Has anyone ran both Kifaru and Stone Glacier Systems?

[WCS]

I had a kifaru fulcrum with a 26 inch duplex tactical frame, and currently have a SG sky talus 6900. The build quality of the kifaru was unreal, the nalgene holster was nice, but unfortunately it just didn't fit me. I found the belt to be floppy and not real supportive. The lumbar pad really worked over my piriformis muscle, even after switching to a smaller lumbar pad I couldn't get it to work. When I tried loading it up with a 60 lb sack of cement it hurt me. As much as I wanted the kifaru to be "the pack" for me, it just didn't work. The SG with the x-curve frame felt like it was made for my back (I have a lot of curve to my back), the belt didn't move and was very supportive. I've carried moose quarters on my SG and it's handled them very well, almost as good as my Barney's. Like others have said, their water bottle holder needs some work. Ideally I would say try both and see what works for you.

 

[Fins_N_Tines]

yes...
hard on packs but no holes or abrasions on my Kifaru frame/Reckoning (4 years) /22mag/2nd Gen (1-year)..

2 wear holes on bottom of SG, top shoulder strap wear/abrasion...in one year.

Yeah I love my SG, but wonder about the quality of material. I set my pack down and a rock put a cut in my shoulder strap. When I feel side by side the 500D cordura between the Kifaru and Stone Glacier I can feel a difference. Stone Glacier says its Made in USA, but I'm wondering if some of the materials are from over seas.

 

[Trial153]

Kifaru are bomb proff, cant go far wrong with them especially packing out moose or elk. They take a beating. You pay for it in dollars and weight.

 

[Fins_N_Tines]

Yeah I love my SG, but wonder about the quality of material. I set my pack down and a rock put a cut in my shoulder strap. When I feel side by side the 500D cordura between the Kifaru and Stone Glacier I can feel a difference. Stone Glacier says its Made in USA, but I'm wondering if some of the materials are from over seas.

Update: I emailed SG about if webbing was made in USA. They confimred that webbing, zippers, buckles etc.. are 100% sourced in the United States.

Man this was so awesome to read.

 

[TheGDog]

Thank you!
This whole run,ran and running thing is just stupid.
Stop trying to emulate everyone, and be yourself.
You don’t run a pack. You wear or use one.
Stop being a sheep.

SG is lighter and more streamlined.
Kifaru is beefy, and heavier.
You’ll never break a SG pack under even extreme conditions.
My Kifaru slid down, no matter what I did.
SG Evo Krux is awesome.

THANK YOU!!! For posting this comment here! RE: Slid down

Question to others. Has anybody ever transferred their Kifaru bag onto another manufacturers frame? I have some issues with squeeksand noises while walking with my EMR II. Seems to be exacerbates when it's very full, like when you're first coming in with the tent and all that in the pack.

My theory is with the amount of flex and give in the carbon fiber frame plate... and the way their system on top and bottom has that sorta sleeve thing which goes over to the top and bottom of their frame plate.. I'm pretty certain when I'm hearing that noise... it's the ends of the frame sheet... rubbing inside of the sleeve part. I'd call in about it, and I can't believe this was the answer given... but was told to put Hockey grip tape on around those frame ends! I did try it, and it did help, but it only remained in place for like two day hunt outings. And to be honest... when you drop that kinda bank on a serious backpack... when they come back and tell you to bubblegum it by putting some freakin' hockey tape on it. I just don't know man.

So I'm wondering if my best solution wouldn't be to find some other manufacturers frame system and attach the bag over to it. So that's why was curious to ask who else may have done this already.

RE: slid down comment - yeah, I have some gut now (wear 40" waist) so I got the large belt that starts at 39". And I feel like towards the end of an overnighter or multi-day, with the water weight loss, that I don't have quite enough tightening left, so I have situation where lumbar pad ends up getting down too far, even though I've lowered the shoulders as far as they will go, and I happen to have a long torso. I'm more torso than I am leg. This was causing my pants belt to get push into me by the hip-belt. Greatly exacerbating old trauma injury to my tailbone/saccrum/coccyx area. And I was very hobbled by the time I'd get back to the truck. By the time I'd driven home... I was mamed/hobbled for like 3-5 days of recup each time.

BTW, I've since switched over to wearing First-Lite suspenders instead of belt. And if you're like me with tailbone injury, this has helped TREMENDOUSLY! But I still to some degree have the issue of belt wanting to ride-down and having to re-tighten it during hike-out at intervals because with sweat it seems like it ends up not keeping closed at where I'd initially closed it to.

I blast my bag thoroughly inside and out with hose every time I come back home. So dirt shouldn't be the issue with noise.

So in review.
Wanna possibly swap to another frame to eliminate squeeks/noise. This would also possibly take care of belt slip issue on long outings... maybe.

 

[wind gypsy]

Had a Kifaru Gen 2 hunting duplex. Tried different stays and belt sizes but couldn't get the weight to stay on my hips that well. Preferred my Exo K2 and Seek outside revo frames at that time. Now primarily use a Stone Glacier X curve which is the best I've used to date at keeping weight on my hips when packing heavy.

