Exo Mountain K4?

[Movadius]

I've had my frame for a bit now and finally ordered a 5000 this week. I'm itching to get it on there.
So far I've mounted a Kifaru Woodsman, a drybag and even a Mystery Ranch 2 day assault pack to it just to see how easy it would be. They all worked fine (some better than others, the Mystery Ranch was a bit sloppy)

 

[Jac]

Will the new day bag be in limit supply or will there be lots available?

 

[S&S ARCHERY]

Will the new day bag be in limit supply or will there be lots available?

We should be good to go although I can't say that with 100% confidence. We are going to build as much inventory as we can before we put them on the website, just like we did with the main K4 launch. I don't foresee any issues as of right now unless demand for this bag is a lot higher than I am anticipating.

In general we aim to appear very boring from the outside looking in when it comes to items being in stock. We really strive to keep everything available and ready to ship within 24 hours of an order being placed. We have found through the years we are exponentially more efficient operating this way vs the constant cycle of items going in and out of stock.

 

[Justin Crossley]

I'm looking forward to the orange lid, the day pack, and the new rifle carrier.

 

[Movadius]

Got my K4 5000 the other day. It's probably a bit more bag than I'll need but it compresses down as small as my previous 3400ci bag does and has way better organization. Can't wait to get out and use it.

 

[Spiro]

Just ordered my k4 5000! So stoked!

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[prm]

Not quite a final version, I am still debating a few of the pocket layouts but this is where it's at right now.

Capacity is right around 2200 ci.

Basically I took an 1800 extended the main horseshoe zipper up higher to allow room for a built in lid / pocket. I made the pocket padded and it will fit 18x56's perfectly.

Right now I have large internally pleated spotting scope pockets on both sides. I am debating just putting it on one side to shave some weight off of it. View attachment 550728View attachment 550729View attachment 550730View attachment 550731

What do you guys think?

Hopefully I haven’t missed this elsewhere, but does the top of the pack cinch down snug when not full? I’m thinking of a day hunt scenario where the pack is not filled.

 

[thegoosano]

**for anyone deciding between kifaru and exo**

For about 6wks I’ve been switching btwn my kifaru duplex lite w hoodlum and the exo k4 7200 on training hikes with 60lbs carried in the main bag (not using load shelves). Probably has come out to 20 miles with the exo on my back.

It was a toss up for the first few weeks being honest. The kifaru has molded to my body over time and just felt like a more natural fit. The thickness of the shoulder straps on the Exo behind my back made me feel like I was “turtling” a bit because it pushed the load further from my center of gravity. I do feel like the kifaru frame is a bit taller, or at least gives me a bit better load lifter angle although in practicality I don’t feel a difference in the 60lb weight range.


But after those first couple weeks I felt the exo starting to catch up in terms of comfort very similar to what Steve had mentioned in podcasts about the initial break on period. The shoulder straps on the exo curve perfectly over my shoulders where the kifaru flares up in the outside no matter what I do creating pressure points on my traps. The exo is so simple and clean in terms of design it’s just a pleasant pack to use and wear. This goes a long way for me. I don’t feel the turtling any more and the should straps may have started to compress a tad and mold to my body.

Most importantly, I’ve been paying close attention to slip and the K4 on my back definitely is more solid than the kifaru at this point. I say at this point because it’ll he he interesting to see how the foam and grip of the lumbar holds up over time. The fit and comfort of the hip belt and lumber are perfect for me.

After 6wks the kifaru is now on the classifieds and the K4 has earned its spot as my pack for this season. Looking forward to testing it out on a few high country CO/NM mule deer/elk hunts and summer scouting, a late season rifle coues AZ hunt and an archery Barbary hunt here in NM in January.

 

[roosiebull]

**for anyone deciding between kifaru and exo**

For about 6wks I’ve been switching btwn my kifaru duplex lite w hoodlum and the exo k4 7200 on training hikes with 60lbs carried in the main bag (not using load shelves). Probably has come out to 20 miles with the exo on my back.

It was a toss up for the first few weeks being honest. The kifaru has molded to my body over time and just felt like a more natural fit. The thickness of the shoulder straps on the Exo behind my back made me feel like I was “turtling” a bit because it pushed the load further from my center of gravity. I do feel like the kifaru frame is a bit taller, or at least gives me a bit better load lifter angle although in practicality I don’t feel a difference in the 60lb weight range.


But after those first couple weeks I felt the exo starting to catch up in terms of comfort very similar to what Steve had mentioned in podcasts about the initial break on period. The shoulder straps on the exo curve perfectly over my shoulders where the kifaru flares up in the outside no matter what I do creating pressure points on my traps. The exo is so simple and clean in terms of design it’s just a pleasant pack to use and wear. This goes a long way for me. I don’t feel the turtling any more and the should straps may have started to compress a tad and mold to my body.

Most importantly, I’ve been paying close attention to slip and the K4 on my back definitely is more solid than the kifaru at this point. I say at this point because it’ll he he interesting to see how the foam and grip of the lumbar holds up over time. The fit and comfort of the hip belt and lumber are perfect for me.

After 6wks the kifaru is now on the classifieds and the K4 has earned its spot as my pack for this season. Looking forward to testing it out on a few high country CO/NM mule deer/elk hunts and summer scouting, a late season rifle coues AZ hunt and an archery Barbary hunt here in NM in January.

