Body Style and Pack Fit

[Kramer588]

I currently have a 2018 Kuiu Icon Pro 3200, i like it for hunting, but after packing 75lbs of a cow elk with it last fall, im wondering if i should be looking for something else. The pack functions great with 25 or so pounds while hunting but it killed my back with the 75lbs on the pack out, and i cant imagine packing 100+ like some guys talk about. In my research i keep seeing people say how you need to find a pack that fits you, or find one that your body likes. I live in the middle of Minnesota and other than Mystery Ranch, i dont have much of a chance to try stuff on, let alone load them up with some weight and walk around.
So my question to anyone with experience, is there any rhyme or reason to how packs fit? Do tall guys prefer a certain brand, broad shoulders, short guys, heavy guys, long torso vs long legs, anything like that. I'm 6'3" 260lbs, anyone around my size have experience with trying packs on?

 

[LaHunter]

At 6'3", I am going to assume you have a pretty long/tall torso. What size Kuiu frame do you have. Could be the frame was not tall enough to give you the load lift needed with 75lbs.
Fitting the frame length to your torso length is important in order to get the correct angle of the load lifter straps from your shoulder straps up to the tops of the stays. Frame too short = not enough load lift and too much wt carried on the shoulders. I prefer the tops of the stays to be about even with my ears, when looking in the mirror, with about 30-40 lbs loaded.
I am about 5'10" and 210-215 lbs and the Kuiu Icon Pro fits me well. I've been running one since they were first released.
Conversely, I tried a MR Metcalf with the Guide Light frame, and as much as I wanted to like this setup, I could not make it work for me. The belt would not stay in place with 40-50 lbs in the pack, regardless how tight I cinched it up or where I positioned it.

 

[Kramer588]

I do have a long torso, but I have the extra tall frame and the top of the frame ends were about mid ear on me. I feel I had it set right because it wasn’t pulling on my shoulders or chest hard, it just didn’t feel right on my lower back

 

[WV Mountaineer]

If it hurt your lower back lower lumbar area, there is a good chance the lumbar pad was too low.



I personally think People buy and setup packs with 20-50 pound trial weights. Then, when they load really big weight in it, the pack rides much different. Causing a lot of discomfort they haven’t experienced before. Then they buy another pack thinking it’s going to be different. And the subtle differences might be an improvement. But, their original problem was mostly caused by improper fit.


If it hurt your back, one of two things likely happened. Your torso was too long putting too much weight on your back muscles to hold the load. You were mostl likely bent over while walking. Or, the torso was too short. Forcing the back to hold more weight then it should because it pulls your shoulders back. This is really hard on the lumbar area.



I’m not saying some packs aren’t better suited to a range of people’s body and preferences. Only saying the science behind a pack frame is pretty simple. It’s up to the user to get the best they can from which brand they got. Fooling with it and trying different things will help you. And, as easy as a KUIU is to adjust, it doesn’t take 15 seconds to bump your torso adjustment one way or the other to do so under different loads. To maximize the comfort level it will provide you.

 

[valtteri]

I am 6'3" and 280lbs, most of that is in my legs and ass, but also in my gut and upper body. Have a fair amount of muscle mass but also plenty of fat. I have a fairly curved back.

I went with Kifaru because they offered aluminum stays that you can bend and because they have a reputation of being comfortable with heavy loads.

I would say that the most essential factor for me ended up being the ability to bend the stays to fit the shape of my back. I also had Kifaru send me a thinner lumbar pad as the stock pad put too much pressure on my lumbar.

So, with the thinner lumbar pad and a couple of nights bending the stays, going for walks with weight, bending them again, I started to get the pack really dialed in. Patiently I continued that every now and then for a couple weeks and got the whole setup to fit me really well.

Now the frame fits like a glove and I can load it up with as much weight as I can carry. I walk to work and back with about 70lbs total weight (round trip about 5.5 miles) and the pack feels really good. Comfort is obviously a relative term. I once loaded it up with +130lbs (scale bottoms out at around 130lbs) and it felt probably as good as that kind of weight on your back can ever feel like. Basically the fit of the frame is no longer the bottleneck in comfort. The frame has been removed out of the equation so to speak.

