ZPacks Arc Haul

It looks like the whole pack is riding way too high; the belt should be around the hip bones, and the top should ride much lower and closer to the shoulders. You might need a wider hip belt to do this. Check out the picture of Joe wearing the pack.

Good comparison. I'm pretty confident the belt is right where it needs to be though. Most of my height is in my legs (high hip bones). Therefore, I think a pack size down may actually be something to try too. I got the tallest one because that's usually how I have to roll, but these packs have such little torso collapse (which is awesome) that I may not need one so tall.

It might not solve everything, but I would try loosening the load lifters. They look to be pulling the shoulder straps back on to the front of your shoulders. The very first time I tried on my Arc Haul, I had the same thing.

re: shoulder strap adjustment – This is just my preference, but I like my straps to not touch the tops of my shoulders at all. When my pack is optimally adjusted, all the straps do is keep the pack from falling backwards, i.e., the straps put pressure on the front of my shoulders only. Looking at your post-adjustment photo, I would suggest raising them even more. re comment about load lifters being too tight – I think this is a good observation as well. With the straps adjusted as above, I find the load lifters to mostly offer a "fine tuning" of the straps. I think they are of reduced importance once you get the shoulder straps adjusted properly. re: belt length – I didn't notice that at first, but your subsequent photo makes me think it is both too short and perhaps also too high. You know your body construction and if the belt is cradling your hip bones then it is in the right place. The length definitely looks way to short to me. My Haul came with a Medium belt (even though I ordered a large). While it worked okay, I didn't think it as comfortable as it should be. Matt sent the correct belt size asap and after swapping them out I was amazed at how much better the longer belt worked. You may be right about needing the extra lumbar padding, but I would try the longer belt too (maybe first). As long as the ends don't touch when tightened, the belt cannot be too long, but it can definitely be too short.

"You may be right about needing the extra lumbar padding, but I would try the longer belt too (maybe first)." +1 And the extra lumbar padding will make your current belt even shorter. According to Zpacks, it shortens the belt's circumference by an inch.

@korpen – Looking more carefully at Joe's fit and comparing to your photos I'm willing to bet you need the regular frame instead of the tall. You have a ton of extra upward adjustment left on your shoulder straps and that is making your load lifters very steep. The way Joe's pack fits him is very similar to the way mine fits me. I have a regular frame, large belt…I'm 6'1" 215 lbs. Also take a look at Dan Goggin's fit pictures earlier in the thread…his fit is also similar to Joe's.

I don't thinking that you need/will need extra lumber padding if the pack fits right. The old packs had no lumber padding at all, and worked just fine for me up to 30 lbs. The new lumber support is super enhanced and even has a stay in it, and I'll bet that is part of the reason the pack is now listed as capable of 35 lbs. I wear my hip belt around my hips, which is to say the point of the hip is at the TOP of the belt, and I depend on the lumbar part sitting on the small of my back. I know that some wear it essentially around their waist and rest on the hip point. You might want to try lower, even though that may not be what you have done in the past.

I appreciate all the input. So, I moved the whole pack further down around my hips. Normally I've been wearing my pack belts centered over my iliac crest like a lot of people, but I scooched it down so the top of the belt, not the center, is at about that same crest. It feels different than usual, but quite supportive. I'll test it outside soon. If I keep it this low on me I know for sure I'll want to size up to a medium belt. Also, because the whole pack is sitting lower on me, I moved the shoulder straps up to compensate and it definitely put the load lifters closer to me (like Dan and Joe) instead of sticking way up there. I've been keeping them faintly tightened as well now, instead of snug. This torso size may actually just work with this whole configuration.

Yah Dood! That looks WAY better…but I'd move the shoulder straps up about another inch :) When they are horizontal you get a light pressure on the front of your shoulders and none on the tops. All weight is carried on your hips/lumbar and the straps just hold the pack upright. You know…if you like that sort of thing.

but I'd move the shoulder straps up about another inch :) +1 But compared to the first photos, Cameron… Wow! That's waaaaayyyy better. :^) At long last, mine arrived in the mail today! It's as awesome as I expected it to be. Already got a preliminary fit and it's going to be fine. I couldn't do as much today as I wanted because I had a bunch of domestic chores. However, I already see what the issue is with that round stay popping out, and it is simply a procedural hitch when flexing and cinching the arc… merely have to make sure the flap/strap to which the cinch cord is attached is folded completely over the pocket that captures the rod end. No problem! I'm going to load it up tomorrow and hit a local trail.

