ZPacks Arc Haul

"I can't see how they would pop out of mine either as you describe, the stitching of that webbing piece is complete, except for the very bottom where the stay normally enters"

We met a father/son hiking team on the AT in Virginia last month. The son had an Arc Haul; Dad said it was the first one off the production line. He also said that one of the stays had popped out of the top, and that he had contacted Joe and was able to fix it on the trail. (Not sure about the fix, or how permanent it was.)

Looking at how the stay is inserted on my pack, there is a flat webbing channel for the stay, then the webbing piece that holds the mesh back panel goes over the open top of the channel to hold the stay in place — this is true at both ends of the stay.

I do not see how a stay could pop out of this under load (not without a seam giving way), but I do see how it could come apart when the arc is not under tension, and then pop out when the arc is pulled tight.

Photo of stay with webbing loose:

Photo of stay with webbing over top where it normally rides:

Here is a picture of how the round vertical stay popped through the gap between the side webbing and the over-the-top webbing. This pic was taken under reduced load on the over-the-top webbing that attaches to the mesh back panel…in order to replicate what happened when the Bearikade Weekender was loaded horizontally in the top of the pack. I think the rounded tip of the round rod bent inward (toward my neck) when the canister pushed outward (away from my neck) on the lower portion of the rod. Perhaps my pack received round rod stays by accident?

Other than this issue, the pack seems ideal for my plans. Unfortunately, it did not make my trip to the Sierra for this weekend for a shakedown cruise. I have no worries that Joe will be able to help me out… Zpacks is great to work with and Joe himself is very responsive. Thanks again for all the comments and photos! Brian

Wow, that is different, and now I can see how it would happen since the round stay is much smaller than the flat stay and can fit through the hole past the webbing.

Definitely worth a phone call.

issue is discussed in the vid John Abela references below.

Just to quickly jump in on this… the round carbon fiber stays are addressed herein.

Beauty…thanks John.

Anyone facing an extended wait for one. I seem to be at 10 weeks and have not heard anything and they have not responded to emails after several days. I see they are listing a six week wait for backpacks on the site now.

Ordered mine in late March. Took 9-10 weeks. Worth the wait :)

I knew there was a wait – I would just like some kind of response to confirm there's no issue.

All is good. They have been in touch. Will arrive soon.

It's interesting to see all the frame features from the Arc Haul now available on the Arc Blast — the adjustable torso length (rather than cusom made), the load lifters (used to be optional), the bottom horizontal strut, and the new hip belt. Makes it harder to choose, I think.

ken_bennett: It's interesting to see all the frame features from the Arc Haul now available on the Arc Blast — the adjustable torso length (rather than cusom made), the load lifters (used to be optional), the bottom horizontal strut, and the new hip belt. Makes it harder to choose, I think.

Uhh, no, it makes it EAISER to choose… The "Arc Haul" is Dx fabric The "Arc Blast" is CF fabric Everything else about them are identical.

Well, maybe. I found it easier to choose the Arc Haul for the improved suspension system. Now that they are identical, I would have to put more time into figuring out which fabric I would prefer. :)

giggle, there is that :-D

Any updates on Arc Haul, has anyone taken it out properly and can comment on how it carries in real life? I'm still a little not sure whether it can carry 40lbs comfortably. I noticed on MLD website Ron writes about his dyneema packs that they are: "Strong enough for 50+lbs. 25lbs is the recommended max average for all day comfort." So I was wondering if the same may be true for Arc Haul? As in it *can* carry 40lbs no problem, but it ain't going to be comfortable?

As in it *can* carry 40lbs no problem, but it ain't going to be comfortable? To the extent that 40lbs can be carried comfortably with anything, probably yes. I'll let you know. Mine should be arriving at my doorstep the end of next week (which will be about 9 weeks since ordering, for those of us who've been in the queue for a while). One thing I loved about my 2 McHales was the double-pull waist belt design that created a cup around the iliac crest and therefore carried weight on the hips better. I used to carry ginormous loads (50-75lbs) in the McHales and they were the best at doing that, and I'm hoping the concept works with the far lighter loads I'm carrying now. Actually, the Arc Blast (2014 older style) with no load lifters and no lumbar pad is, for me, extremely comfortable up to about 25lbs. Beyond I can't say because that's the max I've carried in winter. But the main reason I'm getting the Arc Haul is for durability. For winter, thrashing through spruce blowdowns, sliding on snow and scraping against rocks can take a toll on the CF hybrid fabric. Although I was extremely careful last winter, mine still sustained some minor damage, fixed easily with cuben repair tape. So I'm looking forward to not having to worry so much when plowing through the thickets, glissading and hauling myself up rock chutes.

