exo mountain pack

[BroodBuster]

I'm no mountaineer either but I have used my Exo-3500 for scrambling up and down coulees covered in loose shale rock. I have found this pack to be extremely stable. Never once has it gotten in the way or threw off my balance. Even those few times I've caused mini rokslides and lost my footing. Regarding stability I think it is the best pack I've ever worn. My much bigger T1 will occasionally want to pull me one way or the other when fully loaded. Even with an elk quarter on my back and the pack loaded the Exo was very stable.

I also think the design lends itself very well to carrying rope, crampons and/or a shovel. I wouldn't be surprised at all to climbers jump on the bandwagon. I showed mine to a climber here at work and he may be buying one shortly. He wanted to borrow mine but I couldn't give it up for a weekend!

 

[ssliger]

You like the layout as much as a more common "general" backpack? It looks great, by the way.

And it looks way more durable than the general REI fare.

If this is Dr. Haeberle in Laramie. I have a 2014 model 3500 that you could take a look at in person.

 

[John Haeberle]

Thanks for all the rep-country replies ... I'm looking for a pack for my son, who does a lot of back-country photography. He likes Osprey's because he has the Argon already, and it's a great pack, but he's looking at something smaller, and the smaller Osprey's get lousy marks for their frames. Their smaller frames aren't what their larger frames are (which are good).

 

[mtnwrunner]

Thanks for all the rep-country replies ... I'm looking for a pack for my son, who does a lot of back-country photography. He likes Osprey's because he has the Argon already, and it's a great pack, but he's looking at something smaller, and the smaller Osprey's get lousy marks for their frames. Their smaller frames aren't what their larger frames are (which are good).

I think that he would really like it for that purpose. You have great side pockets for tripods and such and the main bag has a side zip access so that gear/camera would be readily accessible.

Randy

 

[DmrbigEshotT]

I picked up a 50lb sand bag today at Home Depot and will get rolling on weighed trail hikes soon. I've had anywhere from 10-70lbs in the pack this far in the whitetail woods and the pack has been great.

FWIW, have an LC9s I carry and it fits perfectly tucked in between the hip pouch and belt. I'm not too comfortable with it not being fully secure, but it stays tight enough for not-too-hardcore hikes.

 

[mddat]

I haven't read through everything and maybe it was mentioned but how many CI is the lid on the exo bags?

 

[S&S ARCHERY]

I haven't read through everything and maybe it was mentioned but how many CI is the lid on the exo bags?

The lid is included in the very conservative 3500 or 5500 bag rating but just the lid itself is about 500.

Steve

 

[jr87mustang]

Steve, you have any drool worthy pics of how the 2000ci pack is coming along?

 

[DmrbigEshotT]

I've read that people have had no problem grabbing their water bottles out of the side stretch pockets with the straps laced through them, but when I have the pack on and train with sandbags, there is no way I can reach it. I stretch fairly often so I don't think it's a lack of flexibility, but rather I can't reach back that far contort my arm to grab a bottle out of it due to its location.

I'd rather not go for a water bladder just yet, but would like to see some sort of bottle holder accessory made available that doesn't interfere with arm movement while hiking.

 

[twall13]

I've read that people have had no problem grabbing their water bottles out of the side stretch pockets with the straps laced through them, but when I have the pack on and train with sandbags, there is no way I can reach it. I stretch fairly often so I don't think it's a lack of flexibility, but rather I can't reach back that far contort my arm to grab a bottle out of it due to its location.

I'd rather not go for a water bladder just yet, but would like to see some sort of bottle holder accessory made available that doesn't interfere with arm movement while hiking.

I agree, I never could get my nalgene out while hiking so I purchased a separate holder to attach to the belt. It works great.

https://store.itstactical.com/its-skeletonized-bottle-holders.html

 

[DmrbigEshotT]

I agree, I never could get my nalgene out while hiking so I purchased a separate holder to attach to the belt. It works great.

https://store.itstactical.com/its-skeletonized-bottle-holders.html

What did you end up going with and does it stay out of the way of your arm swing while hiking?

 

[twall13]

What did you end up going with and does it stay out of the way of your arm swing while hiking?

I went with the multicam one in the link from my previous post. That would have been better if I had a multicam pack rather than foliage but it works well and does stay out of the way. It's nice because it's lightweight and can be adjusted to fit different sized bottles. I have room on my medium belt for both a hipbelt pouch and this on one side. Here is a picture of it on my pack for reference.

20151216_175752

 

[DmrbigEshotT]

Gotcha. The link didn't show up on my phone. Thanks for the picture.

 

[S&S ARCHERY]

Steve, you have any drool worthy pics of how the 2000ci pack is coming along?

Nothing we are ready to share just yet, too many ideas that we are still testing and playing with.

Steve

 

[S&S ARCHERY]

I've read that people have had no problem grabbing their water bottles out of the side stretch pockets with the straps laced through them, but when I have the pack on and train with sandbags, there is no way I can reach it. I stretch fairly often so I don't think it's a lack of flexibility, but rather I can't reach back that far contort my arm to grab a bottle out of it due to its location.

I'd rather not go for a water bladder just yet, but would like to see some sort of bottle holder accessory made available that doesn't interfere with arm movement while hiking.

It can definitely depend on how you have the pack loaded, do you have the sandbag in the load shelf? if so that would definitely put those pockets too far back to reach.

Steve

 

[DmrbigEshotT]

I don't use a load shelf with my pack. I positioned the sand relatively high on the frame and it's not overly thick either.

 

[twall13]

I don't use a load shelf with my pack. I positioned the sand relatively high on the frame and it's not overly thick either.

Even without anything between the pack and the frame when I have the pack loaded up with gear it's too tight for me to easily get my 32 oz. Nalgene in and out. Perhaps I could make it work with a smaller bottle but reaching back that far when things are snug doesn't work well for me. So I use those pockets for other items, like my cook kit.

 

[BroodBuster]

Will the Boise store be open over the Holiday's? I'll be driving thru town the 29th or 30th and was wondering if the shops open to check out some accessories.
Thanks!

 

[S&S ARCHERY]

Will the Boise store be open over the Holiday's? I'll be driving thru town the 29th or 30th and was wondering if the shops open to check out some accessories.
Thanks!

Yeah I am in and out of the office today and tomorrow. Just give us a call when you are in town.

Steve

 

[Steakngravy]

This is the only negative I have about the pack is I can't reach the water battle pouch when the pack is loaded I have used it for the last two hunting seasons on month long trips it works well and handles weight well it's light to carry , but have started carrying a bladder which is new to me overall though it's a good pack