bigeasygator
WKR
I thought I'd share with everyone my "new" daypack. I've seen a few others post the same combo and thought I'd share as well to give you guys a peek at what it looks like and how it went together. I love the Bikini frame and I love the Kifaru packs I own for multi-day trips (DT3 and Highcamp), but I hated digging into the bag and using them as daypacks. I like the MR bags much better as daypacks but I don't like the weight of the NICE frame. So, I decided to pick up the Longbow and see how it worked with the Bikini frame. All in all, it goes together very well and I'm excited to put it to use. Thought I'd post some pics so everyone can see how it looks and fits together.
Here's the pack sitting on the frame from the front and back.
The only tricky part is having to cut a slot for the load lifters. Once you slide the pack on the frame you will see where you need to cut. I made my cut between the existing slots on the sleeve of the pack right where it attaches to the main bag more or less (ie, at the top of the sleeve). Hopefully that made sense and if it didn't hopefully the picture helps out.
The attachment points on the side are pretty straightforward. I used some slotted female buckles I had extra and used the male buckles from the Longbow on one side and some extra male buckles I had on the other side. You could also use the K connectors that Kifaru sells to connect the pack and frame up.
A few more pics. I've got the Grab-it still attached. Given the size of the Longbow, there's extra space at the bottom of the pack that you can see (ie, the bag doesn't go to the bottom of the frame. The way it's all pieced together, you could add a Kifaru expandable meatshelf and attach it to the Grab-it and it gives you a couple of options for attaching loads between the bag and frame and on top of the bag. With the Grab-it in place, you can still do this without the meatshelf, it just may give you some more options. This pic shows me pulling on the Grab-it so you can see the space between it and the bag.
A few more pics. I added a bow holder from a Catquiver pack that I had, some of the water bottle pockets from MR, and some medium belt pockets from Kifaru. All in all, the pack weights a little more than 6.5 lbs with the bladder included. Really excited to try this out as a daypack. The only thing I wish the pack had was a lid that I could attach when packing out antlers. If anybody has any suggestions on that let me know!
Here's the pack sitting on the frame from the front and back.
The only tricky part is having to cut a slot for the load lifters. Once you slide the pack on the frame you will see where you need to cut. I made my cut between the existing slots on the sleeve of the pack right where it attaches to the main bag more or less (ie, at the top of the sleeve). Hopefully that made sense and if it didn't hopefully the picture helps out.
The attachment points on the side are pretty straightforward. I used some slotted female buckles I had extra and used the male buckles from the Longbow on one side and some extra male buckles I had on the other side. You could also use the K connectors that Kifaru sells to connect the pack and frame up.
A few more pics. I've got the Grab-it still attached. Given the size of the Longbow, there's extra space at the bottom of the pack that you can see (ie, the bag doesn't go to the bottom of the frame. The way it's all pieced together, you could add a Kifaru expandable meatshelf and attach it to the Grab-it and it gives you a couple of options for attaching loads between the bag and frame and on top of the bag. With the Grab-it in place, you can still do this without the meatshelf, it just may give you some more options. This pic shows me pulling on the Grab-it so you can see the space between it and the bag.
A few more pics. I added a bow holder from a Catquiver pack that I had, some of the water bottle pockets from MR, and some medium belt pockets from Kifaru. All in all, the pack weights a little more than 6.5 lbs with the bladder included. Really excited to try this out as a daypack. The only thing I wish the pack had was a lid that I could attach when packing out antlers. If anybody has any suggestions on that let me know!