To sum it up: for me, the aluminum stays were key. The way I had to customize them, I just don't feel like I'd ever get a "fit like a glove" fit with a frame that has fixed stays (can't bend them). From what I understand, only Kifaru offers their frames with aluminum stays. So I'm staying with them.

 

[doverpack12]

unvelcro your shoulder straps and move them toward the lumbar pad half an inch or an inch which will shorten them. Then loosen the straps and load the frame down heavy and try it on again. With my pack I can fit it comfortably for say 50-55 lbs and under which is where I use it the majority of the time. Then if I know I am going to pack heavy I have to remember to shorten the shoulder straps slightly otherwise I cannot get enough pressure off the top of my butt and onto my hips and lumbar area. This really hurts and makes it tough to pack out. Slight shoulder strap adjustment at the frame connection and I can pack all day if necessary.

 

[Kramer588]

unvelcro your shoulder straps and move them toward the lumbar pad half an inch or an inch which will shorten them. Then loosen the straps and load the frame down heavy and try it on again. With my pack I can fit it comfortably for say 50-55 lbs and under which is where I use it the majority of the time. Then if I know I am going to pack heavy I have to remember to shorten the shoulder straps slightly otherwise I cannot get enough pressure off the top of my butt and onto my hips and lumbar area. This really hurts and makes it tough to pack out. Slight shoulder strap adjustment at the frame connection and I can pack all day if necessary.

This makes a lot of sense, im guessing i was leaning forward a little bit and that lead to my issues, im going to try to lower the shoulder straps and see if that helps. I thought i had it fit right but i didnt spend a whole lot of time getting it perfected

 

[Kramer588]

Does it help to keep the pack higher up on the frame or lower down, the 3200 pack has the slots sewn into the top of the pack to put the frame ends into. I didt have the frame tucked into the pack because with the extra tall frame i felt like it would be carrying the bag too high.

 

[hflier]

You want the heaviest part of the load higher not lower. Having the heavy part of the load low on your back is brutal.

 

[LaHunter]

Does it help to keep the pack higher up on the frame or lower down, the 3200 pack has the slots sewn into the top of the pack to put the frame ends into. I didt have the frame tucked into the pack because with the extra tall frame i felt like it would be carrying the bag too high.

Yes. It matters a lot. You need to run the frame / bag as designed. The load will have more potential to sag if you don’t have the pack assembled correctly

 

[WV Mountaineer]

unvelcro your shoulder straps and move them toward the lumbar pad half an inch or an inch which will shorten them. Then loosen the straps and load the frame down heavy and try it on again. With my pack I can fit it comfortably for say 50-55 lbs and under which is where I use it the majority of the time. Then if I know I am going to pack heavy I have to remember to shorten the shoulder straps slightly otherwise I cannot get enough pressure off the top of my butt and onto my hips and lumbar area. This really hurts and makes it tough to pack out. Slight shoulder strap adjustment at the frame connection and I can pack all day if necessary.

Boom. A much better, more concise way of saying what I stumbled through trying to do earlier.

 

[Cahunter805]

Does it help to keep the pack higher up on the frame or lower down, the 3200 pack has the slots sewn into the top of the pack to put the frame ends into. I didt have the frame tucked into the pack because with the extra tall frame i felt like it would be carrying the bag too high.

This was more than likely a huge problem especially if you had 75lbs all in the bag. It’s designed to be in those pockets unless in load sling mode which then is setup different with the bridge straps engaged.
I can’t imagine carrying 75lbs in the bag without the frame into the top pockets. That would be miserable to say the least. The load lifter straps would essentially be useless and not engaged.
Loosen the bottom straps and slide the frame into the top pockets they are designed to go in. Tighten the straps down and snug the bag to the frame. I’d then load the pack with 60-70lbs and take a test hike and see how it feels then.

