Exo Mountain Gear K4 Pack Review ***Updated 3/28/23***

[mikejw194]

Thanks, great info

 

[roosiebull]

Alright everyone, so I know its been asked a million times, but what are your opinions now Kifaru vs. the K4 im selling my stone glacier today and choosing one of the two of these. I have owned a Kifaru duplex lite with 44 mag before, but had the wrong size frame so it did not fit well and sold it. I havent had the chance to try the correct fitting frame so I'm very torn on what pack to go with as they are both very pricey and the Kifaru is fairly more pricey than the K4. Im selling my stone glacier because my belt seemed to rub the hell out of my hips, i'm hoping to get away from that as packing an elk out with torn up and bruised hips really sucks.

My primary pack before the k4 was a kifaru, which is an awesome pack, and it served me very well, but there is nothing that the kifaru does better for me than the k4, and there are several things that the k4 does better.

The k4 for me is in a category by itself, I have hauled several critters with it and hunted in it a lot, and I like it more all the time.

There is nothing I would change on it, same for the bags, I have the 3600 and 2200, and both are well laid out.

I had the gnargali and Stryker xl with my kifaru and like my comparable bags better on the exo. Exo is quite a bit lighter too, which isn’t that important to me if it carries a heavy load well, but it’s a nice bonus

 

[Mtaylor]

My primary pack before the k4 was a kifaru, which is an awesome pack, and it served me very well, but there is nothing that the kifaru does better for me than the k4, and there are several things that the k4 does better.

The k4 for me is in a category by itself, I have hauled several critters with it and hunted in it a lot, and I like it more all the time.

There is nothing I would change on it, same for the bags, I have the 3600 and 2200, and both are well laid out.

I had the gnargali and Stryker xl with my kifaru and like my comparable bags better on the exo. Exo is quite a bit lighter too, which isn’t that important to me if it carries a heavy load well, but it’s a nice bonus

Thanks! I have been looking at Kifaru and EXO for my next pack I wasn’t sure which one would be better. I want to try them both on with weight, but everything I hear about the K4 has been solid.

 

[prm]

Minor suggestion for @ExoMtnGear. Getting to the side pockets can be a bit of a pain while lightly loaded. The zipper pull has to be all the way up to close pocket and it gets buried under the lid and straps. If the zipper on the left long side pocket had a dual zipper I could have them down near the top of the side water bottle pocket getting them out from under the lid and between the cross straps. This would make getting items out of the side pocket much easier. When I stop to refill water I want to get out filtration, or gloves, hat, outer layer, etc. I’m still experimenting with what should be in lid vs. side pockets, but for those items in the side they could be easier to access. Minor thing I know, but it’s something that has repeatedly caught my attention.

edit: I have a 3600.

 

[twall13]

Minor suggestion for @ExoMtnGear. Getting to the side pockets can be a bit of a pain while lightly loaded. The zipper pull has to be all the way up to close pocket and it gets buried under the lid and straps. If the zipper on the left long side pocket had a dual zipper I could have them down near the top of the side water bottle pocket getting them out from under the lid and between the cross straps. This would make getting items out of the side pocket much easier. When I stop to refill water I want to get out filtration, or gloves, hat, outer layer, etc. I’m still experimenting with what should be in lid vs. side pockets, but for those items in the side they could be easier to access. Minor thing I know, but it’s something that has repeatedly caught my attention.

edit: I have a 3600.

I also have a 3600 and agree with you. The added versatility would be worth the minor weight penalty for me.

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[Justin Crossley]

Minor suggestion for @ExoMtnGear. Getting to the side pockets can be a bit of a pain while lightly loaded. The zipper pull has to be all the way up to close pocket and it gets buried under the lid and straps. If the zipper on the left long side pocket had a dual zipper I could have them down near the top of the side water bottle pocket getting them out from under the lid and between the cross straps. This would make getting items out of the side pocket much easier. When I stop to refill water I want to get out filtration, or gloves, hat, outer layer, etc. I’m still experimenting with what should be in lid vs. side pockets, but for those items in the side they could be easier to access. Minor thing I know, but it’s something that has repeatedly caught my attention.

edit: I have a 3600.

I agree; a double zipper would be way better on those pockets.

Better yet, just make them open on top as they should be! Way better for the spotter and tripod!

 

[Rifleman86]

I’m debating between the 7200 and the 5000.

Without having used it, I seem to imagine I’d like the horseshoe zipper. I don’t care for the straight zipper on my fulcrum. In theory, I shouldn’t need to use the space of the 7200 based off my typical hunt plan.

That said I somehow currently fill a 7200 CI pack already for a 3-4 day late Oct rifle hunt. That might just be because I can though, so who knows.

I typically don’t go past 4 days (by them I’ve either killed something or it’s time to try somewhere new.)

Leaning 5000, but I’ve gotten some trustworthy feedback that I should look at the 7200.

I figure worst case with the 5000 I can use the load shelf to hike in a large shelter for a spike hunt? Sometimes I’ll hunt from a SO 8 man tipi if there are 3-4 of us. That shelter can take up a good amount of space. Hiking it in was the only time my current kifaru fulcrum felt really stuffed.

