W.D. Crawford
Lil-Rokslider
For any one interested new MR packs are up.
I like the looks of the Front. Basically a Pintler without the frame. I may have to save and get that one sometime.
The new camo pattern is cool. I really wish they would just meet up with Sitka and start making packs in Optifade.
I really just wish I could get the bags without the frame. I already have a NICE Frame and a Metcalf. I want a Cabinet to but don't want another frame.
I've only tried a guide lite on briefly (in a store with 50-60lbs) but it felt better then my NICE frame by a decent margin. The pure carbon frame worries me (NICE is carbon/fiberglass composite) but I feel the design is better in nearly every way. Even the new SPEAR contract they won was with a Berry compliant guide lite and not a NICE.
While I would prefer to buy US made stuff I'd have to say at this point I would probably buy a Guide Lite over a Kifaru frame if I needed a hauler, for my body type I think it was a better fit. I'll be curious to see if the SPEAR frame is sold separately or replaces the NICE at all.
Which is one reason why I have a Pintler on the way! I hope it is as good to me as yours has been for you. I did notice on the new model it looks like MR put a couple of compression straps across the lid.Based on the use of 4 MR packs over the years, safe to call me an enthusiastic MR customer. I don't adore everything they make, but what I've bought has been outstanding for my needs. Plus I've never had to order and wait on one to be built. I was lucky enough to land one of the very few Guide Light frame packs (a Pintler) that were available last year. Not exactly cheap at $475 but didn't require any extra bags, pouches, or options to be hunt-ready. I didn't even have time to break it in before my hunt, but I sure broke it in after killing a moose and packing 100% of it alone in the Pintler. No pack has ever carried better for me with heavy meat loads, and I didn't develop a single hotspot. I can't say the same for other more expensive packs I've used in the past. I really think MR got it right with the new Guide Light frame. Simple, light and very strong yet comfortable.
Which is one reason why I have a Pintler on the way! I hope it is as good to me as yours has been for you. I did notice on the new model it looks like MR put a couple of compression straps across the lid.