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

[Pierrebuiltknives]

That is something I've never encountered. Makes me wonder if something was set up incorrectly.

You have a straight back?

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

I felt the poles once when I was still adjusting things (and might have had the load strapped in a way causing the frame to barrel a bit) but haven't noticed it since when toting a 60lb concrete sack around on some hikes. I need to crank up the weight here shortly and see how it goes but it fits me fine as far as I can tell.

 

[Josh Boyd]

You have a straight back?

My back is curved. I just wonder if the stays were inserted upside down or rotated in some manner. It's hard to know for sure without knowing the details.

 

[KingOfTheRockies]

Has anyone had a issue with the overlapped cross pole digging into their back. I owned on for 30mins and could not take it.

I ordered the evo 40/56 and had this same issue but once I played with the pack with 50 lbs sand bag in it and adjusted things like the shoulder straps and the lumbar pad to fit me, as well as adjusting the meat shelf to shift the position of the sandbag, I was able to make that go away and not come back consistently when loading/unloading weight multiple times.

I did end up returning the SG 40/56 bag because the krux evo frame just does not feel as good as my kifaru hunter frame with the 50 lbs sandbag test. I have a similar back profile to Aron Snyder, so that may be why the kifaru hunter frame fits me so well. My back also feels 100% supported from my waist to my shoulders with the hunter frame. I think if I had a straighter profile back, I'd have kept the SG bag/frame.

Comparing to my Kifaru Reckoning bag, I think the look and simplicity of the SG 40/56 bag was something I was blown away at. The 40/56 bag looked great empty/full and everything in between. The straps were clean looking always and the sandbag was secured without putting a ton of stress on the gear inside the pack. I was able to figure out how to switch between gear mode and meat hauling mode and repeat consistently without even reading the directions. Conversely, I'm constantly fiddling with my Kifaru reckoning bag to find the best way to secure meat and I can never get a consistent transition from gear hauling to meat hauling like I could with the SG 40/56 bag. When I'm hauling meat with little gear on the reckoning, it looks like a spyder web of straps.

In a perfect world, I'd be putting this 40/56 bag on my hunter frame but unfortunately, I don't have the time to play frankenbackpack right now.

 

[Josh Boyd]

Update:

I've spent a few weeks in the mountains of Montana putting some weight on the EVO frame. Over 300 lbs of meat with several trips will quickly show a packs weaknesses and strengths. I found out it carries a heavy load really comfortably! For my back shape, it seems like it's on-par with the X-curve from a comfort standpoint. This might change as more weight is added, but for a one elk quarter load it was great.

 

[Jardo]

It worked good for me. Meat shelf worked perfectly, even for back straps and loose cuts. Frame held up nicely and was very comfortable hauling a 60 lb load.

Definitely my favorite and lightest pack.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

I've ran my evo frame on a couple hunts now and also trained 80lb on it preseason, it carries well. I did rip out a side strap on this last hunt but I'll be able to stitch it back in just fine. It got yanked upwards by my rifle bolt handle during a hard fall landing on the buttstock and the stitching holding it sandwiched between the layers of XPAC blew out. Really like the feel of the frame, grib of the belt, and weight of the frame.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Fixed my strap the other day and put it to work packing out 4 lopes over the weekend (yes I actually packed out antelope as I was hunting deep in a walk in only area). Still liking this frame.

 

[Grizz]

I originally was following the thread to decide if I was going to buy the evo. I purchased the frame and a sky archer about 5 months ago and have been using it 3-4 times a week to train and haul hunting gear. Typically my hunting loads are 25-35lbs and are barely noticeable even when still hunting all day. The big test came when killed a small buck last week and had to haul it out of a pretty steep canyon. It performed well and carried the load as comfortably as can be expected at that weight. I have no complaints about durability or versatility even with the simple design of the sky archer pack. Also want to mention the hipbelt will accept molle pouches as seen in the pics. They offer some organization for small gear.



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[Josh Boyd]

I'm about done with my review of this pack. I spent most of a full year training, working, backpacking, and hunting with the Krux EVO. Stay tuned for my thoughts on this setup. It shouldn't be too long until it's published.
-Josh

 

[hammer0419]

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.

Love my X-CURVE as well. I don't know why they ignore the barrel issues? 2 ultralight carbon stays would solve it and never know the weight difference

 

[Justin Crossley]

Josh's review is complete. Check it out below!

Stone Glacier Krux EVO 40/56 Backpack Review

 

[Rican0624]

Love this pack. Thanks for the review.

 

[fwafwow]

Any other thoughts on whether or to what extent this bag may be too minimalist? Specifically, has anyone with this bag wished it had an exterior pocket or two, for bugle, Nalgene, etc.?

 

[Stoke_82]

Watching and can't wait for your take. This pack is on my list for a new pack purchase for 2019

 

[Josh Boyd]

The review is published and in the link above. See post #112.

It's a great pack and frame built for a more narrow range of uses. check out the review to see if it's right for you.
-Josh

 

[Bigforky]

Following

 

[Stoke_82]

This pack is on my list as well. Can’t say thank you enough for the great insight and review.

Cheers

 

[pdp]

Appreciate this review.

 

[*zap*]

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