Need a new pack please help me kuiu or exo

[RockSlinger671]

Packs are tough to advise on, if you can, I’d try them out loaded to determine which pack to go with versus finding out on the mountain. The Exo may be more comfortable and is worth the extra weight/price or the Kuiu Pack feels/fits better. Also weighing the packs yourself, some companies weights are off, this is something I’ve run into universally.

 

[ghostrider272]

Have both the K3 and Pro from both manufacturers. They both fit well and it’s really a coin flip for me which one goes out. Let your back be the deciding factor.

 

[tdhanses]

I had a Exo K3 with 4800 and it was a good setup but not exactly the best I’d say. Haven’t tried the latest gen Kuiu but I’d give both a try if you can.

 

[bracer40]

I own both. Bought the kuiu used a few years back. Was great for packing multiple elk. Once even a half elk for one trip…Will never do that again! Bought a new exo this winter and have been carrying 35#s for training hikes. It’s far more comfortable than my Kuiu ever was for the same training loads! Can’t wait to load it with quarters this Fall!

 

[slingnlead]

I wish there was a place that sold them all, fairly hard to test them out unless you know folks with each.

 

[Kurts86]

I had a Kuiu Ultra for a season before I sold it and got an Exo K2 3500 which I’ve used ever since.

The Kuiu waist belt did not fit my hips well and the bag started falling apart after 1 machine washing. It always felt like the Kuiu carbon frame was too stiff especially with the ultra light padding. I bought the Kuiu to be as light as possible but I found that saving 1lb in waist belt and shoulder padding was a bad place to do it.

For me Exo is the Goldilocks of just what I need in a pack without needlessly sacrificing a lot for a little weight. The Exo sat nicely between my older Mystery Ranch Nice frame (overbuilt) and the Kuiu ultra (underbuilt).

 

[nobody]

After swapping gear and weapons and packs and boots and optics for the last few years, I've come to the conclusion that there are 4 pieces of gear that you can't skimp on:

1. Boots
2. Binos
3. Weapon System
4. Pack

These are the ONLY 4 items that, if they fail, can realistically end your hunt prematurely. You can do without a spotting scope, or the latest pattern from Kuiu or First Lite, but a low quality pair of boots or pack is murderous and WILL send you home early.

That being said, buying quality and what works is very different from spending money just to spend it. Every piece of gear has a point of diminishing return, where more money spent no longer equates to any type of true performance increase. In the case of packs, by the time you hit the tier of Kuiu, Mystery Ranch, Blacks Creek, Exo, Stone Glacier, ETC., what you're paying for is the proper fitment. All of these packs will do absolutely EVERYTHING you'd ever need a pack to do, what matters is how it fits. Yes, there's things like country of origin to consider, but really you're splitting hairs on true performance when you hit these packs.

At the end of the day, what you need to buy is what fits best. I ran a Stone Glacier X-Curve frame a couple years ago, and as nice as it was, I never could get it to fit me just right. It always rode funny and pinched and pulled. It never fit me, and no matter what I did to it, I couldn't get it to fit right. So, even though it was $650 all in, that didn't matter because it didn't work for me. I'm sub $400 into my Mystery Ranch Metcalf, and for me, it's a superior pack. Not because it's higher quality, but because it fits me better. My buddy runs an Exo K4800, and it's a GREAT pack! He loves it. Before he bought it, he tried my Metcalf and it didn't fit him very well no matter what he did, so he bought the Exo. I tried his Exo and it fit me ok, but not as good as the Metcalf does. Does that mean that I think the Exo is a piece of crap? NO!!! But it doesn't work for me!

My advice is to make friends with guys who have these packs, or at least frequent your local gun shops enough that you'll meet some acquaintances who will at least let you try them on. That way, you don't take a few hundred dollar bath potentially. I know it's a long, convoluted answer to the OP's question, but having experienced all of this I'm just trying to appropriately illustrate it.

 

[Supranatural]

I ordered both the newer Kuiu backpack Pro 3600, and the EXO K3 3200. I tested both to the limit of the return period. Wife and I went on mountain hikes with 50-60 lb in the pack, around the block walks, we would trade off the packs (and switch the weights to the pack I was wearing). They were very close in terms of comfort for me, I was the limiting factor as I am new to this and have my first elk hunt coming this year in the fall in Idaho. Each time I switched off I’d think I’d found a winner. In the end the EXO won out just barely. I do like the strength of the Ti frame on the EXO, that was a selling point for me (although I have nothing against the CF frame on the KUIU). I would have saved money if I’d went with the KUIU but that wasn’t the point for me. For me I don’t think I could have gone wrong with either one. That said I love my EXO K3.

 

[PatrickW]

Excellent choice.

 

[AOberti]

I have had a Kuiu and now on my 3rd Exo. There is no comparison what so ever, especially with a heavy load. I hike well over 300 miles a year between hunting and hiking events....the Exo is on another level!

 

[*zap*]

stone glacier....

 

[WRM]

load them both up with 75lbs+ and see which one feels better

This is the most important issue, IMO. And, really, get it closer to 100. Most any pack can be adjusted to ride pretty well at 50-60. But, 100 separates the herd.

Never mind, you picked the "right " one.

 

[ForlohFamily]

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[UpTop]

Late reply to this thread. BUT I couldn’t help
But notice most the folks commenting against the kuiu are basing their opinion on the older version against their newer pack. Could be a difference maker. I’ve been watching review videos with multiple packs involved and the kuiu seems to ALWAYS make the final cuts.