. Those straps off the bottom corners of the frame that go around the bottom of the bag and connect to the lower rear face of the bag must be tightened down. If you don't the frame corners can flex and the belt tips up (letting the lumbar slip down). Pull those straps tight and it keeps that corner secure and the belt doesn't sag.

Prior to figuring that out I didn't like the new frame versus the NICE, once I did that frame started performing well. I am a 33-34" waist and have no ass and have a medium frame, I routinely trained with 75lb on the guidelight preseason and it never loaded my shoulders and I had a bit of uptake left in the belt, it was quite comfortable actually. I packed out a 94lb load this fall with it and for that weight I bottomed out the belt and it slowly was slipping down with that extra load and put some weight into my shoulders but nothing excessive, if I had more uptake in the belt for my waist size it would have been fine I think.

 

[ID_Matt]

There is one thing with the guide light frame that I've found makes a night/day difference in the fit. Those straps off the bottom corners of the frame that go around the bottom of the bag and connect to the lower rear face of the bag must be tightened down. If you don't the frame corners can flex and the belt tips up (letting the lumbar slip down). Pull those straps tight and it keeps that corner secure and the belt doesn't sag.

Are you referring to the strap that goes around the bottom that you would use for a sleeping bag or tent? And do you tighten it up on the bag side or frame side?

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Are you referring to the strap that goes around the bottom that you would use for a sleeping bag or tent? And do you tighten it up on the bag side or frame side?

Yeah that one (to compress the bag bottom and/or strap something underneath). I don't actually use a MR bag, just the frame, but doesn't the strap just run from the frame to ladderlocks on the face of the bag and the only place to tighten it is those ladderlocks? I'm confused on the frame side tightening part but I might be overlooking something off memory. Long story short you want tension on those straps however you tighten it up, something pulling the bottom frame corners backwards.

If you don't the frame can flex which angles the front of the belt upwards and the lumbar sags down. That was my experience anyways and it made a big difference in how the frame fit me.

 

[ID_Matt]

This makes sense. Thank you for that. I will try that out when I get home tonight