Exo 4800 vs 5500

[md126]

Anyone who's tried both have any opinions/thoughts between the bags? I really like the layout and features of the 4800 but man it's hard to beat the 5500 for overall versatility, space, and design.

 

[md126]

Anyone?

 

[Silvereagle50]

Guessing since the 4800 is so new, they can’t really give you an answer yet.

 

[Graves14]

The updates to the new bags are excellent. I love the horseshoe zipper for accessing your gear. Moving the bladder access to the outside of the pack is so functional it makes me wonder why anyone would put it on the inside. I also really like that the bladder sleeve is oversized and lined with silnylon so you can use it for wet storage (rain coat, tent fly, etc). The water bottle pockets are bigger. And when the volume is sucked out of the bag, you’re left with the whole horseshoe zipper accessible from the front and about 3” of depth making a perfect day bag.

Considering they are the same price, I think the benefits of the 4800 vastly outweigh the bump in capacity for the 5500.

The 4800 is everything I want in a hunting pack and I can’t wait to run one this year.

 

[Mike Islander]

The updates to the new bags are excellent. I love the horseshoe zipper for accessing your gear. Moving the bladder access to the outside of the pack is so functional it makes me wonder why anyone would put it on the inside. I also really like that the bladder sleeve is oversized and lined with silnylon so you can use it for wet storage (rain coat, tent fly, etc). The water bottle pockets are bigger. And when the volume is sucked out of the bag, you’re left with the whole horseshoe zipper accessible from the front and about 3” of depth making a perfect day bag.

Considering they are the same price, I think the benefits of the 4800 vastly outweigh the bump in capacity for the 5500.

The 4800 is everything I want in a hunting pack and I can’t wait to run one this year.

I agree with all this. But I haven't handled a 5500. Isn't the 4800 about functionally equivalent in size to the 5500? Thought I saw a review or product description by EXO where they specifically say this.

 

[md126]

The 5500 (6800ci total) is much closer to the 6400 (6900) in total capacity according to Exo. It’s roughly 1600ci bigger than the 4800.

I have handled both the 5500 and 4800 now and stuck with the 5500. The horseshoe zipper is nice but too narrow in my opinion. It makes the center stretch pocket less useful.

 

[Jbehredt]

The center stretch pocket is narrower. It’s a squeeze to get a hat with a brim in there now. My other 4800 complaint is that the stretch pocket only has a one way zipper. I’m in and out of that thing 10 or more times a day with gloves, beanie, hat, snacks.... why ditch the two way zipper? I think the benefit of the horseshoe, bladder access and a couple extra organization pockets outweigh the cons. I’m keeping my 5500 for extended trips but so far I’m going with the 4800 as my all around bag.

 

[swampthing]

I own both right now. Used the 55hunny for 2 years and I have a weeks use with the new 4800. Convenience is the main change I see. The horseshoe zipper, external water bladder and not having to remove the load lifter straps to execute the load hauler are all nice upgrades the 48 has over the 55. The new 48 feels very much the same as the 55 did while wandering around the mountain. The 48 is a touch smaller and it feels that way. I bought the 4800 because I am a gear junky and had to have it! Aside from convenience I see no real advantage to the new pack. They are just an evolution of an already great pack!