I prefer the SG bag options to Kifaru. I'm sure Kifaru bags are more durable but SG are plenty durable for the 3-4 weeks a year I spend in the mountains. I'm a meat shelf user and SG has a better setup for using one although you can configure a kifaru to use them too.

 

[Block]

So in review.
Wanna possibly swap to another frame to eliminate squeeks/noise. This would also possibly take care of belt slip issue on long outings... maybe.

My duplex lite has consistently gotten LOUDER over the past year,,, I love my Kifaru but Iv never tried anything else... I needed a bigger bag for longer hunts so I just ordered an XCurve and Sky Talus 6900 Stone setup,, I have an extra 22mag that I plan on trying to fit to the Xcurve if I end up liking that frame better. Will keep ya posted if it ends up working out

 

[KChunter71]

I have a sky 5900 and tested @mcseal2 kifaru tactical frame and nomad bag. Both worked great for me. At some point I’m going to send my pack with @mcseal2 and see how he likes it compared to his Exo and Kifaru. They both have a return time. If you can order both and return the one that don’t fit your back or hip profile.

 

[NoWiser]

I had a Kifaru Bikini frame with the Timberline 2 pack. It was great. I sold it and got the Stone Glacier X-Curve frame with the 5900 pack. It is also great.

Overall I like the Stone Glacier better for 95% of the time I'm wearing a pack. It's lighter, more streamline, the organization is absolutely perfect for my uses, the meat shelf is very functional, and it's more comfortable with lighter weights. Since I got it, I have no desire to even try anything else.

The Kifaru had a better waist belt. I could easily make micro-adjustments on the fly. With the Stone Glacier, if I need to loosen the belt slightly, I can't. I need to let it all the way loose and then re-tighten it. It's definitely annoying, but I can live with it. I would say the SG is also less comfortable with >60 pounds in it, This makes up a small percentage of the time I wear a pack, so it's not hard to put up with.

Both are great, I just like the Stone Glacier more.

 

[Life_Feeds_On_Life]

I had a kifaru fulcrum with a 26 inch duplex tactical frame, and currently have a SG sky talus 6900. The build quality of the kifaru was unreal, the nalgene holster was nice, but unfortunately it just didn't fit me. I found the belt to be floppy and not real supportive. The lumbar pad really worked over my piriformis muscle, even after switching to a smaller lumbar pad I couldn't get it to work. When I tried loading it up with a 60 lb sack of cement it hurt me. As much as I wanted the kifaru to be "the pack" for me, it just didn't work. The SG with the x-curve frame felt like it was made for my back (I have a lot of curve to my back), the belt didn't move and was very supportive. I've carried moose quarters on my SG and it's handled them very well, almost as good as my Barney's. Like others have said, their water bottle holder needs some work. Ideally I would say try both and see what works for you.

Curious if you ever tried kifaru's curved stays and how they might compare to the x curve?

My duplex lite has consistently gotten LOUDER over the past year,,, I love my Kifaru but Iv never tried anything else... I needed a bigger bag for longer hunts so I just ordered an XCurve and Sky Talus 6900 Stone setup,, I have an extra 22mag that I plan on trying to fit to the Xcurve if I end up liking that frame better. Will keep ya posted if it ends up working out

Have you tried washing it? That's my go to when things start getting squeaky.

 

[Eagle]

I've used both, and actually flip flopped twice trying to find the perfect pack. Kifaru's belts, and the initial iteration of the SG belt would rub hot spots on the front side of my hips (very pointy hip bones, so I'm just not an easy fit to begin with). The current SG belt is the only one that I haven't consistently had this same problem with, for whatever reason. Load wise, as previously stated, after you hit about 90 pounds, it all sucks, but for me, both the Kifaru and SG carry comparably. I packed my wy mule deer out with camp in one load, roughly 140lbs, for 5 miles, thankfully 98% down hill, and while I was sore, as you would be with any pack, I could have gone back in the next day and started hunting again.

Best thing you can do is try to get your hands on both packs, and put 60-80lbs in each and see what you think. If possible, walk up and down a steep hill, and side hill as much as you can and see how the packs move with you. If you can do that with each pack for a few hours off and on throughout a week, you should have a good idea of which one will work best for you.

 

[WCS]

Curious if you ever tried kifaru's curved stays and how they might compare to the x curve?

I did try the curved (wood and composite) stays with my Kifaru and they did not work for me. Although I suspect having the belt not stay in place would also have influenced that.

 

[Block]

Curious if you ever tried kifaru's curved stays and how they might compare to the x curve?


Have you tried washing it? That's my go to when things start getting squeaky.

I JUST did for the first time after this weeks hunt,, have not used it since the tub wash but I will soon. That’s good to hear. Hopefully mines not so loud.

