This is a long review but if you are interested in one bag to literally do it all its worth the read.
I have literally been through nearly all high end packs on the marketing and for me I havent found a bag and frame that I like more than the Kifaru Fulcrum. It is the "best" pack for me and my style by far and away. I personally own three Kifaru bags (Fulcrum, Mountain Warrior and 22 mag) and two 24" frames. The Fulcrum excels at everything from 10 day high country bivy hunts to quick morning hunts before work. Some may ask, how does a nearly 8000 cubic inch pack excel at quick morning hunts... Let me tell you...
First off, I own two other Kifaru bags (MW and 22 mag) that volume-wise are better suited to day/morning hunting. Despite having these packs at my finger tips I still reach for the Fulcrum for day/morning hunts... the reason why is its functionality, easy organization, configuration, etc. I will elaborate on this more but I gain so much organization and functionality that it off sets any small weight gain from excess volume on day hunts (read: a few extra ounces of fabric from excess volume aren't going to kill you on short morning/day hunts), so the organization is more important to me than the few extra ounces. I should also say that I have removed the plastic sheets from the wing pockets on the Fulcrum and shed something like 8 ounces or more.
I am a firm believer in keeping all contents in my pack. I do not like to strap things to the outside and I DO NOT use "meat shelves". So any pack I choose to hunt with has got to have enough bag capacity to bring out a full boned out mule deer/partial elk and gear. The Kifaru Fulcrum has ample capacity at nearly 8000 cubic inches. I DO NOT like meat shelves because it is very difficult to properly load your pack with meat in the meat shelf. The meat when using a meat shelf tends to slowly sink and sag and ride too low for my liking. This is very difficult to prevent and load the meat properly... So I simply carry a large contractor trash bag (read trash bag on steroids, thick enough that it will not puncture) and load the meat in game bags and then load the game bags in the contractor bag. The contractor bag prevents any blood or smell from transferring to the pack bag. Ultimately, the reason why the meat has to go in the main bag is because you can better control how and where the meat is packed and you can easily prevent the settling and sagging that inevitable happens when using a meat shelf. Using jackets and other items (below and around the meat) you can properly position the meat to ride where it should. This is personal preference but I like the meat to sit about half way up the small of my back up to about mid back. If breaking the length of the back into three equal segments... for me the meat rides most comfortably in the middle third. So, by this philosophy even on a day hunt you need considerable volume reserved in your pack to get a deer/elk and gear out.
In day mode, I run with no lid and the snow collar of the Fulcrum cinched flat. I keep items such as extra layers (layers I likely wont use but are needed just in case), extra water and food (incase I kill, and I am out longer) and my kill kit in the main bag. I cinch the main bag down tight from the bottom and the top (as shown in the photos on the Fulcrum web page on the Kifaru site) and most of the time on an extended archery morning hunt don’t touch anything in it. Inherent in the design this thing can be cinched down to nothing and it does not flop around or sag in anyway shape or form when in day mode. Things that I regularly use on a hunt like elk calls, gloves, quick food items, spotting scope and tripod, wind breaker, gps, etc. go in the wing pockets. These items are instantly accessible, and the wing pockets are perfectly sized for items like these (read no digging in a half empty huge bag trying to find small items). I’ve never had a pack that has all of these necessary items so easily/quickly accessible, while the extra and necessary (but likely wont be used) items are stored in the main bag. The other thing that I really like about this bag is with a medium belt pouch centered at the bottom, it carries a bow or rifle really really well. This goes whether the pack is in day mode or filled to the brim. The horizontal strapage makes this very easy.
On medium length hunts (3-5 days) I like the extra volume of an 8000 cubic inch pack. I bivy hunt off my back. That is my style. Move, move, move, move. I have found that if your bag barely fits all of your gear in it, then it takes 5 times longer to pack it up every day. This is because you have to play Tetris and pack it perfectly. With a little extra volume it is much easier and much quicker to pack your bag and be off in the morning. As mentioned above, its nice to have the extra volume to be able to keep everything in your bag when you kill and are bringing out camp, meat, cape/head.
On long ten plus day hunts the Fulcrum excels because you need a big pack to be able to haul all that gear. Again, I like a little extra volume so I don’t have to play Tetris packing every morning.
In short with three Kifaru packs at my disposal (Fulcrum, Mountain warrior, 22 mag) these are my final thoughts:
Short morning hunt before work (2 hour hunts max, run up in the dark, glass, make a stalk if one is possible, then run down to get into work). Shortest hunt possible… My pack of choice is the Kifaru Fulcrum.
Anything overnight to two week hunts… My pack of choice is the Kifaru Fulcrum.
Summer time day/morning scouting… My pack of choice is the Kifaru 22 Mag.
My mountain warrior is a great pack and I love it, but I am always grabbing the Fulcrum. With my extra frame my Mountain Warrior often times is my loaner pack for my dad or buddies who don’t have a Kifaru and can’t stand their Kuiu!
