KUIU vs Exo ?

[egradyfire]

Looking to upgrade my binos and pack this year. I live near KUIU but my buddy swears by Exo. What I'm looking for in this new pack is 1. room for all my crap, 2. a place to secure my bow while hiking in. Does anyone have any recommendations or is it like comparing a red apple to a green apple.

 

[ianpadron]

Read through the opinions on here and you will notice pretty quickly where kuiu stands in comparison to EXO.

Kuiu makes some damn good clothes, but when it comes to packs they are not even in the running for most guys on here.

If you are shopping around, I would be looking at Kifaru, Stone Glacier, and Mystery Ranch in addition to EXO.

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[ReddingArcher]

I haven’t tried an exo pack but do own an icon 5200. It’s a decent pack, it helped that I got it on sale. It handled packing out 2 blacktails and my camp in one heavy trip but once it got some weight in it it really started to squeak and that’s annoying as all hell when you’re 5 miles in and have to listen to that damn squeak the whole time!! I’m in the market for a new pack and will most likely be ordering a kifaru this week. If you’re interested I’d make you a deal on my kuiu. I’m in Redding but work in Stockton all week if you’re in that Sacramento area I can bring it with me.

 

[wannakillabigbull]

I lived near Kuiu for a time so I went in to try their packs. Even in the store the pack was noticeably less comfortable than my Kifaru when packed with similar weights. My recommendation would be to buy a pack from a pack company. Kifaru, Mystery Ranch or Exo. Someone in my family has one from each of those brands and we’ve been nothing but pleased with our purchases.

 

[Jpugs]

I love my exo pack... Everyone I hunt with now runs one. Awesome quality pack and great customer service at exo. I run the 5500 and it can be ran from the size of a day pack and expand big enough to stay out for over a week. I bought the bow boot but sold that as it is just added weight in my opinion - I just strap the bow on with the compression straps and when carrying a rifle I put the stock in the stretchy cup pocket on the side of the pack and secure it in with the straps. I would look into exo and kifaru. What fits someone else may not fit you right.

 

[egradyfire]

Glad I asked instead of just going for convenience. Thank you all for replying, I really appreciate it.

 

[duckhunter175]

I think it really depends on how often you are hunting and what you are hunting for. I have a Kuiu IP 3200 and I've packed two elk and two deer with it. The bull elk wasn't a super long pack out but it wasn't the most comfortable walk ever. I think if you talk to most guys though trying to get a bull off the top of a mountain isn't super comfy regardless. It handled an entire whitetail buck in one trip with ZERO issues.

If you are an alaskan guide the Kuiu might not be for you. If you make one or two trips out west per year... I think Kuiu is hard to beat when you can get them at almost half the price of other brands.

 

[FURMAN]

The EXO frame/suspension is in another league. I would not use Kuiu packs again even with a huge discount.

 

[rackcity24]

I love my exo 3500. Super comfortable.

 

[IdahoElk]

Read through the opinions on here and you will notice pretty quickly where kuiu stands in comparison to EXO.

Kuiu makes some damn good clothes, but when it comes to packs they are not even in the running for most guys on here.

If you are shopping around, I would be looking at Kifaru, Stone Glacier, and Mystery Ranch in addition to EXO.

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You're crazy

 

[ianpadron]

You're crazy

Care to elaborate?

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[Trial153]

I have owned a icon, and pair of icon pros. While the Icon didn’t impress at all i think the icon pro is serviceable. That said I had issues with my first one, squeaking and then a cracked frame. CS was terrible and when I finally was able to get a replacement pack I cut my looses and sold it.
Kuiu isn’t high on my list at all, in fact they aren’t on it.

I don’t have any experience with the current exo frame however I have handled the previous version and it was solid. I wouldn’t hesitate to go with them if you like their bag lay out.
Mystery ranch, Kifaru, seekoutside, exo and SG are all top quality. I don’t think you can go far wrong with any one of them providing your fitted properly and the bag suits your needs.

 

[wmp1991]

Myself and one of my hunting partners run exo and the other is stone.

All of us love our packs and have carried out mule deer and black bear. Don't bother with the Kuiu pack. I'd keep it to Kifaru, exo, and stone. Maybe even mystery

 

[MT_Wyatt]

Given the OP question I think the most weight should be put on what people who have ran both have to say, and can directly compare them. I think feedback is valuable on both systems no doubt, but direct comparison is hard to beat.

