Exo K3 4800 Pack System Review ***Updated 2/10/20***

[BRTreedogs]

I have a question for the backpacker crowd. is there an adapter buckle for the EXO packs that is female /female so one could quickly adapt a male end buckle to female??

I ran into a situation in the field this weekend where that would have been much more convienient then having to change out/swap buckles.

Maybe post a picture of what your wanting to do.
But it sounds like you would need 2 buckles and a piece of webbing in between. And that may interfere with cinching it down as far as you want.

 

[Justin Crossley]

Packed half a boned out spike elk 4.5 miles on Sunday with the Exo. Very comfortable throughout the whole trip. It seems like the more I use this pack, the more I like it. I just ordered the orange lid for my upcoming whitetail hunt here in WA. Hopefully, I can find a decent buck to hang a tag on.

 

[Fins_N_Tines]

Is the k3 sticking to your back better then the k2? That really was my only complaint about the k2 was it slipped down under heavy load.

 

[Justin Crossley]

Is the k3 sticking to your back better then the k2? That really was my only complaint about the k2 was it slipped down under heavy load.

The waist belt holds right where it should for me.

 

[MuleDeerMike]

Packed half a boned out spike elk 4.5 miles on Sunday with the Exo. Very comfortable throughout the whole trip. It seems like the more I use this pack, the more I like it. I just ordered the orange lid for my upcoming whitetail hunt here in WA. Hopefully, I can find a decent buck to hang a tag on.

View attachment 131353

Nice work. That view looks familiar...

 

[Justin Crossley]

I just picked up the blaze orange lid for an upcoming rifle hunt. I really like this as an option.

 

[t lundy]

I have the new K3 with the 4800 bag and holy smokes! I have used it as a day pack for Deer and Elk season. My brother drew a special permit at Mt. St Helens so had plans of using to spike camp but didn't ever get to the back country as the big bulls were in the front of the unit.
Works great as a day pack. Cinches down nice. I have packed out 3 Elk and 1 Deer with it. Pack #1 Elk #1 was at Mt. St Helens and pack was only have a half mile and pack was great. Took 2 trips both trips had front shoulders on it and pack did great. Zero complaints. Pack #2 Deer was next and we packed it out cut in half and it was a little challenging to cinch the pack down enough with the barrel but I don't know of a pack that would be better except using a bull pack with p-cord, but then the pack wouldn't be as comfortable. I snapped one of the accessory strap clips. The little plastic clips that your strap can slide in to. Pack was super comfortable and on steep ground pack was great. No readjustments. Put it on my back and went.
Pack #3 Elk was about a mile to the truck and was pretty easy with 5 guys we didn't have to pack much so with a front shoulder and some loose meat the pack did great.
Pack #4 Elk was a doozy. Elk was in a shit hole About 3 miles from the truck. Boned out with 3 guys so pack was the heaviest probably out of all 4. Kind of a toss up with the deer that we cut in half without skinning. No complaints again with the pack on this longest pack out. Very comfortable.
I read something above about a attachment buckle so you can easily switch between female and male ends. That would be amazing. Only one of my packs I had the lid on so the other 3 I had that issue of not being able to use all the buckles and straps.
Big Thank you to Exo for this amazing pack. My shoulders and back have never felt better after a pack.

 

[Justin Crossley]

I have the new K3 with the 4800 bag and holy smokes! I have used it as a day pack for Deer and Elk season. My brother drew a special permit at Mt. St Helens so had plans of using to spike camp but didn't ever get to the back country as the big bulls were in the front of the unit.
Works great as a day pack. Cinches down nice. I have packed out 3 Elk and 1 Deer with it. Pack #1 Elk #1 was at Mt. St Helens and pack was only have a half mile and pack was great. Took 2 trips both trips had front shoulders on it and pack did great. Zero complaints. Pack #2 Deer was next and we packed it out cut in half and it was a little challenging to cinch the pack down enough with the barrel but I don't know of a pack that would be better except using a bull pack with p-cord, but then the pack wouldn't be as comfortable. I snapped one of the accessory strap clips. The little plastic clips that your strap can slide in to. Pack was super comfortable and on steep ground pack was great. No readjustments. Put it on my back and went.
Pack #3 Elk was about a mile to the truck and was pretty easy with 5 guys we didn't have to pack much so with a front shoulder and some loose meat the pack did great.
Pack #4 Elk was a doozy. Elk was in a shit hole About 3 miles from the truck. Boned out with 3 guys so pack was the heaviest probably out of all 4. Kind of a toss up with the deer that we cut in half without skinning. No complaints again with the pack on this longest pack out. Very comfortable.
I read something above about a attachment buckle so you can easily switch between female and male ends. That would be amazing. Only one of my packs I had the lid on so the other 3 I had that issue of not being able to use all the buckles and straps.
Big Thank you to Exo for this amazing pack. My shoulders and back have never felt better after a pack.

