Kifaru vs EXO

[aaen]

I wish I would have known this before buying the EXO. I liked the kifaru frames, not a fan of the bags. Damn. K I may be spending more money now.

Anyone fitted any of the k3 bags to a kifaru and if so what needs to be done to do it.

 

[Marbles]

I have never owned an Exo but if you have a look at most of the videos on youtube, the one thing that I have noticed is that the actual packed bag of an Exo looks way more uniform than a Kifaru bag, The Kifru bag kind of just hangs off the frame. But the kicker, and in my opinion, the most important thing to notice is that Kifarus load lifters actually work...with the Exo, they seem nonexistent.

Obviously, that is just an observation, however, I think its telling...have a look at some of the born and raised videos with Jason Phelps (kifaru) and a few others and have a close look at the load lifters on the Kifaru compared to the Exo...there is a noticeable difference.

Exo load lifters work very well, at least up to the 120 lbs I have carried with mine.

Exo customer service is outstanding, they go above and beyond.

No experience with Kifaru. I believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong) that with the Kifaru you cannot carry meat between frame and bag. The frame also does not look like it could be used without a bag on it. When I was buying mine, I did not like the Kifaru bags, the Exo is just the right amount of simplicity and organization.

The K3 frame is more comfortable than the K2, it also provides more stability to heavy loads, and I like being able to extend it. I really don't like the Velcro hip belt attachment of the K3 and will probably end up sewing mine on. It represents a needles failure point.

 

[Luvbowhuntn]

Several of the Kifaru bags have meat shelfs on them Marbles. Their frames can also be used without a bag by using their cargo panel or quarter panel

 

[Carrot Farmer]

i wish there was a way to try them....I wonder what the return policies are if I were to order both and compare.

what size do you have? I thought I would never need another bag after my metcalf but I’m just running into a space problem for the longer trips.

Exo has 30 day return.

I’ve only had Exo, collapse very well for day hunting and upsizing is only ounces. I got 7 days on elk hunt out of my K3 3200, but I had items strapped to outside going in. Looking back, I’d wished I would’ve purchased the 4500


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[camelcluch]

I have had both and believe both are top notch. The big difference to me was two areas. One, the Exo bags are a simpler design. Very straightforward and easy to function. Kifaru is a bit more involved when removing the bag and such. Two, the Kifaru bags are more over built. Not that Exo is not tough but it seems Kifaru is just a bit more.
I think both systems are comfortable and function very well. You can’t really go wrong between the two.

 

[fulltiltaudio]

I wish I would have known this before buying the EXO. I liked the kifaru frames, not a fan of the bags. Damn. K I may be spending more money now.

Anyone fitted any of the k3 bags to a kifaru and if so what needs to be done to do it.

I currently run a Kifaru duplex lite frame with an exo 4800 bag. it has seemed to be the best of both worlds to me. I like the Exo bags but I compared the Exo K3 to the Kifaru and Kifaru won the comfort at 110 lbs. Exo was still decent, but just not quite the same on a side by side test.

 

[aaen]

I currently run a Kifaru duplex lite frame with an exo 4800 bag. it has seemed to be the best of both worlds to me. I like the Exo bags but I compared the Exo K3 to the Kifaru and Kifaru won the comfort at 110 lbs. Exo was still decent, but just not quite the same on a side by side test.




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O boy, we need to talk, I'll Pm you here shortly, as I would really like to do this myself.

 

[cityhunter]

Exo load lifters work very well, at least up to the 120 lbs I have carried with mine.

Exo customer service is outstanding, they go above and beyond.

No experience with Kifaru. I believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong) that with the Kifaru you cannot carry meat between frame and bag. The frame also does not look like it could be used without a bag on it. When I was buying mine, I did not like the Kifaru bags, the Exo is just the right amount of simplicity and organization.

The K3 frame is more comfortable than the K2, it also provides more stability to heavy loads, and I like being able to extend it. I really don't like the Velcro hip belt attachment of the K3 and will probably end up sewing mine on. It represents a needles failure point.

from what i ve read, the Kifaru packs/ frames can accommodate meat loads between back and frame... BUT whereas the EXO is designed for that as a go-to method, seems like meat is really more supposed to go inside the Kifaru bag. i could be wrong, but thats my impression so far. Since i already have an EXO system, maybe i ll just upgrade the bag (keeping the K2 frame) vs spending 2-3x that amount on a brand new kifaru system. but i really would have liked to try out their hoodlum system. seems pretty slick.

 

[fulltiltaudio]

You can definitely haul meat between the bag and frame with any kifaru design. Or without a bag at all. You can just use a "grab it" if you want. It is a killer set up actually and can be very versatile. Even if the bag doesn't have a "meat shelf" you can just sandwich the meat in between the bag and frame just fine!

Wife's bull with head straps straight to frame.

Hauling 2 front shoulders with just a "grab it"

Here is my bull this year with meat between bag and frame with head

My buddies buck with meat in between bag and frame

 

[fulltiltaudio]

O boy, we need to talk, I'll Pm you here shortly, as I would really like to do this myself.

