Stone Glacier and Kifaru

[couesbitten]

I pulled something watching.

Eeeew, not a pretty image! Anybody else need the brain bleach? LOL

 

[luke moffat]

That's how pretty much everyone in the military(infantry) puts on a pack, be it 20 pounds or 150. Great vid Matt.

Not this guy....anything over 100 pounds I'm starting sitting down struggle over to a fours and stand up from there...no way my T-rex arms could do that

 

[crumy]

Not this guy....anything over 100 pounds I'm starting sitting down struggle over to a fours and stand up from there...no way my T-rex arms could do that

I agree. If I can't row to all fours with it, then I ain't walking with it.

 

[HellsCanyon]

Great video Matt! Not so easy to keep up a conversation with a camera with 110 lbs on your back is it?! I know that I HATE talking while ruck'n around with heavy loads... seems like it's the opposite with my hunting partner, so consider yourself warned! lol

Mike

 

[bigfish b.c]

cant see vid for some reason.

 

[Matt Cashell]

cant see vid for some reason.

Try the link, bigfish.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Roksliders,

That will be the end of the bending/twisting tests. I am pretty much stoved up like a 90 year-old man today.

 

[fillthefreezer]

makes me feel better, i was thinking you were a total stud as theres no way i could not tip over backwards

 

[Hardstalk]

Hay BB,
Whats next (after soreness is gone) as far as tests?

 

[Manosteel]

Great videos. Helped me finalize my decision. It’s hard to make a decision on something as important as a pack, when the best ones are made to order and aren't readily available to test. Your videos and the others I have seen on these pack are extremely valuable to those of us who can't try before we buy.

 

[stephen b]

Roksliders,

That will be the end of the bending/twisting tests. I am pretty much stoved up like a 90 year-old man today.

Yeah- those back bends, twisting bends, and the quick twisting motions of the lumbar spine with 100+ lbs. on your back made me cringe- esp. as those quick twisting motions is a recipe for tearing a disc. If I was your Chiropractor, I would recommend that you do not try those anymore.

 

[Snyd]

Well it looks like they are both great packs. Probably just a matter of personal preference. I guess time will tell how well the SG holds up. I suppose that might be true for the Bikini frame as well but it's based on an existing design. Also, Kifaru has the advantage of having a longstanding company behind their products. But man, that SG is appealing.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Yeah- those back bends, twisting bends, and the quick twisting motions of the lumbar spine with 100+ lbs. on your back made me cringe- esp. as those quick twisting motions is a recipe for tearing a disc. If I was your Chiropractor, I would recommend that you do not try those anymore.

Yeah, it seems downright stupid today. That stuff came from Roksliders' PMs asking if I would do something like that. I now firmly believe those requests were made with bad intentions.

I am normally diligent about making my scheduled workouts, but I skipped yesterday and today.

Hay BB,
Whats next (after soreness is gone) as far as tests?

Just some durability testing. Then the final article.

 

[ctdad]

Manosteel, what pack did you decide to buy after watching the video?

 

[bigfish b.c]

Try the link, bigfish.

thanks that worked

 

[Manosteel]

Manosteel, what pack did you decide to buy after watching the video?

I decided to go with the
DT1 Bag in Highlander w/ Standard Lid
Bikini Platform Frame Black Standard
26" stays
Grab-it Highlander
Grab It Lash Kit – Highlander
2 Medium pockets -

5'10”
185 lbs
32" waist & 32" inseam

I included the measurements since that is what Kifaru needs when filling your order.

Why did I go with that combo? Well I looked at my needs, how and what I hunt.
I need a pack that is durable, light, comfortable and can haul big animals. The pack will be used on sheep, moose and elk mountain hunts 5-6 days long, with weekend banzi trips if I get zeroed on the main trips. I typically debone the animal but I also quarter with bone-in depending on circumstances (i.e. time to darkness and distance from truck)

I am tinkering with the idea of bivy type hunting with a tarp or my MSR 1 man Hubba tent which would mean I will be keeping my camp on my back. Otherwise I will be setting up a spike camp and hunting from their which will require my pack to compress into a day pack. I need a pack that can do either.