Glad you had a good experience! Going from a Bull pack to an Exo is like going from Pinto to a Cadillac.

 

[wasatchcomm]

Justin

give me your thoughts on the shoulder straps of the EXO vs kifaru vs SG?

just curious, i know you have worn all three


also, i have the K3 4800 pack, this year i have packed in 8 miles with 10 days of food, it was packed full but i could have added more, i did not have the lid with me. this was a archery elk hunt but i packed for cold weather as snow was in forecast so i would not have had to add much more to my pack for november
i was carrying a lite outdoors 18" stove and a LBO shelter ( base+vestibule)
all my food and gear i was about 45 lbs,, minimal packed water, where we hunt water is everywhere , so i carry about 20 oz at a time between locations.
i had enough foo for 10 days

i was wearing the pack for 17 days straight, 2 bull elk pack outs had a few 14 mile days, averaging 1k-2k climbing daily around 6-9 miles per day

great pack.

I've had the k2 as well

the k3 belt and lumbar pad stay put better once cinched down compared to the k2 under weight
(my only complaint on the k2 and it was no big deal to me really,,I've owned kifaru and they did the same thing)

to me the EXO shoulder straps are FAR SUPERIOR to any other straps,,may just be for my body type but its not even close. they are very comfortable.

i packed my whole elk out solo this year, made three trips in one day, (one trip night before) i was tired when i was done but my body was not hurting at all,, best pack I've owned, carries weight better than anything I've tried


k2 is just as good as k3 in my opinion, only with a little slip of the belt at times, under very heavy weight, (60lbs+ for me) but it is really a non issue,under 60 the k2 never slips,,, every other pack I've owned i had to re adjust during a pack out, with the k2 it was less than the others,, with the k3 its even less than the 2.

very simple to use, well thought out pack.
the bag detaches so simply and holds the load very well, its a great system.

this is all my experience no way am i bashing any other systems, just works the best for me...

 

[Justin Crossley]

@wasatchcomm I feel the shoulder straps are for sure as good or better than any others I've used.

I think overall the K3 excels in the weight ranges from 20-80 lbs. The Kifaru frame may be a bit more comfortable for me with loads above that. I plan to do a side by side test with them soon.

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[eoperator]

Loosening the out side 2" velcro strap on the outside of belt allowing it to better curve around my hip bones made a big difference in weight carrying abilities for me

 

[sivart]

Those who have used the Kifaru and the K3 frames, which do you prefer and why?

 

[Rommy]

Has anyone compared the comfort when packing heavy weight with the shorter frame vs switching to the longer frame? Is it worth the time and hassle of switching to the longer frame?


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[wasatchcomm]

Has anyone compared the comfort when packing heavy weight with the shorter frame vs switching to the longer frame? Is it worth the time and hassle of switching to the longer frame?


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yes i did utilize this on several pack outs this year,i also left it short on one trip,, IMO it was a noticeable difference in lift,, the comfort didn't change much still very comfortable and no hot spots for me, but i think it did make difference in packing heavy weight,, super impressive pack!

 

[Justin Crossley]

Those who have used the Kifaru and the K3 frames, which do you prefer and why?

That's really hard to say. Both are extremely comfortable for me while hiking with my gear and loaded with meat. The Kifaru may have a slight advantage in comfort if the loads are over 80-100 lbs. and the Exo may be slightly better for lighter loads like under 40 lbs.

Has anyone compared the comfort when packing heavy weight with the shorter frame vs switching to the longer frame? Is it worth the time and hassle of switching to the longer frame?

I've been running mine extended all season. The extension is a cool feature but I personally have no reason to use it in the short configuration.

 

[wasatchcomm]

Those who have used the Kifaru and the K3 frames, which do you prefer and why?

my personal experience with the 2 frames,,, the EXO shoulder straps (k2 or K3) fit me better than the Kifaru shoulder straps, no discomfort from the EXO,, the Kifaru seemed to start really digging into me with more weight, making discomfort, as far as the waist belts both are very comfortable. i feel neither has a real advantage for myself. but the shoulder straps are another thing. i personally like the EXO and how it fits with all weight ranges on myself. best thing to do is try them both with weight and shoot your bow and take a walk... it was pretty noticeable for myself, so it made it easy.

 

[Mhayes553]

Great write up. Looking forward to getting some miles and heavy loads in mine


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[Thumpt 168]

Thanks for the review. Can’t wait to try one of these out.

 

[38Gcaddy]

Hey guys, I just received a K3 Spyder frame and 4800 bag, along with some accessories to test out. I'm currently in the process of loading up for a backcountry bear hunt so this pack will be going directly into the field without any pre-testing. Post up whatever questions you have and I'll get them answered when I get back at the end of next week.

Until then you can enjoy this intro video from Steve

 

[Osborn99]

Great info