Exo K2 and Kifaru Duplex Comparison and Review

[dcopher]

Fantastic review of 2 very good pack systems. Thank you for your time.

 

[TheCougar]

I was referring to where you loosen the velcro back where the shoulder straps attach to frame. Once loose there is a hook on top of each shoulder pad/strap, that hook slips in a slot, you can select from 1" to 6" I believe. In day pack mode (under 25#) I have my hook & shoulder straps in top slot so my pack sits no higher than my neck, this makes it easy to negotiate brush & low hanging branches which is less likely to hang up on stuff. Once an elk is down I loose the velcro pad & slide the hook all the way down & this moves the pack/frame up on my back so 100# is no big deal. It rides high & is super comfortable with no fiddling around & is very fast to do. I don't like a pack that makes you feel the weight is pulling you back. That along with the Exo scissor/hinge design which puts meat directly on frame & leaves my main bag for anything I want other than meat. Their scissor design is as quick & easy to do as I've seen & used. Slick system!

ElkNut1

Got it! I never really considered that. I put the Exo meat crib on my duplex and I am hooking up the Exo bags to function exactly as they would on a K2 frame, meat shelf and all.

 

[aion2come]

I have both a 2015 Exo (not the K2) and the Kifaru hunting frame. I love both. I thought the review reflected my thoughts on the advantages of both, although I personally prefer the pals webbing myself. That said, there was one thing I'll throw in. I use the Exo mostly for whitetail hunting and as a spare pack for friends when I go out west. The Exo works well for what I use it for as it is lighter, breathes well and can easily be adjusted to carry tree stands. However, I have found in carrying my tree stands between the bag and the frame, that I need to put a foam pad in between the frame and the stand as after just 2-3 trips, my lone wolf platform will wear a large hole in the cordura covering the Exo frame right where the little "v" is behind your head. This isn't the "teeth" of the stand doing the wearing, just the platform portion of the stand. Not a biggie, but I do find the kifaru frame and their bags to be a tad higher quality and not prone to wearing out so easily. Still, I prefer the Exo for my whitetail hunting for all of its other great features. Will continue to grab the Kifaru when I head out west.

 

[ElkNut1]

Cougar, sounds good & looks like you have a plan! (grin)

One thing to note is when you use the function to raise or lower pack for light or heavy weights it's more than just convenience. When shoulder straps are lowered & entire pack & frame are raised for heavier loads this gives you a huge amount of load lifter ability. You mentioned earlier about the load lifters not being quite high enough with 100# loads on the K2, this is why! (grin) With pack higher you would be very hard pressed to bottom out those load lifters no matter how much weight you carried. That's the sweet part about that Exo Pack! Combine that with the cool meat shelf that can also raise to any height & you have a pack suited for about anything you will want to carry. It's things like this that really caught my eye & decided to try this pack out several years ago, I have not been dissapointed.

Lower the shoulder straps which raises pack & frame & now carry a 100# in it & let us know what you think, it's a game changer!

ElkNut1

 

[twall13]

Cougar, sounds good & looks like you have a plan! (grin)

One thing to note is when you use the function to raise or lower pack for light or heavy weights it's more than just convenience. When shoulder straps are lowered & entire pack & frame are raised for heavier loads this gives you a huge amount of load lifter ability. You mentioned earlier about the load lifters not being quite high enough with 100# loads on the K2, this is why! (grin) With pack higher you would be very hard pressed to bottom out those load lifters no matter how much weight you carried. That's the sweet part about that Exo Pack! Combine that with the cool meat shelf that can also raise to any height & you have a pack suited for about anything you will want to carry. It's things like this that really caught my eye & decided to try this pack out several years ago, I have not been dissapointed.

Lower the shoulder straps which raises pack & frame & now carry a 100# in it & let us know what you think, it's a game changer!

ElkNut1

I'm not following you on this. If you lower the shoulder straps the hip belt doesn't move with it. So if I lower the shoulder straps to give the load lifters more lift then the hip belt is riding above my hips. Maybe it works out if you have a shorter torso but to get the hip belt in the right place for me (nearly 22" torso) I have to have the shoulder straps at the highest setting. This doesn't allow for enough angle on the load lifter under heavy loads. The point of the load lifters is to transfer the weight from your shoulders to your hips, but that doesn't really work if the hip belt isn't on my hips. Am I missing something?

