Kakwa 40 (Durston Gear)

“Can you post the distance from the bottom of the hip belt to the attachment point of the shoulder strap and also the load lifter attachment point on the back panel for each size?”

The idea with our sizing recommendations is that you want your shoulders somewhere in this range (above the shoulder straps but below the load lifters) so the size range on our size is those distances (e.g. the medium is 16.5″ to the shoulder straps and 20″ to the load lifters). That is all from the center of the hipbelt:

“Do you have a picture of the pack turned inside out? I’m curious about how the frame interacts with the hip belt”

It’s not readily do-able to show this in a picture because it’s all within the pad sleeve even if the pack is inside out. However, I think I can explain it clearly. Consider the seams that form the edge of the backpanel (indicated in green below):

The hipbelt wings are sewn into these seams at the bottom (obviously) and then we fold 1″ webbing in half and sew that into the same seams to create channels down the inside of those seams which the frame slides into. At the hipbelt wings, the order is such that the frame runs down the outside of the hipbelt wing so the padding of the wing insulates your body from the frame. So the frame/webbing/hipbelt are all in the same seam to give a very direct connection.

1) I don’t see a cordlock on the side pockets. Is the elastic sewn in? Adjustable? Replaceable?

The side pocket elastics are sewn fully within a hem of Ultra 200 so they are not adjustable or replaceable. We do this because I think it’s quite possible to select an appropriate amount of elastic tension and pre-set that, so it is not necessary to have a more complex adjustable tension system. This way is a bit lighter/simpler and has the advantage of 100% protecting the elastic inside instead of leaving parts exposed to the bush.

2) Can the tubular frame be bent to conform to a person’s back? Is the frame a flat U or contoured? I think that would be a good photo.

It is contoured. I don’t have a good photo currently, but you can see the frame sitting on the table in my video:

As for bending it further, it shouldn’t need much as it is contoured. Gentle reworking is fine. It is aluminum so I wouldn’t recommend dramatic reworking of the shape.

I’d be curious to see a BV500 vertically in the pack and whether a BV450 can fit with the base against one’s back. I’m sure we will hear about this very quickly…

The shape of the main compartment is essentially identical to the previous DD40, which quite a few people did use to store a BV500 vertically and a BV450 horizontally. The BV450 will fit with the flat side against the back.

Thanks for the vertical measurement clarification.  Crystal clear.  As for aluminum, not all can be freely bent.  Not sure I’d want to try with the hollow tubing in the new pack.  I’ve played around with the solid bar in the DD40 but I can sense it will fatigue at some point.  I’d be more apt to go to a hardware store and grab something similar to play with first.  Don’t rock the boat.  Peace, ~RL

Is there going to be a good amount of stock of these or is it going to be a 2 minute thing? :)

Thanks for the clarification on the 2 back panel measurements for each size. Every manufacturer has their own (often ambiguous) sizing scheme. The best way for a consumer to know what those numbers mean is to pull out a roughly comparable pack that they already own (where they’re happy with the sizing), grab a tape measure, and do an apples-to-apples comparison. For instance, converting from a pack that I like, I would be about a 21–25” in your sizing regime.

The frame’s relation to the hipbelt was also well explained. Thank you.

Dan – I see there is a single hip-belt size. Could you provide the length of the padded portion of the hip-belt, i.e. from padding end to padding end.  This is a critical dimension as to be comfortable for me, the hip-belt needs to extend just beyond the hipbones.

All sizes still available after 45 minutes.

Was quite tempted but $50 USD shipping to Canada definitely hurts maybe a little too much, too bad they weren’t sold through Durston’s site, as I paid only $19 for the X-Mid 2 Pro.