I've carried the Arc Haul all summer on numerous trips including 7 days on the Sierra High Route, 7 days in the Winds on a mix of trail and x-c, Idaho Sawtooths, Nevada Ruby Mts., etc. My highest load was about 27 lbs starting out. The pack carries like a dream, very stable and comfortable, even with a jammed full Bearikade Expedition. Absolutely no complaints.

Music to my ears! :^) Hoping to do some summer/fall eastern Adirondacks next year, carrying a BV450.

I just finished 355 miles for 30 days SOBO from Utah of the Arizona Trail with my Arc Haul. Due to lack of water sources I carried at the heaviest 45 pounds. Durability was great, but I wasn't hauling it over rocks, just wearing it as I hauled myself over rocks. :^) The pack performed very well, but I needed to supplement the waistband with the extra pad Zpacks provides as my lower back is flat and got kinda boney towards the end (ouch) and the weight was on the extreme end of what the pack was reasonably meant to carry, and I would also add the extra shoulder pads if I was to carry that weight again…(which I will not hopefully) as the shoulder straps hurt by the end of a long day. They got kind of smooshed flat but still did well. I pushed this pack to its limits and still love the balance and fit, and especially the airflow through the back mesh, it worked great on the hottest days like crossing the Grand Canyon. I also rinsed out the accumulated salt and grime every chance I got and the pack still looks like new and is still waterproof, (I use a trash compactor bag as a liner anyways).

"It's interesting to see all the frame features from the Arc Haul now available on the Arc Blast — the adjustable torso length (rather than cusom made), the load lifters (used to be optional), the bottom horizontal strut, and the new hip belt. Makes it harder to choose, I think." I think that Joe used to list my ArcBlast as 17 oz, and as capable of carrying up to 30 lbs. I added lifters, extra shoulder pads and a lumbar pad to push the ArcBlast to 20 oz, as I often start no-resupply ten-day trips with all food and bear canister at 30-32 lbs. Now the ArcBlast is listed as 21 oz, with all these features, and is listed as capable of taking 35 lbs. My friend shredded her ArcBlast completing the PCT, so I think the extra 4 oz for Dyneema is probably well worth it for long thru hikes or if you know you will carry several litres of water.

Maybe I have the wrong size pack or something, but I just can't get my newly acquired Arc Haul fully comfortable. I normally use a ULA Ohm 2.0 that is comfy (for reference). I've tried the Arc Haul around town for several miles with loads around 22-27 lbs. The belt is typically uncomfortable, and I've since tried using a piece of CCF as lumbar support to reasonable success, but when I adjust it to make it feel the best my shoulders will start to feel uncomfortable. This pack is impeccably made, and I love the features, but I think I need to figure out how to make it best fit my frame (or try a shorter pack?). I'm 6'5" and about 190 lbs, and the Arc Haul I have is Tall torso/Small belt. I'll throw up a few pics in case anyone has any input on the fit. Also I emailed ZPacks for some advice on the issue too. Thanks! – – – – Sorry about the shadows.

First thing I'd do is raise the shoulder strap attachment points. Try for a horizontal run from shoulder to attachment, maybe even try an uphill run.

Thanks, John. I moved the shoulders up a bit and adjusted the tightness till they felt the best without looking at what I was doing (didn't want to influence myself). After doing this I notice they don't fully touch my shoulders at the top, but that may actually be for the best. Seeing that gap before has always made me question the position of the shoulders. The pack feels pretty flush against my back like that though, and the shoulders about as comfy as I think they can get. The one other outstanding issue is the belt. It puts an uncomfortable amount of pressure on the area above my somewhat generous backside. It feels like the pack is sitting hard upon a shelf, and my bony lumbar is that shelf. I'm thinking about picking up one of ZPacks' lumbar pads given that my DIY impromptu pad seemed to help a noticeable amount. It's mentioned on the product description that the pad is probably unnecessary, but I suppose there are exceptions. Again, a few pics for reference: – –

Hard to judge from photos… however I'll take a stab: The photos you posted show a belt which appears to be too small (short) for you. You need to size it up 1 step -> Medium. The tips of the belt's "wings" are not 1+ inches past your hip bones where these stick forward. This is why your belt applies "uncomfortable amount of pressure" you speak of – its tension gets applied in the wrong places.

Here's a close-up of the belt if it helps: I too was wondering if the belt may be too small. I feel like it's about right, but there's enough webbing to play around with that sizing up to a medium might be a safe bet. On my Ohm 2.0 the pads of their medium size belt were just about touching so I had to move to a small. Two different companies, I know, but I felt safe going with the small belt from ZPacks because of this. I'm thinking I'll grab a medium belt and a lumbar pad as well and try out a few options.