Decision between Reckoning and Fulcrum

[pc3]

Pretty sure its one of these Kifaru offerings will suit me best;

I've read/watched everything I can find.....still stuck on which way to jump !

Fulcrum is a little larger and wider vs the Reckoning which is a little slimmer. but taller.

It seems both pack down to day mode quite nicely....maybe the Fulcrum has the edge here ?

Which will work better for transporting a rifle ? or do they both do this equally well ?

Ill be carrying a spotter and tripod and gear etc.

I did think that the narrower profile of the reckoning MIGHT make it better for when you have a rifle on sling etc.

Reckoning is also around $100 cheaper by the looks of it.

Who owns both and if you could only have one of these which would it be ?

 

[Jimss]

What type of hunting and how bulky of loads do you intend on doing?

My preference would be the Fulcrum for my style of hunting. I often go on long duration trips with super bulky/hefty loads....including Alaska sheep/goat hunts where I need to pack camp plus most of a critter out in one trip. I often pack out life-sized capes that take up a heck of a lot of room in a pack. If you do much elk hunting you may find it's super nice having additional room in your pack for large boned out hind quarters, capes, etc. On deer hunts I can haul out an entire boned out deer plus gear. I also turkey hunt and it's nice having plenty of room for large, bulky decoys. In many cases having the extra room will likely save you a trip. The list goes on why I like a larger bag!

If you are using your pack solely for day hunting the Reckoning may be a good choice. The Fulcrum weighs around 1/2 lb more than the Reckoning but I have a feeling you'll hardly be able to tell the difference between and unloaded Fulcrum and Reckoning when cinched down and on your back. According to the Kifaru website the Reckoning vs Fulcrum are 6500 vs 7800 cu in.

I'd go for the Fulcrum!

 

[KurtR]

It’s all about how long you are going. As for the rifle carry get the gun bearer and forget the sling

 

[backcountryshaffer]

I can't comment much on the Fulcrum other than I checked it out and it is a BIG MOFO! I considered upgrading to that from the Nomad but went with the 44mag instead. The biggest complaint from a good buddy of mine on the Reckoning is that has the side pockets can collect a lot of crap because they don't seal on top. The other minor complaint is that the compression straps run over those open top pockets and it always squashes the contents of the side pockets.

 

[pc3]

Thanks for the information thus far folks. That is a consideration re compressing the side pockets, I have a Meopta S2 that will be packed in a side pocket.......tripod will need to be replaced for back pack hunting as I have a slik 700DX which is too big. I might buy a pig saddle for that and use it as a dedicated varmint rest and grab something like the pro master 525 etc. for the other side pocket.

Multi day back pack hunts hopefully in the not to distance future hence gathering the gear for that.....big changes/big move for myself and family likely coming up and am working on it currently

Money as for many is an issue so just want to make the right choice once. I may add a dedicated day bag down the the track and as stated in another thread I started share the frame. However if one pack does the job for everything well that's a win in my book.

I read that another poster used their Fulcrum during waterfowl season carrying bulky decoys etc. That is not a bad idea as well......I'd not have thought of that !

 

[Jimss]

I've carried turkey decoys, gear, plus a couple toms in my Kifaru EMR2....which is similar to the Fulcrum.

 

[HookUp]

I have a reckoning and will be jumping to a bigger bag likely the fulcrum or ma duece. When I backpack there isnt enough room to haul meat along with my camp.

 

[Scrappy]

I dont have the reckoning but my fulcrum does it all.

 

[Decker9]

I’m on the exact same fence. My gf claimed my reckoning bag, so been looking at the fulcrum.
Personally, I like to compress the side pockets, taking any bit of slop out of them. Iv never handled a fulcrum, but I can’t get over thinking the wing pockets would be sloppy, without being full?. The open pockets of the reckoning definitely collect, water snow and spruce needles, a zippered pocket would be nice.

For a main bag I swore I’d never be without a center zip again, I wish the hoodlum had a center zip.

looking at the specs on the Kifaru sight, the reckoning claims 6500ci with the roll top open. The fulcrum, claims 6000ci, but doesn’t mention if that’s with the roll top open or folded down for a lid.

Can anyone attest to which main bag is actually bigger?

 

[*zap*]

 

[452b264]

I have the Fulcrum and its perfect for a one pack system. It compresses down to a day pack and there is plenty of room for a 10 day hunt. I dont like the reckoning due to the exposed pouches .

 

[pc3]

Decker you could potentially loosely run the compression straps over the bat wings rather than under them via the slots they provide ??

Problem is if you had a massive load and your spotter in bat wings you wouldn't want to compress to much I suppose for fear of crushing the spotter etc.

