stephen b
New member
Oneiros Valley Lumbar Pad (called the “MEAN Pad”):
http://oneirosvalley.com/collections/all/products/mean-pad
I first came upon this pad on their website after I had clicked on a link posted in a forum concerning one of their other products (the Nice frame extension). I then saw that they made a lumber pad for the Nice frame. I immediately thought that that may be something that I was interested in. I was interested in it because I was at the time thinking of doing something along that line to help out with a pack that I had purchased for my wife last year for backpacking. I had bought her a MR Glacier pack- which has the same exact "Contour Lumbar Wrap" waist belt on it as the MR Nice frame does. So after seeing the Lumbar pad posted on the Oneiros Valley website I called and spoke to one of the owners who was very nice and helpful. He said that the lumbar pad was still in pre-production and they were still working on the prototype; and he asked if I wanted to test out the product. I certainly said yes.
The reason I was thinking of doing a modification or trying something out on my wife's Glacier pack was because I thought it could be helped in a couple areas with a slight problem she was having with it. I did not load her up too heavy, but the back lumbar part of the pack was slipping slightly with some loads. I had had experience with other packs like the older iconic Dana Design packs and other packs that utilized both non slip material on the lumbar portion of the pack and also utilized more of a lumbar pad than the Contour Lumbar Wrap that Glacier and the Nice frame has ( which is really not much). So I was thinking of adding or putting some non slip material on some closed foam and some how affix that to the back of the waist belt. And low and behold within about a week of thinking about that I came upon the Oneiros Valley Lumbar pad on their website. Immediately I thought to myself- that is exactly what I thought the pack needed. And theirs was simple and looked much better than my mod would have been.
Pics of packs with enhanced lumbar pads ( past and current):
DD external-
Kifaru Duplex-
Mystery Ranch G 7000 pack-
And here is what the Nice frame ( and Glacier pack) looks like with the stock Mystery Ranch "Contour Lumbar wrap waist belt-
And here is a pic from the Onerios Valley website showing what the difference is of the Nice frame lumbar section with and without their lumber "Mean" pad:
And here is a couple pics of our Glacier pack without and with the Oneiros Valley Lumbar pad
As far as lumbar pads go, not everyone needs them or benefits with them. There is some debate with people on whether a waistbelt (WB) should be just a wrap type design WB, or a lumbar pad enhanced WB. This can differ with many people depending on anatomy and how best a pack works for them. IMO a lumbar pad can provide a place to both fill in that space where your forward curve of your lumbar spine is and also provide a bit of a shelf, if you will, for the pack to anchor better on your sacrum (tailbone).
I also personally receive some benefit with a lumbar pad that has some non slip material on it. Especially with some of the more modern type of outdoor clothing that seems to have more of a slip factor to it, than lets say cotton or wool does. The older DD packs that I have had experience with (both external and internal ones) had pronounced lumbar pads (LP) that also had non-slip material on them. Other companies today utilize pronounced LP's with non slip material on them. Even though MR does not utilize non slip material on their waistbelts now, they do have other pack offerings which have a more pronounced LP region on them than the Contour Lumbar Wrap on the Glacier and Nice system. For example the G series packs in their Adventure line uses the "Cush Lumbar Wrap" and they have had other packs (Grizzly and BDSB packs) which had a more robust LP on their WB.
Now on to the Onerios Valley Lumbar Pad. This added accessory pad works very well as a lumbar pad. And when attached to the pack it almost seems like it was there all the while and was meant to be there. In much the same way as most of the Mystery Ranch waistbelts are made up of different sections of integrated parts; this pad when affixed just seems as if it was meant to be there as an integrated part of the pack- rather than an accessory after thought. It seems seamless. It is made of Cordura with an excellent non-slip material and has well sewn on nylon straps with ladder lock hardware to attach the pad to the packs waistbelt. The foam is encased into the Cordura and can be removed from the back of the pad through a slit that has a Velcro secured opening. To me the thickness seemed just right, but this could be altered by the user.
Specifications
• Weight: 2 ounces (56 grams)
• Materials: 500 denier nylon, ITW Nexus hardware, mil-spec and Berry compliant webbing, T-90 nylon thread
• Features: adjustable thickness (1/8" to 1/2", plus 1/2" spacer foam)
• Colors available: coyote brown, foliage green
In use the pad for me made a definite difference with both how the waistbelt fit and was a definite help with an added load. My wife said it also certainly helped. She is no pack expert- but is in tune to how something feels for her- whether it be shoes, clothes, etc. She said that it felt as if it was suppose to be there when on and said -" the pack does not feel like it is slipping down on me anymore when it is full".
