Testing the 2018 Stone Glacier EVO Frame & 40/56 bag

[Hunter Sargent]

I guess I would say picture a 60 pound tube sand bag. Maybe 24 inches tall, cylindrical about 9 or 10 inches in diameter. I use this as a litmus test of sorts. Not super heavy, but solid and shaped. When I drop that into the load sling and tighten up the side compression straps, the frame simply folds back around it. This tips the frame stays outward and pushes the torso pads "forward".

Certainly ,i am able to avoid this with camp gear and hunting equipment but a solid load of meat has the same effect. Pack it in a "vertical column" tight to the back and the frame wraps around it. Not to the extent of sand, and other items can be packed around it to mitigate a little but it still barrels. I also noticed it when packing the head and cape.from my bull this year. The straps needed to be as tight as possible and the top of the frame was pretty distorted when tightened down around the skull.

Vertically the stays are super but without horizontal stays of some sort, the x pattern basically makes a hinge in the middle. I added carbon arrow cross stays to my kifaru frame as there are plenty of webbing loops to rig then in (similar to the old bikini frame mods)

The frame sheet in a standard duplex frame is stiff enough to.counter the barreling but the SG frame and the kifaru ultralight (with arrow stays) do not have a robust enough frame sheet.

I think I get what you are saying. Though I could only see that happening on a really narrow and tall bag of meat. I packed out a big bag of boned out elk in mine this year and didn't get that effect at all. I also do my training hikes with a bag of tube sand and haven't experienced barreling. It may be because I just put them in the main bag instead of using the load shelf. Next training hike I'll try using the load shelf to see what that does. Happy hunting!

 

[mt100gr.]

Agreed that a flatter load is optimum. And honestly, I notice it a lot more with training weight. (Tube sand with no extra items to arrange )

The best load out, and for obvious reasons, was when I was able to use an extra SG load cell bag. Clearly this fits the frame well and flattens the load while distributing the weight across the entire frame. If they even had load cell bags in stock I'd buy a couple and not look back. I most often just use a conventional dry sack and then fold it tightly in a tube shape to go on the pack. Something that holds a flatter shape and covers the frame works much better.

I only brought this up as I was curious about the newest version and had read of other instances where guys had experienced what I have seen. I was hoping a horizontal stay system may have been an advancement on the Evo.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Just use the flat sand/concrete bags (wrap in duct tape for durability) for a better fitting training weight. Also I think you hit the nail on the head for boned out meat, use a game bag or load bag that structures the shape better.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I guess I would say picture a 60 pound tube sand bag. Maybe 24 inches tall, cylindrical about 9 or 10 inches in diameter. I use this as a litmus test of sorts. Not super heavy, but solid and shaped. When I drop that into the load sling and tighten up the side compression straps, the frame simply folds back around it. This tips the frame stays outward and pushes the torso pads "forward".

Certainly ,i am able to avoid this with camp gear and hunting equipment but a solid load of meat has the same effect. Pack it in a "vertical column" tight to the back and the frame wraps around it. Not to the extent of sand, and other items can be packed around it to mitigate a little but it still barrels. I also noticed it when packing the head and cape.from my bull this year. The straps needed to be as tight as possible and the top of the frame was pretty distorted when tightened down around the skull.

Vertically the stays are super but without horizontal stays of some sort, the x pattern basically makes a hinge in the middle. I added carbon arrow cross stays to my kifaru frame as there are plenty of webbing loops to rig then in (similar to the old bikini frame mods)

The frame sheet in a standard duplex frame is stiff enough to.counter the barreling but the SG frame and the kifaru ultralight (with arrow stays) do not have a robust enough frame sheet.

I see you’re saying, and I guess I’ve never had anything that small in diameter position like that on my pack. Their load cell bags work very well for keeping the shape that you need to fit their packs, the pictures on their website are good representation of it. If I boned out my game meat, that would be how I would pack it for sure. Here’s a couple pictures of a mountain goat hide, packed in the load cell bag, on the load shelf, using a Krux frame. It works as advertised and doesn’t seem to distort the frame.

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[Josh Boyd]

Tagging along.

Can you post some pictures of the 40/56 bag and the way the side zip works and the spotter pocket? As others have mentioned, I'm also curious about the durability of the Evo frame compared to the X-Curve. What are your initial impressions about the weight saving of the frame? Does it come at the cost of potentially sacrificing ANY comfort/load hauling capability/durability? And other than the sewn in triglides in the bag for the hydration bladder sleeve, how many other sewn in loops are there for camp pockets/swing out pockets?


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MuleDeerMike,

I'll get some quality shot of the pack and bag soon. until then here are a couple of quick shot of the spotter pocket. For reference the scope is an angled 65mm Leica.

 

[Josh Boyd]

Josh, has SG addressed the issue of frame "barreling" at all? Or does it still roll up like a map with less than ideally shaped loads? I absolutely love my xcurve frame for the backpacking part of my hunting but more than a few times have cussed it trying to arrange the heavy stuff. Whether a sand bag for training, a bag of meat, an elk head and cape, or a.deer quarter, if you cinch down anything but a flat package, it rolls.

Granted, the Kifaru ultralight platform suffers the same fate without DIY cross stays.

Just curiuos, as that is the only issue I have had.

