elemental horizons aquilo x large stay lenght

I had the same problem on the Kalais. I ordered the large size since I am right at the edge of medium and large, and the stays/pack were so long it almost seemed comical. I was tempted to try a medium, though, because I really liked the pack otherwise.

It's very strange even if I had a 25 inch torso I think the stay would be to long. I made the mistake of just shoving it back in the closet instead of sorting it out properly at the time. It's a real shame because i love everything else about this pack. Did you wind up returning yours?

I have a Kalais on order, was right in between L and XL for frame size. Matthew convinced me to stick with the large, and it's sounding like that might have been the right choice.

When I contacted Matthew to discuss sizing, he did say he'd let me exchange it if the large was a poor fit, though this was assuming a pack in brand new state.

The pack was never used but it's been nine months since I got it. I wouldn't expect a an exchange at this point. Not sure I would want a large as I wanted the pack to fit a large bear vault horizontally or does a large pack fit a bear vault like this?

I'm so discouraged with pack sizing it seems every time i try something with metal stays or adjustable yokes or frame sheets l fail miserably. The large catalyst fit well but a bear canister takes up so much space.

Can't you shorten the stay, or is that not possible because of the way it's built?

Sounds like the shape of the stay is an issue and not necessarily the length. You would need about 4 to 5" of frame taller than your torso length to make the load lifters effective. I bet the Catalyst load lifters did not do the job, apart from bringing the weight in closer to your back. ULA pack torso lengths run short.

If I remember correctly I'd have to start hacking apart the stay sleeves to make that work.I'll check again when I get home in a week.

Thanks dave hadn't really considered that. I suppose I could try to straighten the stay. I'm not real handy with this stuff. Don't have much to lose though. With all the money spent on ill fitting packs I should have had a Mchale pack made! t

Yeah and it still may be too tall but it is worth a shot.

Patrick, I did end up returning it, and Matthew was great about it. I will add that the hip belt with upper and lower straps was fantastic.

The belt really is amazing. I really hope I can make it work. One of the reasons I bought this pack was to play porter for my girlfriend . . .

"With all the money spent on ill fitting packs I should have had a Mchale pack made!"

Do it!

The longer stay actually makes the load lifters work properly. Do not shorten the stay but you may need a XL pack and/or rebend it some. I have a L Kalais which fits torsos up to 22", my torso measures 21.5-22 and it is just right. Most stays are not long enough, especially if they are supposed to work with load lifters.

For sure talk with Matthew, I am sure he will take the pack back if it is clean. He assured me I could even send back a custom fabric pack if it didn't fit the way I wanted it to.

I'm wondering now if beding it might help some. Of course if i do that i think an exchange would be problematic. Of course I've seen larger packs that go above the wearer's shoulders but the stay on this one seems to curve into my neck. I'll decide when I get back.

Patrick – Please give me a call or email at your convenience and we can discuss your pack in detail and some options for your situation.

Hi everyone,
I hope this information will help answer some of your questions…

When I designed the Aquilo and Kalais packs my primary goal was to create the most comfortable and functional pack possible. A key component of pack comfort is the load lifters. In order to achieve optimal function, the load lifters must come off the top of your shoulder at somewhere between a 25 and 45 deg angle, which means that the stay must be a fair bit taller than your torso length. For more reading on this subject, I suggest Will Rietveld's great article on "Lightweight Frameless backpacks" http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/frameless_backpacks_sotm_part1_2011.html#.Uxc9CIWLLmM. I chose the shape of the stay because it was a good "average shape" and worked quite well on most folks. However the beauty of the aluminum stay is, if the stock bend does not work for you, it can be custom bent to perfectly fit your body. This is something I will be happy to do in house, if you come to the shop, or you can do on your own. The stay should never be cut down, as this will prevent the stay from functioning in the pack. If bending the stay does not do the trick, chances are that the pack is not the right size for you.

As far as pack fit and torso size go, you should first measure your torso length and choose the correct size pack based on that measurement. If you find that your torso length falls in between sizes, I have found that for 99.99% of customers it is far better for them to choose the smaller size rather than the larger size. I know and understand how difficult and frustrating it can be to buy a pack sight unseen on the internet. For this reason I am happy to answer any questions anyone may have and will help in any way that I can to ensure your experience with Elemental Horizons gear is as pleasant as possible. I also offer a pretty liberal return policy that applies to both standard option and custom packs. You can read the full return policy on the website here: http://www.elementalhorizons.com/return-policy.aspx.

I hope this information has been helpful. Please feel free to contact me directly through the Elemental Horizons contact us page http://www.elementalhorizons.com/contact-us.aspx if you have other questions.

Cheers!
Matthew

And it's things like this that make me thrilled to be getting an EH pack.

"If you find that your torso length falls in between sizes, I have found that for 99.99% of customers it is far better for them to choose the smaller size rather than the larger size."

For a pack with load lifters – yes. For one without – no.

I found Matthew easy to work with, even with some very specific questions and requests.

For those interested here is a piece I just wrote about the search for a new pack that ended with a Kalais.

http://40yearsofwalking.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/the-search-for-the-perfect-pack/