exo mountain pack

[Kawabunga]

My favorite delivery driver in the whole world stopped by today. He has his own coffee cup at my house. Doing Daddy Daycare so my time & ability to leave the house is limited, but during nap time I loaded it up with about 30 pounds & hit the carpet pretty hard. It does feel good. The lumbar pad might take some getting used to for me, but the load lifters are definitely functional & the pack moves with you rather than against you. Workmanship seems on par with my Kifaru stuff, but time will tell. It has a lot of room and the pockets and organization are well thought out.

My only regret is that I didn't order a CB or Foliage rather than the ASAT. I like the pattern, but should have maybe gone with a solid color. I'll see how it plays out and if anyone is willing to swap or I might return and wait for the next batch. The ASAT does look good though.

"Hit the carpet pretty hard", lol i like that.

Mine in ASAT came in but im at work, wish my wife didnt say anything, long afternoon. Cant wait to play with it, hope to hunt with it this weekend.

Was wondering about my choice of camo also, have a Lateseason in foilage and always wished i got camo but that Coyote Brown looks sweet.

 

[Robpr]

For those that have used this pack how is the ventilation/breathability between the frame and your back? I am interested in this pack but breathability is huge for me. With some packs I feel like my back is on fire.

 

[parshal]

The wait for my foliage late this month is getting tough with all these posts!

 

[wagnon89]

I'll be ordering a 3500 Foliage tomorrow!

 

[Bmcox86]

Took mine on a 3 mile hike with my wife and baby to get mine adjusted right. After figuring out what I was doing wrong and getting the lifters adjusted right the 50lbs felt like nothing.

As for sweating, the only part of my back that was moist after 3 miles and about 2 hours in 84 degree heat was where the hip belt pad touched my back. The rest of my back was dry. Can't say I can say that for my flash 20 or super day which are supposed to actually vent.

Will give it a better test tomorrow when I can do a quick overnighter close to home.

 

[hammer0419]

Overall quality is EXCELLENT. Every bit On par with Kifaru which I have owned over a dozen. Breathability is VERY good. EVERY single strap had a velco loop to roll up excess strap length. Small but nice addition. Overall pack feels very light but extremely well constructed. I did load up 50lbs and took the dog for a 4 mile walk with pack on.

SUSPENSION: Took no more than a minute to adjust torso correctly. Very effective simple system. Padding is not as "dense" as Kifaru but I dont see it being any issue. Load lifters work great. Upper delta strap same as Kifaru. No lower but see no need for one. Frame provides superb vertical stiffness. However, it gives a little left to right flexability wise which I actually really like. Very comfortable as I feel it moves with me. I do not feel like I am strapped to a board. Lumbar pad is not as big as the Duplex but I think it is perfect size. It is made of a NO-SLIP material which works well. Just one note on belt. I am a size large with this Exo. The Exo large is about a Kifaru Medium. Maybe a HAIR bigger but definately smaller than Kifaru Large.

Only thing I would change which I talked about to Steve is the POWER PULLS. Ever since they came out there was always any issue of them not "staying tight and potential slipping". This pack is no different. What Kifaru did was simply add an extra loop to the power pull. It makes it ROCK solid. whereever you pull the belt is where it stays. ZERO chance of slipping. It is a $.50 addition that make a world of difference.

3500 Pack Bag: Absolutely superb quality. If you are a plain jane duffle bag on a frame person, this pack is not for you. If you want great features and organization, look no further. I absolutely LOVE the features of this pack. A shit load of thought went into this pack. From the side zipper access, lots of storage, reverse lid, excellent compression it seems to have it all. I know some made comments about the stretchable pockets not for them. I however like them. I will definitely be shoving rain gear or hat or anything else I will need quick access to in them. Side pockets will swallow up a lot of gear. Main bag has plenty of room plus it has a snow collar. Bag also has ladder webbing on front which will work for my Kifaru Pods if extra space is needed. Overall I am super happy with my purchase. Quality and features vs cost? This pack is in its own league.

-Jim

 

[jwb300]

Thanks for your opinions- very informative.

 

[arthurvino]

You planning to add an extra loop to powerpulls?

Overall quality is EXCELLENT. Every bit On par with Kifaru which I have owned over a dozen. Breathability is VERY good. EVERY single strap had a velco loop to roll up excess strap length. Small but nice addition. Overall pack feels very light but extremely well constructed. I did load up 50lbs and took the dog for a 4 mile walk with pack on.

SUSPENSION: Took no more than a minute to adjust torso correctly. Very effective simple system. Padding is not as "dense" as Kifaru but I dont see it being any issue. Load lifters work great. Upper delta strap same as Kifaru. No lower but see no need for one. Frame provides superb vertical stiffness. However, it gives a little left to right flexability wise which I actually really like. Very comfortable as I feel it moves with me. I do not feel like I am strapped to a board. Lumbar pad is not as big as the Duplex but I think it is perfect size. It is made of a NO-SLIP material which works well. Just one note on belt. I am a size large with this Exo. The Exo large is about a Kifaru Medium. Maybe a HAIR bigger but definately smaller than Kifaru Large.

Only thing I would change which I talked about to Steve is the POWER PULLS. Ever since they came out there was always any issue of them not "staying tight and potential slipping". This pack is no different. What Kifaru did was simply add an extra loop to the power pull. It makes it ROCK solid. whereever you pull the belt is where it stays. ZERO chance of slipping. It is a $.50 addition that make a world of difference.