Thanks for all the replies folks

 

[Jimss]

I have the old style EMR2. It has large batwings wth an additional pouch inside the wings. It used straps around the wings to compress the entire load. It's nice being able to compress the wings and load but is more work if you want to get things out of the wings. I've never worried about compressing too much that it would smash a spotter or other gear. I actually like compression straps and load food and other things I don't want smashed elsewhere (such as the guide lid).

 

[rbljack]

I don't have both, only the reckoning. But...i was on the fence for a long time...LOL. I almost got an EMR2, than the reckoning came out. Then....i wasn't sure if I should go reckoning or fulcrum. I ended up with the reckoning because it was a little lighter, and I liked the overall layout better.

As others have said...forget the sling. Get the gun bearer. I use that when I need the rifle close at hand. I also have a medium belt pouch on the moly below the center zip of the bag. It serves 3 purposes. I can put the butt of the rifle stock down into it, and use the straps to secure the rifle back there if I don't want it on the gun bearer. I can use it as a traditional pocket, and lastly, I can stick my tripod legs down into it, and secure the tripod and spotter (connected) using the straps. This way, I don't have to take apart the spotter and tripod each time I want move from spot to spot. While hiking from one spot to another, I spotted a bull on my last trip in my binos and wanted a better look real fast. I was able to simply take the pack off and with it on the ground, extend the spotter and find that bull real fast. No tripod set up necessary for a quick glance. I like the layout of the reckoning with the center zip and find it pretty handy. The side pockets can hold spotter and tripod, or a slew of other gear. For day hunting, I typically have my raingear in there so I can grab it real fast without having to dig into the bag. Same for layering pieces. I take off the puffy and heavy layers when hiking and move from spot to spot and stick them in the side pockets. When setting up to glass or sit for a while, they are easily accessible. If it looks like rain, they will go into main bag in a dry sack though. As far as total room goes, I did a 4 day backpack elk hunt and had enough room for gear/food/etc. That included a kifaru sawtooth shelter, liner, and stove.

The reckoning cinches down pretty good in day mode use as well. Good luck in your decision.

 

[Coveyleader]

Was at Kifaru yesterday, had my eyes on the Fulcrum as well. It is a monster of a pack,

 

[pc3]

Update folks.....Kifaru have 20% off the 44 mag had a rush of blood and I went with that on the tac 26" frame..........it will work well for the couple hunts I have coming up. Now when I get a second bag it will be the Fulcrum for bulky/awkward stuff.

Went 44 mag with Sherman, nalgene and 1 x medium belt pouch all in Ranger green.

I am thinking that;

1 x 26" tac frame
44 mag
Fulcrum

will make a good 2 bag combo, the two bags are quite different and unique in their own ways. I also dont mind those zipper side pockets on the 44 mag for spotter/tripod etc. I think the 44 mag will make a great pack for varminting/calling

Now hoping they have a flash sale on the Fulcrum...how long can I hold out

 

[Poaks0810]

Update folks.....Kifaru have 20% off the 44 mag had a rush of blood and I went with that on the tac 26" frame..........it will work well for the couple hunts I have coming up. Now when I get a second bag it will be the Fulcrum for bulky/awkward stuff.

Went 44 mag with Sherman, nalgene and 1 x medium belt pouch all in Ranger green.

I am thinking that;

1 x 26" tac frame
44 mag
Fulcrum

will make a good 2 bag combo, the two bags are quite different and unique in their own ways. I also dont mind those zipper side pockets on the 44 mag for spotter/tripod etc. I think the 44 mag will make a great pack for varminting/calling

Now hoping they have a flash sale on the Fulcrum...how long can I hold out

You'll have to keep us updated on how you like the 44 mag. I was thinking of going from the reckoning to the 44. I felt like my reckoning was bulky especially with the side pockets stuffed with gear. Maybe I'm just picky.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

 

[Thess87]

I’m really surprised we don’t hear more about the fulcrum. A lot boils down to personal preference but I have been nothing but happy with my fulcrum. I’ve thought Several times about getting something different but I just get to thinking about all the different aspects and I can’t think of any that the fulcrum hasn’t met my expectations. From day hunting to long trips and from elk to moose and several different ones in between I’m totally happy with mine.

 

[Superdoo]

So does the fulcrum main bag separate from the wings and allow you to run just the wings or just the main bag alone without the wings? If you can that means you’re essentially buying 3 bags. Nomad, Cavern and together making up the fulcrum?
can someone set me straight on the above?

 

[valtteri]

The Fulcrum main bag does not separate, it's sewn in.

I have both the Reckoning and the Fulcrum and if I had to choose one bag, I'd get the Fulcrum. Yes, it's pretty strappy but it's also really versatile. I've carried 120 lbs of beer and wine in it, I've put in a sandbag and been able to still strap in my laptop for training hikes to the office. For winter camping with just lots of stuff, the capacity of the Fulcrum can't be beat. You'll never run out of space and you can just strap any type of object to it.

For daymode, I just run one main bag compression strap over the wings and that takes out all the flop.