I have literally been through nearly all high end packs on the marketing and for me I havent found a bag and frame that I like more than the Kifaru Fulcrum. It is the "best" pack for me and my style by far and away. I personally own three Kifaru bags (Fulcrum, Mountain Warrior and 22 mag) and two 24" frames. The Fulcrum excels at everything from 10 day high country bivy hunts to quick morning hunts before work. Some may ask, how does a nearly 8000 cubic inch pack excel at quick morning hunts... Let me tell you...
First off, I own two other Kifaru bags (MW and 22 mag) that volume-wise are better suited to day/morning hunting. Despite having these packs at my finger tips I still reach for the Fulcrum for day/morning hunts... the reason why is its functionality, easy organization, configuration, etc. I will elaborate on this more but I gain so much organization and functionality that it off sets any small weight gain from excess volume on day hunts (read: a few extra ounces of fabric from excess volume aren't going to kill you on short morning/day hunts), so the organization is more important to me than the few extra ounces. I should also say that I have removed the plastic sheets from the wing pockets on the Fulcrum and shed something like 8 ounces or more.
I am a firm believer in keeping all contents in my pack. I do not like to strap things to the outside and I DO NOT use "meat shelves". So any pack I choose to hunt with has got to have enough bag capacity to bring out a full boned out mule deer/partial elk and gear. The Kifaru Fulcrum has ample capacity at nearly 8000 cubic inches. I DO NOT like meat shelves because it is very difficult to properly load your pack with meat in the meat shelf. The meat when using a meat shelf tends to slowly sink and sag and ride too low for my liking. This is very difficult to prevent and load the meat properly... So I simply carry a large contractor trash bag (read trash bag on steroids, thick enough that it will not puncture) and load the meat in game bags and then load the game bags in the contractor bag. The contractor bag prevents any blood or smell from transferring to the pack bag. Ultimately, the reason why the meat has to go in the main bag is because you can better control how and where the meat is packed and you can easily prevent the settling and sagging that inevitable happens when using a meat shelf. Using jackets and other items (below and around the meat) you can properly position the meat to ride where it should. This is personal preference but I like the meat to sit about half way up the small of my back up to about mid back. If breaking the length of the back into three equal segments... for me the meat rides most comfortably in the middle third. So, by this philosophy even on a day hunt you need considerable volume reserved in your pack to get a deer/elk and gear out.
In day mode, I run with no lid and the snow collar of the Fulcrum cinched flat. I keep items such as extra layers (layers I likely wont use but are needed just in case), extra water and food (incase I kill, and I am out longer) and my kill kit in the main bag. I cinch the main bag down tight from the bottom and the top (as shown in the photos on the Fulcrum web page on the Kifaru site) and most of the time on an extended archery morning hunt don’t touch anything in it. Inherent in the design this thing can be cinched down to nothing and it does not flop around or sag in anyway shape or form when in day mode. Things that I regularly use on a hunt like elk calls, gloves, quick food items, spotting scope and tripod, wind breaker, gps, etc. go in the wing pockets. These items are instantly accessible, and the wing pockets are perfectly sized for items like these (read no digging in a half empty huge bag trying to find small items). I’ve never had a pack that has all of these necessary items so easily/quickly accessible, while the extra and necessary (but likely wont be used) items are stored in the main bag. The other thing that I really like about this bag is with a medium belt pouch centered at the bottom, it carries a bow or rifle really really well. This goes whether the pack is in day mode or filled to the brim. The horizontal strapage makes this very easy.
On medium length hunts (3-5 days) I like the extra volume of an 8000 cubic inch pack. I bivy hunt off my back. That is my style. Move, move, move, move. I have found that if your bag barely fits all of your gear in it, then it takes 5 times longer to pack it up every day. This is because you have to play Tetris and pack it perfectly. With a little extra volume it is much easier and much quicker to pack your bag and be off in the morning. As mentioned above, its nice to have the extra volume to be able to keep everything in your bag when you kill and are bringing out camp, meat, cape/head.
On long ten plus day hunts the Fulcrum excels because you need a big pack to be able to haul all that gear. Again, I like a little extra volume so I don’t have to play Tetris packing every morning.
In short with three Kifaru packs at my disposal (Fulcrum, Mountain warrior, 22 mag) these are my final thoughts:
Short morning hunt before work (2 hour hunts max, run up in the dark, glass, make a stalk if one is possible, then run down to get into work). Shortest hunt possible… My pack of choice is the Kifaru Fulcrum.
Anything overnight to two week hunts… My pack of choice is the Kifaru Fulcrum.
Summer time day/morning scouting… My pack of choice is the Kifaru 22 Mag.
My mountain warrior is a great pack and I love it, but I am always grabbing the Fulcrum. With my extra frame my Mountain Warrior often times is my loaner pack for my dad or buddies who don’t have a Kifaru and can’t stand their Kuiu!