Dunno.. 300 / shipped is still a fair price, imo.  On the other hand, a guy will pay $2 for a $1 part because he needs it.  Just sayin’.  Peace, ~RL

Picked up two. One for me and the wife. It’s gonna carry my Ether Light XT well, because the Xlite still sucks. 😁

They are all sold out now.  And yet there are already 2 reviews also. :)

Just checked and they are still available. After seeing the video the only thing I thought I’d be want is a fancy bottom, but the aide side zip pocket can do all that.

Sorry, that was my bad, browser flaked.  Even now at 4PM EDT they are still available so great!

Looking hard at the pics, it appears the hip belts are attached inboard a bit from the vertical panel seam(s).  Should wrap around the waist line fuller than when sewn to the panel seam(s).  Along with that, the bottom of the aluminum tube frame matches this same inboard belt mounting.

The better question is when is Dan going to design a 3 inch sleeping pad with a 4.5 R value… 🤔

Yeah the packs are still available. We really wanted to be able to keep these in stock and the supply chain wasn’t as bad, so we ordered enough to hopefully last a couple months. I think that’ll be the case….well at least a month I think.

JCH: The padded portion of the hipbelt is 10″ per side. Then the span between them is 6.5″, so you have about 26.5″ of wrap and then the buckle needs and inch or two, which gives the 28″ minimum size.

Mike: I think the zippered side pocket is the way to go over a stretchy bottom pocket because it’s much more durable, more secure, and doesn’t squash things if you take a tumble. I would have a hard time rationalizing making a pack of our super durable Ultra 200 but then putting not very durable stretch mesh on the bottom where the highest wear occurs.

Casey: The $50 for shipping is higher than I’d like. It’s mostly because the packs are bulky and I still think it’s less expensive than any other Ultra or DCF framed pack to Canada, but I would like to get it down lower. It looks like if we can get the box a bit smaller we can qualify for less expensive shipping that might be around $35.

Mike: I would love to design a better sleeping pad as I don’t like the ones on the market – but I also can’t think of anything better yet. I’ll keep trying.

I pulled the trigger on one today. This should fill a void in my quiver nicely.

Dan are you going to send out any review pieces of the new pack or tents to youtube people? I know Dixie and a few others have mentioned the tent.

Yeah we will send out some packs to a few review places that have reached out. The packs will be shipping out quite soon (around June 25) but of course reviews take time.

I swung the bat for a medium. I’m sure all will be well being I’ve been enjoying the first version.  My jam.  Peace~RL

The padded portion of the hipbelt is 10″ per side. Then the span between them is 6.5″, so you have about 26.5″ of wrap and then the buckle needs and inch or two, which gives the 28″ minimum size.

Dan – Unfortunately that’s way to short for me. I find the large Arc Haul belt at 33” of padding perfect for my 37” waist. Obviously offering different belt sizes on a pack with a sewn-on belt is problematic, but not doing so definitely decreases the audience. Maybe your next pack? :)

imo, that dimension is cutting it close after losing some body weight on the trail.  The handful of packs I’ve had with sewn on hip belts were/are all in the 26-27” tip to tip length.  I experimented with added padding to increase length but found that anything past the front of my hip bone didn’t offer extra support.  I had an arc zip a few years back. Didn’t care fir the constant belt adjusting.  Not sure why it was happening.

I’m partial to sewn on belts because you get a simpler/lighter/more solid/less failure prone connection compared to making them removable. I think of it similar to an adjustable torso length where you permanently add weight/complexity to the pack for something people just need to adjust once – it works but it’s the most parsimonious solution.

It seems like our current belt works for almost everyone, as the DD40 was very similar and that was something almost everyone found worked well. At some point it does become too small, but for a 37″ waist I think most people are still quite content with it. Having a 33″ of wrap on a 37″ waist sounds like a lot because it would be extending out past the hips and onto the belly. I personally find it a bit constricting and warm if the hipbelt is out onto my belly. The only complaints we ever got with this belt were from people >45″.

Anyways, maybe we will offer two hipbelts at some point but they would probably still be sewn on.

RL and Dan – everyone is different I guess :)  Vive la différence!