Any current thoughts on the IA packs?

[camelcluch]

There are a few older threads on the Initial Ascent system. Anyone have any current thoughts or opinions?

 

[Tradchef]

what are you looking to know exactly or want to know I should say? I spent all season with the 5k last year and packed out 8 animals in total so I can give you a little feedback of what I experienced

 

[camelcluch]

Any good, bad, function, durability info. Just some honest thoughts on the system as a whole. What’s the good, the bad, the ugly? I saw the packs at the Hunt Expo and it was interesting. Did seem like it was very strapy but it held weight amazing.

 

[ND1612]

I just spent 5 days in MT with my IA 5K and was happy with it. I could fit what I needed for camp and gear plus food, water, spotter and tripod on the way in/out. After camp was set up, it was easy to tighten everything down to a nice daypack size. Put on about 15 miles hiking and was quite happy with how it felt and carried the weight. I didn't get to test out the pannier for hauling elk quarters out unfortunately, maybe once rifle season opens.

 

[BucksNBulls]

I love mine. I have Kuiu packs, Kifaru packs, Eberlestock packs, and the IA is my favorite by far. It has packed out many deer quarters and elk quarters in the last 5 years.






Loaded up with Elk

 

[Elkangle]

Had the shoulder straps peal off the velcro that holds them to the frame on a recient hunt...IA so far still hasnt sent a fix or really done very well in the communication department to solve the issue before my next trip

Pm me if your interested in buying the broken 5k pack as is...im tired of waiting on them

 

[Tradchef]

Any good, bad, function, durability info. Just some honest thoughts on the system as a whole. What’s the good, the bad, the ugly? I saw the packs at the Hunt Expo and it was interesting. Did seem like it was very strapy but it held weight amazing.

So here's my thoughts. I packed out 2 elk, one bear, two antelope, two mulie bucks and one mule doe last year. I carried very well. It rides higher on your back which I wish more companies did that but that's my opinion. Belt sizing was off. I went by their measurements as to which I was a medium but ended up needing a small. Not a big deal at all. The clips attached to the carbon do make a good bit of noise. If they had a softer material on the clips that would be a non issue. The 5k bag was nice and spacious. I was able to haul quarters in the bag as well as on the frame before I switched to the pannier for the second trip. The pannier is really nice and makes for a solid day pack with the lid. The harness was decent. No issues on fit or comfort. My big issue came packing out my bull. On the second trip my harness let got of the frame. It's not attached to anything except adhesive. I like the exo and kifaru designs with the clips into the frame which I'm surprised they didn't do that with the IA since it has clips on everything else. So that made for a shitty last pack out but overall it held up fine and hauled an obscene amount of weight. Customer service on that problem was really solid. They sent me out a new adhesive strip and I attached the frame and back in business. The only other issue I had was washing my bags. I got the green and I wash my hunting packs in cold water and Kirkland plant based unscented soap. Have for years. The green color bled out completely. Again, after some pictures and conversations they sent me a new set of wolf grey pack bag and lid. After the season I went through everything and just couldn't get over my frame and harness separation. I hunt solo 99% of the time and being back 3 to 5 miles with an elk down and a broken harness didn't sit well. I sold it after season and have moved on. Overall it's a solid system and with a few tweaks will be amazing. Customer service is fantastic. It hauls weight well, it rides pretty comfortable for having such a rigid frame and just sits well on your lumbar. I think my issues weren't the norm but I'm not sure. I have seen other guys on here talking about the harness separation so I know it's not just me. If that issue was fixed I'd get another one for sure. Even though the colors ran out of my bag it looked like a cool mix of brown and wolf grey. To be honest I wasn't even looking for new stuff. I was just telling them what happened, sent the ingredients list on the soap and showed them the afterwards. They took it upon themselves to send a new one. I was happy to rock the franken color.

 

[Johbran]

I used my 5k the last two weeks in Colorado. Packed one bull out. Worked great. Had a Kifaru before and like the IA much better. Seemed to fit me better. Like others have said it rides nice and high on your back. No squeaks or anything. I’m very happy with it.

 

[Elkangle]

So here's my thoughts. I packed out 2 elk, one bear, two antelope, two mulie bucks and one mule doe last year. I carried very well. It rides higher on your back which I wish more companies did that but that's my opinion. Belt sizing was off. I went by their measurements as to which I was a medium but ended up needing a small. Not a big deal at all. The clips attached to the carbon do make a good bit of noise. If they had a softer material on the clips that would be a non issue. The 5k bag was nice and spacious. I was able to haul quarters in the bag as well as on the frame before I switched to the pannier for the second trip. The pannier is really nice and makes for a solid day pack with the lid. The harness was decent. No issues on fit or comfort. My big issue came packing out my bull. On the second trip my harness let got of the frame. It's not attached to anything except adhesive. I like the exo and kifaru designs with the clips into the frame which I'm surprised they didn't do that with the IA since it has clips on everything else. So that made for a shitty last pack out but overall it held up fine and hauled an obscene amount of weight. Customer service on that problem was really solid. They sent me out a new adhesive strip and I attached the frame and back in business. The only other issue I had was washing my bags. I got the green and I wash my hunting packs in cold water and Kirkland plant based unscented soap. Have for years. The green color bled out completely. Again, after some pictures and conversations they sent me a new set of wolf grey pack bag and lid. After the season I went through everything and just couldn't get over my frame and harness separation. I hunt solo 99% of the time and being back 3 to 5 miles with an elk down and a broken harness didn't sit well. I sold it after season and have moved on. Overall it's a solid system and with a few tweaks will be amazing. Customer service is fantastic. It hauls weight well, it rides pretty comfortable for having such a rigid frame and just sits well on your lumbar. I think my issues weren't the norm but I'm not sure. I have seen other guys on here talking about the harness separation so I know it's not just me. If that issue was fixed I'd get another one for sure. Even though the colors ran out of my bag it looked like a cool mix of brown and wolf grey. To be honest I wasn't even looking for new stuff. I was just telling them what happened, sent the ingredients list on the soap and showed them the afterwards. They took it upon themselves to send a new one. I was happy to rock the franken color.

In my mind its a design flaw aswell as glue issue...they already have slots for some downward vertical half inch webbing to secure the straps to the frame better

I also struggled with the clips staying hooked onto the frame...multple times i had the carry handle fall off randomly

I had really high hopes for the pack and i could look past alot of the issues...with small tweaks itl be a great pack but the lack of customer service really sucks as when your in a time crunch..hopefully just growing pains of a new company that will get sorted out in the future

 

[Braaap]

I bought a 5k last year and used it on an elk hunt and 2 deer hunts. It’s a good pack and I didn’t have any issues with it. I bought a K4 this year with the Teratorn bag and I like it a lot better. K4 frame is more comfortable and user friendly.

 

[Tradchef]

In my mind its a design flaw aswell as glue issue...they already have slots for some downward vertical half inch webbing to secure the straps to the frame better

I also struggled with the clips staying hooked onto the frame...multple times i had the carry handle fall off randomly

I had really high hopes for the pack and i could look past alot of the issues...with small tweaks itl be a great pack but the lack of customer service really sucks as when your in a time crunch..hopefully just growing pains of a new company that will get sorted out in the future

Thats too bad about the customer experience issue you had. They took care of mine pretty quick but again, slapping the adhesive on and expecting to have a positive vibe packing a second elk out wasn't all that great. I had talked to Joe about the system like EXO and KIFARU have. I mean it makes good sense. It's funny you mentioned the strap system on the harness besides the adhesive because that was the part that saved my ass from a total complete fail. I hope they are able to fix that issue moving forward for sure!