Help me decide on a pack. SO, Exo, Kifaru experience needed

[HighUintas]

I've been hunting with an old Osprey Aether 60L, which is now starting to get pretty worn and I just can't pack enough in there for a 7+ day hunt. Not to mention, it kinda sucks washing blood out of the inside of the bag.

I've got my pack choices narrowed down to three brands: Exo, Seek Outside, and Kifaru. I need a pack that will be 100+ liters, or enough for a 10 day trip, maybe 14 days if I pack very minimally.

Here are my priorities, in order of importance:
1. Durability
2. Heavy load carrying (100lbs)
3. Lightweight
4. Simplistic yet highly functional
5. Ability to pack down well enough to use for a day hike... I feel like this one can actually be applied to pretty much any pack.
6. The best combination of #1-4, without any hype or koolaid drinking involved

Things I've been considering:
1. I am really drawn Exo and SO because I've heard good things about quality, customer service, you don't see many for sale, and they're both lightweight and simple.
2. The two things I'm not sure about are the durability, because I've always been a fan of light and fast and I've been bit in the rear too many times to count with expensive lightweight gear. Then again, just because something is heavier and has billions of straps and crap all over it doesn't mean it's the most durable and functional.
3. I'm not sure about SO's ability to carry heavy loads in comparison to Exo and Kifaru, just because you don't see as much talk about SO packs as you do the latter two. Also, SO's packs look like they're a bit kludgy and that makes me wonder about the function and quality, even though I know you can't judge these things based on aesthetics.
4. Are SO packs too simple? I do like the ease of organizing my gear with built in pockets, rather than having to organize my stuff with separate stuff sacks within the pack.
5. I want a pack that meets my criteria while supporting a good company that builds its reputation on its product, not marketing and social media hype BS. Because personally, I hate that s*!t and it pains me to see how hunting has fallen to the commercialism and social media driven industry that it is.

Thanks for any and all help!

 

[Jagger0502]

I have a Stone glacier and my wife has a Mystery Ranch. any reason these are not on your list? I would recommend both but prefer the Stone Glacier and think it’s one of the best packs out there as well as service, durability and comfort.

As for the three you are choosing the only one I have experienced is the SO which is also a good pack. Simple is good for me and the way I pack. The durability is there, especially at the price point. They do have great customer service. We looked at one for my wife but went with the Mystery Ranch only because it fit her better. After researching I think either choice would have been a good one.

 

[Lelder]

I cant speak to the SO or EXO but i have 2 bags for kifaru 24" frame. I have the Woodsmans bag which is 3400 cubic inches and i also have the EMR2 which is 6000 cubic inches. They can both have a guide lid added and gain 1200 cubic inches. I love how durable they are. when packing out an elk in 18' the frame made the quarters so manageable. the frames are so comfortable and top notch customer service. you call and actually speak to someone!!! very helpful

 

[Scrappy]

You can throw all your criteria out the window if the frame you pick doesn't fit your body. Started out with an exo k2 for one season and hated it. No matter what I did I couldn't get the belt to stay locked in place. Got the kifaru light frame and it is night and day difference for me. It's all about the fit first then you can decide what you want in a bag.

 

[HNTR918]

My hunting group has used: MR, EXO, & Kifaru. I'll be ditching my MR Metcalf this year for the Seek Outside Goshawk. Weighs 2lbs less, gained 500 cu-in, and more waterproof.

 

[HighUintas]

You can throw all your criteria out the window if the frame you pick doesn't fit your body. Started out with an exo k2 for one season and hated it. No matter what I did I couldn't get the belt to stay locked in place. Got the kifaru light frame and it is night and day difference for me. It's all about the fit first then you can decide what you want in a bag.

yes, fit is #1 of course. I just didn't put that in there. I just very likely won't be buying three packs at once to try side-by-side, so I want to try the one that meets these criteria first, and hopefully I'll be lucky and have it fit like a glove.

