I have a Kifaru belt and love it for hiking. I took some rough sand paper and scuffed up the plastic belt loops, that seemed to fix the slipping issue for me anyway.
I load mine up with what I actually take, minus the sleeping bag and food. For the bag and food I just add the appropriate weight with dumb-bells. Using the real stuff gives you the feel you will get during the season. Also it gets you proficient at packing and unpacking your bag.
I have have family in Grays Harbor and could possibly meet up with you or something if you need help in the future. I'm not an expert with Kifaru packs have had a duplex and now a bikini.
Give Steve a call. I bought my boots from them earlier this year and will now be a customer for life. He's very knowledgable and will answer all your questions. Good guy to talk with as well.
How about the HC Long Horn kinda plays off the logo. Or the HC Taipan, it would be a reference to the snake river and it's one of the deadliest snakes out there. They look awesome, great to see a local guy produce top notch stuff. I wanna shoot one someday.