Kifaru vs exo k4 vs stone glacier

[Schmo]

Haven't used the Ark, will never use it. A rigid carbon frame sounds great until you think about it for two seconds and realize you can't fit it to your spine - so if the fit isn't perfect out of the box, you're screwed, and will be getting poor load transfer, slippage, discomfort, etc. They try to offset this shortcoming by adding a ridiculously thick lumbar pad, which in turn places the load away from your center of gravity, causing even more slippage. It's just a bad design overall. Don't like it maxing out at 25" either. Come on, some of us are taller than 6'.

Hmmm. Okay. I guess this is why Exo, one of the highest respected pack manufacturers, uses carbon frames. They have had a grand total of 1 K4 frame breakage

 

[wh0cansay]

now that Anders, Eric, and Kenzie are in charge

Don't even get me started.

 

[wh0cansay]

I love my Kifaru Ark Frame and Absaroka. Hands down my favorite pack I’ve run. Disagree with the carbon fiber comment above about fitting, it’s curved, you adjust the frame to your body and if you’re running heavy loads it is the best on the market imo.

Yes, it's curved, just like our spines. Is your spine curved exactly the same as mine though? Unlikely.

You can't 'adjust' the frame to your body if the stays only have one option when it comes to curvature.

Aluminum stays were the norm for decades as they allowed a custom fit, and gave you just the right amount of flex under load. The move to carbon cuts weight, yes, but it also removes this essential option from the equation. How many people in this sub-forum complain about slippage with pack X or Y? Quite a few. Custom fitted stays fix 90% of these issues.

If the Ark's curvature does not match that of my spine, I will get slippage, and there's nothing I can do to make it 'the best on the market' for me.

Hmmm. Okay. I guess this is why Exo, one of the highest respected pack manufacturers, uses carbon frames. They have had a grand total of 1 K4 frame breakage

I have nothing against carbon when it comes to sturdiness, it's an incredibly strong material per unit of weight. My point is that the stays can not be fitted to your body, so if the stock bend doesn't match the curvature of your lumbar area, you will not get optimal load transfer to your pelvis. Simple physics.

This has nothing to do with Exo's reputation, which I am sure is stellar for good reason. But no pack manufacturer can create a pack that magically fits everyone out of the box. Again, this is why aluminum exists, and swapping the stock K4 stays with aluminum ones that are perfectly fitted to your body will give you an even better experience. I'll gladly take a penalty of a few ounces if it makes my pack feel a few pounds lighter in return.

If the stock stay bend fits your spine perfectly out of the box, congratulations, no need to worry about it. Most won't be so lucky though.

 

[G-RAT]

I have an EXO pack it holds weight well. I have had over 100 pounds in it during a pack out. Their customer service is fantastic. I have got responses from them late at night and on the weekends.

 

[Isildur]

K4 fan here as well. I use the 2200 size for saddle hunting (generally overkill) and the 5000 when I go camping/trips to AK.

Have not tested the meat shelf due to lack of big game success but have had 80+ lbs of gear, water, rifle etc in/on the pack, carried well. I've got pretty much all of the accessories as well and they are all well thought out/robust

There is a very long thread on rokslide about the k4, testing, development etc where k4 guys are pretty active, one of the reasons that convinced me to jump on board.