 

[Lawnboi]

I think you would like the fulcrum if you go the kifaru route. It will do what you want per your description. It’s likely also the heaviest. You don’t need all the doo dads either, id throw a large belt pouch on the fold over lid, a small on your belt and run it.

Iv got a seek outside pack, along with kifaru. Seek outside is a great company as is kifaru. My personal preference is kifaru when carrying hunting loads.

I suppose it has a lot with how it fits your body. Grab something and put on the blinders to the latest and greatest and just run it. Lots of guys coming up with excuses or justifying constant upgrades/changes. But when it comes down to it all these high end American made packs all function, atleast that’s my opinion on it.

 

[JNDEER]

1- my exo lid zipper broke and one belt pocket zipper broke. Both replaced by company. No zipper has broken on my Kifaru.
2- they both will and it will be heavy. I would give Kifaru edge on 100lb carrying weight.
3- think exo is lighter then Kifaru with a bag big enough for 10 days.
4- that depends on the bag you get from Kifaru, more options. I personally like the layout of the exo bags.

the hunt for me dictates which pack I use. Anytime still hunting is involved I pick exo, every time. Longer trips 6+ days where majority of my hunting is spot stalk I pick Kifaru.

 

[FlyingDutchman]

Stone Glacier and Kifaru have the reputation of the best heavy load comfort so I'd be looking there first. When you are packing for 10-14 days...eh what's an extra 8 oz.

 

[Block]

Ur #1 and #2 criteria have KIFARU written all over it buddy!

Although ur #3 lightweight isn’t really there. I haven’t really done a lot of searching what other packs weigh,,, but an empty Kifaru will do ya for 7+ ,,,

I will add that I originally bought an EXO b4 my Kifaru and it just seemed “smothering” ,,, like the material and the way the belt and back fit on me just wasn't breathable. Obviously ur guna sweat a lot no matter what... but if ur an early season archery guy,. Or a low country guy,, this could def be a factor as it was for me ...

 

[brsnow]

This is probably the worst forum to get pack advice. Call the 3 companies, speak to them directly. I am sure you will find one you are drawn to.

 

[Grady.J]

Kifaru lite frame with an exo 6400 bag. Mine with large hip belt and long shoulder straps comes in at 6lbs 1.8oz, without a lid. Not as light as some of the SO packs, but quite reasonable for the capacity I think. I prefer the lite frame to the K2 I was running before, but it wasn't life changing for me. Of course I'd love to try out a K3 frame, and an SO/SG/MR, but that's not going to happen any time soon. The Kifaru definitely feels stiffer on the back than my K2 did, but it's not something I would consider a negative.

I personally love the Exo bag layout with the full length side pockets and big side stretch pockets for spotter/tripod/tent, front stretch pocket for layers, etc. Not too complex and heavy but enough to keep things easily accessible. The roll top makes it easy to run without a lid to save weight. The only SO bag that's appealed to me is the Lanner, or the peregrine, otherwise I agree with your "kludgy" observation. I like the 6400 better than any of the kifaru offerings as well, especially when you factor in the weight for the size.

It'll compress well enough for day use, the front zip is nice for access without unrolling the whole thing from the top.

Other than SO using Xpac, I think most of the other brands use 500d cordura, so durability should be similar. No issues with any of the Exo stuff I've used before, or the Kifaru frame, though that's only a few months old.

Can't argue with Kifarus reputation for hauling weight, though I've only had mine at about 60lbs for training so far.

 

[rj2]

The SO Lanner looks like it would be a good choice based on your criteria. lightest by far at 4.5lb, 5400ci, compresses to 2400ci, so much adjust-ability and simple yet still good organization.

 

[Kevin_t]

The SO Lanner looks like it would be a good choice based on your criteria. lightest by far at 4.5lb, 5400ci, compresses to 2400ci, so much adjust-ability and simple yet still good organization.

