A pack for my wife

[roymunson]

My wife is observing on an Alaskan moose hunt this fall. It’s guided, but she will be carrying her gear in and out and potentially helping pack.

She’d a small gal, 5’4” about 100-105 pounds. What pack do you guys recommend or have experience with?

Would like to be a pretty decent sized bag 5000” or more, but I’m more concerned about the frame and and harness.

Buddy has a KUIU 6000 that he would offer to us, with a s/m frame, but I’m afraid that’s gonna be too big for her.

Any ideas on what to get? What not to get?

Does not have to be a “hunting” brand. Just something to get in and out and haul some meat if need be

 

[sndmn11]

How much gear does she have that she is carrying daily?

@KickinNDishin hauls meat on a Seek Outside Revolution frame; she is 5' and a little heavier than your wife. That frame is very adjustable and wouldn't be of issue fitting a 5'4" woman.

She would also try Kuiu's women specific frame after trying it in at WHCE. It was easy to fiddle with and get fit in a few minutes.

 

[roosiebull]

My wife is observing on an Alaskan moose hunt this fall. It’s guided, but she will be carrying her gear in and out and potentially helping pack.

She’d a small gal, 5’4” about 100-105 pounds. What pack do you guys recommend or have experience with?

Would like to be a pretty decent sized bag 5000” or more, but I’m more concerned about the frame and and harness.

Buddy has a KUIU 6000 that he would offer to us, with a s/m frame, but I’m afraid that’s gonna be too big for her.

Any ideas on what to get? What not to get?

Does not have to be a “hunting” brand. Just something to get in and out and haul some meat if need be

Exo women’s k4, or a k3

 

[roymunson]

Won’t be much daily carrying. And under 50# when we do haul meat. Did a search and MR and EXO seem to be consensus winners. Not sure this is gonna be an every year thing, so used or less expensive is appealing.

 

[Dalen88]

my wife wears a exo k2 5500 and she really likes it, doesnt haul much for meat i normally have to do that haha.

 

[sndmn11]

@roosiebull @Dalen88 are you guys' gals using the woman specific exo, or just adjusting the men's?

 

[Cant hit em]

Kifaru mini keg if smalls ok , Kuiu makes a women specific frame

 

[nodakian]

Our packs also work for some gals, especially for 50 pounds or less. Same materials and quality as other brands but narrower and lighter. At her height, a 22" backboard would be just right, and we now have a 4000 inch bag. Both should be up on our website in week or two.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Dalen88]

@roosiebull @Dalen88 are you guys' gals using the woman specific exo, or just adjusting the men's?

she just got my old one, its a mens, she did complain a bit about being able to look up and hitting her head on the frame though. It did that with me, but i dont know if the womans one would change that.

 

[roosiebull]

@roosiebull @Dalen88 are you guys' gals using the woman specific exo, or just adjusting the men's?

I have not a women’s version, but that’s what I’ll get my wife when she wants a new pack. My packs wouldn’t be ideal for her due to unnecessary frame height. I just know they make great packs that have been the most comfortable to wear, and girls like comfort.

 

[sndmn11]

she just got my old one, its a mens, she did complain a bit about being able to look up and hitting her head on the frame though. It did that with me, but i dont know if the womans one would change that.

I have heard that about packs from a few other women and @KickinNDishin ran into it with one of Seek's Flight packs as well. That was a simple fix by just bending the frame to better match her contours, but the Revolution frame doesn't have that issue for her, and the Kuiu one at WHCE did not either.

@Mark at EXO / @S&S ARCHERY does the contour of your EXS match the K3, or is it different to try and fit the differences that women have? https://exomtngear.com/pages/extra-short-hunting-pack-frame

 

[Mark at EXO]

I have heard that about packs from a few other women and @KickinNDishin ran into it with one of Seek's Flight packs as well. That was a simple fix by just bending the frame to better match her contours, but the Revolution frame doesn't have that issue for her, and the Kuiu one at WHCE did not either.

@Mark at EXO / @S&S ARCHERY does the contour of your EXS match the K3, or is it different to try and fit the differences that women have? https://exomtngear.com/pages/extra-short-hunting-pack-frame

We do have the "EXS" for women in the K3 line, and will continue to offer a women's frame for the new K4 System. We fit the new K4 on at least a couple of dozen women during our recent shows/expos and didn't find a single one that had any issues with fit.

Fitting women is super tricky, since they not only tend to be shorter, but also have much higher hips and therefore a shorter torso. Pair that with a more petite upper body shoulder structure (and sometimes a larger bust), and our shorter frame, as well as the thinner and more contoured shoulder harness is really a huge benefit for ladies.

 

[Gseith]

My wife has a SG krux frame and evo 40/56 bag and really likes it. She didn’t care for my seek outside frame said it hurt her hips.
She has also worn some osprey and Gregory packs that’s also bothered her hips.

 

[OutHeavy]

For a female specific frame you should check out Osprey and Deuter. My wife has used both and had good experiences. The Deuter was a slightly better fit. These are traditional backpacking brands and not hunting brands.

 

[coyote_out]

My wife uses a Mystery Ranch Pop-up. She likes it a lot. I borrowed it for an antelope hunt. Very adjustable, so I could set it up for me, and then back to her settings. And it packed out one whole antelope with not issue.

 

[Graves14]

You could always rent a pack from Rent Outdoor Gear if it won't be a common occurance that she goes with you. Get a high quality pack for the trip without having to buy one.