PathFinder
WKR
This review has been a long time coming. After using a Kuiu Ultra 6000 for most of my fall hunting and shed hunting last year, I started shopping hard for my next pack system. Initially, I was only thinking about hunting when I was shopping for a pack. However as shed season approached, I began to remember just how much I use my pack to shed hunt. And when I say shed hunt, I don't mean casual hikes on Saturday morning hoping for a couple horns. My new system would have to be able to haul at least 10 elk horns plus camp gear, yet be able to adapt to a very minimal form as well. Additionally, it would have to be able to adapt again come hunting season for up to 7 day hunts, carry a weapon, and go back and forth quickly between a minimal day/scouting pack, main pack, and be able to haul awkward items such as tree stands and bear bait. I literally put dozens of hours into online research reading reviews, researching designs, and brainstorming custom modifications and alternate setups for each system. In the end, the Kifaru Mountain Rambler w/Duplex frame and Exo were the final contestants. The lower cost, lighter weight, immediate availability and twisting ability of the Exo's frame won me over. I ordered a 2014 Foliage 5500 and put it to work that weekend.
Initially, I used it with the main bag on day hikes. With very minimal day gear, the main bag combined with the load panel worked well. However, I felt that I could cut it down farther. After talking to Steve and Lenny at the Western Hunting Expo, they hooked me up with a slurpy stalker. I hooked it up to the outside of the load shelf, and I was in business! I hooked the load shelf to the lid, ran my bladder against the frame, and used the load shelf/meat straps and the load shelf to secure antlers. This system allowed me to haul a huge load of head gear, but still have access to all of my day gear while keeping pack weight and bulk to a minimum. This was my setup for several weekends in a row, carrying as many as 8 elk antlers in one load, 10 deer antlers in one load, and up to 50 lbs of horn. It is quick and easy to load, and loads stayed secure even when lowering the pack off ledges.
The greatest test for the Exo as a shed hauling machine came during a week long trip. The plan was to do two three day trips and one two day, but a broken CV joint and blown rear end on my Ranger cut the trip short. We got two three day trips in, and the Exo performed extremely well. The first trip in involved hauling three days worth of gear and a raft to the river, crossing the river, then hiking several miles up into the area we planned to shed hunt. I have fairly light gear (SO BT2, JRB 10* quilt, Exped Downmat Lite 5M) but we had to carry all of our water in with us. Loading it was easy, it compressed well, and the raft was easily handled by the load panel. On the other side of the river we ditched the raft, pump, and oars and headed up in. Soon after getting up into our intended new area, we had ten horns in the packs. The next day, we loaded up with eight more horns. At this point, we were planning to stay one more day and were out of water, so we packed our horns down to the spring and refilled our water supply. I used the Exo in "shed mode" with just the load shelf, lid, and load panel. The load was very stable and easy to hike with, even in the ledges and steep terrain. We didn't find anything on the third day, and headed down and out with all our gear around noon. Loading my loot of 10 elk antlers on the outside of the pack worked, but wasn't the best idea. Ideally, I would have loaded the horns next to the frame and strapped the main bag to the outside. Although the pack handled the weight well, the horns were able to rock back and forth a bit and were too far from my back. Loading the horns against the frame will be much better; I'm devising a system that will use a couple extra straps to do just that.
The next three day trip involved a 6 mile hike in to a very rough, steep area. I only ended up finding 6 smaller elk horns on this trip, and ended up strapping them to the outside of the pack again. This time, with the smaller load, it worked like a dream. It was very easy to strap them on, and the pack handled the load of gear and bone very well.
I've still got a lot of testing to do, and I'll keep adding to this thread. Overall, here are what I think the main weak and strong points are:
Strong Points:
1. Highly adaptable. Changes from one mode to the next very quickly and easily.
2. Compression. Lots of straps with multiple purposes, highly adaptable. I'm going to improve on it further though.
3. Comfort. I'm 5'6" 145. There's not a lot for the hip belt to grab on to, but it never slipped and was very comfortable. Total opposite of my Ultra.
4. Frame. Very light, adaptable, and comfortable. The 2015 frame with additional horizontal stays will be even better.
5. Bag. Tough so far, very versatile, super roomy, and plenty of organization.
6. Lid. Tons of versatility with it, easily fits up, out, and over awkward loads. Fits my Aquillo, Poseidon, and a few small items.
7. Load panel. Awesome for bulky loads, highly adaptable, and the slurpy stalker goes great on the outside of it.
Weak Points:
1. Zippers on the slurpy stalker and lid are weak. Already ruined the one on my lid. However the big zipper on the main bag is awesome.
2. Narrow frame can allow awkward loads to roll. I think the additional horizontal stays in the 2015 frame will solve this.
3. Durability of the cordura. I've already worn a hole in the top middle of the frame where a horn rubbed against it. Maybe I'm just hard on stuff.
