Does the Perfect Pack Exist?

[Justin Crossley]

We will be seeing some really cool innovations in packs and other gear in the next few years. Kifaru, Kuiu, MR and others will continue to push each other.

I feel that the Kifaru Bikini frame is probably the best "all around" frame and the options are unlimited as far as bags go.

 

[Randle]

THe perfect pack is the one I am using right now, until.......

 

[gobbler1662]

OMG there's hope for me yet! There's another member with a worse pack habit than me. Well let's only go back say 5 years, because that's about as much strain as my memory can handle.
1.badlands 2200
2. Badlands 2800
3. Badlands 4500
4. Blacks creek Canadian
5. Blacks creek Alaskan
6. Basks creek featherlite
7. Sitka 4500
8. Tenzing 5000
9. Wilderness pack specialities big horn combo
10. Mystery ranch big horn
11. Mystery ranch crew cab
12. Bruzer gear 4400
13. Kelty cashe hauler with bag.
14. Oregon pack works whole schbang
15. Kifaru spike camp
16. Kifaru Kifaru ZXR extreme
17. Kifaru spike camp legacy
18. Stone glacier solo
Finally and hopefully last one for awhile high camp 4800 on bikini frame, whew that makes me tired just trying to remember all these. At least I am not the only one needing pack therapy

 

[JWP58]

Just curious, does anyone near FtCo/SE Wyo have an Outdoorsmans pack I could checkout in person? I'd like to have a look at one in person before I throw down the $$$ for it.

 

[AzHntr]

Not yet, but 2014 may bring something that gets pretty close to it.

With all the competition in the industry, the customer always wins.

Looking at upgrading to a BT1 from a Badlands 4500 soon. Sounds like I should I hold off for a bit as this is the second time I've noticed something said about new 2014 Kifaru gear. Aron is there any timeframe on the new product release?

 

[edg1967]

Wow - that's a crazy list of packs you've had. I'd say you're qualified to post pack reviews at will.

DC

The only thing I'm qualified to do is piss my wife off. I've become quite proficient at that every time the brown truck stops by.

As I look through the list (and remember at least a couple that I've missed), I think about how much money I lost on each pack and how much I spent on shipping the packs I sold. At the time I started buying packs I thought it insane that people were spending $400, $500, $600+ on packs. There was no way I was going to spend that kind of money on a backpack. Now I realize that I've lost three times that or more with all the packs I've bought and sold. I would have been much better off taking the advice of many who stated "Buy once, cry once". Now, would have I found the right one back then? Probably not, but I would have understood what a quality pack was and what it could do.

At least now, I feel I am a little ahead of the game…a new frame on order and awaiting the new offerings for 2014.

 

[Aron Snyder]

Looking at upgrading to a BT1 from a Badlands 4500 soon. Sounds like I should I hold off for a bit as this is the second time I've noticed something said about new 2014 Kifaru gear. Aron is there any timeframe on the new product release?

I'll pm you.

 

[AzHntr]

I'll pm you.

Thank you!

 

[tttoadman]

OMG there's hope for me yet! There's another member with a worse pack habit than me. Well let's only go back say 5 years, because that's about as much strain as my memory can handle.
1.badlands 2200
2. Badlands 2800
3. Badlands 4500
4. Blacks creek Canadian
5. Blacks creek Alaskan
6. Basks creek featherlite
7. Sitka 4500
8. Tenzing 5000
9. Wilderness pack specialities big horn combo
10. Mystery ranch big horn
11. Mystery ranch crew cab
12. Bruzer gear 4400
13. Kelty cashe hauler with bag.
14. Oregon pack works whole schbang
15. Kifaru spike camp
16. Kifaru Kifaru ZXR extreme
17. Kifaru spike camp legacy
18. Stone glacier solo
Finally and hopefully last one for awhile high camp 4800 on bikini frame, whew that makes me tired just trying to remember all these. At least I am not the only one needing pack therapy

I am only 3 hrs away from you, and your on the way to my favorite fishing spot. Let me know when you are having a garage sale.

 

[Hunt'nFish]

The perfect pack would mean all of our bodies are exactly the same.

And we use our packs the same way, and for the same purposes.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I have several packs that I use for different purposes.
But I'm always looking for something better, and Kifaru definitely tops the list.
Hunt'nFish

 

[CrzyTrekker]

My KU3700 is sweet. Love my Highcamp 7000 too. They're both light enough for use as day hikers and durable enough for use as multi-day packs.

 

[Kotaman]

Sitting here thinking about this thread got me wondering...Have I had more packs or boots in the last 5 years? I'll play along...Here's the packs I remember:

Kifaru T2 (current) - 2nd One
Kifaru T3 (current) - Hey, the "green" was on sale!
Mystery Ranch Metcalf (current)
Mystery Ranch Dragon Slayer (current)
Cabelas Guide Transporter Day Pack (current)
Kifaru KU3700
Kifaru T2 Multi Cam - Sold for a BT2
Kifaru Bikini T2 AND T3
Kifaru Spike Camp
Mystery Ranch Dragon Slayer Optifade
Mystery Ranch Crew Cab
Tenzing 5000
KUIU 6000
KUIU 5200
KUIU 1850
Sitka Bivy 45
Sitka Bivy 30
Sitka Flash 20
Sitka Ascent 1
Sitka Ascent 2
Horn Hunter Full Curl
Horn Hunter 4500
Badlands Sacrifice
Badlands 2200
Bison Gear First Trip Explorer
Bison Gear Grey Wolf Woolens Special
Cableas Alaskan Guide Exterior Frame - The pack that started it all!