I have a type "A" personality, meaning I plan, plan some more, prepare and prepare some more, and want my stuff organized, so pockets would be nice.

I currently own the badlands 2200 and a frame back (can’t remember brand but noisy and uncomfortable under load) nearly killed my lower back hauling the moose in the attached pic last year (that was only 2 miles with good trials, also attached what else I hauled out of the bush this past season) and I have used my buddies badlands 4500 (nice but weights in just a hair under 9lbs, empty, heavy considering what’s out their) and you can feel every lb of a heavy load.

Here is what I was looking for in a pack;
(1) comfort
(2) light weight
(3) load hauling capacity (100lbs+) I pack moose and elk quarters (deboned and bone in) every year with trimmings in each load.
(4) Durability (got to be tough and last – I want this pack to last so willing to Pay $$)
(5) Collapse down for use as a daypack
(6) Quite, but will compromise here to save on total weight
(7) Easy of cleaning
(8) External pockets would be nice but not a must. I like to use a water-bladder, and like a separate pocket for that. I will be carrying a spotting scope with tripod so side pockets are a plus.

Because we can’t try on the packs that meet the minimum requirements of my needs, I rely heavily on the opinions/reviews of those that I can verify as being experienced backcountry hunters (I mean as much as you can on the inter-web , nothing scarier then taking medical, legal or love advise from a 12 year old behind a computer screen) I also place a lot of weight on videos of the packs I am interested in, both in basic reviews and on actual use.

This is where the Kifaru packs really shine, there are a lot of videos out to watch how the packs perform and look. The fact that Kifaru is a long time pack maker and has, based on my research, folks working internally who are dedicated to the outdoors, using what they make, really stood out.

The Stone Glacier met most of my needs/wants but, at least on paper/video/inter-web, Kifaru packs meet all my needs/wants.

BB videos were excellent, real world, reviews which also demonstrated what each pack looked like as most of us would use it. Aron’s videos were also excellent in reviewing the specs, details of Kifaru packs and their durability. Kurts vidoes we ok, but I would have liked more which demonstrate the SG durability and how it performs outside, even how it packs gear typically taken on a hunt.



The stone glacier would easily be my second choice if I could not get the bikini DT1 pack for some odd reason. I have already placed my order today and the only down side with Kifaru is the delivery date of the packs. I may not have it for my mid-may bear hunting trip.

The following are some pics of what kind of animals I packed out this past season and hope to be packing out again in the future.
Here is the moose that almost broke my back

The Elk I arrowed a week earlier

A whitetail I got in late October - sorry about the pic, when hunting that day I took a fall on to a stump, luckily my camera broke my fall, all I had when I got back to the truck was a disposable camera I found in the glove compartment, had to be at least 10 yrs old, I had the film developed and I scanned the pic

where I hunt and will be using the pack

 

[Manosteel]

Sorry for the long winded explanation of my pack choice, but I wanted to illustrate my thinking behind my decision. I was also asked before the site switched servers and we lost some posts to provide an explanation on pack choice

 

[stephen b]

Matt-

Great videos and work that you have put into this- thanks.

Out of curiosity- did you, or will you get to, test out the Bikini frame and the bag with the Kifaru meat shelf and using the bag as a compression panel? I would like to hear your thoughts as to how that combo works when compared to the use of the SG when used in the same manner. Seems like that would be a good comparative test for guys that would use it in that manner. Especially since that is a main attribute of the SG pack and would maybe be how guys would want to use the 4800 ci Highlander bag/ Bikini frame also.

Thanks

 

[Matt Cashell]

stephen,

I expect Kifaru to send me the meat shelf, and will do that when it arrives. I like the idea of the Gen 2 meat bag as well.

Great pics, manosteel.

 

[ohhiitznik]

I'll also have more to add to this. As my buddy is purchasing a terminus and I'll be rolling with the Bikini. We'll trade packs for training hikes and we'll trade for a packout so we can each packout with both packs to get a feel for them. Should be interesting to have them go head to head in the field. I'm sure both will perform great!