 

[DaveC]

One thing to note is when you use the function to raise or lower pack for light or heavy weights it's more than just convenience. When shoulder straps are lowered & entire pack & frame are raised for heavier loads this gives you a huge amount of load lifter ability. You mentioned earlier about the load lifters not being quite high enough with 100# loads on the K2, this is why!

I do think your torso length shrinks a bit under a really heavy load. Being able to adjust to counteract that is handy. Probably exacerbated by lumbar pad systems which inherently have a bit of sag built in to the stay/belt interface and all the padding.

 

[TheCougar]

I'm not sure your torso shrinks under backpack load. If all the weight is on your hips and very little on your shoulders, then there should be not enough pressure to compress your spine. I do think that the weight of a very heavy load will pull the load lifters down as a function of the weight pulling the entire pack down further into your hips and making the frame seem shorter relative to your shoulders, even though the frame is still the same size. I agree with Twall that lowering the shoulder straps is the same as decreasing the distance between the belt and straps, which makes the load lifters higher relative to your shoulders but also makes your shoulders support more weight.

 

[ElkNut1]

It's about weight transfer & really nothing else. No need to over think it! (grin) Waist belt stays in the same place & hips carry the weight as normal. It's that the weight is raised, pure & simple! guys from 5'-7" to 6'-4" use this pack that I know of & use the up or down function. Guys it works awesome! Those that have the pack throw 80#-100# in it & give it a shot, it will put a smile on your face, it works that well.

Here's two photos, my son for photo purposes has left his pack at lower setting, look where load lifters are, almost even with his shoulders, not good at all for comfort or stability on long treks out.

Now look at my pack, I also have the same weight as him. (over 100#) My pack sits much higher as I lowered pack & frame to move all weight up. Hip belt is in the same place as his. My load lifters now have good angle & not even close to bottom out. That pack trip was only 2 miles but took nearly 3 hours to get out, terrain was that tough. Which pack setting would you want on your back if it were you? Both packs are the Exo 3500 26" stays.

ElkNut1

 

[Cranny]

I was referring to where you loosen the velcro back where the shoulder straps attach to frame. Once loose there is a hook on top of each shoulder pad/strap, that hook slips in a slot, you can select from 1" to 6" I believe. In day pack mode (under 25#) I have my hook & shoulder straps in top slot so my pack sits no higher than my neck, this makes it easy to negotiate brush & low hanging branches which is less likely to hang up on stuff. Once an elk is down I loose the velcro pad & slide the hook all the way down & this moves the pack/frame up on my back so 100# is no big deal. It rides high & is super comfortable with no fiddling around & is very fast to do. I don't like a pack that makes you feel the weight is pulling you back. That along with the Exo scissor/hinge design which puts meat directly on frame & leaves my main bag for
anything I want other than meat. Their scissor design is as quick & easy to do as I've seen & used. Slick system!

ElkNut1

I have a 2014 exo bag and I'm not following on the adjustment you speak of. My shoulder pads slide on the frame and the only adjustment I see is the torso length adjustment strap that will adjust the straps up or down the frame. Is this what your talking about?

 

[TheCougar]

Ive got to admit, I'm not following either. The only adjustment I am familiar with is the shoulder strap attachment, which raises and lowers the entire shoulder harness. Doing this adjusts for torso size and how much pressure it puts on your shoulders.

 

[Mike7]

My buddy has the Exo and I have the Kifaru. The one thing we both prefer is the Kifaru belt attachment to the frame and the PALS/Kifaru belt design, because a pouch or pistol stays in place no matter how tight or loose your hip belt is.

 

[twall13]

I have a 2014 exo bag and I'm not following on the adjustment you speak of. My shoulder pads slide on the frame and the only adjustment I see is the torso length adjustment strap that will adjust the straps up or down the frame. Is this what your talking about?

The 2014 is a different system for adjusting torso length. The 2015 and 2016 models use velcro and clips to attach the shoulder straps as he is describing.

I still don't follow how he can adjust the torso length without effecting where the hip belt sits but if it works for him go for it.

 

[dcopher]

Doesn't make sense to me either. I can see moving it maybe one or two spots and gaining a little, but more than that to me would move the lumbar pad and belt above the hips in order to gain the load lifter angle. You could effectively do this on many packs, but something just doesn't seem right to me.

