There’s been enough discussion on the site lately about the MR pop-up belt being its weak point that I decided I needed to replace it. (Thanks @Plebe)
I have the original version of the PU 28 and to be fair I have packed out upwards of 10 deer with the stock belt including one packout that was over 1.5 miles (a week before my meniscus surgery) and the belt and pack functioned adequately every time but, @Plebe is correct that there is room for improvement in the belt.
I ordered a Kifaru Duplex belt after finding a thread on RS were someone had replaced the stock belt with a duplex belt. The belt does fit although it takes some work to get it through the belt slot. The wings that are part of the MR belt system have to be connected to the belt in some way. I used zip ties but some molle straps would probably work better. I can’t get myself to cut them off as I do think they serve a purpose in holding the frame to the belt in the MR system. I may change my mind after a few pack outs on this.
The Duplex belt does allow me to move my dump pouches farther forward which makes them easier to access while climbing. The belt is also significantly wider and has more padding than the stock belt. Although I have noticed the newer version of the PU has more padding in the belt than my original version.
I also tried to replace the belt on my fathers new version with less satisfactory results. The wings on his frame are longer than on mine. This may be a function of it being an XL and mine being a L, or it may be a difference between the new and old versions, not sure. The wings were long enough to interfere with the Duplex buckle and because there isn’t pals webbing on the wings on the new version (it’s on a sleeve that the wings slide into) there was no good way to attach the wings to the Duplex belt. Since neither of us were comfortable cutting off the wings, and since his stock belt has more padding than mine, he decided to keep the stock belt on his.
It seems like the belt will be an improvement. Hopefully I get a chance to pack another deer out before seasons over and I will update with my thoughts on whether it was worth it.
I have the original version of the PU 28 and to be fair I have packed out upwards of 10 deer with the stock belt including one packout that was over 1.5 miles (a week before my meniscus surgery) and the belt and pack functioned adequately every time but, @Plebe is correct that there is room for improvement in the belt.
I ordered a Kifaru Duplex belt after finding a thread on RS were someone had replaced the stock belt with a duplex belt. The belt does fit although it takes some work to get it through the belt slot. The wings that are part of the MR belt system have to be connected to the belt in some way. I used zip ties but some molle straps would probably work better. I can’t get myself to cut them off as I do think they serve a purpose in holding the frame to the belt in the MR system. I may change my mind after a few pack outs on this.
The Duplex belt does allow me to move my dump pouches farther forward which makes them easier to access while climbing. The belt is also significantly wider and has more padding than the stock belt. Although I have noticed the newer version of the PU has more padding in the belt than my original version.
I also tried to replace the belt on my fathers new version with less satisfactory results. The wings on his frame are longer than on mine. This may be a function of it being an XL and mine being a L, or it may be a difference between the new and old versions, not sure. The wings were long enough to interfere with the Duplex buckle and because there isn’t pals webbing on the wings on the new version (it’s on a sleeve that the wings slide into) there was no good way to attach the wings to the Duplex belt. Since neither of us were comfortable cutting off the wings, and since his stock belt has more padding than mine, he decided to keep the stock belt on his.
It seems like the belt will be an improvement. Hopefully I get a chance to pack another deer out before seasons over and I will update with my thoughts on whether it was worth it.
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