The bulk of the us at seek outside use the lanner in either breakaway or integrated . Integrated and in SpectraGridHT it’s 3.8 lbs all in


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PathFinder]

Kifaru: My personal choice, I've used them all. Tend to be on the heavier side, but can be configured to be plenty light. The most straightforward and robust compression and pack attachment. Definitely the best over 80lbs. Most durable of the lot.
Exo: Fantastic bag layout, my favorite fit for loads under 40lbs. Well thought out system for compression and carrying meat on the frame.
SO: I really liked my Lanner bag. Good layout, just the right size. Extremely light. Hip belt struggled over 60lbs no matter what I changed, shoulder harness was strangely restrictive and drove my shoulders crazy. The bag attachment was my least favorite part of the design. Extremely comfortable with light loads though, the frame pivots and moves really well.

 

[HighUintas]

Stone Glacier and Kifaru have the reputation of the best heavy load comfort so I'd be looking there first. When you are packing for 10-14 days...eh what's an extra 8 oz.

Most of the information I've read comparing load hauling capabilities seem to out exo and kifaru at the top. That's one of the reasons I took SG out of the running. That, and I just don't love the bag layout.

 

[HighUintas]

This is probably the worst forum to get pack advice. Call the 3 companies, speak to them directly. I am sure you will find one you are drawn to.

Why's that? I know there's a lot of bad advice and very circumstancial, but also send me pretty good information if you read enough of the responses

Kifaru lite frame with an exo 6400 bag. Mine with large hip belt and long shoulder straps comes in at 6lbs 1.8oz, without a lid. Not as light as some of the SO packs, but quite reasonable for the capacity I think. I prefer the lite frame to the K2 I was running before, but it wasn't life changing for me. Of course I'd love to try out a K3 frame, and an SO/SG/MR, but that's not going to happen any time soon. The Kifaru definitely feels stiffer on the back than my K2 did, but it's not something I would consider a negative.

I personally love the Exo bag layout with the full length side pockets and big side stretch pockets for spotter/tripod/tent, front stretch pocket for layers, etc. Not too complex and heavy but enough to keep things easily accessible. The roll top makes it easy to run without a lid to save weight. The only SO bag that's appealed to me is the Lanner, or the peregrine, otherwise I agree with your "kludgy" observation. I like the 6400 better than any of the kifaru offerings as well, especially when you factor in the weight for the size.

It'll compress well enough for day use, the front zip is nice for access without unrolling the whole thing from the top.

Other than SO using Xpac, I think most of the other brands use 500d cordura, so durability should be similar. No issues with any of the Exo stuff I've used before, or the Kifaru frame, though that's only a few months old.

Can't argue with Kifarus reputation for hauling weight, though I've only had mine at about 60lbs for training so far.

I've thought about that combo a few times! Is it fairly straightforward to attach the exo bag to the kifaru frame?

 

[brsnow]

Why's that? I know there's a lot of bad advice and very circumstancial, but also send me pretty good information if you read enough of the responses


I've thought about that combo a few times! Is it fairly straightforward to attach the exo bag to the kifaru frame?

you are getting a ton of advice from people who have never packed out an elk or took a backcountry trip. They just regurgitate what they read or their experience hiking with sand bags. I would take most of what you read with a healthy dose of skepticism.

 

[bozeman]

Ok- my .02
I’ve had Kifaru, SG, Exo K2 and SO Unaweep. I still have the Unaweep in ‘floating belt’ mode. I’ve packed in/out gear that was a hair over 50lbs (sadly no meat on that trip). The SO performed well. I would question the 100lbs, that’s going to suck regardless of frame/pack. The most I can haul is 70lbs, but that is MY limitation, not the SO pack limitation. Best of luck in the new obsession.

On my list to try next- Sitkas new packs and the Exo K3.

 

[Grady.J]

I've thought about that combo a few times! Is it fairly straightforward to attach the exo bag to the kifaru frame?

Yeah, fits like it was made for it, literally everything lines up perfect. The only thing missing is with Kifaru the compression straps are built into the bags, and with Exo they're built into the frame, so you need to add those. I bought the Kifaru compression strap kit, and asked for a few extra compression strap buckles from Exo when I ordered the bag. Swap the buckles that come on the Kifaru straps with the Exo ones to match the ones on the bag, and you're good to go.