 

[HDwild]

THANK YOU!!! For posting this comment here! RE: Slid down

Question to others. Has anybody ever transferred their Kifaru bag onto another manufacturers frame? I have some issues with squeeksand noises while walking with my EMR II. Seems to be exacerbates when it's very full, like when you're first coming in with the tent and all that in the pack.

My theory is with the amount of flex and give in the carbon fiber frame plate... and the way their system on top and bottom has that sorta sleeve thing which goes over to the top and bottom of their frame plate.. I'm pretty certain when I'm hearing that noise... it's the ends of the frame sheet... rubbing inside of the sleeve part. I'd call in about it, and I can't believe this was the answer given... but was told to put Hockey grip tape on around those frame ends! I did try it, and it did help, but it only remained in place for like two day hunt outings. And to be honest... when you drop that kinda bank on a serious backpack... when they come back and tell you to bubblegum it by putting some freakin' hockey tape on it. I just don't know man.

So I'm wondering if my best solution wouldn't be to find some other manufacturers frame system and attach the bag over to it. So that's why was curious to ask who else may have done this already.

RE: slid down comment - yeah, I have some gut now (wear 40" waist) so I got the large belt that starts at 39". And I feel like towards the end of an overnighter or multi-day, with the water weight loss, that I don't have quite enough tightening left, so I have situation where lumbar pad ends up getting down too far, even though I've lowered the shoulders as far as they will go, and I happen to have a long torso. I'm more torso than I am leg. This was causing my pants belt to get push into me by the hip-belt. Greatly exacerbating old trauma injury to my tailbone/saccrum/coccyx area. And I was very hobbled by the time I'd get back to the truck. By the time I'd driven home... I was mamed/hobbled for like 3-5 days of recup each time.

BTW, I've since switched over to wearing First-Lite suspenders instead of belt. And if you're like me with tailbone injury, this has helped TREMENDOUSLY! But I still to some degree have the issue of belt wanting to ride-down and having to re-tighten it during hike-out at intervals because with sweat it seems like it ends up not keeping closed at where I'd initially closed it to.

I blast my bag thoroughly inside and out with hose every time I come back home. So dirt shouldn't be the issue with noise.

So in review.
Wanna possibly swap to another frame to eliminate squeeks/noise. This would also possibly take care of belt slip issue on long outings... maybe.

I wrecked my tailbone on my first jump at Airborne and can attest to suspenders being the best thing since buttered toast. My love handles get pinched when I wear a belt but when I throw the suspenders on the Sitka Mountain pants I forget they're even there!

 

[TheGDog]

I wrecked my tailbone on my first jump at Airborne and can attest to suspenders being the best thing since buttered toast. My love handles get pinched when I wear a belt but when I throw the suspenders on the Sitka Mountain pants I forget they're even there!

Ugh.. BTW... it's official... the MRI's have spoken... Spinal Stenosis.
Bulging everywhere. The only one without bulging was L3-L4.
And the bottom most Lumbar before the Saccrum also has Retrolisthesis 4-5mm.
The report also notes "Loss of Lumbar Lordosis".
Which is the name for the normal curvature of that area.

I'm kinda surprised I've been able to go this long as well as I have until recently. This was all because of going over the handlebars in like... '95 I think.

 

[MT257]

I just swapped out the x-curve stays for evo stays in my x-curve frame, 6' tall but short torso so the x-curve did not work well for me (top of stays too close to the back of my head). If you get Kifaru aluminum stays you can custom shape them, the SG stays are carbon fiber (I believe) and the shape cannot be changed. I have those aluminum stays in my duplex frame but I have not played with it much. The SG is definitely more minimalist and lighter, the straps on the Kifaru pull thru the buckles much easier and the belt is also much easier to adjust than the SG but I still use my SG and just deal with those minor issues......but the difference is very noticeable to me. I may wax some of the SG straps but not the belt strap.

Csr service with SG is absolutely top notch, they have treated me very well. Both are great pack frames although different. Big difference in compartmentalization in the bags with Kifaru having much more options. My amr bag is very light and weighs relatively the same as my SG bag but has more capacity.

How much did this shorten the height of frame for you? I as well seem to have the stays above my shoulders in the position if I look up at the right angle my head/neck hits the hand of the pack.

 

[bridgermgmt]

I have run both. I agree with what most others have said.


I had several things happen to the SG system that I eventually got tired of.
-Belt buckle broke 3 times (sg sent out replacement and I purchased backups)
-Left shoulder strap split at seam (had someone fix locally)
-pockets tore quickly and kept snagging on zipper inside pack when id open it (sg did not replace)
-lots of squeak developed (I think this was due to the frame barreling on me at heavy weights)
-velcro is STUPID LOUD and was tough as heck to clean or keep from breaking up.
-zippers jammed up fast when I was in dusty area's.

I had An xcurve, Solo, Evo (solo version), 5900, and two avail bags. My favorite was the 5900 by far. Did everything the other sg bags I had did, just better.

Both companies have stellar customer service. Both systems perform very well for their intended uses. I may have got a run of lemons, but I have yet to get anything from Kifaru that did not meet or exceed my uses.