Welcome to the "WHY DO WE?" video series.
Every stitch and square inch of our K4 Packs are designed on purpose and built for a purpose. The videos in this series will go behind the design to explain why we build our packs the way we do.
In this video, we explain why the K4 Frame has a narrow shape — including how the shape benefits fit and performance, and why the narrow shape is not a limiting factor with large, heavy, awkward loads.
Performance First. (As Always.)
We take a performance-first mindset with everything we do at Exo. Put simply, the K4 Frame is narrow because we have spent years designing, testing, and refining our pack frames to perform their best across the widest range of body types and with the widest range of loads carried. After testing countless variations of frame shapes, sizes, and materials, the current K4 Frame is unquestionably the best performing frame. Now with thousands upon thousands of K4 Frames out there on hunters’ backs, the real, non-incentivized customer reviews of K4 performance speak volumes.
Prevents Slipping & Sagging
Any well-designed pack frame will enable you to effectively transfer pack weight onto the hips and into the lower body, so that your upper body and back are not carrying the weight. But many pack users have experienced the problem that occurs when a pack starts on the hips, but is prone to sliding, slipping, or sagging under load.
If the pack frame’s bottom end (hipbelt, lumbar pad, and frame lower) cannot stay in place on the hips, the pack will never provide optimal comfort or performance. The narrow shape of the K4 Frame, paired with a carefully designed K4 Lumbar Pad, as well as the custom plastic reinforcement that extends behind the lumbar pad and into the hipbelt, creates the right amount of support to keep the pack in place under weight.
Enables Natural Movement
A pack frame should support, not inhibit your body’s natural movement patterns. Pack frames that are wide and super-rigid will limit your ability to hike naturally — especially as you get off-trail, have to climb over (or duck under) natural obstructions, and maneuver through tricky terrain.
Your body has a narrow spine with wider hips at the bottom and wider shoulders at the top. Naturally, your shoulders move independently and in the opposite direction of your hips as you hike. This natural “torsional flex” is severely limited (or eliminated) by many wide and rigid pack frames, but the K4 Frame retains the shape and mobility that enables you to move naturally. This is especially important as you hike and hunt on the mountain or need to shoot your bow or rifle with your pack on.
Versatility For Every Load
Our job would be easier — a LOT easier! — if we were designing a pack for a limited load range. But our customers could be carrying 15 pounds one moment and then hauling 150 pounds an hour later. Designing and building a pack frame that is light and nimble for small loads, without compromising on capability and comfort for 100+ pound loads is incredibly difficult.
There is no getting around the fact that we could optimize our pack’s design and materials to perform specifically with 15 pounds or for only those 100+ pound packouts, but we are incredibly proud of the K4 Frame’s performance across that entire spectrum — and that versatility has come from the narrow frame shape.