Haven’t used an Exo, but have handled one. I’m not crazy about products that see updates every single year but at the same time it’s nice to see customer feedback incorporated. That’s a careful balance to keep.

I’ve used the newer kuiu frames. I think the general “don’t buy kuiu” and “everything is better than kuiu” backpack statements that get perpetuated are entirely overused, especially by people who haven’t used them but repeat the talking points. It saying that is happening here, but that’s what you’ll read when you search the topic. I wouldn’t discount the pack’s usefulness on those types of feedback. That said, I’d also put a lot of consideration on the people who have owned a kuiu and taken the time to comment on this post. Squeezing is real, carbon fiber can’t take throwing your pack around all of the time, and their webbing and bucked are less robust than most. I’ve never had a problem with customer service so can’t comment there.

I think the kuiu is at a lower price point and that should be considered when comparing to SG, Exo, Kifaru and MR. There’s better options than kuiu but kuiu may be the best if that’s where your budget is.


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[lonedave]

I have a 2015 EXO 5500 and a 2015 Kuiu Ultra 3000. They are totally different packs that I bought for totally different purposes. I first bought the EXO after considerable research of most brands you'll see mentioned on Rokslide. After fitting, it felt and still feels great under what I'd consider a fairly heavy load. I drew a WA moose tag that year and used the EXO to haul it out almost entirely solo, 7 trips over the course of about 24 hours. The heaviest loads were about 85# - 90# and the pack worked well and felt as good as it could with that much weight. I have no idea how guys on here can talk about carrying 100+ pound packs like they're nothing, though I guess I was 57 that year and maybe age has a little to do with it! I had a hard enough time just getting to my feet with the pack on. That said, I really love my EXO and it'll probably be going to my grandson when I finally give up the ghost. KUIU had a good Thanksgiving sale that year and @ 30% off, I bought the Ultra 3000 to replace an old pack I still used for backpacking. I had read many stories on here and other sites and decided that the Ultra should work well for lighter backpack trips but with the load shelf could carry at least a partial deer without too much trouble. Luke Moffitt has or had a pretty good write up on the Ultra 6000 on this site and in it he talks about it being in his opinion, good for up to perhaps 60# loads. After using the pack for a while, I'd pretty much agree. Last fall I used the Ultra as a day pack hunting deer. I have a Kuiu rifle carrier on it and it worked great too. I managed to shoot a pretty good buck and made three trips with the pack. The heaviest load was right at 60# and the pack handled and felt great with it. I'm not sure I'd want any more weight in it though as the hip and shoulder strap padding is pretty thin. It is set up that way for weight reduction, as it is roughly 2 1/2# lighter than the EXO.

All that being said, I'd go with an EXO if I was limited to one pack and could afford the extra cost. I sure wouldn't totally rule out a Kuiu pack if funding was tight. Since you live close enough, I'd definitely check them out and try them on with some weight, if possible.

 

[jeffpg]

Yeah, what lonedave said.

 

[couesbitten]

I own a Kifaru Bikini and an Exo 5500, love both packs, both very comfortable with everything I've ever carried. In the end, packs can be very much like boots, what is comfortable on me, may not be as comfortable on you. Best bet would be to see if you can find some guys in your area that have some of the top-tier packs and try them on so that you can make an educated choice. Don't overlook the Seek Outside packs, I've heard nothing but great things about them, good luck!

I’m not crazy about products that see updates every single year but at the same time it’s nice to see customer feedback incorporated.

Wouldn't this statement eliminate Kuiu, seems like their packs were a "backpack laboratory" for a few years.

 

[MT_Wyatt]

Wouldn't this statement eliminate Kuiu, seems like their packs were a "backpack laboratory" for a few years.

Oh totally it would! I was saying that more in support of SG, Kifaru and MR, whom are major players you don’t see updating their frames every year. Kuiu has held pretty consistent with the frame these past few years, but not after a lot of growing pain.....

Exo only does a couple bags so it makes sense they keep refining them rather than just keep releasing new models, and I do think they have an extremely well thought out design. And good point bringing up SO.


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[egradyfire]

Thank you all for your input

 

[TheDeerGuy]

Thank you all for your input

I have a kuiu icon pro 5200 and absolutely love it. I have hunted a lot with it and I’ve done some lengthy hikes with it loaded down. I think how comfortable the pack is is different for every person. It’s more about what fits you best and fits your needs best. They’re all very nice. Steve with exo has those packs pretty dialed.

Josh