There were always a couple things I didn’t love about my kifaru (hunting mode comfort was never close to my k2 with k3 belt, it would trap debris between my back and the lumbar pad and give me a bad raw rash… especially when it was salmonberry debris) but I did love the stability of a brutally heavy load with the kifaru.

The k4 imo opinion is at least as stable but much more comfortable with a heavy load, and is more comfortable by far to me in every other scenario

Everything on the k4 is simple and intuitive, and extremely well thought out… every little detail. And the bags are excellent as well, it’s not even a comparison to me.

I like the head clearance on the frame too, I was a little worried about a 25” frame here on the coast, but it’s completely fine in the brush, better than the k2 in that regard… I can scrunch up my head to the frame between the stays and it doesn’t get hung up at all, which was my biggest concern with the whole system, and I like the load lifter angle on the 25”. Was thinking of buying a 23.5” frame just for archery roosies, but it just isn’t an issue at all, I have been doing plenty of plowing through salmonberry and the 25” frame is not snaggy at all… the top of the frame reminded me of the kuiu a little in shape and that pack was the most snaggy frame I ever used, but obviously completely different in use.

The duplex lite was a great frame for me, I used mine a bunch and hauled a lot of heavy loads with it but for me, it does nothing better than the k4 and the k4 does a lot better than the duplex lite. I have been in my k4 a lot of days now and just keep gaining appreciation for how nice it is. It’s the perfect pack system for me.

I have a kifaru gun bearer rigged on my left side, and am looking forward to their version, but even a 9.5# rifle can’t be felt at all, which is another bonus, that Nalgene holder row of molle is very clever

 

[Kronos]

Anyone get a hip belt with 2 female buckles?

 

[Justin Crossley]

Anyone get a hip belt with 2 female buckles? View attachment 554445

Must have been a Friday afternoon bag! LOL

 

[Marbles]

Anyone get a hip belt with 2 female buckles? View attachment 554445

Wonder who got the double male belt.

 

[Spiro]

Anyone get a hip belt with 2 female buckles? View attachment 554445

Personally I wouldn’t have gone public with this and would have sent an email. The team is attentive and would make it right immediately.

I run a small biz and things that this even with a joking emoji / best intentions hurts a brand.


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[Kronos]

Personally I wouldn’t have gone public with this and would have sent an email. The team is attentive and would make it right immediately.

I run a small biz and things that this even with a joking emoji / best intentions hurts a brand.


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I also have a small business. I know that shit happens and I’m pretty sure 99% of the customers know that it will be taken care of. Getting a hip belt with 2 female buckles is the least of my concerns.

 

[Spiro]

Next time “shit happens” in your small biz I hope the customer dosent post about it online then chalks it up the reasoning as “I own a small biz too so it’s cool for me to do it”

Anyways moving on. I got the ranger green too, looks great


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[Justin Crossley]

Personally I wouldn’t have gone public with this and would have sent an email. The team is attentive and would make it right immediately.

I run a small biz and things that this even with a joking emoji / best intentions hurts a brand.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Next time “shit happens” in your small biz I hope the customer dosent post about it online then chalks it up the reasoning as “I own a small biz too so it’s cool for me to do it”

Anyways moving on. I got the ranger green too, looks great


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Guys, his post isn't going to hurt Exo. He's just sharing a laugh with everyone. I bet Steve and the team are laughing at themselves as well. It happens, and it's not a big deal.

 

[Dioni A]

This thread has 100 pages of people gushing about EXO mountain gear 1.5 pages of people who don't understand scale thinking that a lid is too tall and one marginally negative post. I think they'll weather this storm.

 

[Kronos]

Alright. To calm everyone down I picked up the bag yesterday evening. This morning by 10:00 a.m. I had a male buckle and everything was fixed. How’s that for customer service?!

I immediately threw a 60 pound sandbag in and it felt comfortable. I love how streamlined it is compared to my Kifaru ZXR. I used the ZXR in Iraq and repurposed it for hunting and hiking; so I have a lot of experience with it. It handles loads extremely well.

I typically do a lot of hiking in the summer and average about 10,000 ft of elevation gain per week. I’ll give more feedback after I get some miles of elevation gain on it.

 

[S&S ARCHERY]

View attachment 554480

Alright. To calm everyone down I picked up the bag yesterday evening. This morning by 10:00 a.m. I had a male buckle and everything was fixed. How’s that for customer service?!

I immediately threw a 60 pound sandbag in and it felt comfortable. I love how streamlined it is compared to my Kifaru ZXR. I used the ZXR in Iraq and repurposed it for hunting and hiking; so I have a lot of experience with it. It handles loads extremely well.

I typically do a lot of hiking in the summer and average about 10,000 ft of elevation gain per week. I’ll give more feedback after I get some miles of elevation gain on it.

Did you get the pack from Barney's in Anchorage?

 

[Kronos]

Did you get the pack from Barney's in Anchorage?

Yes, I sure did! Thanks for working with them! It's so nice walking into a store where someone can help get it fitted right and they can show you the details of the pack... although you did a great job with the online videos. When a small issue like a buckle arises it can be dealt with immediately instead of waiting days for shipping. The shopping experience there is 10/10. I would recomend it to everyone!