As you can see, I've thought highly enough of three of these packs, I've "re-purchased" them. If you really want to pay a lot for a pack, I suggest selling it for 60% of retail, and buying it back at retail... I almost hate to see what Kifaru is bringing to the table in 2014.

Aron...Is Kifaru going to have any new samples at the Sheep Show?

 

[Aron Snyder]

Yes, the new packs will be at the sheep show.

Sitting here thinking about this thread got me wondering...Have I had more packs or boots in the last 5 years? I'll play along...Here's the packs I remember:

Kifaru T2 (current) - 2nd One
Kifaru T3 (current) - Hey, the "green" was on sale!
Mystery Ranch Metcalf (current)
Mystery Ranch Dragon Slayer (current)
Cabelas Guide Transporter Day Pack (current)
Kifaru KU3700
Kifaru T2 Multi Cam - Sold for a BT2
Kifaru Bikini T2 AND T3
Kifaru Spike Camp
Mystery Ranch Dragon Slayer Optifade
Mystery Ranch Crew Cab
Tenzing 5000
KUIU 6000
KUIU 5200
KUIU 1850
Sitka Bivy 45
Sitka Bivy 30
Sitka Flash 20
Sitka Ascent 1
Sitka Ascent 2
Horn Hunter Full Curl
Horn Hunter 4500
Badlands Sacrifice
Badlands 2200
Bison Gear First Trip Explorer
Bison Gear Grey Wolf Woolens Special
Cableas Alaskan Guide Exterior Frame - The pack that started it all!

As you can see, I've thought highly enough of three of these packs, I've "re-purchased" them. If you really want to pay a lot for a pack, I suggest selling it for 60% of retail, and buying it back at retail... I almost hate to see what Kifaru is bringing to the table in 2014.

Aron...Is Kifaru going to have any new samples at the Sheep Show?

 

[Kotaman]

Fantastic...Will stop by check them out!

 

[Aron Snyder]

Give me a call again....lost your #.

 

[Darren Best]

I thought I was bad.

1. Coleman Peak 1 - I thought this pack was pretty good at the time. A lot to be said that you don't know how good or bad something is until you have something to compare it to. The frame is extremely flexy, absolutely horrible over 50 pounds. This was the pack I used for my very first backpack hunting trip almost 20 years ago, my load going in was 55 pounds.

2. Blacks Creek Canadian - Another horrible pack that I once thought was good. Heavy as a full size, but small with a zillion pockets and straps all over it and many unneeded accessories.

3. Mystery Ranch NICE LongBow

4. Mystery Ranch NICE Crew Cab

5. Mystery Ranch NICE 6500 - All three of these were horrible for me, in fact my old Peak 1 was more comfortable to me than the NICE frame. I suppose if you are short enough that the load lifters work it would make a world of difference. The whole system is much heavier than it needs to be, 10 pounds empty for the 6500, seriously? MR needs to ditch the NICE frame and move on.

6. Stone Glacier Solo - It wasn't until I got this pack that I figured out what my biggest problem was that was making packs so uncomfortable for me, my hips are too narrow to keep a pack up on my hips where it should be. Kurt was more than patient and helpful in getting the pack to fit me and I was one of the few people that he meant when some guys need the lumbar pad, but most don't. The pack with a quilt, pad and tarp is lighter than the NICE 6500 empty.

There were various cheap pack frames, even one take down pack frame that I bent and a smattering of daypacks. It's funny to look back on how I evolved into what I am carrying today and how much money I had spent.

When I got back from my first mule deer hunt in the Selway Bitteroot and I started looking for lightweight heated shelters, I found Kifaru. I should of just bought the Longhunter and cried about the price once.

Since I need three more packs for the rest of the family, I am going to get a Kifaru and a Paradox and let them try all three (with the SG I have) until they decide which one they like the most.

This is the way to find "your" perfect pack, start at the top and try them until you like one. SG has a 30 day return policy, Kifaru holds it's resale value really well, trying these two are pretty cheap and will get you a long ways towards finding a pack you like. Starting at the bottom and working your way up costs way more money.

I have to say, the battle between Kifaru, Stone Glacier and Paradox is good for us, competition keeps the innovations coming and we are the ones that win with the perfect pack.

 

[5MilesBack]

I can make anything work, but I keep trying to find "perfect" for all my gear. After all, isn't that what keeps all the gear makers in business? In the meantime I keep "making do" and trying new things, and hopefully by the time I can't walk anymore I'll have the "perfect" lounger in front of the perfect TV.

 

[ohhiitznik]

I use a Kifaru Bikini frame with a HC 7000 for backcountry hunts. I also have a HPG bag that goes on my frame for day hunting. Works great for me. Might want to swap my standard kifaru lid for a Longhunter but thats still up in the air for me.

 

[8Crow]

My wife thinks all my buying and selling is insanity but I clearly don't hold a candle to some of you.

I had convinced myself to drop the money on a Kuiu 1850 as a do-all combo hauler/daypack, but I see several of you have already been down that road and still went back to a Kifaru. Maybe discussion on individual packs wasn't the intent of this thread, but I'd love to read a comparison between the 1850 and some of the more popular Kifaru offerings.

 

[8Crow]

Ha! No sooner than I hit "submit" I see Ben's thread on the 1850...