Unfortunately, I have not gotten the Seek Outside frame to work well for me. It is great for strapping a child carrier too. However, when I put 60 pounds on it (even with the lumbar pad and extra stay) it is not supper pleasant. With 120 pounds on it, I want to take the thing off and stomp on it after a mile. Seek Outside is a great company, and I was hoping to save some weight as I love their shelters. However, the frame does not work for me when it comes to heavy loads. Clearly it does work well for lots of other people though. Disapointing as even with the cross stay and lumbar pad adding 6 ounces it is still 14 ounces lighter than my Exo if I drop the Exo lid.That’s a good example, and have personally been through the same exact thing more than once.
Many folks prefer the SO frame over any, I genuinely wish I was one of them… I am going to buy another seek outside, but going to try the integrated system, and plan on bugging the heck out of the good people who run that business if I once again can’t get it comfortable with a heavy load… might fit the description of insanity, but I really like their packs, and enough people prefer them over any other frame that I think at least part of my issue could have been user error… there is a ton of adjustments on their packs, maybe I did not ever get it right for me.
I am all for a lighter option as long as it doesn’t punish me when it really matters
I know if I have to carry a few more ounces, or even pounds to get comfort on really heavy loads, my body will adapt and not know any different with a little time… but I don’t count ounces… last archery season I carried an ammo pouch in my pack with about 25 rounds in it the whole archery season for no reason other than thinking I would lose it if I took it out
I’m in my packs pretty much all year, whether scouting, looking for a lion track to call on, deer, elk, turkey, bear, etc hunting… I rarely go 2 weeks ever without putting some miles on my boots with my pack… I am shed hunting today trying to find one particular bull’s sheds, but packed the kitchen sink in case I cut a lion track… our bodies are good at adapting, and that’s easier to me than crunching numbers.
I certainly agree with them posting honest weight figures for everything, doesn’t make any sense for them not too… and post real world numbers, not totally stripped down numbers like bow companies.
I hope kifaru doesn’t get too big for their own good, I’m a little nervous with their current trajectory, but as for right now, they carry weight the best for my body, but EXO isn’t far behind, and I appreciate how they run the company… I will be buying their next generation of pack regardless, they have earned my business over the years and I will continue to buy their stuff as well, and if they build a frame that hauls a heavy load as good as anything else, that will be my go to… my k2 isn’t going anywhere either
I’m far from brand loyal, I just primarily use the best option for me, and one of the heaviest pack systems is the one that works best for me currently.
I will pay a lot more to shave weight where applicable, but not at the cost of performance
When I have the funds, I want to give the Stone Glacier Terminus a try. Exo works so well on my body I don't see the point of trying something else unless it shaves a decent bit of weight. If it was not for the velcro on the hip belt and how wet cordura gets, I probably would not have started looking at alternatives to the Exo at all. Some people love the micro adjustability of the velcro hip belt though. And if not for living in a wet area, I would love the simplicity of Exo's fabric selection. The real solution is I need as many packs as my wife has shoes.
just goes to show how different pack fit is on each of us... much like boots.
