<p style=”text-align: center;”>I have tried the Vaucluse ventilation frame with my Kakwa 55, and it makes a big difference in the amount of sweat that you feel and that gets soaked into your shirt. With it, I don’t get those sweat stains on the back of my shirt the way I usually do. It feels different on the back, partly because of the egg-crate pattern, but definitely because of the ventilation, not building up sweat, and ability to dump heat from your back while walking. I feel the backpack carries similarly to when the ventilation frame is not attached. I don’t notice it being far away from my back, affecting its center of gravity – something I do notice when hiking with loosened shoulder straps to try to achieve (temporarily) a similar ventilation effect.</p>
There are some things I have noticed. The way in which the shoulder “loops” attach can come loose. I find I’m checking that each time I take the pack off. This sometimes also happens for the attachments between the two sides of the frame. Some system that is a bit more secure for holding these attachment points without adding complexity would be great. I haven’t tried the mesh cover, but perhaps if it adds some comfort, it might be worth it. I understand it may help prevent damage to some types of fleece and perhaps other fabrics that one might be wearing, which I have not tried with the frame.
In any case, I think it’s an interesting piece of equipment, and ups ventilation-related comfort substantially.
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