I will begin by touching base on what features all of their packs are built upon and then go into reviewing the features of the new 2016 Divide 4500 pack that I have had and gotten to use about 25 miles total so far.
Articulation in the belt, frame and shoulder harness
3 areas this pack system allows you to move where my previous rigid frame systems did not are in the frame itself has a center pivot connection, the shoulder harness moves as well as the belt attachment. It allows the hips to move and the shoulders to move far more than a rigid system. Put on your most rigid pack and bend down to pick up a stick. If you can't it doesn't allow you to move. The way the harness and belt attaches allows their system to provide you with freedom of movement and continue to support the pack weight fully. The belt attaches on the 2 outer sides of the hips and this does the best job of any belt system I have used to spread the weight your carrying across your hip area and down into your legs. I have zero belt slip and I do not have to overtighten the belt like I did with other lumbar and hip pad systems.
Speaking of the belt one reason I have determined this belt does not slip is that a lumbar pad system is forming a 3 point connection or a triangle shape around you contacting at the front of the hips and middle back. When your body moves unless you have a shape that this triangle locks into, ie a pronounced lumbar area the gaps between your outer back hip area and the lumbar pad allow the belt system to work downward on you. These gaps form an imperfect seal around you if this is a better description. The full wrap system itself seals around your waist area and does not allow these open pockets around your body therefore no slippage. Lumbar pad systems slip down on me because of the 3 point contact in the belt VS the complete contact that seek outside full wrap belt has.
Also packs that connect in the center of the back tend to place their weight in this one area and in time causes my hips to inflame from that being the primary pressure area over time. Imagine carrying someone on your back. Would you rather have the wrap their legs around you or place their knees in your lower back? This was not a consideration for me until 15 miles with a wrap system but the pack supports were in the center area started to cause my pain. I sold that pack and now I know for me what combinations in a belt system I have to look for.
One way I use the articulation in a backpacking trip is to loosen the harness and allow the pack to fall away and let my back cool some. The full wrap belt does not change the load support when doing this. I could not do this with my older rigid frame system or the lumbar belt system. The lumbar belt system would change the pressure points and not allow the same comfort as this full wrap belt system does. Literally the pack support around your hips does not change when letting the pack fall back. This is also an example of what happens when you pitch forward to scramble up or over or under terrain.
Material
If you have never had a pack that has waterproof materials you don't know what your missing. Having a true waterproof material means no need to carry a rain cover than cuts your pack contents and no poor performing pack cover worry. True waterproof material also means no weight gain from a water absorbing material and reduces your need to have waterproof stuff sacks.... That also reduces pack content weights. The one thing I didn't expect from the Xpac material was that it was more pleasant to pack and dig into than the cordura material we al all familiar with. The Xpac marerial is more of a slick material and things go into and out of it noticeably easier in my experience. It also has stays open more than my previous packs made from cordura. This I noticed in that I wasn't becoming irritated in continually moving the pack material out of my way if needing to dig into it.Statistics: Posted by blgoode — Tue Feb 02, 2016 7:52 am
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