 

[ElkNut1]

Guys, I don't know the scientific logic behind the raising & lowering function but I can tell you as the above photos show it works great to get that frame & pack bag up high with heavier loads. Try it then let's hear your thoughts. Since the Exo pack came out 3 years ago I've packed 9 bulls with it I believe. It's a huge plus to adjust pack & only takes seconds to do so. You do not adjust your shoulder strap length at all, they stay the same. In other words once you are happy with your shoulder strap lengths with 10# it stays the same way at 100#+ -- No adjustment needed because you raised or lower pack/frame to accommodate weight. Waist belt is still where it needs to be, you will not notice any discomfort because you lowered or raised pack. My son & I both wear hip holsters on our right side & waistbelt goes over them with no issues or rubbing.

ElkNut1

 

[camping1601]

Guys, I don't know the scientific logic behind the raising & lowering function but I can tell you as the above photos show it works great to get that frame & pack bag up high with heavier loads. Try it then let's hear your thoughts. Since the Exo pack came out 3 years ago I've packed 9 bulls with it I believe. It's a huge plus to adjust pack & only takes seconds to do so. You do not adjust your shoulder strap length at all, they stay the same. In other words once you are happy with your shoulder strap lengths with 10# it stays the same way at 100#+ -- No adjustment needed because you raised or lower pack/frame to accommodate weight. Waist belt is still where it needs to be, you will not notice any discomfort because you lowered or raised pack. My son & I both wear hip holsters on our right side & waistbelt goes over them with no issues or rubbing.

ElkNut1

I get what your saying and agree. I noticed with my Kifaru as my training weight increased I was slowly shortening the torso length and getting better comfort. I really like how easily the length is adjusted on the EXO.

 

[cuerro viejo]

I get what your saying and agree. I noticed with my Kifaru as my training weight increased I was slowly shortening the torso length and getting better comfort. I really like how easily the length is adjusted on the EXO.

No bull pack out this year but did the same when I was training. In fact both on the 1st gen original and k2. 1st gen would slip some on the adjustment buckle area after a while though.

I will say my pistol flipped once on the hip belt. I just pay special attention to it when I buckle hip belt. I don't think it would flip on webbing

 

[mrbillbrown]

Seems to me that if you're constantly raising and lowering your EXO pack to get a comfortable fit for the load you might need a pack frame that fits you better. I haven't touched my Kifaru frame after getting it dialed in and it works perfectly from 5-125#. No "on the fly" adjustments needed to get it to feel good with a light or heavy load.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ElkNut1]

The reason for adjusting ones pack is not for the load primarily. If I hunted mostly open type country where brush, willows & low hanging branches weren't an issue I'd leave the pack at one setting at all times. But many of the areas I hunt have you crawling through lots of brush, downfall & low hanging stuff. When in this country (most of the time) I do not want my pack at head height or higher, I want it closer to neck height so I can negotiate the terrain easier without getting my pack hung up. Hunt country like that & you'll appreciate a lower setting on your pack. It's nice that Exo has it figured out that their pack can be adjusted to this in 30 seconds, there's no other adjustment for comfort needed, you simply raise or lower pack for your needs. I only adjust pack height once an elk is down, outside of that it stays exactly the same day after day.

ElkNut1

 

[MT_Wyatt]

I'm just going to point this out, because I get what you're throwing down Elk Nut, but when it comes to torso length, adjusting for a "heavy load" isn't going to be much more than an inch in my experience. I see why you do what you do, but changing the pack fit isn't something I'd personally choose to do. That said, for the sake of completeness:

- MR yoke can be adjusted in seconds, pull the yoke sheet and adjust the Velcro.
- the SG torso length can be adjusted in seconds, the straps just connect with Velcro.
- the Kuiu packs have an attachment system similar to the SG, can change torso length in seconds.
- I have never done this with a kifaru frame, so I have no idea how easy/hard that system is.

My point is, I get you love the Exo pack, but adjustable torso isn't exclusive enough to that system to merit the "exo has it figured out in their pack" compliment in the vain that no other company has actually figured that out. Not trying to be a jerk, just want to temper the bias I feel when I read comments like that.


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[ElkNut1]

MT_Watt, no problem. You are correct that I am sold on the Exo pack system! It's really a nice pack & has been the best pack I've used over many years of elk & deer hunting. I have no doubt there are other great packs out there but I'd have to say this one would be hard to beat. Understanding the use of functions different packs offer should be mentioned. The OP did a comparison but did not include a primary function of the Exo pack. Realizing this is an important feature I felt the need to mention it. Good luck & happy hunting!

ElkNut1