Help with SMD Fusion 65 Sizing

Super cute photos.

Looks like the frame of the SMD is just not tall enough for the load lifters to do much. No way to fix that.

Edit: I'd also assume that your torso is on the long side (19-20") for your height.

Do you have room to adjust your yoke higher? Can't tell from your photo. I'm 6'3" with a fairly long torso. I have the yoke adjusted so that where it starts to flair is about 1.5-2" above the Large slot. This puts the top of the "hard" part of the yoke about even with the top of the pack. Good fit for me with very little weight on the shoulder straps. My wife if 5'10" with a 19.5" torso and has her yoke at least a couple of inches lower than mine with a good fit.

Dave, I don't remember my torso length offhand, but I'll measure it tonight.

Mark, the yoke is as high as it can go.

Maybe I just prefer the hipbelt lower than most, perhaps a residual effect of skateboarding and sagging pants during my teenage years.

Looks like the frame on the SMD pack is just not long enough. I've liked the looks of the pack but after seeing other peoples measurements of the frame length I know with my long 22.5 inch torso no way it would work. Adjusting the shoulder harness up and down seems pointless if the frame is too short for for the strap to either go horizontally across your shoulders or have the load lifters actually function properly. I suppose six moon design does this because making different torso size packs would be too expensive but I just don't see how have one size pack with an adjustable yoke will really work well unless you are in the average size torso length they were designing for. Thank goodness for Seekoutside and the Unaweep with the ability to extend the frame height. It this also reminds me why I used a heavy osprey aether for a while, they actually make that in an xl torso size so you could actually get the right fit.

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Thanks for the input Ben. I'm going to email my initial post to SMD to see what they have to say.

This may sound crazy but have you actually tried shortening the torso of the pack. I'm 5'9 with a 19" torso. With an adjustable pack, I tighten up the belt very small so it sits on my hips, then adjust the torso/yoke of the pack. It actually ends up being a lot shorter than expected. In the end, I loosen the belt to a comfortable length, and it ends up riding nicely. At that point, it mostly feels like the should straps are just keeping the pack from falling backwards.

I have the same problem with my Fusion 50. I'm thinking about modifying how the hip belt connects to the pack. Take it out of the slot it now resides in and having it maybe hang off straps similar to the way the Unaweep hangs off the hip belt. It should lower the hip belt enough so the pack will fit with the straps as loose as they can go. As it is, I can't load more than 20 pounds in it before all the weight is resting on my shoulders.

del

I have the same problem, I found the suspension to be to small even when adjusted to max adjustments.

I had the same problem as you Casey. I'm also 5'8" but apparently my torso is like 19"-21", and it looks like we have a similar build.

The frame was not long enough for me, even when I hiked up the hipbelt. I like my hipbones to be in the middle of the hipbelt, and I couldn't do it with this pack.

I asked almost the exact same question as you:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=91965

I eventually returned it and went with an Unaweep.

In fairness no pack I can think of is rated to its geometric volume. The ping pong balls or WAG methods always seem to give a cubic inch figure half again as large.

I find it curious that such an experienced design team seemingly missed the mark on basic things like frame height.

Old thread, sure, but with the Fusion 50 still on a closeout sale at SMD, and for others who may have an interest in a newer model…

I have the 2014 Fusion 50 and although the frame and harness systems are bit awkward, once you get them dialed in you may immediately get what this pack is all about.   If this torso length is not properly set then the weight will be carried on the shoulders.  Once dialed in, you will know the difference.  What I did was to measure up from the bottom of the pack my torso length (20″) and then had adjusted the yoke so that the bottom of the trough/valley of the “top” of the yoke reached this point.  Prior to this I had measured from the bottom up to where the shoulder straps fold over and had found that the weight was mostly being carried by my shoulders.

I had also bent the stay to match the curvature of my spine as best as I could.

In the link above, there is a decent amount of talk about the load lifters.  To be frank, in this case they aren’t “lifting” anything with the possible exceptions being that you either have the yoke in the M or S slot and you have bent at least a few inches of the top portion of the stay bending away from you.  Otherwise their purpose is to provide stabilization considering how low the location of attachment is of the yoke on the vertical plane (nearly smack dab in the middle of the pack if in the S slot).

Also, some have complained of a “bump” in what would best be described as the lumbar pad.  This is caused by the bend in the lower length of the stay that crosses the hip-belt.  To get rid of it simply remove the stay and slightly straighten that curve until that feeling goes away.