Bikini Daypack

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wapitibob

WKR
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Messages
7,268
Location
Bend Oregon
Here where I live we do a lot of short Elk hunts. Before work, after work, just hunts for a few hours. We used to throw our aluminum freighters in the back of the truck but I prefer to have the ability to pack immediately and without much pain.
I wrote down everything I have in my pack when I do those hunts, added another section for when I do an all day'r, then added the stuff for overnighters. I didn't even fill my 4800 HighCamp bag 12" deep when I had everything for my short and all day hunts. I've had this daypack for about 20 years now and thought it might fit the bill so I took the razor blade to it and then attached it to the Bikini frame. I attached the Grab-It to the btm of the Bikini for holding quarters and I think it will work OK for those short hunts. Sounded good at the time anyway.

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nice job. I enjoy seeing how folks. modify gear DYI. Spurs my imagination to think of other ideas. Do you have any close-ups of how you attached to the frame and explain how ya attached it?
 
Darcy, every pack is different. This one had clips on top so I just looped some 1" around the cross bar then ran both ends thru those clips. I used Velcro on the btm just to keep the pack from flopping around. There's no real weight other than 3 ltr of water. I bought a roll of 3/4 sticky backed Velcro and stuck them together making a dbl sided velcro strap. I have a bunch of them now and they come in handy.

I've never been a fan of mounting a daypack to a regular pack but that 4800 was so empty it didn't seem right dragging it out thru the woods. I'll pick up one of the new Kifaru "Weekender 2000" when they come out. LOL

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Looks good. My T1 or DT1 fully compressed is actually smaller but then again I'm okay with having a huge pack only 10% utilized and it taking longer to access the main pouch. :)

You better like that frame compared to your old MR. ;) For me the thing is simply amazing (not even considering the weight). I thought I would never be able to improve on my Timberline, but I thought wrong.
 
yea, I picked up the Bikini frame only and "holy smokes". Fit and finish is great. Oh, and not to be overlooked, the belt pouches open with one hand. Took a while to move to the Kifaru camp but I'm happy about it. The grab-It will work for hay bales or climber stands too. I wouldn't mind seeing a bigger "back pouch" or a smaller HighCamp or T1 to do what this old daypack is doing. Something for the short hunt crowd, maybe 1500/2000 ci. A few pockets for Jetboil/water filter when going on a full day trip but not so big as to hold a sleep system/tent.
 
Looks good! Should work well for your intended application. And quiet. That bag looks like the same older daypack that I still have from many years ago- but different pattern. Mine is a Blacks Creek Guidegear in Saddlecloth- in a Predator spring green pattern.

I have in the past made many bags work on different frames. Besides the matching Kifaru bags, I know of a ton of bags that work well on a duplex frame; I've used Wilderness Pack Specialty bags; Rocky Mtn Pack systems etc. I mostly started out trying different bags on a frame because I still had bags laying around from my Dwight Schuh and Molle frame days. I first started trying it out when I first got just a MR nice frame and load sling only, and I wanted to see if these light wt quiet bags that I still had would work on that frame. They did; and when I moved on to a Kifaru duplex frame, I found out that it was even easier to mount different bags with all the attachment points.

Now I usually use the intended bag from same maker- because it is easier, but I still like to sometimes throw on a different bag that works for different uses. One of the best that I like was putting a Stone Glacier Solo bag on a duplex frame. It worked about almost like it was meant for it. It only weighs all up right at 5.65 lbs and for day hunting and 2-4 days, I really like that solo bag. The reverse can be true with these frames- I can put a Kifaru Longhunter Guide bag real easily on that 26" Stone Glacier Krux frame and fits quite well. I really like the Kifaru frames and belts, but I also love the weight of the Stone Glacier.

I wish the Bikini frame was offered with the possibility of using aluminum stays- because I found out that they work best for me in the Kifaru frames. The composites did not fit my back well and were too stiff in the wrong areas for me.
 
"Blacks Creek Guidegear in Saddlecloth" yeppers that's it. My mom got it for me decades ago. Fantastic day pack but it won't haul an Elk quarter worth a lick.LOL My old Schuh/peak 1 was hanging next to the Black cr daypack.
 
Took the pack out today with half of a compressed alfalfa bale and all my regular day hunt gear. A cpl things came up. The concept I was trying out will work but with items in the center portion of the pack, it prevents the grab-it from working correctly. The grab-it attached directly to the frame and with 4" of filling in the pack, the grab-it loses about 5" of "length" and I couldn't get it up around the base of the bale. When I removed the stuff from the pack center section the grab-it worked great. Also, the lash straps wouldn't stay tight. i think it's because of the pack side walls were keeping the buckles at an angle that won't keep the buckle down on the straps.
I think the best way for a minimal setup like I was after is to make a clamshell bladder pouch that fits between the frame rails, hanging from the cross member, then use long pockets that buckle to the outer loops and become bat wings, buckled together across their faces. The wings can then open up when you use the gen-2 meat bag or the grab-it for packing meat. Pretty much the same thing others have been talking about with the cargo panel and pockets/pouches.
 
Thanks for the link. I bought a basket full of k connectors and have a bunch of superloc ladder locks coming for making some compression straps.
 
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