So, I moved the straps up about an inch… even better! Matt from ZPacks is sending out a medium belt and a lumbar pad tomorrow for me to try. How's that for service? Stoked. One round stay popped out on me, but that's because I had one side with a total arc in it, and the other side loose. Kind of obvious that could happen. They haven't moved since the pack has been set up though. I made sure to completely sandwich the stays between the grosgrain when I tightened up the arc, and they're solid.

I like my pack to ride low enough so that the rear bill of my hat doesn't hit the pack. That infuriates me when it does.

I loaded mine up with some typical gear today for a test walk of a couple of hours. I thought I had it larded up pretty well and then added 3 liters of water, but the total weight on my scale came in at a bit over 17 lbs. However, it was enough weight to help tweak the suspension. There was minimal futzing with the shoulder strap height and waist belt position; any further tweaks will be quite minor. Of course, it handled 17 lbs with absolute aplomb, and I have no doubts about the positive reports from you folks who've carried it much farther while loaded with much more weight. It is quite likely that I will never actually require the total volume or carrying capacity of this pack but it's nice to know that I can pack my heaviest winter kit and several days' food with no fear of pushing its limits. There is nothing I can add that hasn't been said already, except to concur that this is one brilliant piece of kit. The workmanship is impeccable.

I ordered my Arc Haul recently after doing research on packs for my needs and this thread proved invaluable as an addition to my knowledge base. Thanks, guys. Out of curiosity, what kind of fun customizations have you had done to the pack by ZPacks? I ordered mine with a dyneema center pocket for my slot canyon travels so I wouldn't have to deal with torn up mesh. Austin

Thanks for all your feedback so far, this pack just keep sounding better and better! One question I've searched and don't seem anywhere listed, what is the collar height on the Haul? I guess the distance from the top bar and up? One thing I like about MLD packs is that they come with very generous collars, and I think the weight is offset by using 70D nylon. I thought maybe asking ZPacks doing something similar, but if the collar is already generous enough than it would be no problem.

what is the collar height on the Haul? I guess the distance from the top bar and up? On my Medium it is 10-3/8"

Austin, that dyneema center pocket sounds like a great idea for what you're doing. There were some other customizations/options mentioned by Dan Goggins on p1 and John H on p4 For mine, I left off the hydration port because I never use a bladder for backpacking, and the side pockets are reachable fairly easily for me. The only options I got were ice axe loops and some shock cordage bits for attaching snowshoes and my auxiliary sleep pad. As others have observed, it is super-duper handy how Zpacks makes all these bits removable when you don't need them. I also got mine in moss green color. I am retired from law enforcement and if I never have to carry a piece of black gear again I'll be fine with that. While I was waiting to take delivery of mine (9 weeks, it ended up) I noticed that they discontinued offering the dyneema color options, now having only black. This happened some weeks ago and I was a bit worried that I was going to get a call or email saying "sorry, green no longer available"! So I was really like a kid on Christmas morning when I opened the box and got my green, lol!

Can we get a picture of that green Arc Haul? I'm ready to start my day with some gear porn. It's too bad they don't make it in green any more. I wonder if there's a temperature difference in the hot AZ sun from a black to green pack. I'm sure there's a thread on that kind of stuff somewhere… Edit: Found that thread ;) http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=98845

Thanks Bob! The collar is definitely higher on MLD packs, I'll probably ask if Joe can custom increase one. Re: colour, its a shame there is no green anymore! I've been debating between green and black (which is not black as such due to white dyneema threads!) but now have no choice…..lol

Can we get a picture of that green Arc Haul? Here ya go! I had to stuff some more gear it it to kinda fill it out a little!! .

Bob, thank you for those pictures. They remind me of a mint green Golite Jam I've seen before. VERY. NICE. Needless to say, as a gear aficionado, I am extremely jealous. Realistically though, I'm sure my black Arc Haul will make me just as happy. Cheers.

Austin, yep, to me also it's definitely more minty than mossy, lol! My color vision isn't the best so I asked my wife and she said the same thing: "It's mint green, like the Wrigley's Spearmint gum wrapper." I'm sure you'll be happy with the black, however. I just hope your wait is shorter, although you will note it is often said that whatever the wait, it's worth it!

That green pack is lovely. I wasn't paying attention when I ordered to any other colors. Alas, mine is black.

Ken, I don't know exactly when the colors were taken 'off the menu', so maybe it wasn't an option then. It'd be interesting to know what happened. The options were green, orange, blue and maybe one more color… maybe it proved too expensive for Zpacks to keep all the different stocks in their inventory… who knows?

Colors are back!