My Kifaru Reckoning weighs 9 lbs

[three5x5s]

I Have NO experience with this pack & bag but it looks like it could save you a few pounds and still carry a heavy load well.
Kifaru Ultralight frame and Muskeg bag ~ review preview
Kifaru Ultra Light Frame with a Muskeg Bag. Bags come in 2800-5000-& 700ci.
But I could be wrong.......

 

[Read1t48]

For those using arrow stays.... do you find it comfortable for heavy loads if it fits your back profile?

 

[mfolch]

Count me a heretic, but after climbing up and down hills for seven or eight miles with 70lbs on my back last year, of which 9lbs was just the Kifaru pack and frame, I was no longer convinced it was the best choice. I found that kifaru’s wide waist belt constricted movement of the legs and breathing when pushing over fallen trees and going up hill. I prefer the narrower waist belt of the sg. I ran this idea by a buddy of mine who is also an avid hunter and joker, he too found the improved motion and breathing noticeable. He too sold his Kifaru pack and purchased a sg. 2 or 3 pounds seems minor, but after three or four days of carrying a pack from before sunrise to after sunset, cutting weight makes it that much less exhausting to keep focused and keep going.


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[ljalberta]

Moving to a SG 6900 on the Xcurve with a lid, hydro holster, and 1 hip pocket looks like it will save me 15.8oz from a 24" Hunter frame, Reckoning, guide lid, nalgene pocket, and 1 hip pocket. What setups are you guys using to save 2/3 pounds?

 

[Coveyleader]

That is a heavy pack! Add rain gear, water, game bags, knife, etc jacket and that is a beast to care around. Think of it this way, you will be carrying your empty pack around more than you will be packing your camp in, or animals out. I'd be dumping that thing in a minute.

 

[mrbillbrown]

Per the respective websites....The SG Krux frame is 3#2oz. Kifaru’s Duplex Lite and Duplex UL frames are 2#14 and 2#12oz.

Plus or minus an ounce or two for variation in scale differences or belt size chosen it’s pretty close to a wash with possibly a very slight edge in weight savings given to Kifaru if all scales and belt sizes are equal.

So you’re looking at deciding on bag needs and layout and pocket configurations for accessories to be figured in overall dry pack weight. One can decide to settle on the fixed layout of the SG bags or the option to kit up or down the different Kifaru bag options.

Truly a Ford vs Chevy issue. Both makers have excellent products and customer service. It’s up to the end user on what he or she feels necessary for the mission.

I can run my Kifaru bikini frame, AMR, Guide Lid, etc in a lean 6# dry weight or add enough extra “needed” accessories and easily break 9#. The more I actually used my set up the more I figured out what was truly needed and what was just a good idea to have along.

All that rant to show there’s probably less difference in the two pack setup weights in form and function and more to do with an individuals desire to attach the kitchen sink or leave it at home. Hope that helps.....


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[Kotaman]

I’ve owned virtually every Kifaru frame/pack combo made, 3 versions of KUIU’s set up, and every SG Bag with both the Krux and XCurve. My findings on heavy mountain use of all of these packs: NOTHING hauls a heavy load like a Kifaru. In daypack mode I much prefer SG and KUIU. For “all around” use I prefer SG. My favorite Kifaru offering ever was the T1 with the integrated frame. I regret ever getting rid of it. I’m also a big fan of the SG XFrame set up. Super light, hauls a load decent for its weight, and fits me like it was made for me.

In the end for me, the weight penalty of the Kifaru in a mountain setting is not worth it for me. 2 lbs is HUGE in the mountains for this aging body. Hoping to get my hands on a SG EVO to play around with this winter...

 

[wyelkhunter]

I have a seekoutside frame. Before it I had kifaru. For me the Seekoutside is more comfortable even when carrying heavy loads. And the weight savings is great. For day hunts I have a kuiu ultra 1800 attached to the frame. When packing in for multiple days I use a dry bag between the 1800 and the frame. The Seekoutside Frame, drybag, kuiu 1800, kuiu belt pouches, compression panel, seekutside top lid, and a couple of extra straps weighs in at 4lbs 8oz and is 5700 cubic inches.

 

[Steel Rain]

The arrow stays work for me. I know my pack is heavy compared to some of the others but it carries a load like no other. Furthermore, it is quiet compared to one friends Kuiu and another friends Sitka pack.

 

[ChrisAU]

The arrow stays work for me. I know my pack is heavy compared to some of the others but it carries a load like no other. Furthermore, it is quiet compared to one friends Kuiu and another friends Sitka pack.

I got some to try, haven't done it yet. Do you use single or double stays?

 

[mrgreen]

Put a Kuiu Ultra bag on the Kifaru.

I have a K Ultralite frame on the way, is this combo tough to do?



Nevermind, I found SHTF's excellent How-To threads.

 

[Alaska Bowman]

You can make a Kifaru about as light as the other brands, you just gotta lose all the pockets. The really light systems from any company are just basic bags. As has been said, those accessories add up fast.

This is spot on!

 

[Alaska Bowman]

I ran a 26" hunter, with a gutted dt1 without a lid, and 2 extra straps for 6lbs. So, I have a water bladder pocket, 2 full slot pockets, 2 front pockets and a bungee and 5 total compression straps (for bow, hauling or strapping a head, etc) at 6lbs!

 

[ironmiketr]

You can make a Kifaru about as light as the other brands, you just gotta lose all the pockets. The really light systems from any company are just basic bags. As has been said, those accessories add up fast.

+1 for this comment. I run my Reckoning on a duplex lite + nalgene holder and a medium pouch and it clocks in a hair under 6.5lbs. I prefer to put everything inside the bag and keep the setup light.