Need some help with pack advice from the Kifaru pros!

[aclawrence]

Hey guys, I have saved up my Christmas and B-Day money and am ready to make a purchase. I live in Alabama and will be using my pack mostly for hiking trips and hopefully getting deeper in some public land hunting grounds. I'm also dreaming of chasing mule deer or elk hopefully in 2 or 3 years. I live close to some national forest land and some TVA land that has a special short hunting season. The reason I haven't pursued hunting these places is because I have not had a way to carry in a stand and definitely do not want to drag a deer for two miles through the forest. Another deciding factor in my Frame choice may be my height. I am only 5'4" tall. I was assuming I would need the 22" frame but I spoke to a guy at Kifaru and he was recommending I get the 24" frame based on the bag choices I was looking at. Of course I value his opinion but I think he was recommending the frame based on the bag instead of my size. I'm just looking for some additional input from any of you that could weigh in here.
Right now I have been leaning towards the Tahr or the Cargo Panel. He did say they cargo would work on the 22" frame. Are there any vertically challenged guys my size running 24" frames or anyone running a Tahr on a 22" frame. All advice is welcome. Thanks from a newbie here.

I did pack out a deer in my ULA catalyst this year in Illinois and it was fun breaking down the animal in the woods and packing it out. My ULA is definitely not made for that though. I'm very attracted to this style of hunting and want to get a real pack that will enable me to do so.

 

[Xtreme007]

I'm not even close to a Kifaru pro since I'm pretty new to them. However I was like you a while back trying to decide on best pack for my hunting style. I mostly bow hunt KY and OH each year but planning my first diy elk hunt this year. I wanted to ba able to pack my stand and sticks with pack plus have option to pack out meat if needed. I went with the new kifaru UL frame 26" and cargo panel. I added some pocket to cp for gear and extras. Love the setup so far. Easy to pack stand with it or even bags of corn for trail camera. When I go Colorado I'm just going a add the Kifaru camp bag for my gear.

I would go with the 24" frame out of the 2
You may want to consider the 26" frame for more lift

 

[gelton]

If you plan on chasing mule deer and elk and will use it for more than just day hunts you will definitely want the longer stays. Longer stays = more lift from your load lifters. Short stays and you take away one of the things that makes Kifaru packs stand out - lift. If setup correctly you will be able to shift most of the weight to you hips whereas if the stays are too short you might have some problems.

 

[dunner543]

Definitely go with the 24" frame. It'll give you some extra area to secure and stabilize your stand plus, like Kifaru said, the bags will fit better on it. The only thing you really change is how much the frame will stick up above your shoulders. It can be a pain if its too tall and you're busting brush but if you have a tree stand strapped to it I bet that will be higher than the fame anyway. Also, the extra 2 inches will allow you to maintain the correct load lift if you are hauling a heavy load out. I'm only 5'9" but still got the 26" for these reasons. Plenty of short guys/gals still run the 26 inch frames.

 

[Phillip Hathaway]

I am 5'2 ish and run the 24 frame and do like the more lift out of the pack compared to a 22. The reason is the bigger packs just look plain goofy on the 22 frame. You will thank us all later for the extra 2 inches if you do choose to go out west sometime.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

Your height will give you a general idea of what frame is best, but torso length will be more accurate. If you don't know your torso length, your inseam might give us a ballpark idea as well. You could have a long torso and short legs, or the reverse, which could change things.

That said, I'm just guessing but you would probably like the extra lift from the 24" frame over the 22", but the 26" might be overkill for you, especially if you hunt in thick cover, ducking through alders, etc. I'm 5'7" and get a couple inches of lift from my 24" frame, and it's a good compromise for me.

 

[Becca]

You won't have any trouble going with the taller frame, but may not get adequate lift if you go shorter. I am 5'3, but have 26" stays in most of my packs because we like having the option for my husband or other hunting partners to be able to use the packs depending on the situation. I have had zero issues running the longer stays, and always have the option for more lift so that's nice too.

 

[aclawrence]

Awesome this is good news. I guess what I was unsure of is how adjustable are the packs. If Becca and her husband are using the same pack there must be a fair amount of adjustment. So what I'm gathering from this is when I enter my measurements on the Kifaru website they build the frame to fit me regardless what stay size I choose. I will be glad to move up to the 24" so my options want be quiet as limited. Thanks guys. I plan to place my order this afternoon. Just need to finish choosing which frame and kinds of stays. Feel free to keep sharing.

 

[Becca]

Awesome this is good news. I guess what I was unsure of is how adjustable are the packs. If Becca and her husband are using the same pack there must be a fair amount of adjustment. So what I'm gathering from this is when I enter my measurements on the Kifaru website they build the frame to fit me regardless what stay size I choose. I will be glad to move up to the 24" so my options want be quiet as limited. Thanks guys. I plan to place my order this afternoon. Just need to finish choosing which frame and kinds of stays. Feel free to keep sharing.

The limiting factor on adjustments has a lot more to do with waist belt size than the taller stays. Luke and I are able to share packs because we both run a small belt. Obviously 26" stays are overkill for me, but we have never had issue getting a good fit height wise...I just end up with way more lift than necessary. If we couldn't use the same size waist belt it would be a deal breaker.

 

[dunner543]

So what I'm gathering from this is when I enter my measurements on the Kifaru website they build the frame to fit me regardless what stay size I choose.

Kind of. They're really just asking for that info so they can adjust the frame to be close to a good fit for you without you being there. Doesn't really change anything that can't be adjusted to fit someone else.

 

[aclawrence]

Do the shoulder straps use Velcro to adjust?

 

[Phillip Hathaway]

Do the shoulder straps use Velcro to adjust?

No they do not they use what is called 3 bar sliders. When you order the frame it will ask for measurements this is how the frame will start to fit you. Nothing besides holding the padding together and holding the lumbar to the pack is velcro. If that makes sense.

 

[yardwork]

Do the shoulder straps use Velcro to adjust?

Sort of, search on Youtube for Kifarutube and find the video with Patrick Smith showing how to adjust the shoulder straps. They have webbing and some three-bar sliders tucked under there that lock everything into place. That said, you enter your height and Kifaru's guy will set the pack for you and I haven't heard many say they weren't able to take it out of the box and start wearing it with no issues.

 

[aclawrence]

Cool, I found the videos on youtube. On my ULA the shoulder straps are fixed and the hipbelt adjust up and down. I hate it that way because when I set it to fit me the bag is hanging below the hipbelt and hitting me in the butt. Thanks for all the help everyone. I'm looking forward to packing out some animals this coming season!