 

[Kramer588]

This was more than likely a huge problem especially if you had 75lbs all in the bag. It’s designed to be in those pockets unless in load sling mode which then is setup different with the bridge straps engaged.
I can’t imagine carrying 75lbs in the bag without the frame into the top pockets. That would be miserable to say the least. The load lifter straps would essentially be useless and not engaged.
Loosen the bottom straps and slide the frame into the top pockets they are designed to go in. Tighten the straps down and snug the bag to the frame. I’d then load the pack with 60-70lbs and take a test hike and see how it feels then.

I did have the meat in the load shelf, i just wasnt thinking when i posted about the frame pockets in the bag and before i realized it, people had commented on it. I watched the Kuiu video about fitting a pack again today and i think my problem was i didnt cinch down the shoulder straps tight before engaging the load lifters, and that led to a gap between my shoulders and the straps, then i was leaning forward to compensate.

 

[GotDraw?]

Do you have a gut?

If you're heavy and have a gut, then you may be wearing the hip belt too low and not be able to adjust the belt so it sits properly centered on your illiac crest (hip bones). This would cause the lumbar pad to be too low as pointed out earlier, in which case the bottom of the pad would press into your sacrum and cause lower back pain.

JL

 

[Cahunter805]

I did have the meat in the load shelf, i just wasnt thinking when i posted about the frame pockets in the bag and before i realized it, people had commented on it. I watched the Kuiu video about fitting a pack again today and i think my problem was i didnt cinch down the shoulder straps tight before engaging the load lifters, and that led to a gap between my shoulders and the straps, then i was leaning forward to compensate.

That would cause some problems for sure. Always start with the waist belt, then shoulder straps, then load lifters and then load stabilizer straps.
Also in load sling I put the load high in the frame and cinch it down as best as possible. It will slide down a little when you first start hiking especially if it’s meat.

 

[Kramer588]

Do you have a gut?

If you're heavy and have a gut, then you may be wearing the hip belt too low and not be able to adjust the belt so it sits properly centered on your illiac crest (hip bones). This would cause the lumbar pad to be too low as pointed out earlier, in which case the bottom of the pad would press into your sacrum and cause lower back pain.

JL

Ya I have a gut for sure, nothing crazy but I’m not a cut 260 by any means. I think I run the waiste belt where it needs to be, comes across right at or a little above my belly button

 

[GotDraw?]

Extra lbs on the belly will make it harder to properly cinch the belt well for heavy loads, since you will be putting strain on your soft/flexible gut when what you really want that belt snugly centered on the illiac crest on each side of the pelvis.

Your belt positioning sounds right, but the question is when carrying a heavy pack, can you snug the belt so the pack doesn't crawl down your back? With a belly, when you go to snug that belt tighter, you force your guts up both toward your diaphragm and down toward your pelvic floor. This will be uncomfortable and you will not breathe efficiently, nor will your pack's pad stay on your lower back/upper. This discomfort may keep you from tightening your belt to deal with a heavy load.

Not sure what else to say. May some other large guys can weigh in (pun intended ;-) ) with advice.

JL

Ya I have a gut for sure, nothing crazy but I’m not a cut 260 by any means. I think I run the waiste belt where it needs to be, comes across right at or a little above my belly button

 

[GotDraw?]

A question I did not consider asking was how often did you train with a heavy pack leading up to your hunt? How heavy was your pack?

I train with a weighted pack a minimum of 4-5 days/week for 45min to an hour +. If I tried to hunt heavy w/o extensive conditioning for my back, then went heavy... well, I'd be very sore.

Also, I HIGHLY recommend regularly stretching your hamstrings. This can help a lot with preventing back pain.

JL

 

[eagle_eye]

Ya I have a gut for sure, nothing crazy but I’m not a cut 260 by any means. I think I run the waiste belt where it needs to be, comes across right at or a little above my belly button

That reminded of a pair of hunters that were packing out an elk. One of them had a game cart. The other had one of those older external frame packs. Looked like he had a lot of weight on the shoulders, but on closer look he had his waist belt supported by the top of his belly. Didn't know that a big belly had that kind of use. Maybe that would work.

 

[Jrs]

I’ve tried lots of packs starting with a barneys and then moving to the big name packs with lumbar pads. I finally found that for me the floating hip belt works best, and am using a seek outside now.