Any issues with the Seek Outside gatekeeper buckles? Also how easy is it to separate the pack bag from the frame for hauling a load on the load shelf?
Thanks
i'm sure he'll answer, but my experience with gate keepers is they are plenty strong, just make sure they are closed all the way before you cinch things down and apply a lot of pressure to them.... i have not had one break besides not closing it (thinking i had) and they will break, but they are fine.... they are also light enough to carry extra.
the meat shelf is well designed, you can adjust the height to balance your load well, and it works well, but for sure familiarize yourself with it before taking it into the woods.... standing over a dead bull is not a good time to learn how the load shelf works.
if the SO frame fits you well, the SO packs are great, there are no big design flaws or weak points on their pack, they are a well designed, reliable pack system, and i would argue the most adjustable frame out there.... they are so adjustable i will revisit them in the near future, because i do think my issues with their pack system could have been user error..... i want one of their integrated packs, because with the materials they use, they are well suited for loading meat into the bag (very easy to clean and keep the mess concentrated)
i'm one of the only people i have heard not finding the frame comfortable with a really heavy load, most seem to prefer their load hauling ability over most packs, which is another reason i feel it could have been user error..... i liked everything about the peregrine besides how it carried a load over 80#.... the year i had that pack i helped pack 2 bulls with it (packed my own that year with my EXO) and packed out 3 whole bucks quartered bone in.... my wife's buck that year was 76# when i got home, it was fine.... my sis in law's buck was similar pack weight, mine was 92# (packing more stuff that day starting heavier as well as a bigger bodied deer) that was also a long pack around 4.2 miles and that was worse than it should have been.... my other sis in law killed a nice buck a few days later on the other side of the same ridge, so basically the same route as my buck, and heavy, and it was pretty easy with my EXO...... this year my pack weight with my buck and gear was 103# minus the weight of my rifle and pistol, and just shy of 5 miles with my kifaru, and it was pretty uneventful in the suffer department..... all of this makes me think i just never got the SO frame dialed in for me, and plan on getting another..... would be about perfect for blacktail hunting here on the coast, and i think they are the best bang for your buck as well.