Exo Mountain K4?

[Mark at EXO]

Well crap, I didn’t notice the email was from the day before. I missed out.

I'll send you a DM.

 

[goodgrouper]

Let’s just say the EXO team are some of the best in the business! Thanks Mark.

 

[roosiebull]

Let’s just say the EXO team are some of the best in the business! Thanks Mark.

We could have told you that

 

[BasinBuck]

Got mine in today. Upgraded from an Eberlestock X2. Initial impressions:
* Holy hell this this is light and packs down small. The box it comes in is tiny- I was shocked that there was a backpack in there!
* Really glad I got the 5000. I think I could have been disappointed if I had gone smaller. I haven’t really tried packing stuff in it yet, but without expanding the top section that rolls it doesn’t look huge at first but looks to be very expandable. That’s perfect imo because I’m using this pack for day trips mostly, but often need to pack bulky items like my Sitka fanatic jacket which I don’t wear walking in.
* I love the horseshoe zipper design- looks really easy to pack and find stuff in it. With my X2 I can only access the main pouch via the top which is a pain.
* The lid has lots of actual storage space unlike my x2. I can pack food for the day and all my gear that needs to be easily accessible there. Very functional. I kind of wish it were easier to remove, perhaps via buckles. I’d consider only bringing that up with me while hunting out of a tree if so, at least in early season.
* It is extremely comfortable and seems to handle load MUCH better than the x2. The load lifters are very functional, something I didn’t have with the x2 which got uncomfortable with any weight I felt, especially on my shoulders. That’s the main reason I upgraded so very happy there. The adjustability is insane and once I got it tightened down I felt like was one with the pack. It’s awesome. I actually threw my back out this morning and when I put the k4 on, my pain went away as it was supporting me so well. I can’t say enough on this topic, it’s amazing.
* The material feels light yet tough. My X2 feels a little more bomb proof but also feel it’s heavy for its capacity. The k4 feels like a great balance between durability and weight. I do wish the k4 had an option for a quieter material. It isn’t loud but it isn’t silent like the X2 in camo at least. Not a huge deal.
* I didn’t try accessing the meat carrying section yet. For day to day stuff it does look like it’ll take some practice attaching and reattaching.

Overall I’m extremely pleased and can’t wait to try it out this weekend.

 

[roosiebull]

Got mine in today. Upgraded from an Eberlestock X2. Initial impressions:
* Holy hell this this is light and packs down small. The box it comes in is tiny- I was shocked that there was a backpack in there!
* Really glad I got the 5000. I think I could have been disappointed if I had gone smaller. I haven’t really tried packing stuff in it yet, but without expanding the top section that rolls it doesn’t look huge at first but looks to be very expandable. That’s perfect imo because I’m using this pack for day trips mostly, but often need to pack bulky items like my Sitka fanatic jacket which I don’t wear walking in.
* I love the horseshoe zipper design- looks really easy to pack and find stuff in it. With my X2 I can only access the main pouch via the top which is a pain.
* The lid has lots of actual storage space unlike my x2. I can pack food for the day and all my gear that needs to be easily accessible there. Very functional. I kind of wish it were easier to remove, perhaps via buckles. I’d consider only bringing that up with me while hunting out of a tree if so, at least in early season.
* It is extremely comfortable and seems to handle load MUCH better than the x2. The load lifters are very functional, something I didn’t have with the x2 which got uncomfortable with any weight I felt, especially on my shoulders. That’s the main reason I upgraded so very happy there. The adjustability is insane and once I got it tightened down I felt like was one with the pack. It’s awesome. I actually threw my back out this morning and when I put the k4 on, my pain went away as it was supporting me so well. I can’t say enough on this topic, it’s amazing.
* The material feels light yet tough. My X2 feels a little more bomb proof but also feel it’s heavy for its capacity. The k4 feels like a great balance between durability and weight. I do wish the k4 had an option for a quieter material. It isn’t loud but it isn’t silent like the X2 in camo at least. Not a huge deal.
* I didn’t try accessing the meat carrying section yet. For day to day stuff it does look like it’ll take some practice attaching and reattaching.

Overall I’m extremely pleased and can’t wait to try it out this weekend.

Practice taking the lid off and putting it on a little bit, it’s as quick and easy as it can be, I can take it off in about 5 seconds, and it doesn’t take much longer to put it back on.

With any pack system like the k4, there are a lot of moving parts, but as you get familiar with the k4, you will start to appreciate how simple it is… from completely breaking the pack down, to loading meat, to switching bags… everything on the k4 is simple and intuitive

All of my exo packs have shared that trait, but I think the k4 is even more refined simplicity. My last primary pack I would have to watch a YouTube video to refresh my memory to make a simple adjustment or switch bags.

With some familiarity of the k4, you will gain appreciation for how simple everything is.

I recommend breaking the whole pack down a couple times and accessing the meat shelf just to familiarize yourself with it. The orange stitching on the load shelf compression is another good example… every little detail is thought out to make the pack easy to use for us knuckle draggers

 

[BasinBuck]

Practice taking the lid off and putting it on a little bit, it’s as quick and easy as it can be, I can take it off in about 5 seconds, and it doesn’t take much longer to put it back on.

