Another which pack thread... SG vs Exo vs Kuiu

[Bughalli]

Availability is a valid concern and should be factored in, but just to be fair I'm pretty sure that EXO your buddy ordered back in March was a pre-order. They just came out with their new pack like 3 weeks ago. On Instagram they state that most packs are being shipped within the next two weeks. So certainly check timing, but I might not be concerned about this past spring give circumstances.

 

[JeffRaines]

The belt/frame and bag are two separate issues.

If your gut is bigger than your ass, then belt slippage will be a problem no matter what decal is on the pack.

If your are skinny, then get some squats, deadlights and kettlebell swings under your belt to build your ass up to hold up your pants.

Proper fit is absolutely paramount, Kurt from Stone Glacier has some great videos on YouTube on pack fit.

If you have solved those three problems and still get belt slippage, then you are just going to have to try different packs on until you solve the problem.

I think theres a breakdown in communication here... and maybe my terminology is a bit off. While the belt is physically slipping down my body, its doing so because the webbing is slipping back through the buckle causing it to loosen.

 

[luke moffat]

Not to derail the thread and reargue the case for going ultralight, but I think 2lbs can make a meaningful difference. And if the comparison is between a SG Sky and a kifaru pack and frame of comparable size and similar organization, then the difference might actually be more than that when you add in hip belt, lid, and side pockets.

Unless you're very disciplined, it's easy to accumulate a surprising amount of weight. A pound or two here in the pack, another in the sleeping bag, eight ounces for the sleeping pad, a couple pounds extra for the tent, throw in an extra set of batteries and some extra ammo, how about another rifle just in case your main one fails, etc. And before you know it, your bag is full of stuff you'll never use, and it will weigh so much that it slows you down and holds you back--stuff you'll end up replacing because carrying it all is so tiring--and you won't have room for the extra things that matter. If your base weight is 12lbs the possibility of finding somewhere to cut two pounds from your pack is almost impossible--and two pounds is another day of food, another day of hunting, another day of opportunity (not to mention how much lighter it feels after three or four days of lugging a pack up and down mountainsides for fifteen hours a day). So, for me, if I can reduce the starting weight of my pack by two pounds, it's seriously worth considering.

All that said, I have three kifaru packs (none of them ultralight) and one stone glacier (so far) and I cannot imagine giving any of them up.


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While true to an extent, I can say for a fact that an extra 10 or even 15 pounds has yet to break any hunt I've been on.

How do I know this? Cause I do very similar style hunts with both my hunting buddies and with my wife. In the cases with my hunting buddy's we generally try to split our gear 50/50. When I go with my wife its 60/40 or sometimes even 70/30. Not a knock on my wife as she is a tough cookie and I would gladly hunt with her and would say she is more handy with a knife and knows the gear we use better than most the guys I hunt with. She is just physically isn't as capable.

Same can be said for my backpack hunts that involve packrafts and not. Often packraft based hunts mean hauling an extra 10-20 pounds of gear even for 10 days trips. Yet somehow it all gets done.

I am all for being as light as possible certainly and have spent a great deal of time researching and reviewing and money to lighten our loads and tweak them. That said I no longer get bummed if my packweight leaving the parking lot is 5 pounds heavier than I hoped it would be when I weigh it on my luggage scale prior to hiking in. Cause at the end of the day you are going to go and even if it means and extra 15-45 minutes of rests throughout the day.

 

[doverpack12]

I think theres a breakdown in communication here... and maybe my terminology is a bit off. While the belt is physically slipping down my body, its doing so because the webbing is slipping back through the buckle causing it to loosen.

The icon pro with the power pull style doesn't slip on me at all. The two EXO packs I had would not slip even when painfully tight. I cannot confirm but have heard the Stone Glacier power pull addition does not work as well as these two above. The stone glacier buckle does not slip but the power pull added on slides the tri glide toward the center buckle. Can't speak to Kifaru in regards to power pulls.