Sounds good! Its a super easy set up actually. Just needs a couple buckles and straps!

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[cityhunter]

You can definitely haul meat between the bag and frame with any kifaru design. Or without a bag at all. You can just use a "grab it" if you want. It is a killer set up actually and can be very versatile. Even if the bag doesn't have a "meat shelf" you can just sandwich the meat in between the bag and frame just fine!

Wife's bull with head straps straight to frame.

Hauling 2 front shoulders with just a "grab it"

Here is my bull this year with meat between bag and frame with head

My buddies buck with meat in between bag and frame

Pretty neat. Congrats on your elk!

 

[bsnedeker]

from what i ve read, the Kifaru packs/ frames can accommodate meat loads between back and frame... BUT whereas the EXO is designed for that as a go-to method, seems like meat is really more supposed to go inside the Kifaru bag. i could be wrong, but thats my impression so far. Since i already have an EXO system, maybe i ll just upgrade the bag (keeping the K2 frame) vs spending 2-3x that amount on a brand new kifaru system. but i really would have liked to try out their hoodlum system. seems pretty slick.

While you can absolutely carry meat between the frame and the bag, you are correct that most of kifarus designs are made with the idea that you will carry the meat in the bag (styker being the most notable exception). It's just so much easier to throw the meat in the bag rather than messing with all the buckles and whatnot.

What i usually do is use the meat shelf for my first load out... mainly because I carry too much shit while I'm hunting so not a ton of extra room in the bag on the first load. Once I drop that off I empty my bag except for some basic necessities (first aid, water, couple snacks) and throw every other load of meat right in the bag. I use a contractor bag to keep the blood contained.

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[Marbles]

While you can absolutely carry meat between the frame and the bag, you are correct that most of kifarus designs are made with the idea that you will carry the meat in the bag (styker being the most notable exception). It's just so much easier to throw the meat in the bag rather than messing with all the buckles and whatnot.

What i usually do is use the meat shelf for my first load out... mainly because I carry too much shit while I'm hunting so not a ton of extra room in the bag on the first load. Once I drop that off I empty my bag except for some basic necessities (first aid, water, couple snacks) and throw every other load of meat right in the bag. I use a contractor bag to keep the blood contained.

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How long are your pack outs? My last one was 14 hours with meat on my back (only one load as black tails are small) and I would worry about having it in a plastic bag for so long in 60-70 degree weather. I'm curious if that is a groundless worry?

 

[bsnedeker]

How long are your pack outs? My last one was 14 hours with meat on my back (only one load as black tails are small) and I would worry about having it in a plastic bag for so long in 60-70 degree weather. I'm curious if that is a groundless worry?

Good point, I rarely hunt more than 3 miles from the truck. If I had more than a few hours I'd just skip the plastic and rinse the bag when I had a chance.

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[twall13]

While you can absolutely carry meat between the frame and the bag, you are correct that most of kifarus designs are made with the idea that you will carry the meat in the bag (styker being the most notable exception). It's just so much easier to throw the meat in the bag rather than messing with all the buckles and whatnot.

What i usually do is use the meat shelf for my first load out... mainly because I carry too much shit while I'm hunting so not a ton of extra room in the bag on the first load. Once I drop that off I empty my bag except for some basic necessities (first aid, water, couple snacks) and throw every other load of meat right in the bag. I use a contractor bag to keep the blood contained.

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It's always interesting to hear how other people do things. I also haul meat out between the bag and frame on the first load with all the crap I have in my bag during a hunt. The difference for me is that after I get the first load hauled out I drop the bag completely and just use the frame and load panel to haul the rest. I do leave a lid on with some essentials while hauling meat but after the first load the bag is at the truck.

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[cityhunter]

with the Black Friday sale i decided on the Exo 6400 upgrade to my existing K2 frame. thanks all for your feedback and help. i was split 50/50 on the 6400 vs the hoodlum (which would ve required the frame as well) so price (especially with 15% off at Exo) had to be the tie breaker!

 

[406unltd]

I have a Kifaru Apollo. It has a meat shelf and that is what I use for the first load out. If another load is necessary I take the bag off and use the quarter panel. Pictured is a packout of a whole buck I shot on Friday after thanksgiving .

 

[snel6424]

I have chose to go with the Exo, simply because of the storage and organization options. I love pockets and being organized, and Exo had the most built in options.

 

[Cs36]

I currently run a Kifaru duplex lite frame with an exo 4800 bag. it has seemed to be the best of both worlds to me. I like the Exo bags but I compared the Exo K3 to the Kifaru and Kifaru won the comfort at 110 lbs. Exo was still decent, but just not quite the same on a side by side test.




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Did you run into any issues this past season with the setup you have? Or were you happy with the blend of the two? Is it relatively seamless to put the exo bag on kifaru frame?

 

[fulltiltaudio]

I have ran that setup for 2 seasons now and love it! It is extremely easy to put the exo on the kifaru frame, just some buckles that need swapped around and matched up really. And lid straps. But I have not really had any issues running it that way, and have hauled out a fair handful of animals with it too. Pm me if you want any specific info or more detailed pics!

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