Literally "Cutting" Pack Weight

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Lol, some of us like to tinker! Good on you for always being able to buy products that are 100% perfect for you out of the box though!

Never said everything I own is 100% perfect out of the box, but when I have a goal in mind I always start at the start. Much easier that way.

Similarly, I wouldn’t try to build a long range rifle by starting out with a 1903 Springfield action. Some things just go easier when you build from the base up.
 

bsnedeker

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Never said everything I own is 100% perfect out of the box, but when I have a goal in mind I always start at the start. Much easier that way.

Similarly, I wouldn’t try to build a long range rifle by starting out with a 1903 Springfield action. Some things just go easier when you build from the base up.
And if any of us were trying to build an ultralight pack you would be correct. Since none of us are looking to build an ultralight pack out of a kifaru your analogy doesn't fit. I want a rugged pack that doesn't have any unnecessary weight, so I buy a kifaru and trim anything I don't need which doesn't take much effort.

Make sense?

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And if any of us were trying to build an ultralight pack you would be correct. Since none of us are looking to build an ultralight pack out of a kifaru your analogy doesn't fit. I want a rugged pack that doesn't have any unnecessary weight, so I buy a kifaru and trim anything I don't need which doesn't take much effort.

Make sense?

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Fair enough, although I don’t agree that Stone Glacier is not “a rugged pack.”
 

bsnedeker

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Fair enough, although I don’t agree that Stone Glacier is not “a rugged pack.”

Yeah, my bad, I should have said "most rugged pack available". I really like SG packs and I'm not trying to disparage the brand. I've gotten my hands on one and it's a quality pack made of quality materials...at the end of the day the materials that Kifaru uses are just going to stand up to more abuse in the long run than a SG pack would in my opinion.

I'm actually about to pull the trigger on a SG for the wife as, for her, light weight is incredibly important, and she takes better care of her gear than I do.
 

fngTony

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I’m confused, doesn’t both kifaru and Sg use 500d ? Or are you referring to the frame material?
 

bsnedeker

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I’m confused, doesn’t both kifaru and Sg use 500d ? Or are you referring to the frame material?

The SG pack I looked at (sky series) was primarily made out of Xpac with some 500d here and there. Kifaru is 100% 500d. Kifaru does make the muskeg in Xpac, but not what I was looking for so I went with a 500d bag.
 
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The SG pack I looked at (sky series) was primarily made out of Xpac with some 500d here and there. Kifaru is 100% 500d. Kifaru does make the muskeg in Xpac, but not what I was looking for so I went with a 500d bag.

Just the bottom and back of the bag, where it goes up against the frame, are made out of Xpac, everything else is 500d. They do it that way so when you’re using the load shelf to haul out bloody meat, it doesn’t soak through the bag.


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slick

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Literally "Cutting" Pack Weight

Does anyone have any numbers that XPac is in fact a weaker material than 500D? Not looking for opinion, but as far as strength and tear resistance go I don’t actually know. I used the literal shit out of my MR packing Sherman live traps through the desert close to 80 days one summer, and not that I’ve done the same exact thing with SG, I just don’t think that it wouldn’t hold up to the same abuse.

But to answer the OPs original question. Yes I cut the shoulder straps off of the MR Lid when I had it. I had no use for those.
 

Jeffh0214

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It’s probably worth mentioning that there are lots of weights of Xpac out there. I believe Kifaru uses VX21 on their Muskeg Packs and SG uses a heavier duty X42 on their frames.

Here’s an intro to Xpac from the Seek Outside website...
https://seekoutside.com/blog/xpac/
 

MattB

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Kifaru offers packs that are lighter in weight for volume than SG, so not sure why anyone though it made sense to derail the thread into a Kifaru vs. Stone Glacier debate implying otherwise.

And you can trim the straps and attachment points on packs from either manufacturer to save weight and better suit your needs.
 
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Some people read a few things and get lost in their own imagination.

Kifaru 24" Ultra Lite frame and 7000 CI Muskeg bag weighs 5 pounds 5 ounces.


Stone Glacier with an X curve frame and a 6900 CI Talus bag weighs 5 pounds 13 ounces.



What kind of world do you live in that the SG is lighter in equally matched gear?
 
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Literally "Cutting" Pack Weight

Some people read a few things and get lost in their own imagination.

Kifaru 24" Ultra Lite frame and 7000 CI Muskeg bag weighs 5 pounds 5 ounces.


Stone Glacier with an X curve frame and a 6900 CI Talus bag weighs 5 pounds 13 ounces.



What kind of world do you live in that the SG is lighter in equally matched gear?

Okay, here’s my personal experience from packs/frames that I currently own.

SG Krux/7400 Sky bag/lid 4 lbs 14 oz.
SG XCurve/7400 Sky bag/lid 5 lbs 4 oz.

SG 26” Krux frame 2 lbs 11 oz.
SG 26” XCurve frame 3 lbs. 1 oz.
Sky 7400 bag/lid 2 lbs 3 oz.
Terminus 6000 bag/lid 1 lbs 11 oz.
Sky 5900 bag/lid 2 lbs 6 oz.

These are honest numbers straight from my scale, not off a website, and the SG EVO Krux frame is even lighter than the original Krux.
But even more importantly for me, the SG frames carry better with heavy loads than the two Kifaru frames I’ve owned.




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slick

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What kind of world do you live in that the SG is lighter in equally matched gear?

I think if you’re going to make that comparison you need to take both companies lightest offerings. And that’s not the XCurve. But some people read things and get lost in their own imagination.
 
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I think you need to take both companies curved frame. I said equivalent. That’s what that means. Should I go get my lite frame and put carbon arrows in it to get it down close to the 3 pound limit. It, should I use equipment I lent means to measure this by?



In the scheme of things, the difference in the heaviest of the two and the lightest of the other means absolutely zilch. Nothing. It’s just talking points. Because a pound or two won’t keep you off the mountain or cause all the pain people talk about.
 
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Because a pound or two won’t keep you off the mountain or cause all the pain people talk about.

This whole thread started because guys were trying to trim weight off of Kifaru packs, which tend to be the heaviest of the top-end hunting pack brands.

I agree that a pound or two isn't a big deal most of the time. But I also think that if you are concerned about weight enough to take a pair of scissors to a $700 back pack, the better practice is buy one with a lighter starting weight.
 
OP
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I never thought this was going to start such a big pissing match over a simple question.

As I said several times, the weight isn't a concern but if I see a spot I can improve something for me I'm going to and was curious if others did the same.

If y'all want to continue the pissing match feel free to start you own thread.

You could title it Kifaru vs SO for example.

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Well first off, I contributed to the derailment of this post and for that I apologize, in regards to your question, the main things I would take into consideration are; 1. Approximately how much wt. do you think you’ll eliminate with the modifications, and 2. Even though I agree with the fact that every ounce counts, is the weight savings worth it to you enough to decrease the resale value if you do decide to sell the pack later on down the road? No two ways about it, those types of modifications will only decrease the resale value, but if you are okay with that, then it’s a moot point and I say go for it.


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