I think this accessory can be a help to many people who own these type of MR packs. The quality is there and it works very well. At least is did for us.
http://oneirosvalley.com/collections/all/products/mean-pad
I first came upon this pad on their website after I had clicked on a link posted in a forum concerning one of their other products (the Nice frame extension). I then saw that they made a lumber pad for the Nice frame. I immediately thought that that may be something that I was interested in. I was interested in it because I was at the time thinking of doing something along that line to help out with a pack that I had purchased for my wife last year for backpacking. I had bought her a MR Glacier pack- which has the same exact "Contour Lumbar Wrap" waist belt on it as the MR Nice frame does. So after seeing the Lumbar pad posted on the Oneiros Valley website I called and spoke to one of the owners who was very nice and helpful. He said that the lumbar pad was still in pre-production and they were still working on the prototype; and he asked if I wanted to test out the product. I certainly said yes.
The reason I was thinking of doing a modification or trying something out on my wife's Glacier pack was because I thought it could be helped in a couple areas with a slight problem she was having with it. I did not load her up too heavy, but the back lumbar part of the pack was slipping slightly with some loads. I had had experience with other packs like the older iconic Dana Design packs and other packs that utilized both non slip material on the lumbar portion of the pack and also utilized more of a lumbar pad than the Contour Lumbar Wrap that Glacier and the Nice frame has ( which is really not much). So I was thinking of adding or putting some non slip material on some closed foam and some how affix that to the back of the waist belt. And low and behold within about a week of thinking about that I came upon the Oneiros Valley Lumbar pad on their website. Immediately I thought to myself- that is exactly what I thought the pack needed. And theirs was simple and looked much better than my mod would have been.
Pics of packs with enhanced lumbar pads ( past and current):
DD external-
Kifaru Duplex-
Mystery Ranch G 7000 pack-
And here is what the Nice frame ( and Glacier pack) looks like with the stock Mystery Ranch "Contour Lumbar wrap waist belt-
And here is a pic from the Onerios Valley website showing what the difference is of the Nice frame lumbar section with and without their lumber "Mean" pad:
And here is a couple pics of our Glacier pack without and with the Oneiros Valley Lumbar pad
As far as lumbar pads go, not everyone needs them or benefits with them. There is some debate with people on whether a waistbelt (WB) should be just a wrap type design WB, or a lumbar pad enhanced WB. This can differ with many people depending on anatomy and how best a pack works for them. IMO a lumbar pad can provide a place to both fill in that space where your forward curve of your lumbar spine is and also provide a bit of a shelf, if you will, for the pack to anchor better on your sacrum (tailbone).
I also personally receive some benefit with a lumbar pad that has some non slip material on it. Especially with some of the more modern type of outdoor clothing that seems to have more of a slip factor to it, than lets say cotton or wool does. The older DD packs that I have had experience with (both external and internal ones) had pronounced lumbar pads (LP) that also had non-slip material on them. Other companies today utilize pronounced LP's with non slip material on them. Even though MR does not utilize non slip material on their waistbelts now, they do have other pack offerings which have a more pronounced LP region on them than the Contour Lumbar Wrap on the Glacier and Nice system. For example the G series packs in their Adventure line uses the "Cush Lumbar Wrap" and they have had other packs (Grizzly and BDSB packs) which had a more robust LP on their WB.
Now on to the Onerios Valley Lumbar Pad. This added accessory pad works very well as a lumbar pad. And when attached to the pack it almost seems like it was there all the while and was meant to be there. In much the same way as most of the Mystery Ranch waistbelts are made up of different sections of integrated parts; this pad when affixed just seems as if it was meant to be there as an integrated part of the pack- rather than an accessory after thought. It seems seamless. It is made of Cordura with an excellent non-slip material and has well sewn on nylon straps with ladder lock hardware to attach the pad to the packs waistbelt. The foam is encased into the Cordura and can be removed from the back of the pad through a slit that has a Velcro secured opening. To me the thickness seemed just right, but this could be altered by the user.
Specifications
• Weight: 2 ounces (56 grams)
• Materials: 500 denier nylon, ITW Nexus hardware, mil-spec and Berry compliant webbing, T-90 nylon thread
• Features: adjustable thickness (1/8" to 1/2", plus 1/2" spacer foam)
• Colors available: coyote brown, foliage green
In use the pad for me made a definite difference with both how the waistbelt fit and was a definite help with an added load. My wife said it also certainly helped. She is no pack expert- but is in tune to how something feels for her- whether it be shoes, clothes, etc. She said that it felt as if it was suppose to be there when on and said -" the pack does not feel like it is slipping down on me anymore when it is full".
I think this accessory can be a help to many people who own these type of MR packs. The quality is there and it works very well. At least is did for us.
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