Being long isn't always a good thing. (Kifaru day pack help)

[Tall_Vol44]

I'm a new member here, but have been lurking and learning from this site for a few years. Finally splurged on a kifaru pack and got the Stryker XL with 26" lite frame. Have only had a chance to throw about 40 pounds in it and do some trialing. Couldn't even tell the pack had anything in it. Absolutely love it.

That said, I mostly hunt whitetails in Tennessee. On the ground 75% of the time, in a stand 20% of the time, and still hunt here or there when the conditions are right.

So what I need is a solid, low drag/high speed day pack. And my problem is being 6'7" with a 23.5-ish torso, it's hard to find proper sized day packs that fit my torso comfortably, & aren't 40liters+ capacity (which is too big for what I need this pack for).

This pack will primarily be an early season &/or quick hunt pack (morning or evening hunt), so I won't need to pack a lot and will always be within 3 or 4 miles of my truck. I generally hike out in my mid and base layers and throw on the outer layer stuff once I've settled, caught my breath, and stopped sweating profusely.

I always take a thick seat pad when I go out, so I'll need to be able to strap that on the pack. In this pack, my load out will be: Binos, LRF, 1-3 liters water, a beanie or hat, light gloves, rain jacket or mid layer/lightweight jacket, small kill kit, one 18650 sized flash light, headlamp, and occasionally a hand muff, thermal monocular, &/or small snack.

My two options I've settled on are the shape charge and the door Gunner with a Sherman pack. I initially looked at the antero, but it didn't seem to have a good system to strap stuff to it.

I guess I'm mainly curious if either one would work comfortably for my long torso?

The door Gunner is slightly longer, and seems like it's what I need. But the shape charge looks like it could be good too and that's what was recommended via email from kifaru, however it seems like it might be a little bigger than what I'm specifically looking for. So I'm curious if the door Gunner/Sherman would work well with the load out I listed above.

Bonus question: if the shape charge is what I need, should I go with the curved stays or the flatter? I'm thinking it might ride higher on my back and the curved would maybe be detrimental to the comfort like that. And according to the videos, I need the curved stays for the duplex frames. I have the curved stays in my lite frame and they fit good and comfy.

Thanks in advance for all the advice.

I'm open to other day packs, maybe up to 2000 c.i. but I'm sold on kifaru packs now so it would have to be perfection to sway me away.

And don't want/ need external frame pack for this. I've got one, and while it's the tits, it is too much for what I need in the situation.
And I will NOT be hauling meat with this pack, ever.

 

[ddd-shooter]

I love my stryker xl, and I use it as a day pack, so I couldn’t see buying another. I love the way it carries, so the frame doesn’t bother me.
Guess I wasn’t much help…lol
I will say, I’m 6’4”, and I’d rather have the fit than anything, and I don’t think you’re gonna find that outside the 26” frame…

 

[Tall_Vol44]

My only issues is sliding in and out of very small doors & small blinds with the Stryker set up is challenging for me. If I don't need to pack a meal, and lots of clothes it's borderline a PITA. But it is a freaking amazing pack for sure!

 

[Athame]

I think the Shape Charge would fit the bill for you quite nicely. I'm 5'9" and don't like wearing it without
the belt. I've always assumed a taller person would find it very nice with or without the belt.

 

[ddd-shooter]

My only issues is sliding in and out of very small doors & small blinds with the Stryker set up is challenging for me. If I don't need to pack a meal, and lots of clothes it's borderline a PITA. But it is a freaking amazing pack for sure!

What about the Sherman pocket on your frame without the Stryker?

 

[Athame]

I snagged this pic from Bender from the old kifaru forum.
Side by Side of the Antero and the Shape Charge.



Here's a pic I took last Spring when I was testing mine out. It shows the depth and height pretty well.



By the way, I know it's not a Kifaru but the 3DAP is amazing. There's the SG Serac 1700 as well. I had to
order the Avail belt for mine but for a taller person it would probably be just right without it.

 

[Tall_Vol44]

Just the Sherman pocket might be too small, but that's not a bad idea!

Also I tried the MR 2DAP and I couldn't get it to fit right. I have a coulee 25 and I love that pack for day hikes. I had high hopes the 2dap would work because it's significantly cheaper than the kifaru options. Ordered it from Amazon, tried it on, tried to get it fitted properly and it just didn't fit me.

I appreciate all the thoughts so far!

 

[Tall_Vol44]

Thanks for the input fellas. Ended up ordering both and will either sell the one that doesn't work or send it back.

 

[MattyWight]

Thanks for the input fellas. Ended up ordering both and will either sell the one that doesn't work or send it back.

How did you end up going with this. I’m 6’3 and also looking at kifaru and concerned about stay height

 

[Tall_Vol44]

How did you end up going with this. I’m 6’3 and also looking at kifaru and concerned about stay height

So, firstly, they're both made extremely well. Fit and finish was excellent and i think either one would survive a nuclear bomb. Also, either way you go, a Sherman pocket is almost a necessity.

I'm not only tall but fluffy also. Eastern Whitetail hunting shape, not elk hunting shape. That said, I had the shoulder straps let out almost all the way to make either fit close to properly. I'm not a fan of the way they do the shoulder straps on either model.
I used a belt with both for extra storage.

They're obviously day packs, not meant to carry weight. That being said I wouldn't want to hike a long way with the shape charge filled up completely. I maybe maxed out around 40-45# and it was not comfortable at all with that much weight. I'm sure it's mostly a fitment issue.

If you keep it under 25-30# the shape charge is good to go. With a Sherman on the front you can really load it up. I was trying to see how much I could get away with and, for how it fits me, the shape charge is a 25# and less weight type of pack. The Stryker XL on a frame is a better option if you're going to be carrying any weight.

The door Gunner... It fit fantastic except for the shoulder straps, but for some reason I didn't have to let them out as much, so they fit a little better. The Sherman pocket makes the door Gunner very versatile.

I probably used the shape charge more but If I could only have one or the other in addition to a Stryker XL, I'd go with the door Gunner with Sherman pocket. It can handle about the same comfortable weight (25#) as the shape charge, it's just a smaller pack and hard to over load it past that weight unless you're really trying to. If you can't fit everything you need in the door Gunner, probably best to step up to a Stryker on a frame instead of trying to make a shape charge work.

 

[solo06]

With the priority in this thread being taller stay height for optimal fit for taller people, I'd recommend looking at the Kifaru 14r.

Compared to the Shape Charge, the 14r's stays are 5" taller at 23" (Shape Charge has 18" stays). I'm 6'2" and went with the 14r for this reason.

The 14r has slightly more capacity than the Shape Charge (37 vs. 32 liters), but the 14r is actually lighter than the Shape Charge.

To me, the Door Gunner is almost a different category of pack; it's tiny with about half the capacity (17 liters) of the 14r or Shape Charge, and doesn't even come standard with a belt (although you can buy a belt to add if you want to). After you add a belt, which you'd need to do for the stay height spec to even be relevant for getting some of the pack weight off your shoulders, the weight savings with the Door Gunner would shrink some, and you'd have to decide whether that little weight savings was worth giving up double the capacity as well as the desired fit provided by longer stays. The 14r's stays are 3.5" taller than the Door Gunners, which seems to be a priority in this thread for taller people.

Hope that helps!