 

[LongWayAround]

I have a 4800 K3, and with my gear, it fills quickly.

Exo has a video of Steve stuffing ten days of food/gear (minus water and maybe something else) into a 3600. I don't have super minimalist stuff but there's no way that I'm getting a week+ into my bag.

 

[croben]

I’m debating between the 7200 and the 5000.

Without having used it, I seem to imagine I’d like the horseshoe zipper. I don’t care for the straight zipper on my fulcrum. In theory, I shouldn’t need to use the space of the 7200 based off my typical hunt plan.

That said I somehow currently fill a 7200 CI pack already for a 3-4 day late Oct rifle hunt. That might just be because I can though, so who knows.

I typically don’t go past 4 days (by them I’ve either killed something or it’s time to try somewhere new.)

Leaning 5000, but I’ve gotten some trustworthy feedback that I should look at the 7200.

I figure worst case with the 5000 I can use the load shelf to hike in a large shelter for a spike hunt? Sometimes I’ll hunt from a SO 8 man tipi if there are 3-4 of us. That shelter can take up a good amount of space. Hiking it in was the only time my current kifaru fulcrum felt really stuffed.

Not sure if you still have your Fulcrum or not, but I would start with the 5000. With the lid it’s really 5648 cubic inches. I love the horseshoe zipper and being able to open the bag up if need be. I used to struggle getting my winter gear in my K3 4800 and now my 5000. The best tip I got was to keep my sleeping bag/quilt and tent out of stuff sacks and just stuff the pack with them. They fill up the extra room in the pack instead of taking up more room in a dedicated stuff sack. I do still have my Kifaru Hoodlum, which is well over 7000 cubic inches with the lid and pouches on it, should I ever need a bigger bag.

 

[Rifleman86]

Not sure if you still have your Fulcrum or not, but I would start with the 5000. With the lid it’s really 5648 cubic inches. I love the horseshoe zipper and being able to open the bag up if need be. I used to struggle getting my winter gear in my K3 4800 and now my 5000. The best tip I got was to keep my sleeping bag/quilt and tent out of stuff sacks and just stuff the pack with them. They fill up the extra room in the pack instead of taking up more room in a dedicated stuff sack. I do still have my Kifaru Hoodlum, which is well over 7000 cubic inches with the lid and pouches on it, should I ever need a bigger bag.

Yeah I watched the video from EXO where they packed for the 10 day sheep hunt with the 3200 pack. I noticed that they did that… It seems like a workable way to get more out of a pack.

The downside for me is I typically pack a titanium stove, so sharp titanium stove corners + an open sleeping bag or tent in a bag seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

Either way I think I’m gonna give the 5000 a shot. The horseshoe zipper kinda won me over. Plus on paper it “should” be the ideal size for what I do. Regardless I’ll do some mock packing after I get it and worst case I’ll exchange it for a 7200.

 

[Hunter4019]

Def agree with starting with the 5000 I got a SG 4800 and it can get me about 4 days, i can maybe push more using load rack

 

[prm]

I get 5 days in a 3600 using the shelf. That takes a dialed system but is easy enough. A 5k would not require any sort of dialed system.

 

[Nw2]

I have a 4800 K3, and with my gear, it fills quickly.

Exo has a video of Steve stuffing ten days of food/gear (minus water and maybe something else) into a 3600. I don't have super minimalist stuff but there's no way that I'm getting a week+ into my bag.

I had the same experience with my 4800, I upgraded to the 7200 and am glad I did. I can fit everything for a 7-10 day hunt with room to spare. It’s nice to not have to cram everything and actually have a little room

 

[fatlander]

The 7200 gets so small, you’d never know you could do two weeks out of it. With Alaska on my books in a few years, I’m really glad I went with the bigger bag.


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[Rifleman86]

Well my K4 5000 came today. I did some mock packing to mess around with it.

Pros

Organization was excellent, I was constantly losing my mind digging around my fulcrum wondering what I put where. With the K4, I can see where stuff I use a lot will be easy to access and remember where I put it. Steripen, gore Tex, puffy, spotter, gloves, etc.

Fit seemed good. Hard to tell with just walking around the house, but it was very comfortable. More so than the kifaru frame I had to admit. But it’s still brand new, so time will tell there.

Cons

Size/main bag shape - Maybe I should’ve gone with the 7200, but due to the relatively narrow “bottom” of the main bag I really couldn’t fit my WM Kodiak in its dry stuff sack in a good place where it didn’t take up damn near the whole main bag. On the fulcrum it would just slide right into the bottom of the main compartment like it was purpose made for it, and still have plenty of room for food, tent, stove, etc.

My “worst case” scenario I could imagine would be a late season solo hunt with a Cimmeron, U-turn stove, and four days of food/gear. I packed it up, and though it could do it, it was really tight. The pack was truly maxed out as far as volume. Probably due to the cold weather gear, but I couldn’t imagine getting more than 5-7 days out of this pack.