3500 Pack Bag: Absolutely superb quality. If you are a plain jane duffle bag on a frame person, this pack is not for you. If you want great features and organization, look no further. I absolutely LOVE the features of this pack. A shit load of thought went into this pack. From the side zipper access, lots of storage, reverse lid, excellent compression it seems to have it all. I know some made comments about the stretchable pockets not for them. I however like them. I will definitely be shoving rain gear or hat or anything else I will need quick access to in them. Side pockets will swallow up a lot of gear. Main bag has plenty of room plus it has a snow collar. Bag also has ladder webbing on front which will work for my Kifaru Pods if extra space is needed. Overall I am super happy with my purchase. Quality and features vs cost? This pack is in its own league.

-Jim

 

[eltaco]

Jim,

I'd like to see a pic of what you're talking about on the power pulls. I can't say that I've had mine slip yet, but I haven't had a ton of hiking time yet.

As for the load lifter question, with my suspension height nearly maxed out and 100lbs of fertilizer, my load lifters still lift the shoulder straps off of my shoulders. I am very happy with the stay height for my height and load capacity.

Glad to see others are getting their packs. I've been excited about this pack for half a year, It's fun to see everyone else confirm my initial impression of this product!

 

[hammer0419]

I don't know if I can add it. The double plastic loops are sewn in when belt is being produced. Maybe is some SPLIT type of ring was found out could do it. I also not saying the power pulls are horrible. Just not fool proof without the double loop system.

 

[Kawabunga]

Cant add much to what has already been said. For me the lumbar pad is very different from my Late Season, smaller an firmer, definitely can feel it there, i think it will stay put better as i have a pretty flat butt. Kifaru belt feels more cushy to me if that makes sense, of course everything is wider on it, not a knock on the Exo though, just my initial impression. Lots of ventilation between lumbar and harness and like was mentioned torso adjusment is a snap. Also the pack cinches down smaller than i thought it would from the pics, like that the compression straps can be tighted down all the way together although you would never do that, ive just had packs that wouldnt cinch all the way flat, my Lateseason was a little like that. Cant wait to get it out, hopefully this weekend, hope everyone else has fun with theirs!

 

[_Nick_]

Jim,

I'd like to see a pic of what you're talking about on the power pulls. I can't say that I've had mine slip yet, but I haven't had a ton of hiking time yet.

As for the load lifter question, with my suspension height nearly maxed out and 100lbs of fertilizer, my load lifters still lift the shoulder straps off of my shoulders. I am very happy with the stay height for my height and load capacity.

Glad to see others are getting their packs. I've been excited about this pack for half a year, It's fun to see everyone else confirm my initial impression of this product!

How tall are you?

 

[eltaco]

6'-1"

 

[ElkNut1]

Hammer, interesting thoughts & findings! We had two of the 4000" Bikini frame packs & neither are as large as the Exo 3500. You cannot put an elk hindquarter in the Kifaru bag but you can in the Exo if so desired. Too, on the load lifter straps the Kifaru is very tough to get to for either pulling or release. I also found that the load lifter straps would not maintain their tightness at all, they constantly slipped & have to be pulled to tighten every few hundred yards to 1/4 mile depending on load carried. They were fine in day pack mode with under 20# in them. I am still awaiting for the Exo so cannot compare the two in that department but do like the features of it better, time will tell. (grin)

ElkNut1

 

[hammer0419]

6'1" is my height. Elknut, You saying the EXO load lifters do not stay in firmly in place? I only got mine yesterday and did only 4 miles with 50lbs but had no issues.

 

[tlowell02]

I will not spend the money. I will not spend the money. Dang, I just couldn't take it anymore! Ordered the 5500 in foliage last night and now I just can't wait for it to arrive! Going to be a long month...

 

[ElkNut1]

Hammer, no sir. I do not have my Exo in hand yet! I'm saying the load lifters on the 2 Kifaru packs we had would not stay in place & were difficult to access. I was surprised to hear you mention yours were rock solid, interesting! Thanks.

ElkNut1

 

[5MilesBack]

As for sweating, the only part of my back that was moist after 3 miles and about 2 hours in 84 degree heat was where the hip belt pad touched my back. The rest of my back was dry. Can't say I can say that for my flash 20 or super day which are supposed to actually vent.

I originally bought the Flash 20 because I thought it would vent very well and prevent the soaked back, but it was the worst pack I've ever worn for making and keeping my back wet with sweat.

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

I have had a similar difficulty with my duplex load lifters. Sometimes I feel as though I have to always re-tighten them. However, this last weekend I had 50 lbs in it when we packed into a lake and I found that when they slipped it was due to me having them too tight. I will continue to work with them but I am looking forward to this thread. I have enjoyed the exo since I started reading about it.

 

[hammer0419]

Hammer, no sir. I do not have my Exo in hand yet! I'm saying the load lifters on the 2 Kifaru packs we had would not stay in place & were difficult to access. I was surprised to hear you mention yours were rock solid, interesting! Thanks.

ElkNut1

I never had a problem with my load lifters moving. But YES they always seemed difficult to reach way back to access them. I too reach around on my Bikini frame to find them.

-Jim