Adjusting/Fitting for An Arc'teryx Bora 95 Pack

[Jason762]

I was gifted a pack for my stint in Alaska with AmeriCorps.

I am hoping one of you CalGunners know of a place or someone who would be willing to fit a Bora 95 pack to my torso?

I'd take it into REI or Wilderness Exchange but I'd feel bad since it wasn't purchased from them.

I'm in the East Bay Area and will travel from Pleasant Hill/Concord/WC to Hayward to San Francisco.

Thanks!
Jason

[shooter777]

First, the hip belt should be snug with the front padding of the belt over your front hip bones. second, adjust the height of the shoulder straps. I'm not familiar with this pack but you might have to remove some inner plastic sheets and adjust the ladder style attachment. it might be simpler and on the outside of the pack where the straps attach. figure out how to do this. you want no room between the top of your shoulders and the straps.

Make sure that the load lifter straps are completely loose(tighten at the very end of your fit to snug the top of your load up a bit). hopefully you've achieved the correct shoulder strap height. load up your pack in a typical fashion with yr sleeping bag at the bottom and then on top of that add some good weight like 25 lbs. then maybe filler like clothes or cook set. add some light filler in the lid of the pack to give it shape.

Put the pack on and tighten your hip belt first. you want the majority of wight on your hips. the less I feel on my shoulders the better. anyway, then tighten the shoulder straps down. tighten the load lifters and walk around with it all for a bit. see how it feels. take it on a trip. lastly, i have assumed that the pack is correctly sized for you. many packs offer different hip belts or lengths of shoulder straps. hope this helps. if not, i have a buddy that for a six pack of ipa will fit you. he is a guru of sorts. he's in oakland

[echo1]

First, the hip belt should be snug with the front padding of the belt over your front hip bones. second, adjust the height of the shoulder straps. I'm not familiar with this pack but you might have to remove some inner plastic sheets and adjust the ladder style attachment. it might be simpler and on the outside of the pack where the straps attach. figure out how to do this. you want no room between the top of your shoulders and the straps.

Make sure that the load lifter straps are completely loose(tighten at the very end of your fit to snug the top of your load up a bit). hopefully you've achieved the correct shoulder strap height. load up your pack in a typical fashion with yr sleeping bag at the bottom and then on top of that add some good weight like 25 lbs. then maybe filler like clothes or cook set. add some light filler in the lid of the pack to give it shape.

Put the pack on and tighten your hip belt first. you want the majority of wight on your hips. the less I feel on my shoulders the better. anyway, then tighten the shoulder straps down. tighten the load lifters and walk around with it all for a bit. see how it feels. take it on a trip. lastly, i have assumed that the pack is correctly sized for you. many packs offer different hip belts or lengths of shoulder straps. hope this helps. if not, i have a buddy that for a six pack of ipa will fit you. he is a guru of sorts. he's in oakland

Ditto. REIs site has a good diagram on how to load an internal frame bag. I take it you haven't done any/much backpacking. The Bora 95 is a top shelf load hauler, you can easily pack it with more than you can comfortably carry, and it's infinately adjustable. What type of work will you be doing, and will there be bears? Good luck. PAX

[Jason762]

S777 & E1 Thanks for the advice.

I need the stays bent and was hoping for a pro to do it. I also had some questions about the pack. In particular, this weird thing besides the hip belt which doesn't seem to do much when tightened.

I didn't get an instruction booklet so I'm not positive as to how the pack works (thought I have a basic idea from using my Kifaru).

E1, As for backpacking, I'd say I go on average of once a year since I was 14 or so. Frankly, I wouldn't consider myself as having a whole lot of backpacking experience. It was only the last backpacking trip that I discovered you don't want your boots laced up as tight as you could get them. No wonder my feet were always murdered within 3 miles!

As for the work in Alaska, the project summary says,

Alaska Service Corps projects are located throughout Alaska. All projects are located outdoors and are completed in all weather conditions. Trail work, invasive plant species removal, and road safety improvements are common. Trail projects may include water diversion, bridge building, and trail-tread improvements, while road safety projects include tree-clearing, brush removal and clearing and shoveling highway guardrails. Stream restoration Projects may also occur.

As for the bears, yes there will be bears. But hopefully never in our camp!

[Jason762]

Well, I went ahead and bent the stays. They follow my contour well, though the right stay has a 1/4" gap between my back and the aluminum.

I also adjusted the yoke, it seems good to go.

Loaded it up with 55 pounds + the 4 quarts of water I'll carry. Will be taking it out for a hike tomorrow to see how it feels.