The downside to pushing a pack with regards to size is once you open it up, figuring out exactly how you had stuff organized to fit. I could see how that would get very annoying in short order.

I’m gonna mess with it some more. If after refining some gear and packing techniques I’m still having issues with volume I might exchange it for the 7200, or just buy a second larger bag. That’s the good news about probably hunting an inexpensive cow tag this year, more money for gear.

That or I just might be spoiled by using a huge pack like the fulcrum for so long.

 

[fishslap]

Well my K4 5000 came today. I did some mock packing to mess around with it.

Pros

Organization was excellent, I was constantly losing my mind digging around my fulcrum wondering what I put where. With the K4, I can see where stuff I use a lot will be easy to access and remember where I put it. Steripen, gore Tex, puffy, spotter, gloves, etc.

Fit seemed good. Hard to tell with just walking around the house, but it was very comfortable. More so than the kifaru frame I had to admit. But it’s still brand new, so time will tell there.

Cons

Size/main bag shape - Maybe I should’ve gone with the 7200, but due to the relatively narrow “bottom” of the main bag I really couldn’t fit my WM Kodiak in its dry stuff sack in a good place where it didn’t take up damn near the whole main bag. On the fulcrum it would just slide right into the bottom of the main compartment like it was purpose made for it, and still have plenty of room for food, tent, stove, etc.

My “worst case” scenario I could imagine would be a late season solo hunt with a Cimmeron, U-turn stove, and four days of food/gear. I packed it up, and though it could do it, it was really tight. The pack was truly maxed out as far as volume. Probably due to the cold weather gear, but I couldn’t imagine getting more than 5-7 days out of this pack.

The downside to pushing a pack with regards to size is once you open it up, figuring out exactly how you had stuff organized to fit. I could see how that would get very annoying in short order.

I’m gonna mess with it some more. If after refining some gear and packing techniques I’m still having issues with volume I might exchange it for the 7200, or just buy a second larger bag. That’s the good news about probably hunting an inexpensive cow tag this year, more money for gear.

That or I just might be spoiled by using a huge pack like the fulcrum for so long.

I have the same k4 but didn’t do a pack-in hunt this year. On my kifaru woodsman, I’d put the titanium stove between the top of the bag and the lid. I could also put some items between the grabbit panel and the bag. I envisioned doing something similar with the k4 5000 if needed on my late season hunt.

 

[Rifleman86]

I have the same k4 but didn’t do a pack-in hunt this year. On my kifaru woodsman, I’d put the titanium stove between the top of the bag and the lid. I could also put some items between the grabbit panel and the bag. I envisioned doing something similar with the k4 5000 if needed on my late season hunt.

Yeah I just messed with the technique of not using a stuff sack for my sleeping bag. I do worry doing so risks damaging the bag, getting caught on the stove, etc, but I’m not gonna lie it was a night and day difference with regards to room. Maybe the sleep system in the bottom of the bag, loosely packed with other spare clothes inside a contractor bag (which I normally use for a dry bag anyway) is the way to go.

ETA Yup, sleeping bag packed loosely is the way to go. Now I can comfortably do my late season 4 day pack with a stove, Cimmeron, etc and the pack is now tight but not bursting at the seams like it was. My standard 2-3 days splitting the stove or tent has room to spare now. I think the 5000 will work just fine now. Just gotta be a bit careful with the bag, but the ~5 oz weight savings from no WP stuff sack is nice.

 

[ELKhunter49]

Ok everyone, I went with the EXO 3600 love it so far it’s awesome. You will not regret getting one!

 

[plebe]

Alright everyone, so I know its been asked a million times, but what are your opinions now Kifaru vs. the K4 im selling my stone glacier today and choosing one of the two of these. I have owned a Kifaru duplex lite with 44 mag before, but had the wrong size frame so it did not fit well and sold it. I havent had the chance to try the correct fitting frame so I'm very torn on what pack to go with as they are both very pricey and the Kifaru is fairly more pricey than the K4. Im selling my stone glacier because my belt seemed to rub the hell out of my hips, i'm hoping to get away from that as packing an elk out with torn up and bruised hips really sucks.

The Kifaru DL doesn’t slip on me, ever. The K4 does. Another K4 user described it as settling. I think that is astute. I can see in photos where oftentimes K4 belts are oriented past horizontal, and that jives with how the belt feels to me.

But the lightweightness of the K4 is noticeable and it stays lightweight feeling under load in my limited trials. Whereas it feels like a Kifaru frame just tells weight it’s the boss.

Exo bags are very narrow, which makes sense for stability with their frame. But such narrow bags are not ideal either, for packing, imo. I‘d like a bit more girth, ideally.

It’s a conundrum.

Especially with the new Kifaru stuff launching.

It’ll come down to what works best for you. I think EXO offers a 30 day trial. I wouldn’t pass that up.

 

[plebe]

Ok everyone, I went with the EXO 3600 love it so far it’s awesome. You will not regret getting one!

Whoops, see you’ve already chosen. Enjoy the pack.