Exo Mountain Gear final pictures

Joined
Feb 29, 2012
Messages
3,555
Location
Washington
Looks like a great pack and I hope it works out. I will be interested to see how it holds up. Where are they being mfg'd?

I am always hesitant being a beta tester. Kuiu tried that and now they are on version 4.
 

JNDEER

WKR
Joined
May 2, 2012
Messages
1,591
Steve,
Have all the prototypes had a 25" frame?
Is the one torso adjuster the only thing keep the harness from going up and down? If so, did you have any problems with them slipping?
Is the entire bag made of waterproof material or just the part sorounding the main compartment? What waterproof material? How we'll does it breathe, if say someone wanted the 5500 and chose to carry meat inside the pack instead of between the pack an frame.

Josh
 
OP
S&S ARCHERY
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
708
Location
Boise, ID
Looks like a great pack and I hope it works out. I will be interested to see how it holds up. Where are they being mfg'd?

I am always hesitant being a beta tester. Kuiu tried that and now they are on version 4.

Can definitely understand that, the last thing we want to do is put a pack out there that will have issues. The packs are 100% made right here in Idaho. We have been prototyping and testing for over the last year and each time we've found and fixed issues, if we weren't 100% satisfied with the final version we would not be putting it out to market until it was ready.

We are doing everything we can to make sure they are as bombproof as possible from using heavy duty stitching, bar tacking and back stitching on all critical areas as well as using Kevlar thread for all the frame attachment points. All seams are sewn with 3 rows of stitching to ensure they hold up for years to come.

Steve
 
Joined
Feb 29, 2012
Messages
3,555
Location
Washington
Great. Sounds good Steve. I can't really justify a new pack given my current setup but it would be on the list if I was.
 
Joined
Jun 17, 2012
Messages
1,704
Location
O.C NY
Looks like a great pack and I hope it works out. I will be interested to see how it holds up. Where are they being mfg'd?

I am always hesitant being a beta tester. Kuiu tried that and now they are on version 4.

KUIU was def ahead of themselves. Think they were worried about other things before they had their issues worked out. I really like their cloths but would never own one of their packs. But that is just my opinion.
 
Last edited:
OP
S&S ARCHERY
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
708
Location
Boise, ID
Steve,
Have all the prototypes had a 25" frame?
Is the one torso adjuster the only thing keep the harness from going up and down? If so, did you have any problems with them slipping?
Is the entire bag made of waterproof material or just the part sorounding the main compartment? What waterproof material? How we'll does it breathe, if say someone wanted the 5500 and chose to carry meat inside the pack instead of between the pack an frame.

Josh

Josh,
No we bounced around on the frame, its gone from 26-24". We felt like 26" was too tall with our design for the average guy and I personally really liked our 3rd generation pack which we made 24". We decided to compromise and put it at 25". Should be a good frame height for 90% of the guys out there, if you're over 6'3 the load lifters probably won't have much angle under heavy loads.

Yeah the torso adjuster is what keeps the harness from slipping, we've had the same system since day 1 with zero issues so we feel really confident there.

The entire inside of the bag is X-pac VX-21 fabric, I don't think it breathes much if any so putting meat in the bag probably isn't the best decision. I can't imagine its much different than coated 500d though as far as actually getting air to the meat. Whether or not that's an issue seems to be a personal preference / choice. I can say that's a big reason why we designed the pack the way we did; keeping meat out of the bag, separated from your gear and ventilated so its cooling as fast as possible.

Thanks,
Steve
 

marc

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Aug 28, 2013
Messages
186
Location
Abington MA
Steve,

If we order a pack now will we be able to order the other size bag only down the road? If so what is the bag only price looking like?

Thanks
 

JDeanP

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Sep 10, 2013
Messages
252
Location
IN
Are the 5500 prototype photos going to be available soon? I'd like to take advantage if the pre-order discount, but I haven't seen any pictures or the layout of the larger bag. It's possible I've just missed them.
 
OP
S&S ARCHERY
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
708
Location
Boise, ID
Are the 5500 prototype photos going to be available soon? I'd like to take advantage if the pre-order discount, but I haven't seen any pictures or the layout of the larger bag. It's possible I've just missed them.

