Do packs wear out?

[Rmauch20]

I’m looking to upgrade my pack this year and I am considering Kifaru , EXO, or Seek outside pack. Either way ago it’ll be at least triple what I paid for my slumberjack pack, so a decent investment for me. So my question is what is the lifecycle of a high-end pack? 5 or 10 years?
I’ll be coming up on 4 year with my slumberjack pack it still seems to be in pretty good shape only packed a few animals with it. The main thing at hauls is training weight.
Am I out of my mind if I think I can get 10 years out of higher end pack?

 

[Topo_trekker]

Definitely 10 years.

I have a Dana Design and Lowa Alpine pack that are 15-20 years that I still use for training.

Funny thing is both these old packs either have larger more padded hip belts or lumbar pads than my kifaru, the frame is really where it’s at.


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[Ryan Avery]

I have a Kifaru T3 that in a four-year span packed out over 25 animals and it had to be sent in for some TLC, but I still have it and still use it. So, it really depends on how you use it. Horses, 4wheelers, motorcycles and small planes seem to be harder on them than having them on your back with animals in them. Most quality packs with general use should last a lifetime

 

[BRTreedogs]

It really depends on use and care.
If you leave it grimey and in the sun its definitely going to degrade. So I tend to measure things in days not years.
For instance I use my pack about 80 per year. 5 years is 400 days. So I would find it acceptable if the pack needed maintenance at 5 yrs.
If you keep it clean and only 10 days yr. I'd say 20 yrs.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Not mine. At least not lately. I buy and sell them like an idiot. I am a marketers dream. Like a moth to a damn flame for some new gizmo.

Kidding aside, my oldest pack is a late 90s Dana designs. Has a few hundred miles on it and is going strong. I bet a guide cold wear out a high end pack with 200 days a year in the field, but most of us use them far less.

I think 10 years is pretty reasonable.

 

[BRTreedogs]

I also use days to justify cost.
I'm down to like $2 day on my exo. That's cheap

 

[GotDraw?]

Buy a used "beater" pack for training.

I do NOT use my hunting backpack for training, I bought a used Gregory Baltoro for a deal off Ebay and throw weight in that. I don't care how much sweat accumulates in that backpack or how grimy it gets.

Unless you're using your backpack a crazy amount of, the one thing that will die over time is foam, which will break down in the belt and sacrum pad.

JL

 

[Rmauch20]

Thanks. Makes me Feel little bit better about spending that kind of money. I wish I was getting 80 to 90 days out in the field like some of you. I’m lucky if I can get out for elk and antelope in the same year. For deer hunting in Kansas there are not to many places to you can’t get a pickup to. Or just drag to the nearest road.

 

[RockChucker30]

I think you can look at lifecycle by mechanical damage, and also by fabric or coating lifecycle. PU coated fabrics will hydrolyze over time, so a coated packcloth pack may smell terrible in 10 or 15 years even if it's never been used.

Mechanical damage - wearing and using a pack usually isn't the problem if they're constructed properly. Sometimes a seamstress doesn't catch enough fabric in a seam or a bartack pulls out, but such mistakes are pretty uncommon. Abrasion causes a lot of damage. Jarring around in the bed of a truck with loose tools and cinder blocks over 40 miles of washboard roads or rope hauls while canyoneering....things like that will wear holes in the fabric.

I think most guys replace packs long before they truly wear out to the point they couldn't be repaired easily.

 

[elkstabber]

I expect to get 10-20 years out of my Kifaru. I use an ILBE pack for all of my training. There are two reasons:

1. The ILBE isn't as comfortable as the Kifaru and I prefer to train harder than I hunt, this way wearing the Kifaru feels great when hunting
2. I don't want to soak my Kifaru in sweat any more than I need to.

 

[KurtR]

I wear my kfiaru all the time. I will take it as a point of pride if i wear that thing out. Pretty sure i will be shot before the pack.

 

[Loco4dux]

Does sweat truly have any negative effect on the pack besides stink?

 

[TREE ‘EM]

I still occasionally use my dad's freighter frame and horizon pack he bought in 1970 for his Everest climb.

My sister will take it up again in 2021 with me by her side god willing.

If a high end pack can’t last through 8-10 years of hard use, then what exactly are you paying for?

I’ve replaced the shoulder harness, webbing and hip belt on my freighters frame a couple times in the past 30 years. My horizon bag is frayed and worn but still serviceable.

The new EXO 4800 has caught my eye and I’ll probably have one before long. Hopefully it’ll get me through the next 30 years... I don’t know what I’ll use after that