4. Straps/length. They're plenty long for most anything but elk horns make for a big awkward load. This isn't so much a weak point, I just need really long straps. I'm going to swap the whole system out to sea to summit straps with aluminum G hooks. I just feel that plastic buckles are a bit archaic when something better is available. This goes for all pack companies. Plastic buckles are highly vulnerable to impact and degradation. They're also slower than g hooks. I'll post pics when I get this mod completed. In the end I'll add several more attachment points to the frame (for the load shelf on the sides and top) and replace all of the stock buckles with aluminum G hooks.
Overall, I love the Exo. Every idea and vision I've had for it has worked out very well. Steve and Lenny were awesome to work with and get ideas from, and I'm excited to see this pack continue to grow in popularity and adaptability. If anyone has any questions or wants additional pics, let me know and I'll get them up.
Initially, I used it with the main bag on day hikes. With very minimal day gear, the main bag combined with the load panel worked well. However, I felt that I could cut it down farther. After talking to Steve and Lenny at the Western Hunting Expo, they hooked me up with a slurpy stalker. I hooked it up to the outside of the load shelf, and I was in business! I hooked the load shelf to the lid, ran my bladder against the frame, and used the load shelf/meat straps and the load shelf to secure antlers. This system allowed me to haul a huge load of head gear, but still have access to all of my day gear while keeping pack weight and bulk to a minimum. This was my setup for several weekends in a row, carrying as many as 8 elk antlers in one load, 10 deer antlers in one load, and up to 50 lbs of horn. It is quick and easy to load, and loads stayed secure even when lowering the pack off ledges.
The greatest test for the Exo as a shed hauling machine came during a week long trip. The plan was to do two three day trips and one two day, but a broken CV joint and blown rear end on my Ranger cut the trip short. We got two three day trips in, and the Exo performed extremely well. The first trip in involved hauling three days worth of gear and a raft to the river, crossing the river, then hiking several miles up into the area we planned to shed hunt. I have fairly light gear (SO BT2, JRB 10* quilt, Exped Downmat Lite 5M) but we had to carry all of our water in with us. Loading it was easy, it compressed well, and the raft was easily handled by the load panel. On the other side of the river we ditched the raft, pump, and oars and headed up in. Soon after getting up into our intended new area, we had ten horns in the packs. The next day, we loaded up with eight more horns. At this point, we were planning to stay one more day and were out of water, so we packed our horns down to the spring and refilled our water supply. I used the Exo in "shed mode" with just the load shelf, lid, and load panel. The load was very stable and easy to hike with, even in the ledges and steep terrain. We didn't find anything on the third day, and headed down and out with all our gear around noon. Loading my loot of 10 elk antlers on the outside of the pack worked, but wasn't the best idea. Ideally, I would have loaded the horns next to the frame and strapped the main bag to the outside. Although the pack handled the weight well, the horns were able to rock back and forth a bit and were too far from my back. Loading the horns against the frame will be much better; I'm devising a system that will use a couple extra straps to do just that.
The next three day trip involved a 6 mile hike in to a very rough, steep area. I only ended up finding 6 smaller elk horns on this trip, and ended up strapping them to the outside of the pack again. This time, with the smaller load, it worked like a dream. It was very easy to strap them on, and the pack handled the load of gear and bone very well.
I've still got a lot of testing to do, and I'll keep adding to this thread. Overall, here are what I think the main weak and strong points are:
Strong Points:
1. Highly adaptable. Changes from one mode to the next very quickly and easily.
2. Compression. Lots of straps with multiple purposes, highly adaptable. I'm going to improve on it further though.
3. Comfort. I'm 5'6" 145. There's not a lot for the hip belt to grab on to, but it never slipped and was very comfortable. Total opposite of my Ultra.
4. Frame. Very light, adaptable, and comfortable. The 2015 frame with additional horizontal stays will be even better.
5. Bag. Tough so far, very versatile, super roomy, and plenty of organization.
6. Lid. Tons of versatility with it, easily fits up, out, and over awkward loads. Fits my Aquillo, Poseidon, and a few small items.
7. Load panel. Awesome for bulky loads, highly adaptable, and the slurpy stalker goes great on the outside of it.
Weak Points:
1. Zippers on the slurpy stalker and lid are weak. Already ruined the one on my lid. However the big zipper on the main bag is awesome.
2. Narrow frame can allow awkward loads to roll. I think the additional horizontal stays in the 2015 frame will solve this.
3. Durability of the cordura. I've already worn a hole in the top middle of the frame where a horn rubbed against it. Maybe I'm just hard on stuff.
4. Straps/length. They're plenty long for most anything but elk horns make for a big awkward load. This isn't so much a weak point, I just need really long straps. I'm going to swap the whole system out to sea to summit straps with aluminum G hooks. I just feel that plastic buckles are a bit archaic when something better is available. This goes for all pack companies. Plastic buckles are highly vulnerable to impact and degradation. They're also slower than g hooks. I'll post pics when I get this mod completed. In the end I'll add several more attachment points to the frame (for the load shelf on the sides and top) and replace all of the stock buckles with aluminum G hooks.
Overall, I love the Exo. Every idea and vision I've had for it has worked out very well. Steve and Lenny were awesome to work with and get ideas from, and I'm excited to see this pack continue to grow in popularity and adaptability. If anyone has any questions or wants additional pics, let me know and I'll get them up.