When I used the original Krux I experienced a slight barreling effect when I had two elk quarters strapped in under high tension. It really didn't bother me once it was on my back. I'll see if I can replicate the load with this new frame .

-Josh

 

[mt100gr.]

I see you’re saying, and I guess I’ve never had anything that small in diameter position like that on my pack. Their load cell bags work very well for keeping the shape that you need to fit their packs, the pictures on their website are good representation of it. If I boned out my game meat, that would be how I would pack it for sure. Here’s a couple pictures of a mountain goat hide, packed in the load cell bag, on the load shelf, using a Krux frame. It works as advertised and doesn’t seem to distort the frame.

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AK - nice goat and nice pics. That load actually shows what I am referring to. When strapped tightly, the tops of the frame stays turn inward, around the load. This pitches the load lifters out and the shoulder straps spread further.

Perhaps, something in my physical build makes this more obvious to me. Again, the load you have on isn't an extreme example, like with a sand bag, but the shape of the torso pads on your pack loaded that way would register in the comfort department for me personally. It's bearable and can be adjusted for comfort when I end up with a load like that but it's noticeable. That said, I'd be grinning to carry that goat off the mountain

 

[AK Troutbum]

I see exactly what your saying and it does look like it starts to barrel up a little, but I think the photos may exaggerate it a bit. At least it wasn't at all noticeable when I packed it out. Maybe when I put the pack on my back and tightened everything up it flattened back out, I don't know for sure, all I know is that it always carried very well for me. I wish I had some better pictures, I'll try and dig a few more up from different hunts.

 

[Cant hit em]

Train to hunt with Krux , no issues

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[bmart2622]

I feel like my XCurve may barrel like that some with a load but I dont notice it when I wear it though. My hunter Duplex does it some as well but again dont notice it when I wear it.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Testing the 2018 Stone Glacier EVO Frame & 40/56 bag

I have several other photos of both the Krux and Xcurve frames under load with different game species but I don’t know if they show the frames well enough, also I don’t want to distract from the original post testing out the EVO frame. I have no experience with the new EVO frame, so probably good for me just to sit back and read about how this frame performs. I look forward to your further reviews Josh.


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[MT_Wyatt]

I’d echo the distortion comments some are bringing up - the SG dry bag really helps a lot with this, but it really was possible with the Krux frame (I’ve found much less so with the x-curve). I’ve had it happen with the kifaru meat baggie with a mule deer and sand, but if I take care in how I pack I haven’t had a problem avoiding it. I think in general it’s a bit of a give and take - too much stiffness and the pack won’t move with you (ie it’s a board on your back) and too little stiffness folds/rolls.

Bottom line is it’s an ultralight frame, and it takes a bit more user awareness than a heavier frame with robust frame sheet. For me, I’ll take that weight savings all day every day and pack accordingly. But I TOTALLY get the comment, especially with tube sand.

Example: not the end of the world but I did notice it a couple hours into this pack out with the Krux, entire boned muley:

With the x-curve and using the SG dry bag, couple deer quarters and totally flat:

Elk rear quarter and loose meat with the x-curve - a little tougher to see since it isn’t profile, but in this instance the frame wanted to wrap a bit around that ham, which I adjusted the load/compression to prevent. Again that load cell bag from SG was nice to have.

I really need a sweet goat pack out photo like troutbum, very nice!


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[MT_Wyatt]

I have several other photos of both the Krux and Xcurve frames under load with different game species but I don’t know if they show the frames well enough, also I don’t want to distract from the original post testing out the EVO frame. I have no experience with the new EVO frame, so probably good for me just to sit back and read about how this frame performs. I look forward to your further reviews Josh.


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Yeah I just did that
Sorry Josh & All - looking forward to the review!


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[mt100gr.]

Agreed on the above. No derail / distraction intended. Josh, you have a captive audience!

 

[fngTony]

Really curious if the belt feels the same as the xcurve and is the lumbar pad adjustable or different in anyway? At the end of your test I would to know if at any weight does the evo start to pale in comparison to the other sg frames?

The bag looks to be lacking access points other than the scope pocket. I know it’s a minimalist design, curious to see if you find it too minimalist.

 

[MuleDeerMike]

MuleDeerMike,

I'll get some quality shot of the pack and bag soon. until then here are a couple of quick shot of the spotter pocket. For reference the scope is an angled 65mm Leica.

I think it's probably my phone, but there are no photos attached in your post. Can you try again or a PM? I appreciate it.

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[fngTony]

I think it's probably my phone, but there are no photos attached in your post. Can you try again or a PM? I appreciate it.

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I don’t see any either

 

[Josh Boyd]

I think it's probably my phone, but there are no photos attached in your post. Can you try again or a PM? I appreciate it.

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It may be an issue with taptalk. I can't see them on my phone but I can on my PC. I'll look into it. thanks for the heads up.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

I ended up buying an EVO frame, took a 60lb 3mi hike yesterday, overall favorable. I need to tweak the fit a bit more for myself (strap position and also lumbar pushing a tad more on one side of my back than the other) but belt is solid on my body.

 

[MuleDeerMike]

I ended up buying an EVO frame, took a 60lb 3mi hike yesterday, overall favorable. I need to tweak the fit a bit more for myself (strap position and also lumbar pushing a tad more on one side of my back than the other) but belt is solid on my body.

Did you have an X-Curve before? If not then do you have any frame you can compare it to?

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