Question about the 26" Kifaru frame

[Steeliedrew]

I'm going to be ordering up a Kifaru pack with the Hunter frame soon. Unsure of which bag at the moment but I'm 5'11" and need this pack to be comfortable with heavy loads of 100+lbs so I plan on going with the 26" frame so I can gain maximum benefit of the load lifters.

Ideally I'd like to have a 24" frame for local day hunts and use the 26" frame for extended back country trips. However, this year I can only afford the one frame and bag so I figure the 26" will cover all the bases for me. My question though is this:

Those of you with the 26" frame...when running your pack compressed in day pack mode does it ever bother you having the 26" frame stays sticking up as much as they do behind your head?

Drew

 

[dotman]

Doesn't bother me at all but some people are picky about that kind of thing and I'm not.

 

[mrbillbrown]

Same here. Been training/using my 26" frame 4+ times a week for a couple of years and never had a problem.

 

[TxTrapper]

Eight years and it hasn't bothered me at all.....
Get the 26". My bet is you'll end up spending money on something other than a 24" frame....

 

[bates]

my 26 really doesn't sit up that tall, especially on the days hunts where you don't have the bag full and keep the height short and not over the stays.

you will be happy

 

[AdamW]

Only going off the couple months experience I have with my one Kifaru pack, but being only 1" taller than you, I don't think you will have any issue with the 26" frame feeling too high.

 

[Shrek]

Two inches of height will not be noticed once but if you run out of lift under a load you'll more than just notice it. I spent time in the jungles of north Idaho last fall and I never noticed my pack to especially hang on things but of all the things that were killing me after the pack out my shoulders weren't one of them. The width is more of a pia to me than height. If the pack sticks out past your shoulders much you will miss judge clearance all the time and bump trees with the pack and upset your balance. I don't usually fall when that happens but I've got to catch myself. If you pack your bag so that it gets up tall as the top of your head you will constantly miss judge ducking under things and hang up but it's not the frame but the bag. Frame stays are pretty close to the body and don't catch much for me when the bag is compressed.

 

[cody6510]

I run my 26" in day pack mode quite a bit. It's never even been an issue that's crossed my mind.

 

[Steeliedrew]

Excellent responses everyone. My mind is made up for sure then. 26" frame it is. Anyone have pics of their larger Kifaru packs in day pack mode? I'm looking into the DT1, DT2, AMR, Mountain Warrior, and the Markhor. Lots of things to weigh out but I'm thinking either one of the Timberlines is best for me.

 

[Shrek]

I had a DT1 and now have an AMR. The AMR is too big for all but the longest trips. I'll have another DT1 or Argali by the time I leave to go elk hunting again. DT1 is about perfect for a do everything bag combined with a Guide Lid.

 

[BroodBuster]

The only issue's I've ever had with "head" clearance is a hoody can get bunched up back there and that's pretty darn annoying. So for hunting/hiking gear I only buy jackets that either have a removable hood or ones you can tuck away in the collar. Which is sort of too bad as I have a pretty impressive array of hoodie's. And as Shrek noted it can be pretty tough to judge just how low you have to go when crawling under deadfall and whatnot. And I also agree that I'd much rather have a tall pack then a wide pack. Especially here in the NW rainforests.

But both of those things are issue's with any pack regardless of stay length.

 

[ridgefire]

No pics but I have the dt2 and use it mainly as a day pack for elk. It has enough room where i could go for a week and not have anything strapped to the outside. I have been real happy with this setup.

 

[mrbillbrown]

Here's a pic of my AMR with guide lid in day mode. Crappy pic but it's all I've got on my phone right now. Can take more if you'd like.

 

[mrbillbrown]

Look passed the medium belt pouch on the very bottom. Just a little something I was playing with.

 

[Grumman]

I'm 5' 10" and was debating the same thing. I currently run a 24" Duplex but have a 26" Hunting Duplex on order with an EMR II bag. It's supposed to ship next week, can't wait to get it Benefits I read from other posts was that the 26" is nice for extra lift on heavy loads and may be easier to resale down the road as more people want the 26" now. The Kifaru rep recommended the 26" for me also.

 

[Steeliedrew]

Nice pack mrbillbrown!

Thanks for posting that pic.

 

[COlineman78]

I had a DT1 and now have an AMR. The AMR is too big for all but the longest trips. I'll have another DT1 or Argali by the time I leave to go elk hunting again. DT1 is about perfect for a do everything bag combined with a Guide Lid.

He's alive! Was just thinking that I hadn't seen you post in a while.

If I were to go back down to that size I would probably go with the Argali with side pockets because I found the sewn-in side pockets on the DT1 a little wasteful because the bottom 3" or so is tapered too much to get much useful volume out of it. I like the extra volume for my summer backpacking trips where I bring both the kitchen sink, so it's unlikely that I'll go back down. If I were able to cut some bulk out of my gear it might be possible though.

 

[BroodBuster]

I used my T1 in daypack mode for a couple of years but added a dedicated daypack in an Exo3500 last year. The T1 compresses well but I was constantly battling keeping the straps tucked away and quite.

The T1 bag is huge and easily works for seven days. It sounds like the AMR is even bigger which I have a hard time comprehending. But when starting on a family of backpacks I highly recommend starting with volume and adding a smaller bag later.

Happy shopping!

 

[BroodBuster]

I forgot to mention I've got 45 lbs of kitty litter in mine now all buttoned up in daypack mode. I'll post some pics when it's light out tomorrow.

 

[tttoadman]

Get out your head. Buy a 26" frame and be done with it. Take the extra money and go hunt somewhere.