Unfortunately we won't have any pics before the promotion ends. The layout is almost identical to the 3500 just a scaled up version. The only thing that really changes is the lid instead of being sewn into the bag is floating and the collar is a few inches taller.

Thanks,
Steve
 

AK Shane

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 14, 2012
Messages
278
Location
Alaska
Steve,

I've watched all the videos and looked at all the pictures and am really liking your pack. I'm particularly interested in the 5500. I do however have two questions/concerns. The first is the stretchy pocket material which covers the entire back of the pack. The back of the pack sees much more abuse than one might think. Every time I take off my pack its laid on the back on top of rocks, sticks, brush. You slide it on the back in and out of the tent vestibule. You sit down and lean again a tree or pile of brush and it sees the same abrasive conditions. My first impression is that after one season this stretchy material will have more runs and frays than a fat woman's pair or pantyhose. So I guess my questions are; what is this material, were my stated concerns taken into account, and how has the material been tested.

My second question is in regards to the side sleeves. Are there common situations when the lid will not fully cover the top access hole of the sleeve? If not covered I see them as being a good collection point for pine needles and alder leaves. Is there going to be access issues in getting to items in the bottom of the sleeve, especially when increasing to the 5500 bag?
 
OP
S&S ARCHERY
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
708
Location
Boise, ID
Steve,

I've watched all the videos and looked at all the pictures and am really liking your pack. I'm particularly interested in the 5500. I do however have two questions/concerns. The first is the stretchy pocket material which covers the entire back of the pack. The back of the pack sees much more abuse than one might think. Every time I take off my pack its laid on the back on top of rocks, sticks, brush. You slide it on the back in and out of the tent vestibule. You sit down and lean again a tree or pile of brush and it sees the same abrasive conditions. My first impression is that after one season this stretchy material will have more runs and frays than a fat woman's pair or pantyhose. So I guess my questions are; what is this material, were my stated concerns taken into account, and how has the material been tested.

My second question is in regards to the side sleeves. Are there common situations when the lid will not fully cover the top access hole of the sleeve? If not covered I see them as being a good collection point for pine needles and alder leaves. Is there going to be access issues in getting to items in the bottom of the sleeve, especially when increasing to the 5500 bag?

Thanks for the message. The stretchy material we use is really heavy duty, we've been testing it for over a year with zero tears / failures. The company that developed it did it in conjunction with a military company to build a lightweight pant for military use. A few companies like arc'teryx use this exact same stuff as well.

On the side pockets the lid covers it 99% of the time and we also have the small compression strap built into it that compress the pocket up and closes most of the opening. If you left it open I suppose pine needles could get in there but it really shouldn't be a major problem. It is just a top access so if something were to fall all the way to the bottom you're basically reaching your entire arm down in there to get it; a necessary evil I guess in order to have the pocket hold an 85mm scope or a rifle. We did look at adding a small access zipper there but that would just add weight and a potential failure point.

Steve
 

AK Shane

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 14, 2012
Messages
278
Location
Alaska
Steve,

Thanks for the reply. The pack is more temping all the time. I guess my last question would be, how confident are you in your mid July delivery date on the 5500? Sheep season opens Aug. 10 and I'd definitely want it in hand with enough time for a few test hikes to work the kinks out and get a feel for it.
 
OP
S&S ARCHERY
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
708
Location
Boise, ID
Steve,

Thanks for the reply. The pack is more temping all the time. I guess my last question would be, how confident are you in your mid July delivery date on the 5500? Sheep season opens Aug. 10 and I'd definitely want it in hand with enough time for a few test hikes to work the kinks out and get a feel for it.

We are very confident about the shipping dates, we are trying our best to be conservative with them and ship on or before the dates we put out there.

Thanks,
Steve
 

Rizzy

WKR
Joined
Apr 27, 2012
Messages
1,431
Location
Eagle, Idaho
Will the lid be available by itself as an accessory?

Unfortunately we won't have any pics before the promotion ends. The layout is almost identical to the 3500 just a scaled up version. The only thing that really changes is the lid instead of being sewn into the bag is floating and the collar is a few inches taller.

Thanks,
Steve
 
Top