Exo 5500 vs stone glacier sky

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Sep 16, 2018
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Going to buy a high end pack and between these two. Had a Metcalf and it was decent just a touch heavy and wish it had a few more pockets. Pretty sure I had my heart set on an exo 5500 but people love stone glacier. Opinions on which I might like better?
 
Hard to beat the simplicity and well thought out bag designs of a stone glacier. But if pockets are what you’re after SG might not be the best choice
 
Had a first gen eco I ran up till last fall. Switched to a stone glacier and couldn’t be happier. The eco was nice but the x curve is just so much more comfortable under a heavy load for me. Not sure if exo’s newer frames would be better or not than the original tho.


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I'd say choose based on the bag layout. Other then that there pretty equal I'd say. Maybe slight comfort variations based on your body but u wont know that until u load one up.

I went exo based on bag layout and luv it.
 
I'd say try them both if you can. I bought a couple different packs (Kifaru, Stone Glacier, Exo, and tried on a friends Mystery Ranch) and kept the one that felt the best. I ended up keeping the Stone Glacier.
 
EXO . As above if possible try as many as you can , I've got a Kifaru Mtn Warrior and a Exo 5500 . Exo is my go to.
 
I had an Exo 3500 and really liked the pack and bag layout overall. I spent a week elk hunting with it this year and just couldn't get comfortable no matter what I changed or tried.

I came home and found a place (1 Shot Gear in Denver, awesome guys!!!!!!!!!) to try a Stone Glacier pack. Ended up with the Sky 5900 and couldn't be happier. Packed a very heavy load of moose meat and the pack felt very comfortable to me. The bag layout is obviously different but I like it just as well as the Exo.

I really wanted to get the Exo to fit but in the end the Stone Glacier is better for me. They are both great packs for sure.

Good luck.
 
If you can, try them both on with weight. I was in the same spot last January. I was able to try on several high end packs, including the two you are considering, with weight at the Hunt Expo. I ended up with the SG 5900 because it fit me the best. All of them were incredible packs, it just came down to fit.
 
I Run an Exo personally and could not be happier. The newer version of theirTitanium K2 frame (Post 2016 i believe) is supportive with just the right amount of flex. Their 2000 Bag was perfect for day hunts here in the east where i also need to pack a treestand several miles in. I use the 5500 Bag out west and can get a solid 7+ days easily with room to spare.
 
The titanium Exo frame tends to move and roll with you. The SG composite frames tend to have a bit of a more rigid feel so it’s a little more “solid” feel on your back. If you’ve ridden Mtn bikes much, you probably have noted the difference in feel of different frame materials: Carbon, aluminum, steel, titanium. It’s somewhat similar here.

Either pack is solid choice and they would likely come out neck and neck with objective testing. The vs. responses are likely based largely on personal preference and aesthetics, which, in the end, is what your decision will likely come down to. If you’re looking for “X brand, hands down” type responses to sway your choice, I doubt you’ll get what you’re looking for (and I’d be highly suspect of such statements).
 
I have owned both at the same time and just sold the exo to stay with the SG. let me clarify, for me the comfort was pretty much neck and neck and both have features that I like better than the other. I ran the Exo all last year and loved it, so this year decided to run the SG for a full season and see how it shakes out.

One item to note: under heavy load the Exo lumbar pad seems to shift/slide up a little bit whereas the SG stays pretty much in the same spot.

You can't go wrong with either and if you are like me you will end up using both.
 
If you are looking for more pockets then neither one of these will fit that scenario. This coming from a long time EXO user. These are both simple, streamlined packs for a particular purpose. If you want a bunch of pockets there are other packs that have that as a design element.

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Of all pack bags themselves, I personally like Exo bags. I had a 3500 and a 5500 I used on a Kifaru Duplex frame. Fit was like they are made for each other. As others have suggested. Try And buy 2 and see how they carry. The $20 in return shipping is worth it
and then some.
 
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