With any pack system like the k4, there are a lot of moving parts, but as you get familiar with the k4, you will start to appreciate how simple it is… from completely breaking the pack down, to loading meat, to switching bags… everything on the k4 is simple and intuitive

All of my exo packs have shared that trait, but I think the k4 is even more refined simplicity. My last primary pack I would have to watch a YouTube video to refresh my memory to make a simple adjustment or switch bags.

With some familiarity of the k4, you will gain appreciation for how simple everything is.

I recommend breaking the whole pack down a couple times and accessing the meat shelf just to familiarize yourself with it. The orange stitching on the load shelf compression is another good example… every little detail is thought out to make the pack easy to use for us knuckle draggers

To be fair I havent event tried taking it off yet. I will definitely practice and sure it’ll be quicker/easier than I imagined.

 

[roosiebull]

To be fair I havent event tried taking it off yet. I will definitely practice and sure it’ll be quicker/easier than I imagined.

You will be pleased how easy the lid comes off, the 2 straps in the back are just as easy as the buckles in the front, and if it was buckles all around, it would be just another floppy lid, the straps make the lid stay tight and not flop around… I hate floppy lids

If I’m hunting thicker brush and don’t want the added profile of the lid, I just throw it in the main bag, and when hunting with the 2200 bag, I usually throw the lid in there because I have certain things I like to keep in the lid, and keep it together and organized, and it doesn’t weigh enough for me to care packing it

If I transfer everything from the bigger bag and not throw the lid in, I will forget something

 

[mikejw194]

Thanks for the great info

 

[DeuceIsWild]

New to Exo (coming from sawtooth 45) I just purchased a K4 frame but have not yet decided on which bag to run. Since 95% of my hunting is day trips I was leaning 2200. If I do a 1 or 2 night trip I am thinking a dry bag would suffice. However that really limits ability to pack out meat (whitetail/mule deer) and gear. If I bump up in size would you recommend 3600 or jump al the way to 5000 (again considering the vast majority of usage would be day trips.

 

[prm]

I can‘t imagine the 3600 ever being too small for day hunts, or for a few days. It cinches down very well.

 

[Mountain_Life]

I would recommend the 3600. 2200 is pretty tight even for day hunting if you are hunting in cold weather with optics.

I have the 3600 as well as a 2300 day pack by KUIU. I find that the 2300 fills up fast when packing puffys, optics, tripod, snacks, glassing pad, etc. It's doable but if I only had one pack it would definitely be 3600.

 

[Mountain_Life]

I believe @ExoMtnGear recommends the 3600 over larger packs if your main goal is day hunting up to several days away.

 

[rileybassman]

FYI all - looks like the lightweight Nalgene bottles are up

 

[Mark at EXO]

FYI all - looks like the lightweight Nalgene bottles are up

And a sweet new hoody ;-)

 

[DeuceIsWild]

I would recommend the 3600. 2200 is pretty tight even for day hunting if you are hunting in cold weather with optics.

I have the 3600 as well as a 2300 day pack by KUIU. I find that the 2300 fills up fast when packing puffys, optics, tripod, snacks, glassing pad, etc. It's doable but if I only had one pack it would definitely be 3600.

Thank you for the feedback. Looks like 3600 may be the ticket for me.

 

[BRTreedogs]

I think the 3600 should zip all the way open like a seek outside pack.

I think its hard to use as is.

Especially if I just want to dump a quarter in the bag and get hoofing.

I'm gonna switch my 3600 bag out for a 5k because I think its just hard to use.

 

[Mark at EXO]

I think its hard to use as is.

Especially if I just want to dump a quarter in the bag and get hoofing.

I'm not saying this to be snarky, or to say that you can't/shouldn't haul a quarter in the bag...

But this is a perfect example of wanting something that isn't based on the design intent of the product. While you certainly can put quarters in the bag, that isn't high on our list when considering things like zip access and bag layout/design. We just have different priorities in this example.

 

[BRTreedogs]

I'm not saying this to be snarky, or to say that you can't/shouldn't haul a quarter in the bag...

But this is a perfect example of wanting something that isn't based on the design intent of the product. While you certainly can put quarters in the bag, that isn't high on our list when considering things like zip access and bag layout/design. We just have different priorities in this example.

When snow went into your side zip pants melted and soaked you're socks.
Its getting dark
And your socks are starting to freeze solid inside your boots.
Its time to go.

I love exo.

But a main bag that zips all the way open is easier to use in every way.
Easier to see inside.
Load,unload, everything. It is not even comparable imo.

I hated seeks bull shiz gate keep 3/4" can't convert it crap. And I won't buy from mr wokey woke any more.

But zipping all the way open is just better.

 

[BRTreedogs]

I'm not saying this to be snarky, or to say that you can't/shouldn't haul a quarter in the bag...

But this is a perfect example of wanting something that isn't based on the design intent of the product. While you certainly can put quarters in the bag, that isn't high on our list when considering things like zip access and bag layout/design. We just have different priorities in this example.

And honestly, what is the design intent of not zipping open? A tad more durability when top loading?

Id give that up in an instant.

 

[fisherman983]

And honestly, what is the design intent of not zipping open? A tad more durability when top loading?

Id give that up in an instant.

If I had to guess, I'd guess the intent is to use the meat shelf for quarters and the bag for gear/stuff

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