Lowe Alpine Contour IV

[NH2112]

On a recommendation I bought a used Lowe Alpine Contour IV 90+15 for my winter pack, due to none of my others being big enough for my -25F bag and other gear. The pack has aluminum stays, and I’m looking for the procedure to contour the stays to my back. They’re in long pockets on the edges of the pack’s back and slide in & out easily so I’m guessing it’s a matter of pulling them out and having someone press them against your back. Am I right? Or can they be shaped by carrying a loaded pack?

 

[jfb2]

I've done the stay shaping on a couple of Serratus packs. I achieved the best results by removing the stays and shaping them to match the shape of my spine. After removing the stays and my shirt, I looked in a mirror to see if the stays matched my spine. Because the stays were bent differently, I placed a 2x4 block of wood on a workbench at the proper locations and pushed down gently on the stays until they matched the curve of my spine.

 

[peakbagger]

I've done the stay shaping on a couple of Serratus packs. I achieved the best results by removing the stays and shaping them to match the shape of my spine. After removing the stays and my shirt, I looked in a mirror to see if the stays matched my spine. Because the stays were bent differently, I placed a 2x4 block of wood on a workbench at the proper locations and pushed down gently on the stays until they matched the curve of my spine.

My old Mountainsmith has the same set up I have never heard of formal procedure on how to do it. I just curved it until it seems to line up with the curve in my back. The key with bending aluminum is to not kink it. Ideally use a large radius surface rather than a sharp edge like s vise. For more critical bends, I took some scrap plywood and cut the inner radius I wanted, then use that and either body weight of lots of clamps to roll it bend it.

 

[NH2112]

Thanks for the replies. So you used the shape of your spine to form it? I didn’t consider that, I guess I just assumed the curves of my ribcage in the general area of my shoulder blades would be different LOL.

 

[peakbagger]

I wonder if you go to beach with fine sand and then lay down and wriggle around a bit and leave an impression of your back. Then match the stay to the impression.? Anyone with access to large 3 d scanner could do the same thing. I see those ads on TV for the furniture place that uses a scanner to chose mattresses. I wonder if they would hand out a data file?

 

[skiguy]

On a recommendation I bought a used Lowe Alpine Contour IV 90+15 for my winter pack, due to none of my others being big enough for my -25F bag and other gear. The pack has aluminum stays, and I’m looking for the procedure to contour the stays to my back. They’re in long pockets on the edges of the pack’s back and slide in & out easily so I’m guessing it’s a matter of pulling them out and having someone press them against your back. Am I right? Or can they be shaped by carrying a loaded pack?

The former is the way to go. Having someone else sight you from the side works best. Most folks contouring of the bars will be in the lower back area. Start slowly and be conservative with the amount of bend initially. Better to bend them a little bit and have to go back and bend them more to get it right than to overbend as the bars have a bit of memory. It may take a few attempts of removing and reinserting the bars to get it just right. After the initial and further attempts of bending the bar be sure to try the pack on with it full and weighted to feel the true fit. You might actually want to hike with it before any initial bending as that may help you actually feel where bending might be needed. The need will usually appear as a gap or space between your back and the bars. The bending is usually done where the gaps appear. Using some sort of support that has a wide radius while bending is prudent as you won't overbend or develop a kink in the bar.